Purrbal's Pad

Time passes

2011-01-07T22:26:00.001-08:00

It's amazing how fast time passes, wasn't aware that it's been a year since I've posted, ...OOPS!

2010 had good points and bad points. As I start 2011 the kids are both in school now, I've gained too much weight and I hope for a better year than 2010 was to us. Guess we'll see soon enough. To wrap up 2010 we started Zach on a program in school to help him figure out how to be less fidgety in class. He can focus on the work but plays with items and for some odd reason has taken on screaming in the boys lavatory.

No clue why the boy who doesn't like loud sounds himself would find himself in the boys restroom screaming. That one still has me scratching my head. Only thought I have mustard is that he liked the echo in there. Needless to say when the behavior specialist asked to work with him we jumped at the chance. I would rather find a way to get him to work his best now than let him get to developed and find more of a fight to figure out how to help him.

This week was our first at home meeting. Our weekly focus is on Developing a Positive Parent/Child relationship and Confidence Building. I find that I learn better by typing/writing things out in addition to what I've been reading. I thought it might be good to put it up here so if someone who doesn't' have this opportunity is searching for how to deal with something similar this might just help them too. :)

Developing a Positive Parent/Child relationship and Confidence Building
Parent Tips
Play
~Playing with your child is a powerful way to get to know your child better. If your child can lead the play interaction and you can support and find interest in their play, you and your child can build a strong positive relationship.
~Try to let your child direct the play.
~Observe and comment on what they are doing. For example, if your child is playing trucks you might say "So you are filling the truck with dirt."

Accept Feelings
~Even if your child is having a feeling you don't like, let it be expressed. It helps you see your child's perspective.
Example
This: "You sound like you were really mad"
Not this: "It's not right to say you hate someone."

Display Their Work
~When your child brings home work or art from school display it on a shelf, bulletin board or the refrigerator to show them you are proud of their accomplishment.

Send a Positive Message
~Leave a surprise note for your child that sends a message that they are loved and that points out their positive traits. Write a note with a smiling face or other drawing, with the words "I love you", or another, similar message ("I am proud that you are my son!" or "You are so much fun!"). Put the note under a pillow, in a pocket or in their lunch box. You can also decorate your note with a sticker. What a surprise!

Give Your Child Responsibilities
~One of the main ways children develop self-confidence and internalize values is through helping with family chores.
~Try to:
1. Choose tasks your child has already shown an interest in.
2. Make sure the chore is developmentally appropriate for your child's age and ability.
3. Spend time teaching them how you want it done by telling, showing and practicing.
4. Praise their efforts and successes!

Hoping all this will help him and build an even stronger family unit than we already have. I hope this will help someone else in need if not today someone in the future. :D

Next weeks topic: Self-Control

What I have taken away from 2010 is that life is far to short, hug a great big long hug to those that you love and that love you and help them be the best tiny humans they can be because with hope they will grow in to fantastic grown ups. HUGS from me to you! Thank you for stopping by.

Confessions

2010-01-08T10:05:00.000-08:00

Track track track... I need to track to do my very best.

Truth be told I think I haven't been because it is easier to avoid it then admit I'm not doing what I should be doing. I just tracked my breakfast, YEAH ME! LOL

I had one of those days yesterday that I was over stimulated. After my shower I was so overstimulated I just wanted to cry so I took some Hylands Calms, sat down with the rest of my Dr Pepper, some pretzels and m&m's ...not the best choices but I was calmed down and managed to get through bedtime with the kidlets. {sigh} Why I am on here admitting to my food choices last night I will never know but maybe in my own mind it is documenting what I did to help me get passed it. I know better but I didn't eat the whole bag of m&m's so that in itself is a success and I want to give myself a pat on the back for it.

REFOCUS

2009-09-17T19:31:00.000-07:00

I need to completely do another 180 and turn myself around. For me and for my family. I really do want to get down more in weight.

I think I want to share a video that Zoie and I found a couple years ago and I love it so it never hurts to put it up again and again hehehe

The reason I put this video in here is because it is to remind us that we need to stop over thinking things. Sometimes it is just okay to think outside the box and that can be just enough to be entertaining or obtain our goal.

What are you grateful for?

2009-01-16T15:22:00.000-08:00

I'm grateful to have friends and family who love me and support me in my decision and do everything in their power to help me plod along.

Songs that ROCK

2008-11-24T17:27:00.001-08:00

Artist Site

Women!

2008-11-23T22:05:00.000-08:00

Why on earth do we have to have so many of the annoying things to deal with. We get menstration which why is something that happens every month to a woman have to be called "men"stration? I mean what does a man have to do with that? Not only do we bleed but we get to deal with unbearable cramps, bloating and irritability but when we get to be without all that we get to be pregnant. I mean come on we get to go through the pregnancy with all the anxieties that come with it not to mention the morning sickness that can occur, plus we get to actually go through the birthing I know I know some women believe it is most wonderful thing in the world, well I'm not one of them.

LOL I mean I am glad I had my babies but I totally could have done without all the rest what it takes to get them here. Plus we get to worry about every cotton pickin' thing ... I mean how do we turn our brains off? I could do on but there is nothing I can tell you that you probably don't already know about women LOL I really just want to say teach us to be more like men and we'll gladly give you a awful trait we got stuck with.

Words to live by

2008-09-19T11:12:00.001-07:00

Those of you that know me, know how much I love song lyrics. I love all kinds of songs for many different reasons, this song to me is so inspirational. You may have heard the song and never really listened to the lyrics then again maybe you have. I love the lyrics of this song because they are words to live by so my song for you all to embrace is:

Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten

I am unwritten,
Can't read my mind
I'm undefined
I'm just beginning
The pen's in my hand
Ending unplanned

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words
That you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten, yeah

Oh, oh

I break tradition
Sometimes my tries
Are outside the lines, oh yeah yeah
We've been conditioned
To not make mistakes
But I can't live that way oh, oh

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words
That you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
the rest still unwritten

(Gospel)
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words
That you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live you life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins

The rest is still unwritten

The rest is still unwritten

Inside Tapiola Park

2008-09-11T22:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a look down into one of the Victorians

Our truck out one of the windows in one of the Victorians.

A nod to the shipping industry, a tug boat for the kid'lls to play in.

If you go to Astoria you can ride the trolley that goes along the river front, my kids totally enjoyed their trip with daddy, here is the trolley in the tot's section (Fort Clatsop area), Zachy looking out at mama.

Here I am sitting on a bench in the Fort Clatsop area looking back towards the park.

Just a view of my kids playing just inside the Fort Clatsop entry...yes that is my biggest kid on the left hiding from our children.

Tapiola Park part 2

2008-09-11T22:15:00.000-07:00

This is a view from the backside of the park where you park your rig. I took it in three shots to give you full idea of where things are.

Looking down near the Free Willy tribute, you can see the swings off behind it then over by the playground you see one of the slides coming out.

Here you can still see a little of that slide, the entrance using the Astoria-Megler Bridge and just on the other side of the bridge is the (pirate) ship climbing wall all the way over to one of the Victorian houses.

This one is from that same Victorian house down over the kiddie area that is in Fort Clatsop area.

This is an over view from inside the playground. Yes Scott and I were both in the middle of this playground with the kids.

Here is the view of going in, at his point I am past the Astoria-Megler Bridge looking towards what I am guessing is a nod to the Astoria Column, you can see that same green slide going out of the play area.

You can see Scott down with the kids here, viewing from up near the Flavel House down towards the Fort Clatsop area.

In my same location this view is back towards the backside of the ship climbing wall towards one of the many Victorian houses.

Tapiola Park part 1

2008-09-11T17:28:00.000-07:00

We found the coolest kids play structure on our last camping trip. Well we didn't find it like it was hidden but I found this book on Astoria, as I was browsing through it I came across the mention of this park. I thought it sounded pretty cool so I programmed it in as part of our stops for the day of exploring. This park has won awards, I can totally see why. When designing this park they asked kids what they wanted in it so in essence the kids helped design it and it has many of the sites from Astoria replicated to play in.

The Flavel House tribute

Fort Clatsop tribute

Free Willy tribute

Astoria-Megler Bridge tribute

Ship tribute: this could be due to the Goonies ending ship or it could just be towards all the history Astoria has in the shipping world, you decide.

"Calgon take me away!"

2008-08-06T19:28:00.000-07:00

Ever have one of those days when you just want to cry?

My daughter is giving me a run for my money. Zach had the terrible two's which to be honest were a breeze. I think the worse thing we had to do with him was work on him with animals. I know he just wanted to play with them but he thought it was funny to push them off the couch or where ever they were purched. Time outs worked with him.

Zoie on the other hand was a breeze through her two's. I was beginning to think this parenting thing wasn't so bad. LOL Then the horrific three's came. YIKES Am I being recruited for that Nanny show? OH yes that has so crossed my mind, but like I want my disgustingly dirty house on TV for the world see, or worse my hiney LOL! She really throws the worst fits I have ever seen, well I've seen some good ones on TV but man where are they coming from? They started with just one on a very rare occasiion, then as time has progressed they seem to creep in more and more.

I've tried time out: I take her to her room, she comes right back out, I put her back she comes right back out {mind you she's screaming at me this entire time}, I put her back, close her door this time and repeat each time she comes out. OY the screaming would someone stop the screaming... please I beg you, no she isn't throwing a fit right now but the screaming just gets to me. I have even gotten down on her level to talk to her. I also tried holding her down while she was kicking and screaming repeating "fits get you nothing" over and over. All that got me was kicked and screamed at to get out, that fit brought me to tears. Which stopped her fit dead in it's tracks, asking to hug me and kiss me. Now some of you may be against spankings but I have even tried a spanking to stop it, all that does is make me feel worse for feeling I had to resort to that form of punishment.

I was talking with Doris about different game plans. Since the above are obviously not working for us. For one the two of them are in this "competition" constantly telling me "boys first" "no girls first" "no boys first" ...repeat until mommy's head spins around. This I am going to take a page out of Doris' parenting book and make a calendar each day with either have a "boy" or a "girl" on it, the one that is on will get first everything for that day. First choice, first to brush teeth, first to do chores etc...obviously they will change as the ages do. I am hoping this will assist me with the fits, this way I can refer to the calendar for those fits that stem from "girls first", "Is it a boy or a girl on the calendar?"

I got these little dollar tree teacher aids that are 2x8 in size that she can stick stickers too, each day give her 6 stickers. Each fit gives mama a sticker, if she ends the day with say three stickers she gets a Dora to put on the sticker card. Once the card is filled up she can go with mama or daddy to the dollar tree and pick out a toy.

Now of course I am such a procrastinator so I haven't done anything yet but yesterday she threw a fit and as she was doing it I went out and got a gogurt and gave Zachy a frozen gogurt and said here you go Zachy you get this because you are being such a good boy. She stopped her fit after a few minutes of more no Zachy doesn't blah blah blah... For the rest of the day she asked for a gogurt and I stood strong and said no you threw a fit, fits get you nothing. Today we managed to go all day with no fits. She got a gogurt after nap today.

Now I ask you, have you had these kinds of fits? If you have how did you attack them?

What have YOU been up to?

2008-07-29T11:27:00.001-07:00

I've been working on my trailer we picked up off craigslist...you can find some good deals on there!

Here is our new baby...

Here are some inside views

(before)looking into trailer from doorway

(before)looking from front couch towards doorway/bathroom

(before)shower stall, previous owner added fishies

After views:

Since the previous owner had added fishies to the shower stall I wanted to add some whimsy in the bathroom so I found this fabric to use on the bathroom windows, they are hard to see but I added two fish buttons in the middle of the curtain to keep them shut.

I decided on plaid for my curtains and denim to cover the cushions.

the plaid has yellow in it which I wanted to incorporate the countertops & appliances

After we made all the cushion covers except the largest one for the couch; the cushions were all sewn together so it would have been hard to make one I got a brainiac idea to look for a futon cover for it and to my surprise I found one in denim. I was beyond estatic over my find!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-07-08T08:56:00.001-07:00

Bachelor/Bachelorette

2008-07-07T22:36:00.000-07:00

OY!!!

I cannot understand how every single season I pick the wrong one. OY! Now by no means am I saying that Jesse is not a great guy, he just didn't seem like the one for her that I would have picked. I am sure Jason will find the woman that is perfect for him, they'll probably come out of the woodwork for him. Of course it is what they want but I am ready to quit watching both shows.

Sam, Nate & Paige

2008-05-06T18:21:00.000-07:00

Been busy lately and avoiding blogging {wink} I guess sometimes knowing you have no readers means it is way too easy to get lazy. I am down 52 pounds regardless of my vacation to Coeur d'Alene, must mean I am following program pretty good.

Now I am watching my friends niece and nephews for a little while while her mom recouperates {did I spell that right?} her sister was at her wits end on what to do for her daycare situation so I was asked to help out. Her kids are Sam, 8 so I only have him couple hours in afternoon; Nathan, 5 he goes off to school for couple hours right in the center of our day; and Paige, 3 1/2. Funny getting used to other peoples kids. Mine (4 & turns 3 on Sunday) are learning to play with new kids.

For the most part things seem to be going good between them, Nate is ADHD so he tends to want to control things but we are learning how to interact with him. Plus I am getting a lesson on foods because it seems as though what they (ADHD) eat really affects their day. Anyone out there have any experience they want to share?

Sand & Stone

2008-03-05T09:41:00.000-08:00

TWO FRIENDS WERE WALKING THROUGH THE DESERT.

DURING SOME POINT OF THE JOURNEY,

THEY HAD AN ARGUMENT; AND ONE FRIEND

SLAPPED THE OTHER ONE IN THE FACE

THE ONE WHO GOT SLAPPED WAS HURT,

BUT WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING,

WROTE IN THE SAND,

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

THEY KEPT ON WALKING UNTIL THEY FOUND AN OASIS,

WHERE THEY DECIDED TO TAKE A BATH

THE ONE WHO HAD BEEN SLAPPED

GOT STUCK IN THE MIRE AND STARTED DROWNING,

BUT THE FRIEND SAVED HIM.

AFTER HE RECOVERED FROM THE NEAR DROWNING,

HE WROTE ON A STONE:

'TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE'

THE FRIEND WHO HAD SLAPPED

AND SAVED HIS BEST FRIEND

ASKED HIM, 'AFTER I HURT YOU,

YOU WROTE IN THE SAND AND NOW,

YOU WRITE ON A STONE, WHY?'

THE FRIEND REPLIED

'WHEN SOMEONE HURTS US

WE SHOULD WRITE IT DOWN

IN SAND, WHERE WINDS OF

FORGIVENESS CAN ERASE IT AWAY.

BUT, WHEN SOMEONE DOES

SOMETHING GOOD FOR US,

WE MUST ENGRAVE IT IN STONE

WHERE NO WIND CAN EVER ERASE IT'

LEARN TO WRITE

YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND

AND TO CARVE YOUR

BENEFITS IN STONE.

THEY SAY IT TAKES

A MINUTE TO FIND A SPECIAL PERSON,

AN HOUR TO APPRECIATE THEM,

A DAY TO LOVE THEM,

BUT THEN, AN ENTIRE LIFE TO FORGET THEM.

'Be kinder than necessary,

for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.'

What a blast!

2008-03-01T20:43:00.000-08:00

I did a show last night, my first interactive show and it was such a hoot!

I got the impression people were like "oh" when we mentioned they'd be assembling the recipes but when colors were drawn, envelopes were distributed and go was said... it was so much fun being part of the show. The ones that are "regulars" suddenly came into their element and really helped those that had no clue what a handy scraper was etc...

Planning the show: printer paper, red & blue cardstock, envelopes & and a well laid plan .....$20

Coordinating half aprons in red & blue .....$49.50

Watching them jump on chairs with no worry and doing as the card read .....$"PRICELESS!"

Leap Year!

2008-02-29T09:15:00.000-08:00

Not often we get to celebrate leap year so woohoo! My SIL(ex)'s birthday is today and I think she says she's under 10 or something (psst she's in her early 30's) but we like it the years she actually gets her own birthday. So Happy Birthday Azure! (not that she reads my blog but I feel good knowing I posted it!)

I weighed in today of course and here I am blogging, funny it seems I blog more when I am down then stand-stills or gains I don't mean to but I guess subconsciously I am ashamed but by golly I am down from where I started and as long as I don't gain back 50+ pounds in one week I am doing good!

I keep trying to think of good rewards for myself that don't revolve around food! What do you reward yourself with? I thought about going out and getting myself something to wear, but why buy something I won't fit in sometime soon! Right now I seem to be avoiding working on my great race stuff for tonight show so I guess since I admitted it I should get back to it so I will sign off and hope I have some readers that might help me think of some cool rewards... ta-ta

sick sick SICK, things that make you say hmmmm

2008-02-24T08:43:00.000-08:00

Started with Zach, then we got our flu shots, then Zoie caught it about a week after our flu shots then I was a couple days after her ...

...

...

...

...

...

...two weeks ago I got a sinus infection up on top of the cold I had been fighting since the end of November. I was even more miserable! I went to the doctor and he put me on medication and schedule a visit with my pulmonologist, now it is the end of February and I still have it but I keep thinking it has to be the end of it. I gave myself until March 1st to feel better IF I do then I may cancel that appointment. I don't feel my Asthma is out of control it just is so hard for me to get past colds once I catch one.

Is everyone familiar with Prednisone? OY this medicine is a doozy. Most times if my Asthma flairs it is the medication I get put on to try and get it back in control. Well I am learning this medication is SO not fun when trying to lose weight. I had gotten down 42 pounds then put on the medicaiton and first week up 2 pounds, then up another 2...finally this past week I went back down 3.6 pounds. PHEW! My WW leader mentioned Prednisone is a doozy with water retention and mood issues.

My last week was so rough. I have been questioning what I am doing. I am messing up my family not working, well I still have my Independent Consulting with Pampered Chef business but I cannot say I have whole heartily attacked it. I love their products, I just need to be better about asking for the business I guess I get shy in that area. I have noticed that since losing weight I have more energy and I have been more excited about my shows.

I went to a Lia sophia party yesterday and saw a couple of people I hadn't seen in a while and both commented on my weight-loss. I was excited someone saw it. I don't see it really being the gradual losing aspect, same for my hubby and my best friend that goes to the meetings with me yet I have put a couple things on recently where they fit looser. Those things help but man have I been down. I was looking at some municipal jobs and one was for the Medical Examiners office but I would have to commute all the way to Clackamas from Hillsboro and that just does NOT sound appealing. I guess my babbling is leading to the question, How do you know whether you're making the right decisions for yourself and your family?

I hit 35 pounds down

2008-01-09T00:09:00.000-08:00

I am telling you I was so excited I hit 35 pounds at my weigh in on Friday. I let out a big woohoo yelpy sound. I was so excited.

I watched RR today and there was a lady on there that did Gastric Bypass surgery and she looks fantastic but she was saying how she lost all her friends and some family over her weight loss. In the end it sounds like the reason she lost them was because she was so happy with her successes that she wasn't thinking about others feelings so much. The "expert" on the show basically just said when you make a life changing decision (which weight loss totally is) you really need someone you can talk to about it. That way when you talk with family or friends you deal more with the two-way street that friendship should be. YOu can get out the excitement and talk about the changes with that person and then when you talk with F&F you are willing to talk about their things as much as you talk about yours too.

I think that is where I am so happy I chose to do WW because I go each Friday morning I chat about foods, losses/gains, feelings and stuff that all pertains to the process of weight loss and then I don't feel like I have to preach to people about what I am learning and stuff. I am still stoked about my changes but I am not quite so at people with it, or well I try not. What she brought up makes total sense and I can so see why people would be rubbed wrong by it. Plus I come here and brain dump all this weight loss stuff so I get it out of my system too it would be nice if I got some interaction but I guess it isn't what this is about so much. I think I only have one reader anyway and she's a friend in a similar position so hopefully we can really help each other out. ;)

Quote:

2007-12-10T19:28:00.000-08:00

Buy your vegetables already cleaned and ready to eat. If it helps you stay on plan, you are worth it.

Inches

2007-12-08T09:03:00.001-08:00

So to start off my endeavor I had Scott take my photo's, then a few weeks into it I realized I should have had him take measurements too. I think it was mostly because I lost the first week then I just tapered off losing but stayed the same. Anyone losing weight has got to know how it feels to know you are doing what you are supposed to yet there is no improvement just how frustrating it can be.

I had begun my adventure the middle of September, then the beginning of Octoboer I had him take more pictures then measured my neck, bust, upperarm, forearm, waist, hips, thigh, and calf. Scott has been working a HUGE amount of overtime which we desperately need/needed so in our busy-ness (not business but busy ness) we forgot to take the measurements last month. I had him take them last night and I had lost as much as 3 inches in some areas and two areas no change what-so-ever. It is fun to see where the inches are coming off and then the areas I need to maybe focus on. How do you measure up?

Quote:

2007-12-08T09:01:00.000-08:00

To avoid snacking while cooking or baking drink water or chew gum.

Quote:

2007-12-07T22:01:00.001-08:00

"Time flies. It's up to you to be the navigator" (Orben) Make time for yourself and your WW meetings this week.

How did YOUR Friday go?

2007-12-07T21:39:00.000-08:00

I felt thick and as someone else said at our meeting today "I can see why an anorexic or bulemic person always feels like they're fat." I guess I can relate too. I woke up this morning and all I wished was that I had a potty before our meeting. Sorry, TMI! Anyway but I had to laugh at myself because I had GREAT results at the meeting. I am only 7.8 pounds away from hitting my 10% goal now WOOHOO! Hope you had some great news today too!

Quote:

2007-12-06T10:53:00.001-08:00

Don't wast your points on foods you don't like.

Quote:

2007-12-05T19:41:00.000-08:00

Add vegetables to your pasta and soups to increase the amount and volume of the food you eat without adding points.

Holiday season

2007-12-04T11:51:00.000-08:00

Are you ready? Much more to do?

I think I am almost done. I keep thinking of more to do but I should probably just stop. I find this year I am viewing "the things I do" more, so I was at the store and rather than buy holiday peeps for everyone I bought one package we could all try one, YES me included!

In my old age I find I am not a big peeps person but the peppermint ones definitely intrigued me sooooooooooo I had to buy some but like I said one package for all those who want to try may have at least one. Hopefully everyone tries one so there is NO left-overs hehehe. OY! How are your holiday preperations going?

Quote:

2007-12-04T11:46:00.000-08:00

Be enthusiastic about losing weight. Gulp a glass of water, increase the intesity of your activity, get excited about being healthy.

Quote:

2007-12-03T16:41:00.001-08:00

How long is your to-do list? Be sure there is something positive on it that you are looking forward to doing.

Calendar's

2007-12-02T13:15:00.000-08:00

Once a month they give us a calendar that has quotes for each day of the month. I decided it would be good for me to post each day's quote on here so I am reading and really finding my purpose for what it says and means to me. If you have favorite quotes I would love to hear them and find a personal meaning in them too. Lets hear them...

Down to the nitty gritty...I was down 3.4 which was delightful since I had been up 1.8 Thanksgiving week. How did you do this week?

Daily Quote:

2007-12-02T13:12:00.000-08:00

What will success on Dec 31st look like to you? Work toward that goal every day.

Daily Quote:

2007-12-01T10:23:00.001-08:00

"Though no one can go back in time and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."

Munching!

2007-11-21T17:08:00.000-08:00

Have you ever noticed that some days are easy to not eat a lot but then there are those days that you cannot find enough to eat?

Lately I have had days where I keep wanting to munch, on things that should be done in moderation. The temptation is just SO there and I am trying to be strong. OY what a week to really have this issue...I needed to be good all week so Turkey day was open to splurge and I have been fairly good but like I said the MUNCH!

Okay how do you survive the holiday's without "over eating"? Share those tips!

down .4

2007-11-17T11:23:00.000-08:00

Isn't it just a hoot to say, "Hey I am down .4" (weight) it just cracks me up but it is down none-the-less! So for my slight teeter up a few weeks back I am only .2 away from losing that although last week I dropped six pounds which technically got me past my slight gain but I want the six to be above and beyond that. Hehehe

Okay I am prepping for Thanksgiving and thank goodness I am such a picky eater. What is up on your menu? Are you ready?

Match the flags to the foods

2007-11-10T19:14:00.000-08:00

This just in...

2007-11-09T09:49:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of myself, I am down 20.4 pounds.

Today our group leader was talking to us about using spices and make our meals fun. It was an impromtu geography lesson. Let me tell you I never did do well in Social Studies OR Geography type classes. She had us guessing the ingredients to where they are from er well what place they signify the meal would be from. Next page was guessing the flags....FLUNKED hehehe

First was Tomatoes and Oregano...Italian. Then it was Tarragon and Wine...I mean I hear Tarragon and I think EW Licorice flavor (thank you Food network for informing me before making that mistake) but it was French. Then there was Sour Cream ...we thought Spanish/Mexican food but it was actually Russian (which light bulb went off for me Stroganoff DUH) Next came Lemon & Cinnamon and I was like NO CLUE! Turns out it was Greek. Last one was Soy Sauce which was Asian and now I have blocked it all ... lol but for flags she had TWO extra flags.

Deceptively Delicious

2007-11-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

I just do not get all the hype over this book as well as The Sneaky Chef (TSC). So many people say it is just wrong to sneak veggies into recipes. UM HELLO! A recipe is a concoction of ingredients making a dish. Adding veggies is just another ingredient to the recipe. In Deceptively Delicious (DD) she talks about continuing to offer veggies, she even talks about rules in her house now I cannot compare what is in DD to TSC but I really do not get why people are so up in arms over either book.

SOrry had to go there I just got the DD book and really like it so far. I have been just adding purees to my dishes lately and yum. I find that the ones that are best are really flavorful dishes, in other words lots of seasoning. Okay I weighed in yesterday and I was back down a pound so I was happy with that. How was your week?

Two steps forward, {sigh} one step back

2007-10-26T09:39:00.000-07:00

OY! I had my first weight gain {sigh} I know, I know I am still down overall. It is just hard to hear a gain.

It is funny too that our leader discussed fact or fiction type things today too. The most common is probably a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat...duh a pound is a pound that is why it is called a pound. hehehe I guess the true question would be if you take the same mass size of fat vs muscle would the muscle then weigh more than the fat???

I have been playing with recipes lately trying to incorporate more veggies in our diets. I am finding the trick is choosing really flavorful dishes to succeed with it. I added just pureed cauliflower to regular mac-n-cheez and it was flavorful enough not to taste it EXCEPT there was a cauliflower after taste. My solve add a few dashes of Chipotle Tabasco sauce and voila! I am not a spicy girl and let me tell you it added a nice smokey after taste instead no spicy to it!!! But I added the same amount of cauliflower to a cheese mixture that had Italian seasoning and could not even taste the cauliflower.

I found that if I have things prepped I am more apt to actually use them too. When we came back from the store yesterday I sat and pounded my chopper (LOVE IT) to crank out my onions {boy were they strong-phew}, chopped up my bell peppers, cut up my zucchini, cut up some carrot and celery for my veggie soup. Plus I prepped my cauliflower and broccoli for puree'g. So do you think all that pounding of the chopper could be considered great exercise? Thoughts like that like that are probably why I didn't lose this week hehehe. I am making a recipe today that Rachel Ray made two days ago so wish me luck. Okay I have probably gabbed WAY too much now but then again I am just talking to myself so what do I care.

mmmmmmmwwaaaaaaaaaahhh to all my sista's {wink to my new friend Em}

TGIF

2007-10-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

Yes I know it is a coined term but none the less I am glad today is Friday. The hub-bub is working OT today so I missed out on weighing in but it is only one week and I am being a good girl besides we REALLY need the money.

I can remember when Friday's meant going dancing with my best friend, drinking and being sad that I was single. Now I am happily married, mommy to two beautiful babies but I don't dance. I do miss dancing but that is it. It is funny that in each instance there is a piece missing for me. Is it that we always miss something or are we ever completely feeling life is as we want it? What things do you miss or desire to achieve?

Good Week

2007-10-12T09:55:00.000-07:00

It is funny to think that, "man I am following things, how can I not be losing weight???" I know that it is going to take more than just a day but come on already!

This picture portrays how I was feeling as of late. Which is funny how even though I was staying the same then had .4 loss last week I have been feeling SO down about my plateau so to go in to my meeting this morning I am sure you can imagine my surprise to hear loss of 6.6 WOOHOO!

The Little Things

2007-10-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

I need to teach myself that it is truly all about the little things. I weighed in this week and I was down .4% hehehe sounds hilarious to me (if I even said it right) which just means I am down 7.4 WOOHOO!

Dreaming in Technicolor

2007-10-03T13:49:00.000-07:00

Our meeting leader tells us to "Dream in technicolor". Envision yourself at your goal weight in vibrant colors. My problem is having been overweight most of my life it is hard to "envision" myself at a goal weight since the last time I was at that weight was probably back in middle school (not sure exactly). Well anyway it is hard to find people with my height at the weight I want to get down to.

I have decided to do it in "steps". Learning to change bad behaviors with new ones really takes baby steps. So rather than set myself up for failure why not start with envisioning myself at different weights to help myself along. I may not have the same vision of myself in one year than I do today...am I off base here? I think I am right on target. I figure I can make myself a board in four 12x12 sections which helps me anyway since I am a scrapbooker and I have plenty of that size card stock for the backing. What are your ideas??? Do you have a person you identify with as where you would love to look like? How do you dream in technicolor???

I just recently say Sara Ramirez in her new add for Milk this is a body I would love to end up having...I hope she knows she is a role model to women.

My first weigh in . . .

2007-09-21T10:14:00.000-07:00

I know I am just writing this for me, in fact I doubt this is read by anyone but I feel the need to do it for me. Silliness but this is all for me anyway hehehe.

So today was my first weigh in. I was pretty proud of myself. Our mtg was about motivation and positive thinking. If you find yourself saying "I'm not getting sick, I'm not gett..." your mind is actually hearing I'm getting sick. So if you change that up and say I am going to be healthy and strong that is a far better image to tell yourself. The questions to ask yourself are:

1) (Imagine yourself having already achieved your winning outcome) Where are you? What are you seeing, hearing, doing, wearing, etc.?
2) (Think about how good you'll feel) What does success feel like?
3) (Keep those good feelings close) What are some of those other behaviors?

How would you answer those questions? How do they help you? I think positive thinking is a good way to be but not always the easiest way to choose to be.

Okay now to the meat of my topic...my first weigh in was NO I AM NOT TELLING YOU MY WEIGHT {wink} but I lost seven pounds and all I could think of was Jenny McCarthy saying, "I lost five pounds in one week, how could that be" but it motivated her to feel successful and achieve what she wanted over all. Now I am talking about a hottie supermodel type lady but it still got to me so today all I could think was yea! I lost more than Jenny McCarthy in her first week. {wink} hehehe If it helps motivate me to go for more then I am a happy camper.

Surprisingly easy

2007-09-20T09:47:00.000-07:00

As each day passes I work at doing the right thing. I find it surprisingly easy to follow. I like that they don't restrict you so far that you feel hungry all the time. I notice it is about making the right choices to choose foods that keep you feeling full longer or better. Cottage cheese is surprises me how filling it is. Have you found foods that you love that fill you up without being awful for you?

Well I weigh in tomorrow so we will see just how well I have done hehehe!

New way of life

2007-09-17T11:28:00.000-07:00

Friday I decided to change my "way of life", which is very tough for me. I joined weight watchers, for myself but mostly for my kids. I want to learn new ways of eating so I don't make the same mistakes with my kids. I want them to know proper eating and portions. I also want them to appreciate good cooking and although I love my mom's (and grandma's and so on) cooking it isn't the most healthy items around. They are mostly meat and potatoes cookers. I want to learn how to better their recipes and make them more figure friendly.

This is all really hard for me, being so overweight and actually talking about things. Last time I actually "revealed" my weight to a man BDH he decided he wasn't so interested in me so I just kept that to myself for fear of rejection. Now that I am done having babies I am ready to change things and work towards a better me.

Hey did you know there are tons of WW products out there to help you. I have been amazed at how yummy the Smart Ones I have tried actually taste. They even have pizza! The desserts are good too! I am seeing that the system seems pretty easy to work with. I was on the go the first day right after my meeting and I had a pretty "high point" breakfast but managed to keep myself within my points for the day.

Anyway I should end this for now but I think I am going to be posting regularly to help me "diary" my efforts, successes and failures...I am going to meetings but I want to talk about it more so I don't bore those I talk with constantly about WW stuff {hehehe}. I would love to hear what you think of your plan and goals and here what you have to say. I also have a poll to see who's following what plan if you want to add your input I would love to see it!

Christmas Coloring Participants

2007-01-24T15:10:00.000-08:00

Age 4 and under:

10 and up to come soon!

Happy Holiday Everyone!

2006-12-30T11:16:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that Christmas is over...and that 2007 is almost here. We did a quick trip to my cousins house which was very nice and relaxing, even if I was fighting a cold the entire time.

hmmmm

I do wonder how much of my discomfort was my "cold" and "allergies" but over all it was still a VERY nice time. I love being around her, her family is just so infectious. I cannot say enough to say how much family together means to me. I love to be around people that it all just feels right, you know the biggest issue really is just trying to figure out why the little ones might be squabbling other than that just peace and tranquility!

My hope for you and yours is that you all have that kind of love and happiness throughout the 2007 year.

I should be posting the Christmas Coloring Contests soon, check back later.

Halloween Coloring Contest Winners!

2006-11-06T23:14:00.000-08:00

Some of my mommy friends and I had a coloring contest, it was a little impromtu but these are the winners, we will do another one for Christmas so check back later for another artwork collection! Thank you to all those that entered!

If you click on each picture it will tell you the artist and age.

Best Store Sign!

2006-03-29T22:11:00.000-08:00

Forever learning

2006-03-19T14:08:00.000-08:00

I keep trying to figure out how to "create" my own background, title and all that but right now I feel like an idiot! Well still trying but we'll see how it goes. I love trying to tackle things that I don't know just to learn. I don't even mind someone showing me things or helping out...well anyway back to my trying.

How goes blogging?

2005-12-06T22:22:00.000-08:00

So I have had this blog for while all because I wanted to post to someone's blog, come to realize I could have changed something and voila I could have just referenced to my own blog...duh! LOL

hmmmmmmm

2005-09-01T13:01:00.000-07:00

Wanted to post something to someones blog and had to create this to do so...will mess more with it later.