Blog Break

I just wanted to let y'all know that I am on a blog break until the 1st of the year.  Between getting ready for Christmas and traveling to Ohio for a week I just haven't been in a blogging mood.  I'm still reading and commenting though and will be ready to hit the ground running in the new year. 

Happy Holidays y'all!

A Random Saturday post

I hope that you are having a good weekend.  I just got home from Christmas shopping for myself with the hubby.  I got a Pandora bracelet and it's so cute,  We're going to a Christmas party tonight and I get to wear it but then have to give it back to unwrap for Christmas.  If you aren't sure what a Pandora bracelet is here is a picture:

I also got a Nikon Coolpix but I don't really count that because I paid for it myself and we'll all use it but I love it.

Then yesterday college boy insisted on taking me to Hobby Lobby to buy me a Santa (I collect them).  We get to the checkout and his debit card was declined so guess who paid?  Yeah I basically know everything I am getting for Christmas and I paid for a lot of it!


On the diet front I am staying mostly on plan except I am getting read to eat a cupcake.  In my defense it's from SmallCakes and they were on Cupcake Wars or some food show so it's like eating a famous cupcake.  I'll wash it down with Diet Pepsi so that helps, too.  Right?

So what are you getting for Christmas?

Weigh In Wednesday and December Goals

It's Wednesday and that means weigh in at Jenny Craig.  I am down another 2.2 pounds since last Wednesday and I'm pleased with that.  I had a couple of cheat days and didn't exercise at all so I wonder what I'd be down if I hadn't cheated and exercised?

My December goals:

• Lose 5 pounds
• Drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water a day
• Exercise an average of twice a week (more if I can tolerate it)
• Stay on plan for all meals
• When eating out and not on plan make healthy choices
• Take a calcium supplement twice a day so I don't have to eat my dairy
• Eat a salad at dinner to help fill me up and avoid late night snacking
• Start reading 100 Days of Weight Loss again and journaling with the book

So what are your goals for December?  Have a good day y'all!

Meet Me on Monday

From Never Growing Old it's Meet Me on Monday a blog hop where we answer 5 questions about ourselves.

Questions:

1.  Monday's are _________?  Blah.  It seems like forever until Friday.

2.  What is your favorite kind of milkshake?  Chocolate, especially with caramel added.  Yum.

3.  What monthly bill do you most dislike paying? The mortgage it's by far our largest expense.

4.  How many email addresses do you use on a regular basis? Since Facebook I rarely use email anymore so maybe a couple.


5.  What color lights are on your Christmas Tree? White (Gold).

It's BYOC-Saturday Edition

It's Bring Your Own Crazy straight from Drazil's Blog.  BYOC is where we answer 5 questions in order to get to know each other better and give our blogging brains a break.

Let’s do a little themed version of where you live and why!

1. Describe the structure you live in. (apartment, condo, house, mansion, cardboard box?)

  I live in a split level 3-bedroom house in a suburb.  It's off white with greenish/bluish shutters.

2. Describe the city you live in. (population, main attractions)

My city has a population of 91,000.  We have 3 high schools and my daughter's graduating class will have 1,000 in it.  We have shopping and restaurants but the closest mall is the next city over (about a 15 minute drive).  In 2010 we were ranked 44 on CNN's 100 Best Cities to Live In.  There is a lot of growth here ans it's considered one of the best places to live in the Kansas City metro area.

3. Why do you live in the town you live in? (job, to get away from a different town, family, schools?)

My husband's company relocated here from Ohio last year and we chose this particular city for the excellent schools mainly.

4. What’s the view like from your backyard?

Our privacy fence but if we're on the deck it's our neighbor's backyard.

5. Repeat question: How has your week been in blogland and in real life?



Blogland and real life were the same for me this week-I had the realization that I still look like a big cow and re-committed to my diet and the goal of an additional 50 pounds to lose.  I've been on plan and even exercised once (that's once more than I've exercised in months).  I picked up a couple of more followers this week and I'm happy to "meet" them.  :0)

Weigh In Wednesday

It's Wednesday and that means I have a date with the dreaded scale at Jenny Craig.  I'm down 2 pounds from my last weigh in which was 2 weeks ago.  So I'm glad I didn't gain over the past 2 weeks and that I don't have added weight to lose after starting over this week.

I actually exercised on Monday but was too sore yesterday (and too lazy) to do anything.

So I'm staying on plan, drinking water and moving my butt more and I hope to lose 2 pounds this week.

Have a good day y'all!

Meet Me on Monday

From Never Growing Old it's Meet Me on Monday.  5 questions that we answer to get to know each other better.

Questions:

1.  I really need to clean my _________?  Bedroom.  The rest of my house is fine but my bedroom is the go to place to put everything and it's cluttered.

2.  What food makes you think of Christmas?  My Mom's deviled eggs.  So good.

3.  If you could choose to stay a certain age forever, what age would it be? 35.  My kids were still young yet I was comfortable in my own skin by then plus I hadn't officially been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia yet.

4.  What was your first paying job?  Babysitting.

5.  Have you read the Twilight series?  No but I've seen all the movies with my daughter.

Starting Over

It's Sunday night and I feel like shit.  I just saw a picture of myself at my niece's wedding 2 weeks ago and my legs look so fat and I've never really thought of myself as having fat legs.  It's a real eye opener.

Some of you may remember my post where I talked about 100 Days of Weight Loss and being committed or interested in losing weight.  At the time I truly believed I was committed but looking back I've been only somewhat interested and lately not even that!

I know it's the holidays and a terrible time to be on a diet but I'm committed to it.  I got a taste of weight loss with the first 20 pounds and now I have 50 or so more to go and I'm going to do it.  My plan:

• To eat 3 Jenny Craig meals a day
• To supplement my meals with healthy snacks and salad (with my dinner to help keep me full longer)
• To take a calcium supplement so I don't have to eat my dairy/calories
• To exercise a minimum of 3 times per week for as long as I can tolerate it with the eventual goal of incorporating fitness into my daily routine
• To drink loads of water and cut way down on the diet pop
• To lose 5 pounds a month
• To weigh in at Jenny Craig every Wednesday
• If I end of eating out I will eat sensibly

I believe I can do this.  I want to do this.

10 Things Thursday-Thanksgiving Edition

Happy Thanksgiving!  For 10 Things Thursday I thought I'd list all that I'm thankful for.

1. My wonderful husband.  I have the best guy in the world and I'm thankful every day for him.
2. My two kids.  College boy may be my boomerang child and mini me will be the death of me before she's 16 but I love them with all of my heart and forget what life was like before them.
3. My parents.  at 80 and 71 they had been in reasonably good health until my Mom got sick recently.  
4. My mother and father in-law.  I'm not super close with them like I am with my own family but for in-laws they are pretty darn good.
5. My sister.  She is my best friend and I miss living close to her and seeing her only a few times a year sucks.
6. My extended family.  Especially my niece Delaney, my sisters in law and my half sister.  I treasure family gatherings when we're all together.
7. My best friends.  Lisa, Pam, Kristi and Ronda are the best friends a girl could ever have and I'm blessed with over 30 years of friendship with these ladies.
8. My health.  My fibromyalgia is fairly under control and I feel pretty good since losing my first 20 pounds.  I know I have a long way to go and I'll feel even better after the next 50 come off.
9. The lifestyle I lead.  I have everything I want as far as material things and I count my blessings that we are as fortunate as we are when so many others are not.
10. God.  Without Him none of this would be possible.  My faith in Him has seen me through some very difficult times.

I hope that you all take time out of this day with family and friends to reflect on your blessings.  I didn't list you, my readers, but I am thankful for all of you and the cyber friendships.

True Confession Tuesday

From The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans it's True Confessions Tuesday.  Join in and confess all of your sins from the past week and whatever else is on your mind.

I Confess...that I am in a really foul mood today so if this seems bitchy, well, yeah.

I Confess...that I have completely lost my weight loss motivation.  I was doing my weekly Jenny Craig menu last night and realized that I didn't eat 8 out of 21 of my meals (which means I either skipped them like breakfast or ate something not on the plan).

I Confess...that even though I have zero motivation and Aunt Flo is visiting I am showing no change on the scale this morning.  We'll see if that's accurate at my official weigh in tomorrow morning.

I Confess...that Saturday night I had a Wendy's single and it was so good.  They changed their buns back to their original butter buns and I just had to have one.  Now if they'd just switch back to their original fries, yum.

I Confess...that I haven't read from 100 Days of Weight Loss in weeks.  Like I said, I lost my motivation and the book bored me.  I'm going to thumb through it ans look for an interesting day and see if I can find some of that motivation again.  If I do I'll blog about it.

I Confess...that we are going to Cracker Barrel on Thanksgiving because we have no family out here and we're not going home.  It's not as bad as it sounds and the food is actually pretty good, especially the pie that I will be helping myself to.

I Confess...that I took mini me and a friend to see Breaking Dawn on Friday and had buttered popcorn.  The movie was actually good and who goes to see a movie and resists movie theater popcorn?

I Confess...that I have 100 followers as of yesterday and I'm so excited!  For those of you that are new I promise I will try to lighten up and find my motivation.  For those of you that have stuck with me, thanks and big squishy {{{HUGS}}} to you.

Ok that will do it for this week's confessions.  I hope y'all have a fantastic Tuesday.  What do you confess today?

Meet Me on Monday

From Never Growing Old it's Meet Me on Monday where we answer 5 questions about ourselves to get to know each other better.

Questions:

1.  I wish I had more time to _________?  There's really nothing I wish I had more time to do but I do wish I could turn back time or slow it down sometimes, especially with my kids.  I love their independence but miss their younger days.

2.  What is your favorite kind of soup?  Clam Chowder.

3.  Where will you eat Thanksgiving dinner? Probably at Cracker Barrel since we aren't going home for Thanksgiving and I don't really want to cook for just the 4 of us.

4.  What is your favorite time of day?  The end of the day when I'm snuggling with my hubby.

5.  Did you start Christmas shopping yet?  Sort of.  I've picked up little things for the aunts (from my kids) but the real shopping begins on Black Friday.

Have a good Monday y'all!

It's BYOC & Some Wedding Pics

It;s Friday so that means it's time for BYOC (Bring Your Own Crazy)-5 questions compliments of Drazil's Blog.  This week it's a Thanksgiving theme.

1. What is your FAVORITE part of Thanksgiving?

Getting together with my family.  We eat like pigs and laugh like maniacs.

2. How many Thanksgiving family events will you attend?

None this year because we just went home for my niece's wedding.  I'm really bumming about eating out at Cracker Barrel.  :(

3. What’s your biggest Thanksgiving tradition?

Usually it's getting together with my family and my Mom says the blessing.  We typically put the Christmas tree up the weekend following Thanksgiving.



4. Do you Black Friday shop the day after Thanksgiving?

Of course!  Although it's usually with my Mom and sister I'll be going with the hubby this year.

5. Repeat question: Summarize your week in real life and in blog world.

Blogland has been sporadic due to my travel home to Ohio.  I am way behind on reading everyone's blogs.

Real life has been stressful.  My Mom is very ill and in and out of the hospital in Ohio so I may be flying back there to help and take care of her.  The wedding was gorgeous and I have uploaded a couple of pictures.  Have a great weekend y'all!

Mini me and College Boy

 Mini me and the bride

College boy and the current girlfriend

Mini me, College Boy and my Niece

Weigh In Wednesday

Weigh in with Jenny Craig was this morning and I gained 1.4 lbs after my road trip to Ohio.  I was expecting a gain but was a little taken aback at such a big one.

I *MUST* focus this week on staying on plan, eating JC food and drinking tons of water.  Other than a church banquet Sunday night that shouldn't be a problem.

I'll post tomorrow about my trip.  Have a great Wednesday Y'all!

Meet Me on Monday

From Never Growing Old it's Meet Me on Monday...5 questions we answer to get to know each other better.

Questions:

1.  Does your family/friends know about your blog?  I have 2 friends that know I blog but I don't believe they read it, otherwise it's totally anonymous.  I don't reveal my weight to anyone!

2.  What is your favorite card game?  Does Sorry! count?  I don't really play cards but when my family gets together we play a mean game of Sorry! for prizes.

3.  What do you wear to bed? A t-shirt and work out pants or lounge pants.

4.  What is your favorite kind of French Fry?  Steak fry with lots of ketchup.

5.  What is your usual bed time?  Between 10-11-we're on Central time so pretty much after my TV shows are over and I watch a little of the news.


So happy Monday y'all!  How was your weekend?

Weigh In Wednesday

Happy Wednesday y'all!  I'm in a good mood because I just stepped on the scale and showed a loss of 2.6 pounds for the week-woo hoo!  I needed a big loss this week to jump start my waning motivation and because I am traveling to Ohio tomorrow and will be off Jenny Craig for the week.  I plan to try and eat sensibly on this trip but expect a gain at next week's weigh in.

Have a good week!

Meet Me on Monday

From Never Growing Old it's Meet Me on Monday, where we answer 5 get to know each other questions.

This week's questions:

1.  Are you excited for the holidays or are you dreading them?  I'm excited about Christmas because we go home to Ohio and see our families.  This year we are staying the entire week between Christmas Eve and New Years Eve.  We're not going home for Thanksgiving though so I am kind of dreading it.  The four of us are just going out to dinner.

2.  Do you hit the snooze button or get right up?  I get right up.  Actually, I'm usually awke a few minutes before the alarm even goes off.

3.  Do you still have your tonsils? I do.

4.  What was the last piece of candy that you ate? A mini Twix on Halloween night.

5.  Do you shop at thrift stores?  Very rarely.  When the kids were younger I would check them out but never had much luck.


Have a good Monday y'all!

It's BYOC (Bring Your Own Crazy)

Happy weekend y'all!  Mini me has decided that she doesn't like her dress for the wedding we're going to next weekend so we're off for some retail therapy shortly but first it's BYOC straight from Drazil's Blog.

This week is another theme called  “What’s In/On Your….?”

1. What’s on your desk between your monitor and keyboard? (if it’s a laptop – what’s on your desk in general)

I'm on a laptop so I'm on my bed and next to me is a book I'm reading and a box of tissues because my sinuses are going crazy this morning.


2. What’s on your mind right at this moment?


Errands that I need to run today.


3. What’s in or on your nightstand on your side of the bed?

Books, a calculator, a Longabeger basket with nail files, clippers and pens in it, some nail polish, some coupons and my camera.

4. What’s on YOUR Christmas wish list (let’s assume you’d get what was on it)?

A nice camera like a Nikon or something.

5. Repeat question: Summarize your week in real life and in blog land.

Real life has been ok except for my 2 pound weight gain.  Ugh.  Mini me is so in the throws of (pre) teenagerdom and is sulky and moody which drives me nutso.  I bought a new SUV it's a black Mada CX7 and it does everything but fly.  It's loaded and I love love love it.

Blog land has been slow.  I haven't gotten around to commenting as much as I wanted to and I missed some blog posts. 

Weigh In Wednesday and November Goals

Well the results are in and I gained 2.1 pounds this week for a total of 15 pounds lost in 15 weeks.  Even this math challenged chick can figure out that is 1 pound per week on average.  I'm telling myself that slow and steady wins the weight loss race.  Right?  RIGHT?

My goal for October was to lose 5 pounds and I only lost 3.4 pounds so I am disappointed.  My goal for November is to lose 5 pounds and I'm seriously going to do it this month.

My other goals:

• To stay under 1200 calories daily
• To drink at least 64 ozs of water (with Crystal Light) daily
• To eat my Jenny Craig meals every day staying on plan with the exception of Thanksgiving and and no more than 6 times of eating out
• To incorporate activity into my routine by starting out this week with exercising (no specific amount of time just moving) 2 times in the mornings after I drop mini me off at school and before my day starts and working up to 4 times per week by month end

I think those goals are totally achievable and I'm motivated to reach them.  I think the hardest will be eating out only 6 times for the whole month but I'm going to get my family on board with this so I'm not tempted.

November's mantra is motivation.  I was motivated when I started back in July and stayed on plan so I need to get that motivation back and I will.

So there you have it.  What are your November goals?

True Confession Tuesday

It's time for True Confession Tuesday.  The day we confess our sins from the past week and whatever else is on our mind.

I Confess...That I unofficially weighed in at 218.5 last week but today the scale said 220.5.  WTH? 

I Confess...That I have stayed on the Jenny Craig plan most of the week with the exception of eating out a couple of times so where the gain came from I have no idea but I'm pissed.

I Confess...That I am now dreading my JC weigh in tomorrow.

I Confess...That I had a mini Twix last night from mini me's stash and it was good.  Delisiously good even.


I Confess...That yes I let my daughter wear a football uniform that said "tackle me"

I Confess...That instead of passing out candy last night we went to a neighborhood party sponsored by our church and it sucked.  Am I going to hell for saying that? (JK)


I Confess...That I am going to look at a Mazda CX7 today and will probably buy it.  It's black and I love it.

I Confess...That with a new car payment that I will be broke as a joke but at least I'll look good tooling around in my new car.  :P

So what do you have to confess today?  Did you raid your kid's stash of candy?

Meet Me on Monday

From Never Growing Old it's Meet Me on Monday.  Where we answer 5 questions to get to know each other better.  This week's questions:

1.  My current weather is _______?  Well it's 6 a.m. so it's cold outside.  It's going up to the low 60's today though so it should be nice weather tonight for the trick or treaters.

2.  What is your favorite sound?  My children's laughter.  I love hearing them laugh and laughing with them.  It's infectious/

3.  What is the worst flavor of ice cream? Any flavor of sherbert.

4.  What magazine do you look for when you are stuck in the waiting room? Usually People.I'll also flip through Good Housekeeping.

5.  What is your favorite condiment?  Ketchup.

It's BYOC (Bring Your Own Crazy)

From Drazil's Blog it's BYOC (Bring Your Own Crazy) A couple of questions we answer to get to know each other better and to give our blogging brains a break. Copy to your own blog and enjoy!


This week my questions are going to themed…as in they are all about blogging and just to throw you off – there are more than 5 this time!!


1. When did you begin blogging? Do you plan to do it a long time or do you think you’ll stop after a while?

I began blogging in July when I started the Jenny Craig weight loss program.  I hope to switch to "The Suburban Mom" as opposed to "Fat in Suburbia" after I reach my weight loss goal.  Maintaining my goal weight will always be a challenge for me so I'll always have something to blog about.

2.  What do you enjoy more - blogging yourself or reading other’s blogs?

I love reading other people's blogs and commenting.  I also love getting ideas from others.

3.  What’s the biggest thing blogging has taught you? Biggest surprise about blogging?

That people are really nice and supportive.  I just love my followers!

4.  Have you met any other bloggers in real life – solely because of your blog or theirs?

No but Laura Belle at Beer, Dogs and Getting Healthier lives close by so maybe someday.

5.  Does your blog have a general theme as in one topic or do you cover everything and anything?

Yes my weight loss but I love to do get to know you things like BYOC.

6.  Are you public or anonymous? Whichever you are – do you ever wish you were the other?

I'm anonymous.  I do wish I was public so that my followers knew who they were commenting to and reading about.  I sometimes feel disconnected.

7.  What’s your best blogging advice for a new blogger?

Network, network, network.  Comment on other blogs and the traffic to your blog will come.  Be sincere and kind when commenting.

8.  Does anyone in your real life read your blog/know it’s address? Do you wish they would or wouldn’t?

Only 2 of my best friends do but I'm not sure they read it.  They too are trying to lose weight and they are now the only people in the world that aren't at JC or my doctor;s office that know my weight.

9.  Do you enjoy blogging or do you view it as a chore? How often do you blog?

I enjoy it and try to blog a few times every week.  I'm getting into a groove and have things I blog about Monday through Friday.

10.  Do you tell people in your real life that you blog? Or keep it a secret?

Other than my 2 besties no one knows.


Have a great weekend y'all! 

10 Things Thursday

Thanks Miss Laura Belle over at Beer, Dogs and Getting Healthier.  My 10 things today:

1. I woke up yesterday with a cold and feel like sh*t.
2. Because I feel like sh*t I skipped my Jenny Craig weigh in yesterday morning and had my hubby pick up my food for the week.
3. I weighed myself this morning and I'm down 2.5 pounds from my last week's weigh in-woo hoo!  
4. I'm officially out of the 220's.
5. I took back a pair of pants that are size 18 and too big and bought a pair of 16's that are a little loose but the 14's were too tight so I'm at one of those awkward sizes I think.
6. I wish I'd lose weight in my boobs so that I could wear regular sized shirts, I'm still shopping in the women's for them but down a size.
7. Once again I did zero exercise this week unless you count walking while shopping at a huge holiday mart at the KC Convention Center.  My legs hurt so I'll count it.
8. I haven't been drinking water at all either.  I'm thinking that if got off my lazy ass and exercised and drank water my loss would be bigger.
9. Our weather has been crazy this week but it's finally back to cool Fall days so I can wear my cute new clothes.
10. We didn't see Footloose over the weekend because hubby wanted to watch the Notre Dame game so we may see it this weekend or go to a haunted house which is what the kids want to do.  Me not so much.

So what's going on with you today?

Versatile Blogger Award

Versatile:  ver-sa-tile [vur-suh-tl] or, especially British, [vur-suh-tahyl]:  capable of, or adapted for, turning easily from one to another various tasks, fields of endeavor, etc.:  a versatile writer.

Word information source:  www.dictionary.com

Here is how the award works:

1.  You thank the person who presented you with the award.

2.  You tell 7 things about yourself.

3.  You award 15 other newly discovered bloggers.

 Thank you Hot Coco at (Victorious Secret) From Flab to Fab I'm so excited!

7 Things About Me:

1. I have 2 kids ages 22 and 12-yep that's a 10 year space in between them.  I don't know how people with closely spaced children do it.
2. I have a sister who is 18 months younger than me and one of my best friends.
3. I'm still really close to my 4 high school besties even though we are scattered in 3 states now.
4. I'm addicted to Facebook.
5. I'm one of 'those moms'-involved in my kid's activities as team mom, room mom, PTA, you name it.
6. I'm married and still wildly in love with my husband (and he's not bad on the eyes).
7. I could eat pizza 3 meals a day every day but I don't because I'm on Jenny Craig.

15 Blogs I'm Awarding This To:

1. Beer, Dogs and Getting Healthier 
2.  Muddy Boots & Pearls
3. Carbie Girl 
4. Spoonful of Me 
5. The Big Butt Theory 
6. On My Way To Happiness 
7. Diary of a Mad Fat Woman 
8. It's Just Me Drazil and Sheniqua 
9. Fat So Sarah: A Weight Loss Journey 
10.  Confessions From an Impulsive Addict
11. Waisting Time 
12. My Hips Don't Lie 
13. Think It. Do It. Live It. 
14. Banded For Boots 
15. Fat Be Gone 

A Food Alphabet Get to Know You

I read this on Waisting Time yesterday but I had already done a blog post for the day so here goes my food ABC's.

A is for Apple: What’s your favorite variety?
My favorite is Red Delicious.

B is for Bread: Regardless of nutrition, what is your favorite type?
I love bread.  My favorite is probably a loaf of french bread with Italian food and lots of butter.  Warm and soft on the inside and a crispy crust.

C is for Cereal: What is your favorite kind currently?
I love cereal especially Lucky Charms!

D is for Donuts: You might not currently eat them, but what kind do you fancy?
Long Johns with lots of whipped cream in the center.

E is for Eggs: How would you like yours prepared?
Sunny side up.

F is for Fat Free: What is your favorite fat free product?
Jell-O Pudding.

G is for Groceries: Where do you purchase yours?
HyVee or Wal-Mart.

H: is for Hot Beverages: What is your favorite hot drink?
Hot chocolate.

I is for Ice Cream: Pick a favorite flavor and add a fun topping.
Ben & Jerry's Phish Food.  I don't need to add a topping because it's in there-chocolate ice cream with marshmallow, caramel and chocolate fish.  Yum.

J is for Jams or Jellies: Do you eat them? If so, what kind and flavor?
I rarely eat them and when I do it's grape.

K is for Kashi: Name your favorite Kashi product?
I've never tried a Kashi product.

L is for Lunch: What was yours today?
Jenny Criag's Cheesy Chicken.  It's fried chicken pieces over mashed potatoes, corn, peas and cheese and I add Broccoli for One to it.  Very good.

M is for microwave: What is your favorite microwave meal/snack?
I microwave everything, seriously.

N is for nutrients: Do you likes carbs, fats, or proteins best?
Unfortunately it's carbs.  I love carbs.  LOVE.

O is for oil: What kind do you like to use?
I try not to use it so I guess boring cooking oil.

P is for protein: How do you get yours?
I'm on Jenny Craig and the meals include a protein usually.

Q is for Quaker: How do you like your oats?
Cinnamon Roll.  It's the only kind I'll eat.

R is for roasting: What is your favorite thing to roast?
Turkey.  I love Thanksgiving.

S is for sandwich: What’s your favorite kind?
PB&J on Wonder White bread.

T is for travel: How do you handle eating while traveling?
Not very well.  But I’m working on it!

U is for unique: What is one of your weirdest food combos?
Wendy's french fries with a Frosty.

V is for vitamins: What kind do you take?
Calcium with Vitamin D, Iron and fish oil.

X is XRAY: If we xrayed your belly right now, what food would we see?
A Diet Pepsi.

Y is for youth: What food reminds you of your childhood?
My mom's chicken and rice or biscuits and gravy with my dad.

Z is for zucchini: How do you prepare it?
I rarely eat it but when I do it's in bread.

Now it’s your turn!  Pick a few letters, maybe that spell your name or your initials, and share your answers.  Or do the whole alphabet on your own blog:)

Meet Me on Monday

From Never Growing Old it's Meet Me on Monday, a blog hop where we get to know each other better.

Questions:

1.  My favorite kind of animal is _______?  Domestic is a dog, wild would be a manatee.

2.  Do you like your handwriting?  No, it's gotten really bad as my Fibromyalgia has progressed.  I hate to even sign checks and it's really bad when I have to sign one of those credit card thingies at a store!

3.  What is the last movie you saw?  We rarely go to the theater so I think it was Grown Ups.

4.  Do you buy things on eBay?  Yes when I need something, most recently a power cord for my laptop.

5.  What did you have for lunch yesterday? A Jenny Craig Stuffed Chicken Sandwich, it's one of my favorite meals on JC, yum.




Have a good Monday Y'all!

10 Things-Saturday Edition

1. I'm totally lazing around in my pj's this morning watching TV and considering getting motivated today.
2. Mini me was off school yesterday and the hubby took a day of vacation and the whole family (including college boy) went shopping and out to lunch.  As usual mini me cleaned up and got quite a bit at American Eagle, college boy got some pants for the upcoming wedding we're going to and me and the hubby got contact solution.  Yes contact solution.  We live an exciting life.
3. We had lunch at j. Alexanders.  I believe this is a national chain.  We had never been and were not impressed.  Although the portions were huge the prices were also huge and the food was just average at best.  Thumbs down.
4. If I get motivated today we're going to a holiday mart at the KC Convention Center.  I can't believe I'm going to Christmas shop this early.
5. We might go and see Footloose tonight.  I heard it's pretty good and of course the original is an 80's classic from my teen years so I am looking forward to it.  College boy said he'd go just to see Julliane Hough.
6. I haven't stepped on the scale since weigh in on Wednesday but I've been 97% on plan so I expect a loss this week.
7. I haven't exercised one time this week.  My new shoes still have the tags on them because I haven't worked out in weeks.  WEEKS.
8. I need my hair highlighted.  I used Clairol's Root Touch Up and it helped.  I was surprised at how good the product worked.  Thumbs up.
9. The weather in MO is crazy right now.  It was freezing early in the week now it's going up to the low 70's this weekend and in the 80's by mid-week then on Thursday back down to a high of low 40's.  Can you say asthma issues for mini me?  *sigh*
10. Coming up with 10 things is hard to do.

Have a good weekend y'all!

Weigh In Wednesday

The results are in and I gained .2 pounds this week.  Whew,I was up like 3 pounds the other day so I'll take the ,2 lbs.  I have a lot of work to do to get back on track.  I fully expect a big loss next week and have warned my family not to tempt me with anything this week. 

Have a great day y'all.

True Confession Tuesday

From the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans it's yet another installment of True Confession Tuesday.  Here we go...

I Confess...that I have had a really craptastic 2 weeks food-wise.  Some of the things I've had include McDonald's hamburgers and fries, A fantabulous cookie sundae with the kids at my favorite restaurant, Panera brownies and chicken fingers.

I Confess...that I stepped on the scale yesterday to show a 3 fricking pound gain since Wednesday's weigh in.

I Confess...that the gain is entirely my fault and the 2 weeks of piss poor eating have caught up to me.

I Confess...that I have no right to whine or complain about said weight gain because in reality I could have made healthy choices every time I ate out and off plan instead of choosing gooey wonderful desserts and other crap.

I Confess...that I haven't read any 'days' from 100 Days of Weight Loss for several days.  It got a bit boring around day 15 and I lost my motivation.  I'm going to read today's chapter after I write this post.

I Confess...that I am so sick of softball and glad it's over for the Fall season (except for practices in preparation for the Spring).  Mini me's team came in 2nd in their last tournament and got another big honkin trophy but it was a very long and boring weekend of 5 games.

I Confess...that I was majorly envious of the skinny mom in the super cute t-shirt that sat close to me at one of the games.  I remember being the skinny mom and wearing the cute t-shirt.

I Confess...that now that softball is over I have no excuse for not getting back on plan and eating my Jenny Craig meals.  NO EXCUSE so kick my behind if I don't post a big loss next week at weigh in.

Have a good day y'all.  What do you confess today?

Meet Me on Monday

From Never Growing Old (the over 40's blog) it's Meet Me on Monday where we answer 5 questions to get to know each other better and to blog hop and check out some new ones.

Questions:

1.  The thing that scares me the most is? Death-of my husband, my children, my parents.  It totally freaks me out and if I dwell on it send me into a full blown anxiety attack.
 
2.  Do you like nuts in your Chocolate Chip cookies? No

3.  If you couldn't change the channel, what tv show would drive you from the room?  ESPN.  My husband has it on, or something else sports-related, all.the.time.

4.  Pulp or no pulp in your Orange Juice?  No.  I don't like the consistency of it.

5.  Who do you miss the most?  My Dad.  Last year we moved to Kansas City from Ohio and I miss seeing him all the time.  He's 80 and like I said above, the thought of losing him freaks me out.

It's BYOC (Bring Your Own Crazy)

It’s Friday which also means it’s BYOC – Bring Your Own Crazy – day around these parts.


From Drazil's Blog five little questions you can copy and paste and answer in your own blog to get to know your fellow bloggers better and to give your blog brain a break!


1. What’s your most favorite noise and your least favorite noise?

Most fave > The ocean

Least fave > Balloons popping

2. If you were a character in the movie Grease – who would you be?

Um, hard one.  Probably Marty.  Popular but not the homecoming queen.  I was a partier and besties with the homecoming queen but definitely had a wild side.

3. What was the name of your best friend in elementary school? Are you still friends?

My childhood bestie was Connie but we moved away and lost touch.  I've been BFF's with Lisa, Pam, Ronda and Kristi since middle school though and talk to them all the time on FB and we get together in person a couple of times a year when I get home to Ohio.

4. Who is your current celebrity crush?

I don't really have one but I love love love Kenny Chesney.

5. Repeat question: How was your week in real life and in blog land?

Real life has been good this week.  Mini me got her grand slam and MVP award in softball and though I ate like a sow I still lost .8 pounds.

Blogland has been fine, too.  I can't believe I'm up to 84 followers and I've started following their blogs as well.  I love reading blogs, it starts my day off great.

Weigh In Wednesday

I just got home from Jenny Craig and I lost .8 pounds this week.  I'm at 2.8 for the month of October and my goal is 5 pounds.  My plan this week is to choose healthier options during the softball tournament this weekend and eat my JC food the remainder of the week.  I'm going to push the water and once again shoot for exercising at least twice this week.

What are your goals for the week?

True Confession Tuesday

From the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans it's True Confessions Tuesday where we confess all of our weight loss and other sins we feel necessary.

I Confess...that my kids have been fighting for 2 weeks.  Their fighting stresses me out and then I eat like crap. 

I Confess...that last Tuesday night when the fight escalated into a huge blow up that I ate carrot cake.  Now carrot cake may sound healthy because well it has carrots in it, but it's supposedly the most fattening cake around.  It was so good though.

I Confess...that on Thursday night, as the fighting went on and I wanted to get out of the house and away from my fighting babies kids, that I ate at Red Robin.  I had a mushroom and swiss burger with fries because you can't eat at RR and not have a burger and fries, right?

I Confess...that mini me had a softball tournament all weekend and I ate like crap, which I posted about Sunday night.  Not one but 2 Panera brownies.  WTH was I thinking?

I Confess...that mini me has a softball tournament this weekend and I am determined to eat as healthy as I can.  So no Panera brownies.

I Confess...that mini me got a grand slam and game MVP award.  I already posted about that too but it's my confession so I can do it again!  She rocks.

I Confess...that I have got to get to the true commitment level of this weight loss game and not just interested which I am apparently at now,  No brownies or burgers and fries or carrot cake.  Again, WTH was I thinking?

I Confess...that I could use some words of wisdom on how you got to the committed phase of your weight loss journey and how you avoid junk in times of stress.

I Confess...that I am once again dreading weigh in tomorrow.

What do you confess this fine Tuesday?

Friend Makin Mondays

From Kenlie's Blog it's Friend Makin' Mondays.

 

FMM: 8 Taboo Topics

1. How often do you read/watch the news?  Multiple times daily...In the morning, at Noon and then the evening news.  I guess that makes me a news junkie.
2. What is your opinion on beauty pageants? I guess there are pros and cons to them with the cons outweighing the pros.  The pros are that the girls get the experience of learning to speak professionally in public and can earn scholarship money.  I think the biggest con would be the blow to your self esteem if you lose.
3. Would you date/marry someone who has different religious views than you? Yes as long as they weren't radically different than mine.  I'm a Christian and I married a Christian though he was Catholic and I'm not.
4. Do you follow politics? Yes, somewhat.  I used to be pretty conservative and now find myself a moderate so I declare myself an Independent and find myself voting for the best candidate and not just within a political party.
5. How often do you talk about sex in your daily life and/or on your blog? Like never.
   
6. Does it make you uncomfortable when someone asks you about your salary/income? Does it ever happen? It drives me nuts.  My Dad and my Mother-in-Law have both asked over the years.  It was bad enough when my own Dad asked but when MIL asked I was pissed.
7. Do you tag friends and family in pictures that you post on FB, or do you seek permission first? I tag my immediate family without permission...of course if the kids don't like it they untag themselves.  I ask before uploading pics of anyone else.  My sister-in-law uploaded a picture of me recently and it was horrible-like for real horrible-so I asked her to remove it.
8. Can you be friends with people who have opposing views on ‘taboo’ topics? Sure as long as they weren't in my face about it.

Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions! Don’t forget to come back and link up in the comments!

I Ate Like Crap This Weekend

In my defense I was at the softball fields both days, all day.  Mini me had a tournament.  The good news is she got a grand slam and the MVP award.  The bad news is that I had a Panera brownie on both days.  Obviously Panera has healthy choices but no, I got a brownie.  If I gain this week it will totally be my fault.

A through Z of Me

Taken from Fat Girl in a Skinny World.

A. Age - 44

 

B. Bed size - Queen

 

C. Chore you dislike -All

 

D. Dogs - 1 dog (Molly) a Bichon/Yorkie mix

  

E. Essential start to your day - Checking my email

 

F. Favorite color - Purple followed by pink

 

G. Gold or silver - Two-tone

H. Height - 5'6"

I. Instruments you play(ed) - None

 

J. Job title - Consultant in Human Resources

 

K. Kids - 1 college boy (22), 1 mini-me (12)

 

L. Live - Kansas City, MO (well a suburb not actually in KC)

 

M. Mom's name -Donna

 

N. Nicknames - None

 

O. Overnight hospital stays - 2 very high risk pregnancies = many overnight stays

 

P. Pet peeves - Stupid stuff

Q.Quote from a movie - "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get" - Forrest Gump

 

R. Righty or Lefty - Righty

S. Siblings - 1 sister and a 1/2 sister

T. Time you wake up - Depends on what day it is anywhere from 5:50 on school days to whenever on weekends

U. Underwear - Hipsters

 

V. Vegetables you don't like - Most of them except broccoli, carrots and green beans

 

W. What makes you run late - I'm famously early...hardly ever late...If I am it's usually traffic

 

X. X-rays you've had - pretty much all over

 

Y. Yummy food you make - I'm not the primary cook but my family likes my meatloaf and bakes ziti

 

Z. Zoo animal favorites -Manatees, kangaroos, big apes, dolphins

Weigh In Wednesday

I lost 2 pounds this week for a total of 13.6 in 11 weeks.  Slow and steady wins the race, right?  I must admit that after my 22 year old and 12 year old fought like 3 year olds last night I went on a binge.  I am such an emotional eater.  I knew I was being stupid but did it anyway.  My goals this week are the same (stay on plan, make smart choices if eating out, drink tons of water and seriously exercise this week because I still haven't done any in weeks).

So I want to talk about days 9 & 10 of 100 Days of Weight Loss.  It's about your support system on your weight loss journey and what you want from them.  The "to dos" were to take a quiz about how you want your support system to react/act when you do things like eat junk, gain back some weight, etc and then read your answers to your loved one.  And to ask someone you love to compliment you on anything from your weight loss to your hair to your clothes (quote) and then come up with a response to said compliment so you affirm their compliment. Basically so you can practice taking compliments instead of saying things like "yeah but I still have a lot to lose".

Well ladies, I had a really hard time with these exercises.  I took the quiz and wrote down my response to a compliment on my weight loss (smile and say "thank you for noticing, it made my day") but I didn't have the nerve to ask anyone for compliments or read to them what I want from them.

What's up with that?  Why couldn't I tell my hubby that if he sees me eating junk to ask me if I'm having a bad day?  Could you ask your loved ones to compliment you or tell them how you'd like for them to react.act when you do certain things like sabotage yourself?

October's Mantra

I got this idea from Joanna at Diary of a Mad, Fat Woman.

My mantra for the month of October is COMMITMENT.  I chose commitment after reading Day 2 of 100 Days of Weight Loss.  As I blogged about last week, the book discusses whether you are committed to weight loss or interested in weight loss.  Interest slips away quickly versus commitment that means no matter what.

I also found this quote that fits my mantra perfectly:

~There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstance permit. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results. ~

(Author Unknown)

I have already faced several issues where I had to decide if I was interested or committed and each time I chose committed.  For instance whether to eat a Jenny Craig meal or binge on Oreos.  I really wanted the Oreos but committed to weight loss.  Yesterday I didn't want to go to church but I forced myself to go because I thank God for putting me on this path to getting healthier and ask him for the strength to be successful.

My goal for October is to lose 5 pounds and I am committed to doing so.  I will eat my Jenny Craig meals the majority of the time and make smart choices when eating out.  I will continue to incorporate exercise into my routine and I will drink tons of water.

So what is your mantra this month?

BYOC Sunday Edition

Since Drazil is away Joanne at Diary of a Mad Fat Woman wrote some BYOC questions.  Here we go...

1.  If you were given $1,000,000 that you had to spend ONLY ON YOURSELF....how would you spend the money?

I love this question!  First I'd buy a new SUV and a cute sports car.  Then I'd buy a new house-bigger than the one we downsized to so I could stay at home and consult part time. I would pay for 2 family vacations-one for the 4 of us and one with my side of the family-this counts because it would bring me great pleasure. Last I would put it in my IRA to live on when I reach retirement age.

2.  Who would you say is the one person that's had the most influence on your life?  By that, I mean the person that has molded you in to the person you are today.

Hmmm.  Well my Dad and Mom both taught me valuable life lessons.  My Dad taught me loyalty, dedication, treating people well and having a good work ethic.  My Mom taught me how to be generous and a good friend. 

3.  What is your normal morning routine?  Are you a bear in the morning, or is the morning your favorite part of the day?

I'm a morning person.  My alarm goes off at 5:50 a.m. and I get mini-me up and moving so she can get ready for school.  After taking her to school I come home and get online and tool around for awhile then I get my shower or workout.

4.  If you're a Facebook and Twitter user, which do you prefer and why?  If you're just a Facebook user, what do you think of the new changes? 

I'm a Facebook addict.  I need an intervention.  I don't use Twitter.  I am not fond of the current FB changes but am looking forward to the new timeline that is being rolled out.  My son has it ans it's really cool.

5.  Repeat Question - Summarize your life in Blogland and in real life.

Blogland has been great this week!  I am up to 72 followers and wrote about 100 Days of Weight Loss early in the week.  Since then I've noticed a few of my followers referenced my post and it made me feel really good!



Real life has been uneventful.  Other than a PTA meeting, a little shopping and taking mini-me for her 12 year check up there's been nothing going on.  I'll miss the calm as we have softball tournaments the next 2 weekends then a softball fundraiser the week after that.

Alright, your turn.  Post your link in the comments when you're done, so I can read your answers!!

Friday Facts

Since Drazil is away at BOOBs I thought I'd do my own BYOC-that's Bring Your Own Crazy where we answer questions about ourselves to get to know each other better. In keeping with the BYOC tradition I'm going to list a few Friday Facts about myself and hope that y'all care enough to read them  :)

• I am 44
• I have a 22 year old "college boy" and a 12 year old "mini me"; I also have a furbaby a 1 year old YorkieChon (Yorkie and Bichon) who is more spoiled than my real kids
• I am happily married to my 2nd and permanent husband of 16 years
• I have my Bachelor degree and almost have my Master of Arts degree
• I went to school for human resources and have worked in the field since college a million years ago; I am currently a part-time consultant
• My family moved to Kansas City from Cincinnati last year and we are all alone out here and travel home as much as possible
• I am addicted to shopping.  No really, I am addicted and need an intervention
• I don't really have any hobbies but do like to scrapbook.  I am currently working on updating mini me's that is on 3rd grade-yeah I'm a procrastinator
• I'm on the Jenny Craig diet and have lost 12 pounds so far-I have about 55 to go-I am 5'6" and currently weigh 224
• I'm going to Disney World when I lose all my weight (goal of December 2012)
• I started this blog as a journal of my JC experience but it quickly became more than that and now I love my new friends in blogland
• I am up to 71 followers since mid July when I started
• I wish I could lose 1 pound for every follower but sadly it doesn't work that way

Have a great weekend y'all. I'm going to a craft show and church so it's a laid back one for me. If you are like me and missing Drazil and BYOC do your own Friday Facts and I promise to read them and comment!  I love getting to know all of you.

Weigh In Wednesday

Ok kids, I'll be short and to the point.  I gained .6 pounds after my no good shitastic horrible week.  It could be worse and I'll take it.  I'm committed and back on plan and moving on!

Have a good day y'all 

A Weight Loss True Confession Tuesday

I Confess...that this is going to be a boring confessional because I am going to confess my weight loss plan sins from the week.

I Confess...that I just did my Jenny Craig menu for the upcoming week and I have 2 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 4 dinners leftover from this week that I DIDN'T EAT BECAUSE i ATE CRAP INSTEAD.

I Confess...that my goal was to stay on plan and eat 3 JC meals per day-fail!

I Confess...that my goal was to drown myself in water-fail! I have been drinking diet pop all week.

I Confess...that my goal was to exercise a MINIMUM of 2 times-fail!  I did watch my new JC Dance DVD and hate it though-anyone want it?  It's jazzercize and hip hop and I can't do it.

I Confess...that my plan was to lose at least a pound this week and I probably gained at least that much voiding my awesome loss from last week.

I Confess...that my new book "100 Days of Weight Loss" hit home on day 2 yesterday which I'll write about
at the end.

I Confess...that my fat ass needs kicked all over blogland and in real life.

I Confess...that I am totally dreading my weigh in at JC tomorrow.

So day 2 of the book really hit home for me.  It talks about being interested in or committed to weight loss.  Basically if you are interested you have slip ups and get sidetracked or off plans when you hit speed bumps (my words) and interest slips away quickly.

Commitment is 100% on plan all the time.  So there would be no Doozie cookies at the mall or eating crap food instead of JC meals.  When eating out (if I must) I would make healthy choices equivalent to my JC meals calorie and nutrition wise.

I've thus far been interested but as of yesterday I am committed 100%.  Are you interested or committed to your weight loss plan?

Have a good day y'all!

A Weight Loss Motivation Shopping Trip

I went shopping yesterday and thought I'd show y'all what I bought to aid in my weight loss.  First stop was Kohl's for some shoes:

Oh and while I was there, mini-me had to have this dress for the upcoming wedding:

Then to Barnes and Noble where I got the book "100 Days of Weight Loss" and a journal:

Then to Bed Bath & Beyond where I got the Biggest Loser Food Scale and a bunch of other stuff for the house:

Lastly a stop to the mall where sadly I got this:

So sadly I still have no willpower and even though I am freakin ecstatic over my 4 pound weight loss last week, I really really need the other stuff I bought.  It's gonna be a great week!  I just gotta work off the Doozie I ate.