My Little Apricot♥

Meal Plans & Weigh In - Week 2

2012-03-04T11:28:00.000-05:00

I was a little worried this week because I wasn't losing any weight in the beginning. Looks like my body just took a little longer to start processing it this week.

STARTING WEIGHT: 191.8
LAST WEEK'S WEIGHT: 188.4
CURRENT WEIGHT: 186.4
LOSS/GAIN THIS WEEK: - 2
TOTAL LOSS TO DATE: - 5.4

MEASUREMENTS (arm pits, chest, waist, stomach, hips, butt, thigh)
STARTING: 36" - 42.5" - 31" - 38" - 40" - 44" - 24.5"
LAST: 36" - 42" - 30.5" - 37.5" - 40" - 44" - 24.5"
CURRENT: 36" - 41.5" - 30" - 36.5" - 40" - 43.5" - 24"
LOSS THIS WEEK: 0 - .5 - .5 - 1.5 - 0 - .5 - .5

TOTAL LOSS TO DATE: 0 - 1 - 1 - 1.5 - 0 - .5 - .5

GOAL BY APRIL 1: 180

GOAL BY JULY 5: 150

So, I've surpassed my goal for March 4th, losing almost 5 and a half pounds in 2 weeks. I didn't get to exercise as much as I wanted to this past week (only once), but I still think I did pretty well. The hubs gained almost 2lbs this week, but he also went way over his points and didn't work out at all.

I'm making my goal for April 1 180lbs, even though that's only a loss of 7lbs in 4 weeks instead of 8. I think that makes it a little more reasonable in case I have an off week.

As far as last week's meal plan went, it turns out I underestimated and ran out of meals to make by Thursday. They were all tasty, but I still ran out. I think my favorite meal last week were the enchiladas. I filled them with ground beef, black beans and zucchini and topped them with red & green enchilada sauce and non-fat cheddar cheese. Yum.

MEAL PLAN WEEK 3 (in no particular order)

Baked Broccoli Mac & Cheese
Easy Pasta & Broccoli
Beef, Bean & Cheese Enchiladas
Spinach & Broccoli Quiche
Portabella Pizzas
Pizza Crescent Rolls (with turkey pepperoni)

This is the third week in a row that mac & cheese is making the list, so we know it's a winner in this house. The pasta & broccoli is super easy. I just add 2 tablespoons of light butter to warm pasta & broccoli, stir it in, then add a little salt and a little non-fat cheese (whatever I have). It's tasty and filling. The portabella pizzas were a bigger hit than the zucchini ones last week. The zucchini ones were good, but the portabellas were better (and I hate mushrooms). These are easy to make and very low calorie. Just sprinkle the mushrooms with salt, pepper & oregano, bake for about 10 minutes, then add a spoonful of tomato sauce and a sprinkle of non-fat mozzarella cheese. Delicious! We always love crust-less quiche in our house, so this one's no big deal for us. The crescent rolls are going to be our new one this week. I'm thinking of just adding the mozzarella and pepperoni inside the rolls and baking. Easy and it sounds yummy. :)

Rollerskating

2012-03-01T08:50:00.000-05:00

When I was a kid, I loved to rollerskate and when I got older, I loved rollerblading. In fact, I loved it so much that I never rode a bike. So skating was something I wanted to make sure I passed on to the Monster.

Last year, we bought her her first pair of princess rollerskates. You know, the kind that you put on on top of your shoes. I think I found them on sale at Target for like $6, including arm and knee pads. Her helmet cost more than the skates. At 2 years old, however, she didn't quite get it (even though she begged and cried to try them).

Now that it's getting a little warmer outside, I've been excited to give it a go with her again. She can't quite do it by herself, or she falls, but she does pretty well if I hold one of her hands.

What kinds of things did you love doing as a kid & can't wait to pass on?

Hide 'n Seek { Wordless Wednesday }

2012-02-29T07:56:00.000-05:00

Meal Plans & Weigh In - Week 1

2012-02-26T13:04:00.000-05:00

Weight Watchers Week 1 is over and I didn't do as poorly as I thought I would. They estimated that I should lose about 2lbs per week for the next 20 weeks and I did a little better than that, so I'm pleased.

STARTING WEIGHT: 191.8
CURRENT WEIGHT: 188.4
LOSS/GAIN THIS WEEK: - 3.4
TOTAL LOSS TO DATE: - 3.4

MEASUREMENTS (arm pits, chest, waist, stomach, hips, butt, thigh)
STARTING: 36" - 42.5" - 31" - 38" - 40" - 44" - 24.5"
CURRENT: 36" - 42" - 30.5" - 37.5" - 40" - 44" - 24.5"
TOTAL LOSS TO DATE: 0 - .5 - .5 - .5 - 0 - 0 - 0

GOAL BY MARCH 4: 187

GOAL BY JULY 5: 150

Not bad at all! I will definitely take a 3.4 lbs loss. :) That leaves me with 1.4 lbs to lose to hit my first monthly goal. I'm even starting to see some loss in inches, so that's a plus, too. The hubs didn't do too bad this week, either, he lost a total around 3lbs. We did so well last week that we even treated ourselves to some cheese steaks on Friday.

Our meal plan last week went pretty well. For the most part, we liked everything I made and it was nice to get away from processed foods for a change. I think one of our favorites was broccoli mac & cheese. Once I find the uploader for my camera, I'll be sure to post the recipe and pictures.

MEAL PLAN WEEK 2 (in no particular order)
Broccoli Mac & Cheese (makes a lot of leftovers)
Beef & Cheese Enchiladas
Zucchini & Portabella Pizza & Baked Mozzarella Sticks
Pasta & Broccoli
Baked Ziti with Spinach

Lots & Lots of Vegetables

2012-02-20T23:22:00.000-05:00

As a part of my goal to eat healthier and cook at home more often, the hubs & I have decided to give Weight Watchers a try (the old point system). We started on Sunday, so I think Sundays are going to be my weigh in days. I need to remember to take my measurements, too.

Today was day 2 and so far, so good. On Saturday, I took a trip out to produce junction and grabbed a ton of fresh vegetables. I love that place. I bought 2lbs of zucchini, 2 containers of grape tomatoes, 2 heads of lettuce, 1 quart of strawberries, 3lbs of broccoli florets, 1 bag of vine tomatoes, 2 avocados, 2 huge cucumbers, 1 head of cauliflower, 2 packages of celery hearts, a bag of carrots, a container of fresh spinach and a potted plant for $25. Not bad! I forgot how cheap that place is.

I finally came up with a meal plan for this week, too.

Sunday // Garlic steak; sauteed onions, mushrooms & zucchini; 'skinny' smashed red potatoes
Monday // BLT salad
Tuesday // Homemade chicken nuggets; sweet potato fries; zucchini sticks
Wednesday // Omelettes (I'm thinking with broccoli & bacon)
Thursday // Baked broccoli mac & cheese
Friday // Leftovers

Unless I come up with something else, I'm leaning towards leftovers on Friday. I grocery shop on Saturdays, so I'm 1 day short this week. Actually, if I end up making dinner every night this week, it'll be the first time in a long time that we didn't eat out at least once. I'm pretty excited about that.

And the Journey Begins Again....

2012-02-16T09:05:00.001-05:00

I decided that I've taken enough time off of my weight loss journey. I still have 40lbs left to go to hit the top 'average' weight zone and I'm pretty determined to get there this year.

I've come a long way, considering that my original starting weight was somewhere in the area of 250. I'm now down to 190 and I've successfully maintained this weight since October. While 60lbs gone is definitely a huge plus, I really need to get a move on and lose the next 40.

I think that I got lazy when I stopped doing my weekly weigh in. I stopped blogging about the weight loss and then I stopped losing weight, too. I think the blogging helps me hold myself accountable. That being said, I think I'm going to start doing a weekly weigh in again. It keeps me on my toes. I am going to improve on that though.

I've already started cooking at home more often instead of picking up take out. I've re-discovered my love for my crock pot and have been trying to make some new, fairly healthy meals. I've also been trying to come up with a meal plan each week to not help with healthier meals, but to also help me cut our spending and work harder on my couponing (I'd love to be able to take the Monster to Disney in the next year or so). In addition to my weekly weigh in, I think I'm going to start posting up my weekly meal plans (though changes may be made during the course of the week) and, possibly, my savings. I may post some healthy recipes up, too.

I'm not just doing this for me or for J, but also for the Little Monster. She had her 3 year old check up this month and they mentioned that she's in the 99th percentile for weight. I in no way believe that my 3 year old is fat, she's in the 90th percentile for height, too, but I do think she could benefit from the healthier meals.

So I guess I should finish with my first weigh in of the new year... I'm going to put my current weight as my starting weight, since I'm technically starting over. :) I'll also include my short & long term goals.

STARTING WEIGHT: 191.8

GOAL BY MARCH 1: 187

GOAL BY JULY 5: 150

July 5th will make 20 weeks. That's 2lbs per week or 8lbs per month. Completely do-able. :) I'll try to take some better pictures this time around, but for now here's a placeholder:

Starting Weight 190.8 lbs

Happy Birthday, Little Monster!

2012-02-06T13:49:00.000-05:00

I can't believe she's 3 today. It seems like only yesterday....

Fresh out the womb. <3

1st Birthday!

2nd Birthday Party

We made these for her class this weekend. Can you tell she did the sprinkles?

Disappointed & Hopeful

2012-01-20T09:54:00.000-05:00

I'm so disappointed in myself lately. I gained back 5lbs over the winter holidays and it just won't go away. My allergies seem to get real bad this time of year and it makes me increasingly hungry, too. I really need to get back on the ball and get rid of this weight.

On the plus side, we're moving to a new apartment on Tuesday (which is why I haven't been around much lately) and the pool & gym are included in the monthly rent. Now if I can just get myself to actually GO to the gym, I'll be golden. :)

What tricks do you guys have for getting yourself to the gym (or working out if you don't have a membership somewhere)?

Have you heard about SOPA & PIPA?

2012-01-18T08:17:00.000-05:00

Have you heard about the SOPA & PIPA bills yet? I'm sure if you've tried to get to Google, you may have noticed they've blacked out their name and if you've tried accessing Craigslist or Wikipedia today, you'll notice that they're down for the next 24 hours. That's because they are all showing that they are against SOPA & PIPA.

What is SOPA/PIPA? Long story short, they're anti-piracy acts. If passed, this could cause a lot of issues for many bloggers and websites. If anyone claims that you've "stolen" their intellectual property (pictures, text, etc), the government will have your website shut down without any kind of proof or trial. So if you share a recipe or a joke or a story or anything from another blog and that other blog reports you, you'll be shut down within 5 days. The same goes for things on flickr or featuring an item you spotted on Etsy without the Etsy shop owner's prior permission (of course, even with their permission, if they reported you, your site would still be shut down).

If you check out Wikipedia today, you'll notice there's a little button for you to contact your local representatives. Just type in your zip code and it will bring up your Senators & Congressman. I've already went ahead and contacted the 3 in my area, letting them each know that I am strongly opposed to the passing of these bills.

How are you guys feeling about this?

Dessert with Friends

2011-12-15T18:10:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Duncan Hines for sponsoring my writing. There's no limit to the baking possibilities, so grab your favorite Duncan Hines mix and Comstock or Wilderness fruit fillings and Bake On! www.duncanhines.com.

I don't know about you guys, but one of my favorite things to do with my friends and family is enjoy a good dessert. That seems to happen more frequently around the holidays and I can't say that I'm disappointed.... even if I usually am the one bringing the desserts.

While I always tend to prefer desserts from scratch, I have to be realistic and tell you guys that I usually wind up cheating. Between work and a 2 year old, there's very little time for any kind of real baking. That's where my good friend Duncan Hines comes in. Whether it be brownies or cakes or muffins or whatever, it's perfect for something quick and easy! And just because it comes in a box doesn't mean you have to follow the box's recipe.

When I make Duncan Hines brownies, I'm always tossing in extras like chocolate chips, nuts, candy, whatever. It's great because it's so simple! I have to say, though, that my favorite thing to do with Duncan Hines is make cakes. Why? Because all you need is a box of cake mix and a can of soda! No eggs or oil necessary. Mix them together and bake as normal. It's cheaper, healthier, lighter, sweeter and fluffier. I get compliments on it all the time! I actually figured this recipe out when I was pregnant with M and craving cupcakes all the time (ironic since I really don't care for cake).

The soda and cake mix make this cool bubbly effect

But once it's mixed, it looks like normal cake batter (and it's safe to taste test!)

And they bake normally!

Some of my favorite combinations are chocolate and diet coke, vanilla and orange soda, and strawberry with sprite and lemon frosting. I have to say that the strawberry and lemon is my absolute favorite. It's my go to any time I want to make cake just because and it's absolutely perfect for the spring or summer.

What are some of your favorite desserts to have with your friends or family? What are your favorite cupcake-icing combinations?

Remember to check out Duncan Hines' website www.duncanhines.com to find some great recipes for your holiday get-together! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.

Countdown to Christmas: 21

2011-12-04T08:04:00.000-05:00

I've been doing pretty well with doing something holiday related every day with M.... so far anyway.

We've read 2 Christmas books repeatedly - The Littlest Reindeer and Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney. The Llama Llama book was cute. Llama's Mama reminds him that the holidays are for spending time with your loved ones.

On Thursday, we took out her little tabletop Christmas tree for her room. Of course, she tore all of the ornaments off of it and just left them on her floor, but the tree is out.

We watched a holiday parade, too. She was a little cranky that day, but I still think she liked seeing the cars and the Mummers. The Mummers were always my favorite part.

Countdown to Christmas: 25

2011-12-01T18:49:00.001-05:00

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday and now that M is nearly 3, she's finally starting to get into the holidays herself. My goal this month is to make Christmas as fun as possible for her. There are so many Christmas books and movies that I want to get her and so little time. So, I've decided to try and do 1 holiday or winter themed activity every day this month.

Today, we headed over to Barnes & Noble after picking her up from school and took a look at the Christmas books. They had a lot of really cool choices, but we settled on one called The Littlest Reindeer by Moira Butterfield.

I found it in the bargain books for $5.98. It's definitely cheaper on Amazon though. The cute thing about this book is that it plays Up on the Housetop when you press the button in the right-hand corner. I think that's probably M's favorite part.

This isn't a long book, so it's pretty great for keeping her attention right now.

We're very limited on Christmas/winter books in our house. We only have like 2 or 3, so I'm trying to expand our collection. Do you guys have any recommendations for toddlers?

Wordless Wednesday - Smile for the Camera

2011-11-30T09:34:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday - Happy Birthday, Mommy

2011-11-23T17:48:00.000-05:00

My daughter decided to "make" for my birthday today while I was on the phone with a client. This was her lovely combination of sugar, confectioner's sugar, flour, brown sugar, soup mix and liquid italian dressing. The best birthday gift ever.

A Weight Loss Update

2011-11-18T08:43:00.000-05:00

I've really sucked at keeping track of my weight recently. I switched to using my bathroom scale, which weighs me in higher than my Wii did and that's fine. I had hit my plateau at around 195 this summer and I hadn't been able to find a way to overcome that plateau.

Well, I've finally done it this month. I've started trying to do some more yoga and I'm eating way less during the day. I've taken to having a slim fast for lunch and then whatever I want for dinner, most days during the work week only. I do still cut myself a break once in a while.

I've been doing this for about a month now and it seems to be paying off. I've started noticing that my large Abercrombie sweatpants are starting to slide down my hips if I don't tie them tight enough and I'm starting to fit into my coats that I haven't fit in since college.

So, curious, I hopped onto my bathroom scale yesterday morning. I was down to 185.6. That's 10lbs in the last month. I'm so proud of myself for finally breaking free from my plateau and getting my ass in gear. I still have a ways to go until I hit my goal of 140, but at least I feel like it's possible again. If I keep losing 10lbs a month, I could hit my goal in just over 4 months. FOUR months. That's it. I'm making my new goal to get down to 140 by the time the warm weather comes around. That will give me an extra 3 months just in case I hit another plateau (though I really hope I don't).

I really feel like this is possible for the first time in a long time.

Trick or Treat!

2011-11-04T09:57:00.000-04:00

We took M trick or treating for the first time ever this year (she was so sick last year) and she had an absolute blast! We only did about 6 blocks total, but it was enough to fill her pumpkin bucket all the way to the tippy top.... which she told me was necessary. hahaha.

The little monster is totally into pirates lately, so when I found this costume, I thought it was perfect! I even picked up a matching "hook" from JoAnn's (75% off, woohoo!). The only thing she wouldn't keep on was the hat.

Sitting in her "pirate ship"

She said thank you to everyone without me having to tell her :)

"We go to the next door, Mommy?!"

Of course, we had to take a break so that Teddy Bear could roll down the hill

"WoooooooooOOOOoooooOOOOoooo, I'm a skeleton!"

She wanted to pull her own pirate ship. Teddy Bear is taking a nap somewhere in there.

How was everyone else's Halloween?

[Nearly] Wordless Wednesday - Bats!

2011-10-26T08:13:00.000-04:00

I got this idea from Dana over at Made! They're bats made from black cardstock (on sale this week at Joann's for $1.99!) and hung up with scotch tape! Super simple and I love it! M keeps walking around saying "Ooooh, look at all the bats!" haha You can find Dana's tutorial over here. She has a ton of other super cute Halloween ideas, too.

So without further ado, here are Dana's bats:

Source: dana-made-it.com via Danielle on Pinterest

And mine!!

Wordless Wednesday - The Candyman

2011-10-19T17:59:00.002-04:00

New York, NY

The Rainbow Fish

2011-10-10T08:07:00.000-04:00

I'm sure you're all familiar with this book and I have to say, it's always been one of my favorites. I finally decided that M was old enough for it this weekend. Of course, she made me read it to her a million times and then ripped one of the pages out. That definitely made me sad. At least it was a hand-me-down book from a friend and not a brand new one that I bought.

Anyway, since she liked the book so much, I decided to take her to the play over the weekend! It's funny because she definitely has my love of theatre. She stood up in front of her seat the entire show and danced to every song. I think it was one of the cutest things ever. I'm so glad that she's old enough to enjoy these things now and that I can share them with her. I pretty much lived in the theatre throughout Middle School and High School and I miss it with a passion. Hopefully she'll be old enough soon to be in shows and then I can work them again. I used to stage manage (and did some light design). I'm not kidding when I say I lived there. Sometimes I'd go from play practice for one show, to choir practice, to play practice for another show. I loved it and I'm so happy that she will, too.

What is something that you love sharing with your monster(s)?

The Things Kids Say....

2011-09-26T10:10:00.000-04:00

M has always been a very good kid. She almost always listens and does what we ask her to. I'm not saying she's perfect, but she never really gives us much trouble and she's way more behaved than a lot of other 2 year olds I've met over the year.

I have to tell you guys though, she killed me yesterday. The Monster likes to play "band" with J sometimes. She was playing her keyboard/xylophone and he was playing her piano. Well, she was not a happy camper when he wouldn't let her "count down" to play. After asking him to stop a dozen times, she wound up exclaiming "DADDY, I SAID STOP..... GEEEEEZ CHRIST". I just about died. Not only did she use a phrase she shouldn't be using, but she used it in the correct context. I think I laughed for about 10 minutes after she walked away.

Later, I was asking her to pick up her chair that she decided to throw on the floor for no apparent reason. Wouldn't you know, she walks right over to me, puts her hand on my shoulder, looks me straight in the face and says "Mommy, relax" and goes back to watching tv! I was stunned. She did eventually pick up the chair, after telling me to relax a dozen more times, but I was floored.

What things do your kids say that kill you?

Wordless Wednesday - Our First Movie Theater Movie

2011-09-21T09:56:00.001-04:00

Can you guess what we saw?

Young Love

2011-09-09T18:46:00.002-04:00

Have you guys heard Mat Kearney's new album, Young Love, yet? I recently got my hands on a copy and I have to say, I was impressed. I'm not a huge Mat Kearney fan, but I do like a lot of the songs on this album. They're saying this album was propelled by his song "Hey Mama", which I have to say - it's one of my favorites. Check out the video for "Hey Mama" here. It's definitely a clap-happy song that makes you want to get up and dance. It even had the Little Monster moving and grooving over here.

If you aren't familiar with Mat's music you've probably heard some of his previous hits on your favorite TV shows. Past songs have appeared on 30 Rock, Grey's Anatomy, The Hills, Friday Night Lights, Scrubs, NCIS, and numerous other television shows.

Young Love Tracklisting

1 Hey Mama
2 Ships In The Night
3 Count On Me
4 Sooner Or Later
5 Chasing The Light
6 Learning To Love Again
7 Down
8 She Got The Honey
9 Young Dumb And In Love
10 Rochester
11 Seventeen

The album has some weird songs on it, too, and some that I didn't really care for, but mostly, I enjoyed it and would recommend checking it out. Aside from "Hey Mama", I have to say "She Got The Honey" and "Young Dumb and In Love" are my other 2 favorites.

For those of you who have heard the album, what did you think?

Keeping it Real: I am a member of the One2One Network and received a copy of Mat Kearney's Young Love in order to do this review. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own.

Busy Busy Busy

2011-09-06T08:53:00.000-04:00

I've been neglectful and super busy, I apologize.We had an earthquake and a hurricane here, but all is well. I've been catching up on shop orders and experimenting with a few new things. I'm super excited to share them with you guys, too.

My weight loss has seem to come to a standstill, but it's busy season in my office, so I'm okay with that right now.

The Little Monster has moved up a grade at her school. She's now in pre-pre-k (haha). She starts pre-k in the spring. I'm so not excited for that!

I hope you guys have been doing well! I have a few giveaways coming up this week. They're awesome, too!

In the last year and a half....

2011-08-16T17:09:00.000-04:00

I have lost 75lbs, 4 inches around my chest, 7.5 inches around my waist, 10 inches around my hips and 6 inches around my thighs.

I know that this is great. I know that this is a huge accomplishment. That's a loss of around 1lbs per week. That's fantastic.

But I know that I could have done better. I know that I could have lost 2lbs per week if I really put my mind to it. I know that I still have 40-50lbs to go and that I should exercise more and should eat better.

And all of these things that I know discourage me. They make me feel like I've accomplished nothing. They put me in a negative state of mind and keep me from hitting my goals. They make my weight loss slower.

It's time to start looking for that silver lining. It's time to start think glass half full.

With that being said, here is my pep talk to me:

Danielle, you have surpassed more than half your target weight loss and you've done it in less than 2 years. This is awesome, but what's even more awesome is that you've stuck with your plan for this long. It's okay to take breaks once in a while because you're not shooting for a quick weight loss solution. You are thinking long term. You are setting reasonable goals for yourself to help you achieve a long term goal rather than a short term one. Good thinking! If you keep eating well, drinking water and exercising, you can and will make those goals. You can and will reach your target weight and you will do it in a reasonable amount of time. Weight loss takes time. You know this. You've done this before and you can do it again.

Marking Your Territory

2011-08-15T09:43:00.000-04:00

I found these adorable Sketchers this weekend at Kohl's. Their normal price was $40 and they were on sale for $11.99 (though they rang up at $6.40 - even better!). I don't know about you guys, but I have issues paying more than $10-$15 for a pair of sneakers that my daughter will outgrow in a few months. So when I found these, I thought - PERFECT. Of course, M walks around saying that she's wearing "Kay-Kay's" shoes.

Side note: Kay-Kay is what she's called her BFF Kaitlyn since they first met in the infant room at 6 months old. She can say Kaitlyn now, but she just calls her Kay-Kay.

Why are they Kay-Kay's shoes? Well, because Kay-Kay wears rhinestone covered sneakers all the time! M loves these though. She wanted to wear them the second we got them and when I wouldn't let her, she insisted on carrying the box around. When we got home, she put them right on.

What's the first thing she did with them on?

Peed in them.

Yup, that's right. She took off her Pull Up and peed right in the shoes. I was furious. Of course, they're covered in paint & rhinestones, so you can't exactly wash them. I wound up letting them dry out and then febreezing them pretty good, but come on!

Do your kids mark their territory like mine does?

What I've Been Up To....

2011-08-12T07:19:00.000-04:00

Like I mentioned yesterday, I had taken a little sabbatical recently from blogging. It was actually sort of unintentional. My office moved, so I had been working from home and when I work from home, I get side tracked.

So what have I been doing the last week and a half?

Reading. After watching the HBO series True Blood for the last few years, I finally decided to sit down and read them. Big surprise, I loved them. I wound up finishing 1 to 2 books a day. Now I have to wait until May for the next one. YIKES. Oh well. They were great and if anyone wants to discuss them with me, I'd love you forever. :) I love talking about books I've read. hahaha. I should warn you guys though, I'm an avid Sookie-Eric fan. <3

I did get a bit done around the house, too. I moved M's little table from her room to the living room and set up a coloring table for her. We're working on keeping all of our crayons inside the jar when we're done.

We also went to my sister's housewarming party and I managed to clean a bit. All in all, it was a fairly productive time.

Mommy Advice Needed

2011-08-11T14:56:00.000-04:00

First of all, I'm still alive. A little busy, a little brain dead, but alive. I know it's been awhile, but I sort of took a little mental health break.

I do have a question for you guys though.

What do you do when your toddler refuses to do something?

The other day J was working late, so it was just me and the little monster. I walked out into the living room and she had decided to dump her mac & cheese all over the floor. I asked her to pick it up and she told me no. I asked her again, she said no again.

I counted to 3. No.

I turned off the tv. No.

I took away all of the toys in the room. No.

I put her in the time out chair. No.

I spanked her. She laughed, but No.

I put her in her room. She cried, but No.

I told her it was bedtime. She cried, but No.

Finally, I walked away. I needed a break. I went in my bedroom and she followed, crying "I'm sorry, Mommy". I asked her if she picked it up yet, no. J even called her and she cried, apologizing the whole time, but she wouldn't pick up the freaking mac & cheese. At this point, I was determined not to give in. I refused to pick it up for her. It'd been 40 minutes and I would NOT do it. Hell, I even tried to bribe her with oreos and she STILL wouldn't pick it up.

Eventually, I wound up forcing her on my lap and I forced her to pick it up and put it back in the bowl, but I really don't think she would've done it on her own.

I'm at a loss here. I ran out of options. I seriously tried EVERYTHING I could think of to try and get her to pick up the food and she just flat out refused. Please tell me I'm not alone here. What do you guys do to get your toddlers to pick up after themselves?

Weekly Weigh In - Week 60

2011-07-28T18:49:00.000-04:00

Last Week:

177.9

This Week:
178.9

STARTING WEIGHT: 211.6

LAST WEEK'S WEIGHT:177.9

CURRENT WEIGHT: 178.9

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN FROM LAST WEEK: +1lbs

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN TO DATE: -33.7lbs

GOAL BY JULY 28: 174

GOAL BY DECEMBER 29: 145

STARTING MEASUREMENTS: 44 - 37.5 - 46.5 - 29 (chest, waist, hips, thigh)
LAST MEASUREMENTS: 40 - 31 - 37.5 - 23.5
CURRENT MEASUREMENTS: 40 - 30.5 - 37 - 23
MEASUREMENT LOSS TO DATE: 4 - 7 - 9.5 - 6

Well, I'm up another pound this week, but I've been working out every day and doing some extra weight training. So, it's highly likely that the gain is muscle. I think I'm okay with that. My gut muscles (not abs, gut) have been very sore, so I must be doing something right. I'm going to try to keep up the exercise every day and see if there's any loss in the next few days.

Wordless Wednesday - Dancing in the Street

2011-07-27T11:52:00.000-04:00

Toddler Tunes

2011-07-26T08:10:00.001-04:00

M has been very into making up her own songs or re-wording traditional songs lately. I'm not sure where she comes up with some of it.

The other day, she wrote a song that she calls Flower Song. She bangs on her little xylophone-keyboard duo and sings. Things to note, Amanda is her aunt and a Meena is a banana.

Flower Song! Amanda song.

Flower Song! Meena song.

Flower Song! I love Meena song.

Flower Song! Aunt Amanda song.

Flower Song! YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM!

She came up with that all on her own, I was so impressed. I wish she would've let me record her singing it, but of course, she won't. Why would she let me do that? ha.

She's also been obsessed with Mary Had a Little Lamb lately, but she changes the words to other names like hers, Mommy and Daddy. She makes me sing that one over and over again. After about 5 minutes the other day, I changed the words to things like

Daddy had a little lamb whose fleece was brown like poopy

Mommy had a little lamb whose fleece was red and sticky

Grandma had a little lamb whose fleece was cotton candy

Of course, she thought this was absolutely hysterical. I think I had her laughing for a good half hour. And you know which color stuck with her? Brown. It was the first funny thing I could think of, though definitely not my finest moment. Now Daddy permanently has a lamb whose fleece is brown like poopy.

Oh well. At least she thinks it's funny.

Our First Anniversary

2011-07-25T08:04:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was mine and my husband's first wedding anniversary. I can't believe we've been married a year now. I am so thankful to have him in my life. I don't know what I'd do without him.

We wound up having our anniversary date on Saturday. We drove up to his mother's house so that she could watch M and headed to lunch (Chevy's - yum!) and a movie. Can I tell you guys how funny Horrible Bosses was? Seriously, it was great and Jennifer Aniston looks good. Don't bring your 11 year old though, the movie is rated R for a reason. Jennifer Aniston is playing a maneater in this movie. And yes, some guy really did bring his 11 year old daughter. And yes, they did leave after 5 minutes.

All in all, it was a great anniversary weekend.

Weekly Weigh In - Week 59

2011-07-21T08:18:00.000-04:00

Last Week:

173.5

This Week:
177.9

STARTING WEIGHT: 211.6

LAST WEEK'S WEIGHT:173.5

CURRENT WEIGHT: 177.9

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN FROM LAST WEEK: +4.4lbs

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN TO DATE: -33.7lbs

GOAL BY JULY 28: 174

I'm really getting tired of this weight loss/gain yo-yo. I feel like I'm not actually losing weight anymore. Given, Aunt Flo is in town and probably having an effect on this, but still.

Wordless Wednesday - Funny Faces

2011-07-20T11:38:00.000-04:00

Pool Time Fun

2011-07-19T20:17:00.000-04:00

I just found out the other day that our town pool only costs $5 for residents per day and children under 3 are free. I was so excited about this. The pool at our apartment complex is pricey and it closes early. They don't do day passes either, unfortunately. So that stinks because we'd only be able to use the pool on the weekends. Definitely not worth $250.

So, we checked out our town pool this weekend (which is only a few blocks away from us). We had a blast! This place was awesome. They even have a splash pool with water fountains, sprayers and everything!

People

2011-07-18T07:48:00.001-04:00

Over the weekend, M & I were hanging out in my room since J was still asleep. I was trying to keep the little monster quiet, so I set her up with her coloring book and some crayons. After about 5 minutes, I hear

Mommy! Mommy, look, I draw you!

This wasn't anything new, really, since she always "draws" us, but it usually comes out looking something like this (I drew the circles while holding her hand).

This time, it was different. She actually drew faces ALL BY HERSELF!

Can I tell you guys how proud of her I am? I didn't expect her to draw faces yet. In fact, I read in one of my baby books that toddlers don't typically draw identifiable faces by themselves until they're around 4 or 5 years old. Yet, here she is at not even 2 and a half years, drawing faces with circles for a head, 2 eyes, a nose and a mouth. Heck, one of them even has hair and another has a body.

Obviously, this one is going to be framed and hung on her wall.

The First Hair Cut

2011-07-17T17:08:00.000-04:00

I realized the other day that M's hair was absolutely out of control. And, of course, she never lets me brush it.

Check out her mane from the 4th...

So, we sucked it up and took her over to the hair salon today. She did FANTASTIC. She sat perfectly still until the woman was finished and we love the result!

My Target Shopping Trip 7/13/11 - 87% Savings

2011-07-13T18:53:00.001-04:00

Toddler not included!

Today was a great haul!!

My Target prices reflect the prices in Cherry Hill, NJ. Your local store prices may vary. You can find Target printable coupons on their website or click here.

(2) Room Essentials Pillows - $2.50

(2) $2/1 select pillows TQ - printable

TOTAL: $0.50 each

(1) Nexcare tape - $0.88

$1/1 Nexcare product exp. 12/31/11 MFQ - printable pdf file

NOTE: this pdf file was from their website. It's no longer up there, but I've seen it floating around in google docs recently.

$0.50/1 Nexcare product TQ - printable

TOTAL: $0.62 OVERAGE

(1) Scotch Magic tape - $1.00

$1/1 Scotch Magic tape MFQ - printable pdf file; page 2

$0.50/1 Scotch Magic tape TQ - printable

TOTAL: $0.50 OVERAGE

(1) Cherokee Jeans 4T Bootcut - Orig. $8, On Sale $4

$2/1 Newborn, Baby & Kids denim TQ - printable

TOTAL: $2.00

(1) Papermate Eagle Pens - $1.02

$1/1 Papermate pens TQ - printable

TOTAL: $0.02

(1) Hydrogen Peroxide - $0.62

$0.75/1 Up & Up First Aid Item TQ - printable

TOTAL: FREE

Note: My target reduced this coupon down to match the cost of the item. Other Targets may or may not allow overage.

Total Before Sales & Coupons: $16.52

Total After: $2.12

Savings: $14.42 - 87%

Google+

2011-07-08T12:27:00.003-04:00

Has everyone heard of Google+ by now? You can check out the demo here. I was lucky enough to get my hands on an invite today, so I'm working on setting up my new profile.

From what I've explored so far, it's kind of cool. It's similar to facebook, but there are no ads and it implements all of google's features.

One of the things that I like is that it will show all of your +1's from around the web. It also has video chat and any time you upload a video or picture to Picasa, it will automatically attach it to your profile (if you want it to).

Another thing that I like is that you can set your preferences so that it will email for approval if someone wants to tag you in a picture or post. Facebook had that option years ago, but did away with it. That's the one thing I wish they'd bring back. I'm so glad that Google+ has this option. You can bypass it, of course, or allow specific groups to tag you without needing approval, but at least you have the option. It looks like you also have the ability to hide posts and block people, too.

I still have a lot of playing around to do with this new site, but so far, I like it! I do have some invites, so if anyone wants one, just let me know your email address!

Weekly Weigh In - Week 57

2011-07-07T07:34:00.000-04:00

Last Week:

182.1

This Week:
173.5

STARTING WEIGHT: 211.6

LAST WEEK'S WEIGHT:182.1

CURRENT WEIGHT: 173.5

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN FROM LAST WEEK: -8.6lbs

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN TO DATE: -38.1lbs

GOAL BY JULY 28: 170

There is something to be said when you no longer feel bloated. I was pretty active this week. My ipod has a pedometer on it, so I've been trying to make sure I walk a minimum of 1,000 EXTRA steps each day. I don't think all of it was weight loss this week. I think most of it was me being bloated last week. If I hadn't been bloated last week, it looks like I might have made my June goal of 174lbs. I'm adjusting my July goal down to 170. That should give me a little room to play with this month.

I know 1,000 extra steps a day is only about 59 calories, but I figure it's a start. I think I'll increase the minimum every other week or so just to keep myself going.

The terrible 2's are upon us?

2011-07-06T07:37:00.000-04:00

Last night was one of those nights where I just wanted to crawl into bed and not wake up until morning.

First, the Monster wouldn't leave her daycare. Okay, fine. I let her play for a while. Her class starts to leave the playroom, so she throws a helmet on the floor.

"Please pick that up"

"No"

"Pick it up or Miss Karen won't let you play with it tomorrow"

"No, uppy me, Mommy"

"Pick up the helmet and put it away"

*insert 3 minute pout on the floor here*

"Fine, I'll put it away"

"No, gimme!"

Okay, so it took her 5 minutes to put away the helmet. At least she put it away, right?

So we get home and what happens as soon as she gets out of the car? She falls and scrapes her knee. Awesome. Okay, spend the next 5 minutes trying to juggle my work stuff, her school stuff and her up the stairs to the apartment.

We get inside, I take off her shoes and we sit down for 2 minutes. I get up to throw something in the garbage and in the 1 minute that I walk away, she manages to spray perfume in her eyes - because she is a master climber and has figured out how to get everything off any counter or surface we have. Great, perfume in her eye and a scraped knee - neither of which she'll let me clean. I manage to get a cold paper towel on her eye for a whole minute, but she won't keep it on and she won't let me flush it. Fine.

I give up and head to the kitchen to feed and water the cats. Bad idea number 1 million. Of course she got out of her bed, walked into the kitchen, climbed on top of my work desk and broke the glass that daddy left there. Cool.

You have to be thinking "that's it", right? Well, you'd be wrong. Obviously as soon as I go to pick up the pieces of glass, she runs into the hallway and pees on the floor. Not in the toilet that's 1 foot away, but on the carpet. I finish cleaning the glass, go to clean the pee and......

She wails me in the knee with a yardstick.

Awesome.

At that point I just sat down on the floor and started to cry. What does the Monster say?

Don't worry, Mommy.

It's okay.

LOOK AT MY FUNNY FACE!

Mini Target Shopping Trip 7/4 - 92% Savings

2011-07-05T11:05:00.001-04:00

I had to make a quick Target run yesterday to pick up some apple cider vinegar for J and found a great deal on the way.

I bought 2 Schick Hydro 5 and 2 Hydro 5 Blasts, 2 cans of green beans and a large container of apple cider vinegar. Total before coupons was $43.69. I paid $13.69 and got $10 in gift cards back! I lucked out and happened to have 4 $4/1 Schick Hydro coupons, making the 4 razors free!

Buy 2 Schick Items, receive a $5 Target gift card
Included: Schick Hydro 5 or Hydro 5 Blast Razor $6.49 + Schick Quattro Razor $6.49

Deal Scenario:
Buy 2 Schick Hydro 5 or Hydro 5 Blast razors - $12.98
- Use 2 $4/1 coupons found in the 6/12 SS

- Use $3/1 coupon found here
Out of Pocket Cost: $4.98 - $6.98

Receive: $5 Target gift card
Final Cost: FREE - $0.99 each when you buy 2

I also spotted some pairs of the toddler converse sneakers were on clearance for $5.98. I might need to go back and pick up a pair for M later this week!

You know that feeling....

2011-07-05T08:25:00.001-04:00

You know that feeling when you're just trying to relax for the first time all day and all of a sudden you hear ~~a blood-curdling scream~~ two blood-curdling screams come from your 2 year old in the living room?

Of course you run as quickly as you can to living room to find out what's wrong, only to find out that your cat has jumped in front of the television while a commercial was on. And yes, the same commercial was on in the living room AND your toddler's bedroom.

That was my day yesterday.

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T08:46:00.000-04:00

Photo by Me, July 2009

Acme Shopping Trip 7/2 - 51% Savings

2011-07-03T08:18:00.000-04:00

My Acme shopping trip this week was much more successful than my Target trip. Of course, it was much smaller scale. My Acme doubles coupons up to $0.99

I got....
2 liter Mt Dew White Out - $1.00 (orig. $1.50)
2 cans of Hormel Chili (without beans) - $1.12 each

on sale for $1.67 (orig. $2.39)

$0.55/2 cans of Hormel chili printable coupon

$0.55/2 cans of Hormel chili - store double

1 package of Jello brand vanilla pudding - $1.19 (orig. $1.39)
1 bottle of French's spicy mustard - FREE

$0.75/1 bottle French's spicy mustard mfq - exp 7/15/11

$0.75/1 bottle of French's spicy mustard - store double

1 package of Acme hotdog rolls - $1.69 (orig. $1.99)
1 box of Pillsbury cake mix - $1.00
2 cartons of Breyer's BLASTS! ice cream - $1.00 each

on sale for $2.50 each

$0.75/1 Breyer's blasts printable coupon

$0.75/1 Breyer's blasts - store double

2 packages of top round steak - $3.15 for both
2 packages of Oscar Mayer hot dogs - $1.00 each

on sale for $1.50 (orig. $4.69)

$1/2 packages of Oscar Mayer hot dogs printable coupon

1 locally grown zucchini - $0.94
1 package locally grown romaine lettuce - $1.16
1 package button mushrooms - $1.99
4 fresh baked rolls - $2.60

Total before coupons & savings: $43.43

I paid: $21.03

Quick & Easy Holiday Cupcakes!

2011-07-02T19:13:00.000-04:00

We were invited to a last minute bbq this weekend at my aunt's house, so I had to come up with some quick and easy to bring with us. We weren't asked to bring anything, but I hate going places empty handed. So, cupcakes it was!

These guys were so easy to make, it wasn't even funny. I originally found this idea when I was pregnant. I craved cupcakes so badly that I HAD to have them. Unfortunately, I also put on a lot of weight (think 135 pre-pregnancy to 225 post-baby. yikes).

Cupcake Ingredients

1 box of cake mix (any brand & flavor)

1 can of soda (any brand & flavor)

Icing Ingredients

1 & a half 8 oz packages of Cool Whip

1 package sugar free pudding mix (I used vanilla)

1/4 cup confectioner's (powdered) sugar

1 1/4 cup skim milk

Misc Ingredients

Strawberries

Blue Sprinkles

All you need for the cake batter is a can of soda and a box of mix. That's it. No eggs, no oil, no water. Just soda and cake mix. Dark sodas work best with dark mixes and lighter sodas work best with light mixes. I like to use diet sodas because there are 0 calories, but you can use regular soda, too. I also love mixing sodas and mixes, too. Orange soda + vanilla cake - creamsicle cupcakes! For these, I used Pillsbury Dark Chocolate mix and a diet coke.

Soda will make the batter look very frothy when poured in.

Once you've picked out your mix and soda, combine them in a bowl until smooth.

THAT'S IT!

Bake according to the back of your cake mix box.

While your cupcakes are baking, go ahead and start slicing your strawberries. You're going to need 5 slices for each cupcake.

Once your strawberries are sliced, it's time to start with your icing.

Combine pudding mix, sugar and milk in a bowl and blend until smooth.

Blend in cool whip.

Chill, then ice your cupcakes.

Top with your strawberries & sprinkles and you've got the perfect 4th of July cupcake!

A Sneak Peak & A Coupon Code!

2011-07-02T08:08:00.000-04:00

I'm going to be adding 2 new items to the shop in the next week or so. I've been working on them for the last few days and I think I'm in love!

Any guesses?

There is also a code available for the shop this holiday weekend.

Get 15% off everything in the Etsy shop just by entering the code INDEPENDENCE

Have a great holiday weekend, everyone!

My Target Shopping Trip 7/1/11 - 39% Savings

2011-07-01T19:20:00.000-04:00

I didn't do very well this week because I bought a lot of fresh fruit for the holiday. I still managed to get a couple good deals though!

3 12-packs & 1 8-pack of 7.5oz of Coca-Cola products

1 diet coke, 1 diet coke lime, 1 mello yello

Regular Price: $4.50

Sale Price: $2.50

Buy 3, Get 1 8-pack of 7.5oz cans free (mfq from Acme Summer Savings booklet)

$1/2 12-packs (target q that was mailed to me)

The mfq actually took off $4.50, which was more than the 8-pack cost ($3.99)!

Price before coupons & discounts: $17.49

Price After: $5.99 or $1.49 each!

Suave Naturals Shampoo & Conditioner

Regular Price: $0.84 each

(2) $0.75/1 Suave Hair Care Item (printable target q)

Price before coupons & discounts: $1.68

Price After: $0.18 or $0.06 each!

Market Pantry Golden Grahams

Regular Price: $2.76

Sale Price: $1.88

$1/2 market pantry cereals (printable tq)

Price before coupons & discounts: $5.52

Price After: $2.76 or $1.38 each!

Sobe Pure Water (10)

Regular Price: $1.10

Sale Price: $1.00

Buy 10, Get $5 target gift card

Buy 3, Get 1 Free (mfq - hang tag)

Price before coupons & discounts: $11.00

Price After: $3.00 or $0.30 each!

Fuji Apples - 3lbs bag

Regular Price: $3.99

Sale Price: $2.79

$1/1 2lbs+ bag of apples

Price before coupons & discounts: $3.99

Price After: $1.79

Weekly Weigh In - Week 56

2011-06-30T10:18:00.000-04:00

Last Week:

178.9

This Week:
182.1

STARTING WEIGHT: 211.6

LAST WEEK'S WEIGHT:178.9

CURRENT WEIGHT: 182.1

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN FROM LAST WEEK: +3.2lbs

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN TO DATE: -29.5lbs

GOAL BY JULY 28: 174

This week sucked for me. I screwed up my cycle, so I'm back to feeling bloated and gross this week. I did do some exercise, but not enough to counteract my increased appetite. I'm pretty disappointed in myself because I did try to eat okay, but I just ate too much. The worst part is, every time I eat anything, I feel sick to my stomach. Hopefully next week is better.

Girls for a Change

2011-06-29T12:42:00.004-04:00

The following is a post sponsored by Yahoo! Every time someone clicks here to make Yahoo! their homepage, they're showing their support for Girls For A Change.

I was selected for this opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Ever since I was a little girl, I always felt that I should try to help as many people as I could. In my mind, it was all about karma and paying it forward.

When I was in elementary school, I was in a 4H group called Clowns with a Cause where we dressed up like clowns and performed at soup kitchens, nursing homes, etc. As much as I refused to tell my friends I did this, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and felt like I was helping people. I loved going and performing and learning new "tricks". We eventually moved, but I still wanted to help out.

In Middle School, I was a part of an organization that collected money, food, etc for the less fortunate (though I forget the name of the group). In fact, me and a friend of mine actually created the group.

High School was my favorite time for helping out. I volunteered for everything that I could. I went to elementary schools and read to the different classes for Read Across America. I spent time after school helping kids through a volunteer theatre group. That was cool. My group put on Stone Soup. We helped the kids with their reading, creating the props, the staging, everything. At the end, the kids put on a show for their parents and whoever else wanted to come. It was awesome.

To this day, I still try to help out wherever I can. I search Wish Upon a Hero for wishes to grant (even if it's just sending someone a card). I donate canned goods and used clothing every time we're asked. I would love to be more involved, but I'm getting there slowly. I still strongly believe in karma and paying it forward, so when I heard about Girls For A Change and the promotion that Yahoo! is doing, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to help in another way.

About Girls for a Change
Girls For A Change (GFC) is a national organization that empowers girls to create social change. We invite young women to design, lead, fund and implement social change projects that tackle issues girls face in their own neighborhoods. GFC empowers girls for personal and social transformation. The program inspires girls to have the voice, ability and problem solving capacity to speak up, be decision makers, create visionary change and realize their full potential. Through GFC, girls develop the voice, ability and problem solving capacity to speak up, be decision makers, create visionary change and realize their full potential.

Here is an example of one of the many Girl Team Projects:

Team #5, Henderson Middle School, Richmond – Cease the Violence Against Women
The girls at Henderson are planning a rally to end violence and sexual assault against women. Their rally was held at a local community center and included guest speakers from community organizations working on the issue, information about resources available in Richmond and a self defense workshop for participants. The girls also did media outreach to local newspapers to spread the word about their event. The team believes that education and awareness about this issue will mean a safer place for women and girls.

How can you help?
Yahoo! will donate $10 to Girls For A Change for each person who clicks here to make Yahoo! your homepage by July 1… up to an amazing $10,000! We’re counting on you to help us find 1,000 people willing to make a change worth $10,000 to this fantastic cause.

Why Should You Make Yahoo! Your Homepage? It offers...

Personalized content: The Yahoo! homepage delivers you the most relevant content based on your interests, time of day, and what’s most popular with other users like you.
Your World and The World: The Yahoo! homepage uniquely brings together your world (your email, local news) with the world around you (current events, entertainment news, financial updates and more)
Human Interest: Articles on the homepage have a human approach – more than just news, it delivers human interest stories that you just have to click on.

Bench Re-Do

2011-06-28T08:08:00.000-04:00

I've loved doing arts & crafts ever since I was a little girl. There was something about it that I thoroughly enjoyed. Now I try to incorporate arts and crafts into M's life.

The other day we were taking some newspapers down to our trash room where I found this adorable little kid's bench. The hardware was sturdy and really, the only thing "wrong" with it was that someone had colored all over it. M saw it and immediately wanted it. So, I figured a little revamping was in order. It was perfect, too, because I happened to have some paint brushes and paint on hand!

I forgot to take before pictures, but M and I headed outside and painted a few fresh coats of white. I think it came out so cute!

I have high hopes of making some space in her room for a reading corner and putting this little guy in it, but for now, it's sitting in front of her bed and she sat on it all yesterday eating popcorn from a little bowl watching tv. Perfect for a sick toddler who doesn't want to move from her room all day, but who can't eat popcorn laying down.

I'm trying to decide if I think adding some pillows or cushions would work out well for the reading corner or not. We'll see!

Beach Day!

2011-06-27T10:29:00.000-04:00

The monster has been asking us lately to take her to the beach, so we finally headed over to Wildwood yesterday to enjoy the beautiful weather. It was perfect. Their was a breeze, so the sun didn't feel so hot. The water was a good temperature. The waves weren't too rough. It was awesome.

Weekly Weigh In - Week 55

2011-06-23T16:41:00.000-04:00

Last Week:

179.8

This Week:
178.9

STARTING WEIGHT: 211.6

LAST WEEK'S WEIGHT:179.8

CURRENT WEIGHT: 178.9

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN FROM LAST WEEK: -0.9lbs

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN TO DATE: -32.7lbs

GOAL BY JUNE 30: 174

To be completely honest, I thought I did better this week than I actually did. Thursday, I did some work with a work out ball and some minor weight training. Friday, I did about 15 minutes of walking. Saturday, I walked all day from 10:00am until 5:00pm - I did some major grocery shopping at Target, Walmart & Acme. Then we went straight to the carnival and then the mall. I ate very well that day, too. My thighs were killing me on Sunday, so I just did some weight training. The rest of the weight I slacked off a little on the exercise because my stomach was killing me, but I did make sure to eat right. I've been starving all week, but eating much healthier foods. Calories are about the same, but the food itself is healthier (2 light yogurts, frozen, instead of ice cream, lots of salad with only vinegar on top, etc). I guess I'm just stumped as to why I didn't lose more weight than I did.

On the other hand, I did have to make 2 new notches in my belt because my brand new (2 weeks ago) size 12 pants are already too big. That's a good thing, right? Maybe not such a good thing for my wallet.

Wordless Wednesday - Mommy & Me

2011-06-22T06:29:00.000-04:00

I wish this picture wasn't a little blurry.

Carnival Hopping

2011-06-20T12:56:00.000-04:00

I don't know about you guys, but one of my favorite things to do when I was a kid was go to the carnival. Now that M is 2, I've been very anxious to take her (next step: the circus). I lucked out last week because there were 2 carnivals in nearby! One was small, with just a few rides, and the other had free pony rides, face painting, balloons, moon bounce, etc. Talk about lucky.

I don't remember the last time that I saw her smile so much. Seriously, she couldn't stop grinning the whole time we were there.

She was actually tall enough to go on some of the rides by herself, which I was pretty surprised about.

She went on the carousel twice. Once with me and once with a friend of mine.

She's got the same head tilt as me in that last picture. I think it's cute, haha. I don't know why I do that. And no, I'm not missing a tooth and I don't have a giant gap. I don't know why it looks like that.

After the first carnival, we headed over to the ice cream shop where the second one was being held. I couldn't believe how still M held herself for the face painting (it was her first time).

Here are a few more of my favorite shots...

Weekly Weigh In - Week 54

2011-06-16T08:27:00.000-04:00

Last Week:

181.6

This Week:
179.8

STARTING WEIGHT: 211.6

LAST WEEK'S WEIGHT:181.6

CURRENT WEIGHT: 179.8

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN FROM LAST WEEK: -1.8lbs

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN TO DATE: -31.8lbs

GOAL BY JUNE 30: 174

I'm still feeling pretty bloated this week. I'm hoping it passes and I'm feeling more me next week. I'm doubtful that I'll hit my goal of 174 this month. That's nearly 6lbs in 2 weeks. We'll see. I think if I can at least get close, I'll be happy.

I need to start working out again. I've been slacking and I can feel it. I'm very drained of energy, but I think I've been spreading myself a little too thin. I need to work out a happy balance that actually works for me. I miss food a lot this week, but I think it's the bloat talking.

Wordless Wednesday - Moon Bounce

2011-06-15T08:35:00.000-04:00

Great Deals at Walmart!

2011-06-10T19:29:00.000-04:00

I hit up Walmart today after picking M up from school. They paid me $2.62 to bring home 8 packs of batteries and 12 bottles of advil! How awesome is that??? I was testing to make sure they'd give me cash back if I had overage - they did!

Rayovac Zinc Chloride AA4 (4pk)

Reg. Price: $0.97

$1/1 Rayovac mfq (ss 6/5/11)

Final Price: FREE + $0.03 moneymaker

Advil Pocket Pack (10ct)

Reg. Price: $1.84

$2/1 Advil, including migraine (excl trial sizes), here

Final Price: FREE + $0.16 moneymaker

A few things about the Advil coupon....

1. The website says excluding travel sizes and specifies quantities. The coupon that prints out, however, says excluding trial sizes and does not specify quantities. The pocket pack is NOT a trial size. Advil's trial size is a 2ct package. Advil Corporate says that the coupon is valid on the pocket packs.

2. This coupon's upc code does NOT change per print. When you click the print button, it prompts you for how many copies you'd like. They say you can print it twice. I tested this. I signed up and printed it twice. The upc code DID NOT CHANGE. Then I signed my husband up and I just printed out the number of copies I wanted. All of them scanned through at Walmart today.

3. You can register multiple accounts and print from them all on 1 computer. You can also print to any printer you want.

I'm Still Alive!

2011-06-10T19:04:00.000-04:00

I'm still alive! I know you guys haven't seen me around much. I'm busy trying to figure some things out. Nothing bad, just trying to find a better balance to my life.

I've been trying to get my handle on this couponing thing to try to bring down some of our bills, and eventually some of our debt. It seems to be sucking up a good part of my free time (usually late at night). I really hate clipping and organizing, but it seems to be paying off so far... even if only a little bit.

Late night coupon clipping tends to mean less sleep for me. This week was a little rough, to be honest. J was away for a work function Tuesday & Wednesday and worked late Thursday & Friday. That meant I was up at 5:30 every morning and didn't get to bed until at least 11:00. Not fun.

I'm a little behind on my Etsy orders, so that really stinks for me. I need to finish 1 dress, 1 pair of bloomers and then make nearly 30 tampons in various colors. Plus, we have company coming this weekend. Needless to say, it'll be another few nights of no sleep and then back to the daily grind.

Weight loss wise, I'm up again this week. I'm not really sure what I did wrong, but the scale says I'm up about 4 lbs. I walked a few days this week (both with the baby and without) for about 20-45 minutes each time. I also did some weight lifting. I even ate fairly well this week. I gave myself 2 days off towards the end of the week, but even then, I didn't go crazy. I had a lot of watermelon, but that's has so few calories.... I really don't know what happened. The only thing I can think of is that Auntie Flo is coming to town any day now so maybe I'm bloated? My measurements are still the same, too. I did drop a pant size though - I'm down to a 12. This week is already off to a bad start and I don't really think that I care. I might just pick it up again after Aunt Flo leaves.

On another note, M now knows her full name and can tell you what it is if you ask her. She also knows what apartment number we live in. :) None of the other kids in her class know those yet. I'm very proud of her. She got her "progress report" this week, too. She's got all A's (A = Always) except for 3 S's (Sometimes). So we need to work on gender identification (she thinks everyone is a girl), potty training (we're well on our way) and cause & effect. Then she'll have aced everything there is on her sheet for this "class" level. Then it's moving on up to Get Set, followed shortly thereafter by preschool. YIKES. I'm so not ready for pre-k yet.

Wordless Wednesday: When Summer Comes a Knockin', Out Comes the Watermelon

2011-06-08T08:37:00.000-04:00

Please ignore my filthy stove. I hadn't gotten there yet. :)

My continued adventures in couponing (wk 2)

2011-06-05T22:10:00.001-04:00

A new set of coupons came out today. I only ever buy the paper when it has good coupons in it (and that usually means p&g pamphlets).

So, with a bunch of coupons in hand (I bought 6 copies or so), I headed over to Target and found some great deals today!

I gave myself a limit of $100 this week(anything leftover is going towards our debt and loans).

Limit: $100

Total Spent: $74.50 (after taxes)

Total Saved: $80.37

Received in Gift Cards: $5

Not too bad! I would up being able to put around $20 extra towards some of our loans this week.

Here were some of my favorite deals.

Nexcare Kids' Bandages (I bought 2 Shrek & 1 Strawberry Shortcake this time)

Reg. Price: $1.87

Sale Price: $1.68

3 - $1/1 20 ct nexcare kids' bandages (target q)

3 - $1/1 nexcare product (mfq exp 12/31/11 - no longer available)

Final Price: $0.00

Bic Comfort 3 Advance (6 pk) - I bought 2

Reg. Price: $10.50

Sale Price: $5.99

2 - $3/1 Bic Comfort 3, Flex 3, etc from today's SS

Final Price: $2.99 each

John Frieda Hair Care Products (I bought 3 Full Repair Foam Mousse & 1 Luxurious Volume)

Reg. Price: ???? (sorry, I forgot to check!)

Sale Price: $5.99 ($5.74 for the non-full repair one)

3 - $5/1 Full Repair Styling Product fr today's SS

2 - $3/2 John Frieda Products (target - no longer available, but they do have $3/2 full repair up)

1 - $2/1 John Frieda product fr today's SS

Final Price: $0.71 for all 4, plus I got a $5 gift card

The Imagination Movers

2011-06-03T07:52:00.000-04:00

I know I'm really late on posting this, but back at the beginning of April, we went to see the Imagination Movers! I won 2 sets of 4 tickets, so we took some of our friends and their kids along. The kids had a blast and the adults had some fun, too. :)

Everyone came to our apartment first for some pizza and playtime since the kids had never met before.

The opening act was Choo Choo Soul. I don't care for the show, but they were cute live.

Do you think M liked them?

Then we waited for the Movers to come on stage.

Some of us got tired of waiting....

But the Movers were worth it! The show was awesome! M even got to shake Mover Dave's hand... twice!

I'm so glad that we got to take all the kids to go see this show. It was totally worth the drive. I wish we could've gone to the meet & greet, but I am happy that M got to shake Dave's hand. She talked about it for weeks afterwards! We did get her a shirt and a light up drum stick. She still loves both, months later!

Weekly Weigh In - Week 52

2011-06-02T08:35:00.001-04:00

Last Week:

181.9

This Week:
177.9

STARTING WEIGHT: 211.6

LAST WEEK'S WEIGHT:181.9

CURRENT WEIGHT: 177.9

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN FROM LAST WEEK: -4.0lbs

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN TO DATE: -33.7lbs

GOAL BY JUNE 30: 174

First, I'm sorry that I missed you guys last week. I was having a lot of trouble with blogger not letting me log in. I DID weigh myself and I was up to 181.9 (from 181.6). So it was pretty much a maintain type of week for me last week.

Now, I have to say, I actually thought I was going to gain weight this week. I didn't eat very well, especially with the holiday, and I didn't really work out much. Friday J went to visit his mom, so it was just M & I. We just relaxed and watched a movie. Saturday, M & I walked around the town May Fair for a few hours with our friends. M had fun riding in the wagon with her friend G (which I pulled mostly the whole time). Sunday, my brother and his girlfriend came to have some pizza with us to celebrate his graduating from culinary school. Monday, we spent the day laying on the beach (it was beautiful).

So I really didn't get much exercise in, but it must've been enough because I managed to lose 4 lbs this week - knocking me out of the obese category and into the overweight one. This is a big accomplishment for me! My measurements are still about the same, but I have noticed that my wedding band is very loose lately. I used to be a size 4 in rings, so hopefully, one day, I'll get back there.

ALSO, this weigh in marks 1 year of weigh in's! In 1 year, I have lost nearly 34lbs. That's about 3lbs per month. Not great, but definitely not terrible! I do have to keep in mind though that I weighed in on Wednesday night instead of Thursday morning, so my weight may be a little off the norm.

Organizing Your Business Cards

2011-06-01T17:30:00.000-04:00

When you guys go to blog conferences, or really any conference for that matter, what do you do with the business cards?

I usually stick them all in my wallet or in a little bag and sort through them when I get home. If I really want to remember one of them, I'll make a little note on a post it and stick it on top to remind me. When I get home, I'll sit down with all of my cards and a little recipe or coupon expanding folder (you know, the kind with the individual slots and usually the tabs at the top) and then I sort them alphabetically!

This makes it so much easier for me to find the cards I'm looking for easily. I even do this with the business cards I get from Etsy... or really anywhere!

I recently bought some new business cards from Tiny Prints. Can I tell you guys how much I love them? I got 25 in turquoise and 25 in purple. They're double-sided and I absolutely love them. I can't wait to start giving them out! I'd love to get some Mommy Cards made up, too.

Mine look like this:

Tiny Prints provides stylish, modern and unique stationery that cover all your paper needs. You'll find summer party invitations, personalized greeting cards, thank you cards, business cards, and even custom wedding invitations. Come try the easy card personalization, powerful preview engine and top-notch customer service and paper quality for yourself! With Tiny Prints by your side, commemorating every holiday and momentous occasion is a cinch!

NOTE: Tiny Prints is giving me 50 business cards for writing this blog entry. If you'd like to get 50 free business cards, you can sign up for this promotion here. All thoughts and opinions in this entry are my own.

My Attempt at "Extreme" Couponing...

2011-05-21T22:37:00.001-04:00

I don't know if you guys have seen TLC's Extreme Couponing or not. I myself have only actually watched a handful of episodes and while I think some of them definitely fit the definition of extreme, it certainly does inspire me. Some of the most inspiring couponers for me were the Ivanofsky's from My Litter and I Heart the Mart and Chrystie from I Love to Gossip. There have been 1 or 2 others that got to me, too, but I started following these blogs religiously (among others).

Anyway, I've been trying to save some money in our house lately and decided today would be a good day to test myself. I do all of our food shopping on Saturdays at Target. I like going on Saturdays for 3 reasons.

1. Since Target's sales start on Sundays, all of the blogs have posted the best deals for the week already.

2. My Target seems to throw in some of the Sunday sales on Saturday (awesome).

3. I still have a whole day left on the weekend to relax.

I gave myself a limit of $150 (we were very low on groceries this week) and I did surprisingly well, so I wanted to include a few of my best finds!

Limit: $150

Total Before Sales/Clearance: $262.51

Total Before Coupons, after sales & clearance: $219.19

Total After Coupons: $149.01

Received in Gift Cards: $20

Mail in Rebates: $2.74

Total Saved: $136.24
Total Spent: $126.27

That's about 52% savings! I'm very proud of myself for this and I got a TON of stuff. I'm still trying to get better at the whole couponing thing, but this was definitely one of my best trips.

These were some of my best finds....

Yellow Circo Toddler Tank Top

Orig. $4.50

Sale Price: $1.12

Gerber Graduates Breakfast Buddies (2)

Orig. $2.74 ($1.37 each)

Mail in Rebate stickers on box: $2.74 ($1.37 each)

Final Price: $0.00

2 bags of Sun Chips & 2 2 liters of Sierra Mist Natural

Orig. $11.26

Sale: Sun Chips for $3 each

Coupons: $2/2 Sun Chips, Lay's or Rold Gold (exp 5/21/11)

Buy 1 bag of Sun Chips, Get 1 Sierra Mist free (Target p&g saver coupon - used 2)

$1/2 Sierra Mist Natural (mfq on the bottle)

Final Price: $4.00 ($1 each)

48oz Pom Juice
Orig. $12.19
Sale: $6.09
Coupon: $1/1 16oz+ Pom Juice
Final Price: $5.09

Special K Crisps (5 boxes)
Orig. $14.95
Sale Price: $2.75 each; buy 4 get 1 free
Coupons: $1/2 boxes Special K crisps (target q - used 2)
Final Price: $9.00 ($1.80 each)

Starbucks Frappuccino 4pk (6 packs)
Orig. $32.94
Buy 2, get a $5 gift card
Coupons: $2/2 Starbucks 4 pk (used 3)
Final Price: $11.94 ($1.99 each)

John Frieda Root Awakening (1 shampoo, 1 conditioner)
Orig. $9.98
Coupons: $3/1 Root Awakening (mfq - used 2)
$3/2 John Frieda products (target q)
Final Price: $0.98 ($0.49 each)

Morningstar Burgers (2 packs)
Orig. $6.68
Coupons: $1/2 Morningstar Products (target q)
$1/1 Morningstar Products (mfq - used 2)
Final Price: $3.68 ($1.84 each)

Old Spice Body Wash 2pks - 1 large; 1 small (bought 2)
Orig. $8.00
Sale Price: $6.80
Coupons: buy 1 Old Spice Body Wash, get 1 free (mfq - p&g saver)
$1/2 Old Spice products (mfq - p&g saver)
$1/1 Old Spice body wash (target q - exp 6/30 - used 2)
Final Price: $0.40 ($0.20 for each 2pk or $0.10 for each body wash)

These aren't all of my good deals, I also got 2 free packages of Carefree liners, 3 packages of free Reach dental floss (money maker; $2.50/2 Reach Flosses at $0.87 each and $1/1; I made $0.89) and a couple bottles of nail polish for $0.49 each (Sally Hansen)... among other things, but these were definitely some of my favorite finds. The Old Spice was an awesome find. I actually did this deal last week, too. I'm hoping I can find 2-4 more of the Target coupons so that I can run in and pick up a couple more tomorrow (I have 2 more of each of the mfq's but no more target).

Regression vs Memory vs Imagination?

2011-05-20T12:41:00.000-04:00

For the past few weeks, M has developed this new "game" that she plays nearly every day.

Mommy, Daddy, help me to lay down!

So, we pick her up and cradle her because that's what she apparently means by "help me to lay down". More recently, however, she says this and continues with...

goo goo gah gah. Please milk!

And then she reaches for an invisible bottle. We give her this "bottle" and she pretends to drink it, asking us to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star or Old MacDonald Had a Farm. She pretends to fall asleep when her bottle is finished and the song is over.

So I decided to do some googling and apparently this is common in 2-3 year olds when they start remembering things from when they were newborns. They say it mostly occurs when a toddler is stressed or feels like they're growing up too fast that they seem to 'regress'. I really don't know what would cause her to be stressed, but it's not like she's doing it all the time. She's only doing it as a game. Like instead of feeding her baby doll, she's pretending to be the baby doll.

I'm curious as to whether it may be some combination of her long term memory coming into play (I did sing those songs to her when I gave her her bottle or cuddled her as a baby) and her imagination.

Weekly Weigh In - Week 50

2011-05-19T13:46:00.000-04:00

Last Week:

181.4

This Week:
182.1

STARTING WEIGHT: 211.6

LAST WEEK'S WEIGHT:181.4

CURRENT WEIGHT: 182.1

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN FROM LAST WEEK: +0.7lbs

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN TO DATE: -28.0lbs

GOAL BY May 27: 180

LONG TERM GOAL: 145

STARTING MEASUREMENTS: 44 - 37.5 - 46.5 - 29 (chest, waist, hips, thigh)
LAST MEASUREMENTS: 40 - 31 - 37.5 - 23.5
CURRENT MEASUREMENTS: 40 - 30.5 - 37 - 23
MEASUREMENT LOSS TO DATE: 4 - 7 - 9.5 - 6

I think when blogger had it's down time last week, my week 49 post got lost in cyberspace. :( Anyway, I'm up 0.7lbs this week, though after last week's 6lbs loss, I'm not too sad about it. Aunt Flo is visiting this week, so all things aside, I think only a .7lbs gain is pretty good. I'm sure it's mostly water weight and bloat. I made a chocolate cake on Monday and half of it is still sitting in the kitchen. I've only had 1 slice so far. Go me!

In case you didn't know.....

2011-05-13T17:41:00.000-04:00

The pattapillar ate....

1 chocolate cake

1 eye cream cone

1 pickle

1 cheese

1 wamee

1 wollypop

1 cherry pie

1 sawjig

1 cukcake

and 1 watermelon!

This is our favorite story to read right now (well, that and Llama Llama Red Pajama). M knows this one by heart and we take turns reading it now. She even knows that the caterpillar makes a cocoon before turning into a butterfly! <3

You could print out your own copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar over here.

Wordless Wednesday - Make a Wish

2011-05-11T11:02:00.002-04:00

Tell me I'm not the only one....

2011-05-10T09:45:00.000-04:00

M has begun this new.... I'll call it a phase.

The other day, after I picked the Monster up from school, we were on our way home when all of a sudden I hear...

Hi Mommy!

Do you know that little stinker unbuckled her seat belt and was standing right next to my ear!

Of course, I pulled over right away and buckled her back in, but now she thinks it's hilarious to unbuckle herself in the car. She only does this for me and it's freaking me out. Sometimes I'm not able to pull over right away and so I make her sit on the floor and not move until I get to a shoulder or parking lot and can get her back in her seat.

Does anyone else have experience with this?

What do you do to keep your kid's seat belt on?

I tell her she needs to ask Mommy or Daddy before she unbuckles herself, but sometimes she forgets and does it anyway. She also loves to unbuckle the seat belt as soon as I close her door so that I have to open it back up and buckle her again. At least then the door isn't moving yet, but even still, it's a pain in the butt.

Dear Allergies,

2011-05-09T10:37:00.000-04:00

I understand that you like to rear your head a few times each year, particularly in the spring, but I what I don't understand is what I did to deserve this.

I don't mind the itching or the occasional runny nose.

I understand post nasal drip will escalate to my sore throat.

I get it, I really do.

Why do you need to clog my nose so severely that I can't breathe in or out of it? Why do you make this weird squishy sound when I press my tongue against the roof of my mouth? And why in the world do you make my ears pop every time I swallow or chew?

I'm so tired of you, allergies. I know this is payback for the years of my childhood that you never visited, not once. But I've been plagued long enough. I'm done. Go away and don't come back.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Tired of Being Congested

Weekly Weigh In - Week 48

2011-05-05T08:56:00.001-04:00

How Do I Participate:

1. Write a Blog Post. Somewhere in it you MUST post the 'Weekly Weigh-In' Button and your weight loss or gain. You do not need to post your actual weight, though it may be helpful for you.

2. Link up using the McLinky below (Please link to your actual Weekly Weigh-In post, NOT your main blog page)

3. Visit other blogs on the linky and show your support.

Remember, you don't need to link up on Thursdays. The linky is open for the whole week!

Last Week:

183.9

This Week:
---

STARTING WEIGHT: 211.6

LAST WEEK'S WEIGHT:183.9

CURRENT WEIGHT: ---

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN FROM LAST WEEK: ---

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN TO DATE: -28.7lbs

GOAL BY May 27: 180

I took this last week off, though it was definitely unplanned. I didn't exercise. I ate poorly. And I know I gained weight. There are no excuses. I fell off the bandwagon. I didn't even bother weighing myself this week because I don't even want to know how much I gained. I've lost my motivation and I'm not sure yet how to get it back.

Weekly Weigh In - Week 47

2011-04-28T08:08:00.001-04:00

How Do I Participate:

1. Write a Blog Post. Somewhere in it you MUST post the 'Weekly Weigh-In' Button and your weight loss or gain. You do not need to post your actual weight, though it may be helpful for you.

2. Link up using the McLinky below (Please link to your actual Weekly Weigh-In post, NOT your main blog page)

3. Visit other blogs on the linky and show your support.

Remember, you don't need to link up on Thursdays. The linky is open for the whole week!

Last Week:

180.3

This Week:
183.9

STARTING WEIGHT: 211.6

LAST WEEK'S WEIGHT:180.3

CURRENT WEIGHT: 183.9

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN FROM LAST WEEK: +3.6lbs

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN TO DATE: -28.7lbs

GOAL BY APRIL 28: 178

I think something is up with my scale this morning. When I first jumped on it, it said I gained over 10 lbs. Yeah, that definitely didn't happen. I re-weighed myself after I showered and it was a more reasonable 3.6lbs gain. Given, I had wet hair, so it's more like 2.6lbs, but I'll leave it as is. I did lose a couple inches this week, so I'm glad about that. I sucked at drinking water though. I'm sure most of this week's gain is from bloating and water retention.

Wordless Wednesday - Cutie

2011-04-27T08:53:00.000-04:00

Happy [BELATED] Easter!

2011-04-26T08:01:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a great Easter! I know the Easter bunny made 1 little monster in our house very happy.

We woke up on Sunday morning to find our Easter basket overflowing! The were Easter eggs filled with candy, stickers and even Little People toys! We also got some no-spill bubbles, 2 stuffed puppies, Elefun, an elephant hand puppet and a harmonica!

The harmonica was definitely one of our favorites!

Daddy had to show us how to use it, but after we figured out how, we played that harmonica like a pro!

After we opened everything in our basket, we were off to Grandma's! Boy were we exhausted.

But guess what. The Easter bunny left us presents there, too!

TEA PARTY!!!!!

"Carepul!!! Really hot!"

What did you guys do for the holiday?

(If you celebrate, of course)

We're Sponsoring!

2011-04-25T11:57:00.000-04:00

We're sponsoring a giveaway over at Crunchy Beach Mama this week. Be sure to head over there and check it out!

Please Touch: A Trip to Wonderland

2011-04-21T13:18:00.001-04:00

My absolute favorite room at the Please Touch Museum was the Wonderland room.

First we stopped to say hi to the blue birds.

Then we had some blackberry pie...

We rode a cow...

And picked some golden apples...

We made sure we took a quick nap before heading out...

Then we dressed up to play some croquet in the Red Queen's garden....

And fianlly, we had a tea party with the Mad Hatter & the March Hare...

Weekly Weigh In - Week 46

2011-04-21T07:46:00.000-04:00

How Do I Participate:

1. Write a Blog Post. Somewhere in it you MUST post the 'Weekly Weigh-In' Button and your weight loss or gain. You do not need to post your actual weight, though it may be helpful for you.

2. Link up using the McLinky below (Please link to your actual Weekly Weigh-In post, NOT your main blog page)

3. Visit other blogs on the linky and show your support.

Remember, you don't need to link up on Thursdays. The linky is open for the whole week!

Last Week:

181.9

This Week:
180.3

STARTING WEIGHT: 211.6

LAST WEEK'S WEIGHT:181.9

CURRENT WEIGHT: 180.3

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN FROM LAST WEEK: -1.6lbs

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN TO DATE: -32.3lbs

GOAL BY APRIL 28: 178

LONG TERM GOAL: 145

STARTING MEASUREMENTS: 44 - 37.5 - 46.5 - 29 (chest, waist, hips, thigh)
LAST MEASUREMENTS: 39 - 30.5 - 37.5 - 23.5
CURRENT MEASUREMENTS: 40 - 31 - 37.5 - 23.5
MEASUREMENT LOSS TO DATE: 4 - 6.5 - 9 - 5.5

I have to be honest with you guys. I fully anticipated and prepared myself for a gain this week. With my 3.5lbs loss last week and my monthly friend coming soon, I expected bloating and gain this week. Needless to say, I'm extremely surprised with a 1.5lbs loss. I didn't get many chances to work out this week because I had a lot of work to do for my Etsy shop. I did manage to get some weight training in, but that was really about it. We also went to a 2 year old's birthday party on Saturday, complete with cake, chips, pizza and beer. The only thing that I can really think of that I did well this week was water intake.

At any rate, I'm quite pleased this week! I doubt I'll hit 178 by next week, but at least I'll be close. I'm only .3lbs away from no longer being classified obese on wii fit. That makes me very happy!

Please Touch: Down by the Bay

2011-04-20T07:39:00.001-04:00

Our next stop on our visit to the Please Touch museum was the River Adventures room. This room was one of my favorites.

I was thankful for the waterproof bibs to keep M's clothes dry while she played with the little boats and ducks!

I loved the hanging clouds and sun...

M loved drying her hands when we were finished playing in the water, too.

Then we checked out the cool butterflies...

And the squirrels.... which M thought were real at first...

We tried to ride the swan, but we kept sliding off...

They even had tree slides and musical lily-pads!

I think this room would have made a really cool treehouse!

Please Touch: We're on the Go

2011-04-19T07:22:00.000-04:00

While we were at the Please Touch museum a few weeks ago, we had the chance to check out the Roadside Attractions room. M loves all kinds of vehicles lately, so this room was perfect for her!

We got to sit in the train car...

Then we checked out the interior of a Scion...

And we even got to put together & drive some race cars & tractors!

Please Touch: Driving the Bus to Outer Space

2011-04-18T13:32:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, we took M to the Please Touch Museum in Philly for the first time. I hadn't been there since I was little (let alone since they moved) and I have to tell you, I was impressed!

Our first stop was to drive the bus. The line was long and some kids kept cutting others off, but M thought it was worth it!

After the bus, we headed to outer space.

We climbed through rocket ships....

We did balance beams....

We made music in the clouds...

We built our own rockets...

And we even looked at the planets!

The outer space section was really cool. They had this wheel that you could walk in and one of the dad's helped his son (they did it together). When it got to be our turn, unfortunately, the woman who was heading that part switched and she gave us a hard time. Since M was too small to turn the wheel, we had to leave. I did give the woman a piece of my mind though.

Easter Traditions

2011-04-18T11:23:00.002-04:00

Thank you to Log Cabin for sponsoring my post about updated traditions in my household. To learn more about Log Cabin Syrups (which are all free of High Fructose Corn Syrup), breakfast for dinner, and other new ways to update traditions in your home, click here. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

My family was always big on traditions when I was little. When I had M, I decided that I wanted to make traditions a big part of her life, too. With Easter coming up, I've been thinking about the traditions we already started to make for that holiday.

When I was younger, my mother didn't really make too big a deal of the holiday. Sure, we went to church and yes, we had Easter baskets and Easter egg hunts. But that was really it. I knew when I had M that I wanted to make Easter a bigger part of her life and I want her to get involved.

For her first Easter, we just saw the Easter bunny and had a family dinner at my in-laws. That was about it. Of course, M was only a month and a half or so old at the time and I wasn't really up for too much else.

Last year, M loved the Easter bunny.

She couldn't wait to see him. She also got her first Easter basket, which she loved (and which I can't believe I didn't post pictures of last year).

As she gets older, I want to start doing more things with her. So far this year, we've only made some decorations. I cut out some egg shapes on spring colored construction paper. I also picked up some Easter stickers that were 50% off at Joann's and let her stick them all over the eggs. The next step was to add some crayon. M loved this craft project and the eggs will soon be covering our hallway wall! I'll have to post some pictures later this week.

We're going to get some photos done with M and the Easter bunny again this weekend, as well as some very late 2nd birthday pictures. We're also headed to my mother-in-law's again for Easter.

Next year (or the year after), I'd like to start making some Easter breads with her. We used to make eggs in an Easter basket when I was little. I loved this. You dye your Easter eggs, place them in a bread "basket" and add a handle. Once it's cooked, you add a sugar icing on top. Yum!

I'd also like to start making Resurrection rolls with her. If you've never heard of Resurrection rolls, I highly suggest checking out Smashed Peas & Carrots Recipe. Basically, you take some marshmallows, roll them in butter, sugar & cinnamon. Then you wrap some crescent roll dough around the marshmallow. The story line being that the marshmallow is Jesus' body and the butter is the oil and the sugar & cinnamon are the incense that His body were anointed with. The crescent roll represents his shroud and the oven represents the tomb his body was placed in. When you bake the rolls, the marshmallow evaporates - signifying his rising. I think that this is a great way to teach M about Easter. Obviously she's too young to understand the story now, but I think I may start making the rolls this year to get her used to the tradition. Then we can bring the rolls with us to Grandma's!

Here's a picture of what Maggie's finished rolls looked like. For more photos, you should definitely check out her recipe.

Do you guys have any Easter traditions that you do every year?

What about plans for this year?

NOTE: Log Cabin Syrups is paying me for this post about how I've updated my family traditions, but other this did not influence my post in any way. Any thoughts and opinions are my own and this is how we really have updated one of our family traditions.

Weekly Weigh In - Week 45

2011-04-14T08:02:00.000-04:00

How Do I Participate:

1. Write a Blog Post. Somewhere in it you MUST post the 'Weekly Weigh-In' Button and your weight loss or gain. You do not need to post your actual weight, though it may be helpful for you.

2. Link up using the McLinky below (Please link to your actual Weekly Weigh-In post, NOT your main blog page)

3. Visit other blogs on the linky and show your support.

Remember, you don't need to link up on Thursdays. The linky is open for the whole week!

Last Week:

185.4

This Week:
181.9

STARTING WEIGHT: 211.6

LAST WEEK'S WEIGHT:184.3

CURRENT WEIGHT: 185.4

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN FROM LAST WEEK: -3.5lbs

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN TO DATE: -30.7lbs

GOAL BY APRIL 28: 178

LONG TERM GOAL: 145

STARTING MEASUREMENTS: 44 - 37.5 - 46.5 - 29 (chest, waist, hips, thigh)
LAST MEASUREMENTS: 39 - 31 - 39 - 24
CURRENT MEASUREMENTS: 39 - 30.5 - 37.5 - 23.5
MEASUREMENT LOSS TO DATE: 5 - 7 - 9 - 5.5

This week was a surprising loss. I really thought I would gain again. We had a lot of company this weekend, which means a lot of junk. I went out to dinner & drinking with one of my friends on Saturday and on Sunday, we had pizza before heading to the Imagination Movers show (pictures to come soon!). Monday, my allergies were terrible, which means I took allergy medicine which made me incessantly hungry.

On the other hand, I did get some decent work outs in. Saturday, my friend and I walked around the mall for an hour and a half and Monday & Tuesday were good work out days for me at home. I've also been drinking a lot more water recently (thanks to my new love, my water bobble). Have you guys seen the water bobbles yet? They're awesome. It's a water bottle, but it has a filter. So you can fill it up with water anywhere and it's filtered before it gets to your mouth! LOVE IT. I have 2 in the blue. The best part is, they're only $9.99 at my Target and the filters are only like $6.99 for the replacement. Each filter lasts through about 300 bottles of water!

I really can't tell that I lost any weight this week. In fact, I'm feeling a little bloated and gross. BUT I did fit into size 11 jeans at Hollister this weekend. I find that impressive.

Weekly Weigh In - Week 44

2011-04-07T09:17:00.000-04:00

How Do I Participate:

1. Write a Blog Post. Somewhere in it you MUST post the 'Weekly Weigh-In' Button and your weight loss or gain. You do not need to post your actual weight, though it may be helpful for you.

2. Link up using the McLinky below (Please link to your actual Weekly Weigh-In post, NOT your main blog page)

3. Visit other blogs on the linky and show your support.

Remember, you don't need to link up on Thursdays. The linky is open for the whole week!

Last Week:

184.3

This Week:
185.4

STARTING WEIGHT: 211.6

LAST WEEK'S WEIGHT:184.3

CURRENT WEIGHT: 185.4

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN FROM LAST WEEK: +1.1lbs

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN TO DATE: -27.2lbs

GOAL BY APRIL 28: 178

LONG TERM GOAL: 145

STARTING MEASUREMENTS: 44 - 37.5 - 46.5 - 29 (chest, waist, hips, thigh)
LAST MEASUREMENTS: 39.5 - 32 - 39.5 - 25
CURRENT MEASUREMENTS: 39 - 31 - 39 - 24
MEASUREMENT LOSS TO DATE: 5 - 6.5 - 7.5 - 5

Another gain, big surprise. It seems whenever I actually work harder towards weight loss, I gain weight. I really hate that. My measurements did go down a little this week (.5" for each my chest and hips and 1" for both my waist and thigh). Even still, though, I'd like to see the scale numbers start going in the direction that I'd like them to again.

I'm trying to take up yoga again. I loved when I did yoga in college. I gained a little weight, but it was all muscle, not fat. I've managed to get 1 sun rotation (with a little twist of my own thrown in there) done both last night and this morning. I've also upped my weights from 3lbs each to 5lbs each. I'm hoping that I'll see some improvement with these changes.

I love it when....

2011-04-06T17:25:00.000-04:00

I love it when I get good things in the mail! Seriously, it makes me so happy. Today I got some awesome bows for the little Monster in the mail. How cute are these???

Love them!!!!

2 sweet little butterflies. 1 is going to a friend of ours, the other we're keeping.

This one matches M's Olivia shirt!

I lovvvvvve pink and green together

Perfect for Easter!

The butterflies were only $7 for the set! All of these bows came from Bowquet Bowtique. Be sure to drop by and check them out!

Wordless Wednesday - Look Ma, No Hands!

2011-04-06T10:09:00.001-04:00

April Showers Bring May Flowers

2011-04-05T18:42:00.000-04:00

I wanted to share my EtsyMom treasury with you guys! It includes some of my favorite "stormy" colors - Black, Grey, Sage, Navy & Violet. You can check out the actual treasury and all of the featured shops (as well as prices) here.

Free Museum Weekend

2011-04-01T08:45:00.001-04:00

If you're a Bank of America cardholder (debit or credit), this weekend is free museum weekend. There are over 150 participating museums across the US. Find one in your area at museums.bankofamerica.com.

I think we'll be taking M to the Please Touch Museum in Philly and the Garden State Discovery Museum in Cherry Hill this weekend. She's never been to the Please Touch Museum, but she loved the Discovery Museum when we went in January.

Weekly Weigh In - Week 43

2011-03-31T08:19:00.000-04:00

How Do I Participate:

1. Write a Blog Post. Somewhere in it you MUST post the 'Weekly Weigh-In' Button and your weight loss or gain. You do not need to post your actual weight, though it may be helpful for you.

2. Link up using the McLinky below (Please link to your actual Weekly Weigh-In post, NOT your main blog page)

3. Visit other blogs on the linky and show your support.

Remember, you don't need to link up on Thursdays. The linky is open for the whole week!

Last Week:

184.9

This Week:
184.3

STARTING WEIGHT: 211.6

LAST WEEK'S WEIGHT:184.9

CURRENT WEIGHT: 184.3

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN FROM LAST WEEK: -.6lbs

TOTAL LOSS/GAIN TO DATE: -28.3lbs

GOAL BY APRIL 28: 178

LONG TERM GOAL: 145

STARTING MEASUREMENTS: 44 - 37.5 - 46.5 - 29 (chest, waist, hips, thigh)
LAST MEASUREMENTS: 40 - 32 - 40 - 25
CURRENT MEASUREMENTS: 39.5 - 32 - 39.5 - 25
MEASUREMENT LOSS TO DATE: 4.5 - 5.5 - 7 - 4

Well, it doesn't look like I made my March goal (or even came anywhere close). So I guess I'll make that my April goal.

I have to be honest, I'm getting really... ~~discouraged~~ ~~tired~~ bored of diet and exercise. I'm officially on day 301 of the weigh in, but I had been dieting/exercising for another 2-3 months prior to that. That makes 1 full year of diet and exercise and the only thing that I have to show for it is a loss of 28lbs (that I know of. I don't know how much I weighed before that, but I speculate my all time high was around 230). My goal was 50lbs in 1 year. I barely made half of that and I still have another 40-50lbs to go. At the rate that I'm going now, that'll take me another 2 years. I'm tired of counting calories and writing down every single thing that I eat. I'm tired of working as hard as I can to find only minimal results or a gain. I miss eating at my favorite restaurants and having ice cream. I hate diet soda and miss my regular ones. I'm tired of being tired all the time because I spent every spare minute of my day trying to fit in some exercise.

I'm sure if I had more success over this last year, I'm sure I'd feel differently, but right now, I'm starting to get really tired of diet and exercise.

Wordless Wednesday - Tea Party

2011-03-30T08:41:00.002-04:00

She kept going to the sink and "filling" her cups with tea. Where can I get a tea dispensing sink?

Parenting & Mother's Day

2011-03-29T12:30:00.000-04:00

The other day I was thinking about the things I learned from my mother about parenting. Honestly, I can't say that she ever came out and said "hey, you should try this" or "hey, maybe this would work for you", but I do think that I picked up a few things over the years.

If I had to choose the 1 major thing that I learned from her, it would be to independence. I learned at a very young age how to take care of myself and how not to rely on others to do those things for you. Being the oldest of many children, I started babysitting my siblings at a very young age. I started babysitting for money in middle school and got my first "real" job when I hit high school. On top of that, I had many extracurricular activities that I was a part of or helped run and still maintained good grades in my honors & AP classes. I paid for all of my own school trips and clothes and I liked not needing to rely on my mother for those things. I liked being able to do them on my own.

I am trying to teach M responsibility and independence young, too. Maybe not to the same extent that I experienced it, but I would like her to know what she wants and how to do it properly. She already helps (and enjoys) vacuuming and cleaning the windows. It may only be for a minute or two before running off to play, but she does ask if she can help me. She also asks if she can feed the cats every night and if she drops any pieces, she quickly picks it up and puts in back in the bowl. Heck, she doesn't even like me to help her use the potty when we're potty training. She just runs right in there, sits down and goes.

Thinking about these things got me thinking about Mother's Day and the other mother's in my life. So I took a look at Tiny Prints' mother's day cards and I have to tell you, I'm really loving some of these. Here are a few of my favorites:

I love how bright and vibrant these cards are. They're absolutely perfect for spring! They even have mother's day cards for godmothers, stepmothers and grandmothers. I can't wait to pick some out.

Tiny Prints provides simple, modern and unique stationery from Father’s Day Cards to personalized greeting cards to thank you cards, business cards, and even custom wedding invitations or photo birth announcements. Offering exclusive designs from the nation’s top designers, easy card personalization, a powerful preview engine and top-notch customer service and paper quality, their designs have been lauded by numerous television networks, publications and celebrities. With Tiny Prints by your side commemorating every holiday and momentous occasion is a cinch! They offer perfect party invitations for every occasion and memorable personalized photo-gifts like notebooks, photo books and calendars to commemorate the event.

Note: I am receiving a Tiny Prints gift card for posting about this promotion. This does not affect my opinion or story in any way.

The Monster's 2nd Birthday - Part 2

2011-03-28T10:44:00.000-04:00

My little monster turned 2 last month. We threw her a Minnie Mouse diva party because she's been very into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse lately. If you missed the decorations & cake, you can check them out here.

I was so glad that the snow didn't ruin M's birthday party again this year (we had to cancel her first birthday party due to a never-ending blizzard). She had a blast and that was all that mattered to me!

I made her dress the week before her party and the matching bows are from Bowquet's Bowtique on Etsy. These were a custom order from me and E (the owner of Bowquet) worked with me until they matched M's dress PERFECTLY. And they came super quick, too! I think I only ordered them maybe a week and a half before her party? And they got to me with plenty of time to spare. I get nearly all of M's bows from Bowquet (you see them hanging on the door in the picture below??? That's only half!) and highly recommend checking her out! She's even got some adorable spring/Easter bows ready to ship now! You can go visit her on Facebook, too.

Talking on the phone with her friend!

Opening presents


She thought this baby was hilarious. It kept saying "peekaboo, Mommy"

This one is my favorite!

My little diva <3

Talk about annoying....

2011-03-25T09:47:00.000-04:00

You know what I find really annoying? When you finally get new tires after 2.5 years of driving on the same ones and not even 3 months later your tire pressure light turns on. Then, of course, you go to check and find something like this: