It’s a hard time of year to lose weight. I had been doing quite well actually. I lost about 30 pounds in 4 weeks after Myles was born, but then it just stopped coming off. Argh! Course I hadn’t been doing much to help it out, it was just the natural postpardom loss, so I can’t take much credit for it. Now I know that I’ve reached the point where I have to put blood, sweat and tears into the process if I’m going to reach my weight loss goals. SO I took matters into my own hands and started changing a few things. I can’t technically “diet” right now because I’m nursing Myles, but I do know that I can make some healthy(er) choices when it comes to my calorie intake. So I changed a few things recently.
1) Cut out extra liquid calories. I drink water with my meals, no juice, definitely no sodas. My only exception is that I get a cup of coffee in the am, with non-fat creamer, and a cup of sleepy time tea before bed. Neither of those has much calories though so that’s good.
2) Drink water first! When I feel hungry I drink a large glass of water and then wait 10- 15 min before I decide to eat something. This is actually very helpful because sometimes all I need is a drink, but it makes me think I’m hungry.
3) Pick healthy snacks. I really do need a snack in the afternoon. I typically eat a light lunch like soup or such, and I enjoy it, but I start to run out of steam around 3ish. So now instead of grabbing a salty high calorie low energy snack, I pick a piece of fruit with some raw almonds, yogurt or a string cheese.
Yes, it is a hard time of year to lose weight, but I’m happy to say that I BROKE the plateau and have dropped another 3 pounds!! I’m taking it easy on the baked goodies, and the best way for me to not eat it is to make it for other people. I can get my baking fix in, give great tasting gifts to friends and fam, and avoid the intake myself. 
So don’t be surprised if sometime soon you get a baked goody from one slightly skinnier friend. Ha ha!
Archive for November, 2008
Weight Loss Plateau
11.30
Happy Thanksgiving!
11.27
I hope you all have enjoyed your today! I have! The one thing that I really miss on Thanksgiving is not getting to watch the Macy’s Day parade. For some reason that was always my ‘thing’ growing up, well my thing besides the black olives and pickle snitching before the meal. 
We don’t have tv in our house now, and I don’t regret it. There’s just nothing worth watching on there much any more. Except the parade. But I can live without that I suppose. We have been creating our own traditions anyway. Stu and I give each other cards for just about every holiday, and who needs an excuse for a card from the one you love anyway, right? Well this year Stuart made me a coloring card, so after we exchanged them, he and I sat down and colored my card. It had a turkey on the front that Stu said was him. I just LOVE my turkey!! It was fun, and mostly we got to do something together and make a cool memory! We had our turkey meal over at Stu’s grandparent’s house. It was nice not to have to do that big of a meal here this year. Especially since I fought with a migraine headache all night last night. I was in no shape to cook for sure. My rolls turned out okay, I mean they were good, but I think I’m going to have to adjust their cooking temp. The recipe said 400* for 15-20 min!! They would have been charcoal black had I done that. But I rescued them in time and they really did taste fine, just looked a tad brown.
This afternoon when I got home I did some Amazon shopping for the love of my life for Christmas!! Now that Thanksgiving is here he has to listen to Christmas music without complaint. That’s the agreement. We are going to run into town tomorrow and pick our tree, another tradition. The tree goes up the day after Thanksgiving. I would have liked to do it today, but it can wait. I’m so looking forward to seeing Qade’s reaction to the tree this year. I have a feeling it’s going to be hard to keep the ornaments where they belong! It’s going to be so fun in the years to come to share in our kids excitement around Christmas. It may take a couple more for them to really get into it, but it’s still bound to be a blast.
Well, I hope you have all enjoyed your Thanksgiving and have taken a while to think of the many many things you have to be thankful for. I know we say it all the time, and it starts to sound old, but it’s not because the thankfulness is genuine and grows all the time, so here goes, I’m so thankful for my amazing husband, sweet children and just the great life that God has given me. Each day there are so many little things to be thankful for, and I’m glad for a time of year that makes me remember…. thanks!
Becoming a “Yes” mommy in a “No-no” world
11.25
Recently I have felt like I chase my little 19 month old monkey around the house saying things like, “no-no”, “put that back”, “don’t touch!” to mention a few. I realize that at his stage he wants to explore AND push his boundaries. However, I don’t want to be a negative nag all the day long. Giving this some thought over the past while I’ve started to realize that I have to “give” quite a bit if I’m going to be a “yes” mommy. That doesn’t mean that I “lose” or let him “win”, rather we both win. It simply means that I refuse to let the piddly things become the hill I choose to die on. For example: I have had the opportunity to be involved in some way with several “institutions” that for good reason have to have “rules.” I observed, however, that you can’t MAKE people good by causing them to follow a bunch of do’s and a lot more do-not’s. What you can do is give them a strong distaste for authority and break their will to do good “for goodness sake” ha! When I was in college (which will remain nameless hee hee) I had several friends who were good people, honestly desiring to do good who’s spirit was crushed under the unbearable weight of the regulation of the “piddly” things. If you live your life in a way that tiny things, which are not a sin, carry the same weight as immoral things, you will live under a constant weight of guilt, and that’s not what God intended. So all of that to say, I don’t want to start my son on that path. I want him to learn wrong from right, not a bunch of dinky rules. Now sometimes something is “wrong” simply because we have asked him to do, or not to do, something and he chooses to disobey. But this is where my changing comes in. I don’t want him to have to make that choice about nearly everything he does. I want to be able to give him certain freedoms. One example that has happened quite recently is his obsession with his shoes. We pretty much have a ‘no shoes’ policy in our house just because of all the stickers that get tracked in. Qade though, has fallen in love with his red crocs. He just loves to wear them ALL the time. Now I could put my foot down and take away his shoes because it’s our “rule” or I can make the choice to have an exception. It’s NOT going to make a dent in the grand scheme of things if he wears his shoes all day. In fact, if anything the result will be positive because I have avoided conflict and given my son the chance to hear a ‘yes’ from mommy instead of the perpetual “no-no.” That’s more valuable than finding a little dirt and maybe a sticker on the carpet. My dad had this little motto that he used when bringing us kids up. It was, “Choose your battles carefully, and win every one.” I know that we are going to experience conflict with Qade during these early years as he learns to obey and submit his will, but I also know that I can set my pride aside and not always have to be the “winner” by making my will the ONLY will. It will be alright to let him have his own say too.
Brothers
11.20
Our little dudes are getting so cute in how they interact with each other. Of course most of the interaction is on Qade’s part, but Myles is starting to respond. He is becoming more and more smiley and he just has the CUTEST grin!! I love toothless baby grins, they melt your heart! Anyway the other evening Myles was awake and alert, small wonder actually with our little hibernater, ha, and sitting in the bouncy seat. Every time Qade came by and stopped to talk or touch him, he’d just get this big old smile and coo right back. That same evening Qade was eating goldfish out of his snack cup and I walked into the room where the boys were and noticed Myles making a nasty face and sticking his tongue out. Suddenly out popped a goldfish!! Apparently big brother had been trying to “share” his wonderful snack! I’m thankful babies have that tongue thrust reflex to keep chokables out of their mouth. It was actually kinda cute and funny, but I realize I’m going to have to keep a closer eye on Bubba when he has a snack. Qade still likes to enjoy tummy time with Myles on the floor. Yesterday I had a blankie over Myles because it was starting to get chilly, and Qade wanted to steal it so instead I asked him to come with me to get HIS blanket. I made him one of those double fleece knotted blankets for his birthday and he loves how soft it is. So we went to his room, I bundled him in the blanket just like a baby, and he snuggled in it on the couch for a long time!
Today I’ve been playing catch up. Yesterday I had a HUGE walmart (ugh) shopping trip so laundry didn’t get done etc. This morning I cleaned the kitchen, put together our dinner (french toast custard!) and got some bread going in the machine. I’ve also done 2 loads of laundry and now have 3 to fold! That’s what I get for leaving one in the dryer, lazy me! I bought onions and green peppers yesterday that need to be cut up and frozen. Because we live so far away from the store I try to stock up on those “fresh” items and just freeze them for use when I need them. It helps a lot in cooking, but I just don’t like the cutting up process. I’m going to get it done today though! Procrastination only means more work later!
So with that said, I suppose I should go and get to it. Have a swell day!
*yawn*
11.17
Yesterday was a fun day with the family and Stuart got to visit a church that had sent some kids to camp last summer. He went to their evening service and even got to give a short “blurb” about camp and such. The pastor is interested in supporting us, which was a totally unlooked for opportunity. So we will probably be heading back there for a deputation service sometime soon. Stu went to the evening service and then we packed up our two little boys and headed home. My man is amazing! I fully intended to stay awake to help keep him up too, but I just couldn’t do it. Between the 2 of our lads we didn’t get much sleep on Saturday night. I got up with Myles at 2 something, and then at around 3:30 Qade popped wide awake and just started talking away. 
Oh, it was so funny, since we were awake anyway, Stu told me to, “Watch Qade dive into a foxhole.” It was pretty hilarious too, because Qade would stand up in his pack n play, which he knew he shouldn’t be doing during sleep times, and then when Stu would make a move to get up Qade would “hit the dirt” and lie down, it was soooo funny even if it was a horible hour to be awake.
Anyway, we’re home now, but with a bit of a sleep deficit, so I’m not going to be too ambitious about what I get done today. I was thinking today that we’re going to have to be more careful about what we say around our little parrot child. He has become a great mimic! Not that we have a poor vocabulary or anything, lest you get the wrong impression. But this morning I was doing something and got frustrated and said, “Great!” in a tone that didn’t mean great, ya know? Well right after I said it I heard this little voice next to me say “gwat” It was cute, but it did remind me that I have to be careful. I don’t want my bad habits to be reflected in my kiddos!
Qade is really becoming the linguist these days though. This weekend even he has picked up more words. It’s totally amazing to me to watch him absorb information. He’s a smart little lad, if I do say it myself. Oh, one more cute story and I’ll be done. (aren’t mommies awful when it comes to their kid stories? Everything they do is so cute or so funny or so amazing we just have to brag on them!) Well in church Sunday morning Qade was meeting a new friend who is just a couple months younger than him. They were standing near the entry way where my dad was and as the little boy’s parents were trying to get him to go, he stooped to the floor and picked “something” up and handed it to my dad. Dad, of course, thanked him, but then Qade decided he wanted it, so Dad offered it to him, and he took it out of Dad’s hand. Finally I asked Dad what they gave him…. his answer with a chuckle, “Nothing.” Ha! Great imaginations these little ones have!
Blogging on my walk
11.14
So the last 2 days I braved the unknown and took both my boys for a walk. I decided that this was something in my day that I needed to do for me. We get to get outside, which is good for all of us, but I get exercise which I really need, and a few moments to just think. Qade gets to ride in the stroller and Myles has been in the front pack. Let me tell you it’s SO much easier going up the sandy hill now!! Even though I’m still carrying Myles it’s not the same for sure! He’s been totally oblivious to our walks thus far. Doesn’t know what he’s missing, poor squirt.
Anyway, while I’m walking I compose, in my head, the most wonderful blog posts. You wouldn’t believe how the words just flow, and how eloquent I can be!!! Several times I’ve tried to “remember” my walking blogs and reproduce them for you here, but for some reason they do NOT come out the same. Why is that? Maybe the crisp air and beautiful sunshine just help things to come together better and then when I’m sitting inside staring at a computer screen they just disappear. Hmmm….
Well, that’s really neither here nor there. Today we are in Albuquerque with my fam! We’ve come to celebrate my mom’s birthday and just enjoy some family time. Qade had a grand old time getting spoiled by his grandparents and pretty much everyone. Myles doesn’t know the difference yet, but he enjoyed being rocked by his Oma while he napped this morning. I was a little nervous about how last night would go since we haven’t traveled yet with both the boys. All 4 of us sleeping in the same room could be a challenge, huh? Two pack-n-plays actually fit really well in the bedroom, I was surprised! Qade didn’t want to settle down last night because we all kind of went to bed at the same time. He does better if he’s put down first and is asleep before we come in. However, he eventually did crash out, and he slept all night very well! He woke up at 5 when I was up with Myles, but after he talked for a little while he went back to sleep for a couple more hours because I just ignored him. Myles did well last night too! I found some gripe water for his little tummy and we tried some last night. We’ll see if this helps his gasyness at all. He went to sleep a little after 10pm and was grunting and such at 12 something, but I brought him to bed with us and he slept for another hour or more before he actually wanted to eat. Then, I think, he made it till 4:40am-ish for his next meal… it’s a little foggy, but I’m pretty sure he only got up those 2 times. Anyway, enough blather, the point is we had a good night all together.
Today Stu is at the Apple store buying computers for camp. I nearly confiscated his personal credit cards just to be safe, but I trust him. It is a dangerous store for someone who loves Apple products as much as my hubby though. I think today we are going to try to sneek away from our small fry and visit a coffee shop, and maybe see Fireproof, as we’ve been told it’s a great movie. It’ll be nice to have some “us” time. It’s so nice to have family that is willing to watch our munchkins so we can do things like that together.
Guess that’s it for now I’ll write more some other time when my walking blogs come back to me. Toodles!
I can be so braindead sometimes
11.12
Indeed, I know it’s hard for you to believe, but it’s true. Today for instance, in fact I just realized less than 5 minutes ago when I was looking at the timer to see if the bread would be done soon, that I forgot to put the kneeding paddle back in the bread machine, so the bread I was trying to make (to redeem myself from yesterday’s flop) is another ruinous mess. :’-( *sigh* Oh well… I’ll just blame it on the fact that Myles seemed to feel that he had to keep “vampire hours” last night and I didn’t get much sleep. Yeah, that sounds good. Now I have to wait till I can get to the store and pick up some more whole wheat flour to try the recipe again. Bah-humbug!
But besides that, today has been a good day. No school, so Stu got to be home. He got up with Qade and let me sleep in, so sweet of him after last night!! I made some crock pot chili which we will be eating soon (with Jiffy corn muffins instead of piping hot homemade bread-ha) and we got to go for a family hike. Stu carried Qade in the backpack and I had Myles in the front pack. It was a fun time, and we enjoyed the day. So I guess the moral of the story is, you can have a grand old time even if you are braindead and can’t make the bread go right.
Baking and more baking
11.10
Okay, so today I had quite the list of things that I wanted to get done. I wasn’t sure it was going to happen at first, but things worked out pretty well. I got up around 7ish this morning, and actually had a morning shower! Then I looked out the window and, low and behold, there was snow on the ground! That cheered me up for the day right away! Myles was snoozing, so I got Qade up and fixed him his breakfast, then Myles woke up, but I managed to convince him to wait till Mommy had something to eat before he had his “second breakfast.” So I fixed cream of wheat, and halfway through that Qade wanted to read “Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed” so I did that then shared the rest of my breakfast with Bubba.
I did manage to get the laundry going and the yogurt bread started as well. Eventually Qade went down for a nap, and Stu took apart the dishwasher, to see if we could “fix” it, so I used the time to cut up the apples for my quick bread! Woo- hoo! Got that in the oven, woke up Qade, fixed lunch, ate lunch, had some of the apple bread and it was very yummy!! I got all the laundry done, and then the bread machine beeped. I was so looking forward to trying this bread, but alas, it was a complete failure!! I’m not sure what the problem was, but it came out looking like a lump, and actually didn’t smell so wonderful either. 
I’m not sure I’m even going to try to cut it open…. so disappointing. But I’m not overly bummed about it. So many other things went well today that how could I be?? Just to make me feel better about my bread machine making abilities though, I’m posting a picture of my 2 first “success” loves! Hope you all have had a marvelous Monday!
First Loaf ever! Just a basic white bread. It tasted wonderful!
Second loaf. This was a whole wheat, herb sandwich bread loaf.
I should have believed!
11.10
It snowed last night!!! Woo-hooooooo!!!! It’s not much, but it’s white. Everyone sing with me now, “IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS…”
Yogurt and Apples
11.10
Today has been a great Sunday! My amazing hubby handled the service at church as a one man show so amazingly well!! Makes me wish I could preach too. He lead singing, preached, did announcements and then when we were all done we had fellowship over the muffins and bread that I had baked. That was my contribution to the whole thing, but it still made me feel like I helped some. Qade did pretty well sitting through the service this morning since there was no children’s church. He put up a fuss right at the beginning, but I whisked him out for a time out and then after that he sat very well, with a little help from trail mix near the end.
This afternoon we’ve mostly been relaxing and/or napping. I looked up some recipes online for a bread with yogurt as an ingredient and stuff to make containing apples. I’m bound and determined to use up the apples that we still seem to have in abundance in our fridge! Plus I bought some plain yogurt, because it’s supposed to be good at helping your body build up the “good” bacteria and fight yeast. Well, that is if you can stomach to eat it! Blah!! I tried really hard one day and did manage to muscle some down, but it was a very nasty unpleasant experience, and I decided I’d rather take my probiotics in a pill than try it that way again. Ugh! So now I have a container of plain yogurt in the fridge that needs a use. I’m trying very hard not to be wasteful these days so I came across a recipe, for a bread machine no less, that uses yogurt. AND all the reviews on the bread said that it was fabulous. So depending on how tonight goes with Myles, that is my plan for tomorrow. Make apple bread, apple muffins, and yogurt bread. Oh, and laundry really has to get done too.
Tonight there is a 60% chance of SNOW!!! I can’t believe it! In fact I don’t believe it. I told Stu I’d believe it when I see it, just because precipitation of any kind out here is scarce. Still it would be wonderful to see some snow. Stu might fall into a long line of male Grinches who don’t like anything Christmasy before Thanksgiving, but it would sure make me feel a LOT more like Christmas to see a little snow. I am looking forward to Thanksgiving too. I’m trying to decide what my dish will be as we are having the big meal at Stu’s grandparent’s house. It’ll be nice this year not to have to worry about fixing everything myself. I’m still going to buy turkey though, because I LOVE it, and I’ll use it some other time. Wow, just thinking about it all is making me hungry!! So I’ll go concentrate on what’s for dinner. Hope you all have a marvelous Monday tomorrow! Ta ta!