Just Do It

Hi!  Long time no see.  So in my usual rambling off topic way, I thought I'd welcome you back with what I was up to!

In August 2014, I went for a physical and got some not very good news - threats of obesity, thyroid, diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure, yadda yadda yadda!  Made a plan, didn't stick with it.  Felt crappy and just kept on doing what I was doing, with no change - DUH!

July 2015 rolled around and I felt a little guilty about not having made much success, except a few tiny changes to eating and drink.  No more 100% Sweet Tea - instead I had reduced back to a 50-50 split and over time even that got sweet and now I drink either water or unsweet iced tea (ya I know GAK!)  LOL!  Believe it or not I lost about 4-5 lbs doing just that alone over 9 months.  The other part was we started eating out less for lunch - and eating more at home, which required more ideas. The final change that I made in mid July is I started training intensely to run 3 days a week.  At first I barely made 1 mi in 30 mins, - a little math calculation to what I was doing and I managed to slowly up it to 1.2 then 1.5 and eventually I stalled out 1.8.  

In August, we drove the long haul up to the parents house with the kids, so for 2 weeks I had no access to the treadmill.  Sure we did some walking, but not enough.  One way or another I was not going to get diabetes, my thyroid would work a little better and the obesity label would decrease.  Blood pressure and Cholesterol well, if I fixed the others they would happen too!  

Home for a week after the family visit and then ran off to the beach for a month.  After the 1st couple days there I told the kids that I would be a regular user of the fitness room the rest of the month. They were amenable to bringing their electronic babysitters or a book down to the fitness room and sitting in out of the way places should others enter!   So for the 3 solid weeks, I walked up and down 14 floors to the fitness room, endured idle stares from geriatric crew (beach in August after the kids have gone back to school means the over 60 crown hangs out at the pool!) while I set the treadmill and did my worst! :)

Returned home and finally made that follow up appt with the Dr, for yet another physical in November! (ya, I'm not a procrastinator!)  Better news this time.  My thyroid, while not perfectly functioning is looking better the numbers are lower - and that was good news.  I had kept off the measley 5 lbs, but hey it was 5 lbs better than a year ago and it hasn't come back.  The thread of diabetes was back in check - not completely out of the woods but enough that diet and exercise will hold off threats for now.  Blood pressure is stable - high but stable - and that was better than reaching for the top!  The only icky was Cholesterol - and the dx was keep working on it, and if it isn't better by next time, we'll pull out the drugs!

So I have kept up the running for 5 months.  I have officially lost 5% of the weight I started this journey with and am working to lower Cholesterol and Blood Pressure while keeping out of the reach of diabetes and thyroid problems.

So begins my adventures.  While at the beach, I discovered an awesome app called Zombies, RUN!  And have been using it consistently since October when we returned home.  In early November, I decided to try the payware app of Zombies, RUN 5K, and can I say improvements are being made to my running.  I managed to burn past the 1.8 mi that I was stuck at and am comfortably runnint 2.3 mi at a time.

I've decided to try and earn a shirt, from Avicci via the Runkeeper.com and I entered the Zombies, RUN 2016 Virtual 5K.  Dang it, I'm gonna do what I have always wanted to do, I'm gonna run in a race, even if it is on my treadmill in my basement, with just me, Ethel (the treadmill, yes she has a name!) and my phone.  

Right now, I'm not making the physical progress I would like to see on my body, but that's okay for now.  I'm not trying really hard.  What I am trying to do is make the physical connection with enjoying activity, and little improvements with my eating.  Once those look better, I'll dig deeper, and at that point, I'm sure I'll start seeing faster improvements.  Stay tuned, I might post more! LOL!

Waffle Fail to Waffle Perfection (with some adjustment!)

I am totally not ashamed to admit and share my cooking/baking failures complete with photos!!  I think they are worth a giggle and if they help someone else, well then my kitchen flubs are useful! :)  So as my family ventures into a healthier lifestyle and I attempt to do more of the making and baking, I hope to share some more ROTFLMBO (rolling on the floor laughing my but off!) moments.

This morning's adventure begins a week ago, in which I wander into a hair brained idea!  I've been scouring the web for ideas for lunches that we can use, either to pack and store in the fridge or on the counter - so when the lunch crunch comes, I have something ready made that is healthy and I just need to put on the table, or on days that are crazed with adventure - we can pack up and picnic wherever!!

A couple days ago I saw a site where someone had some strawberry shortcake waffles made from a homemade waffle iron!  Lightbulbs flash in my brain... OMGosh! I have one of those!  I bought one nearly 9 years ago, and after a few visual successes and flavours to my liking, FrogGirl (my oldest then 3) announced she preferred the store bought ones ... she told me a couple days ago that the issue was not taste or flavour - but the mere fact that they were square and not what she was used to!!  

My hope was restored! The waffle iron was collecting dust in my house somewhere and I knew just where too!  So I dug it out.  I then found a recipe for Gluten Free (because I'm trying go 'less' gluten) and top 8 allergen free waffle batter.  Easy Breezy right!  HA!  This is me we are talking about!  Pictured left here is the very first waffle hot off the iron after 9+ years of no use! *GRIN*

My girls now 12, 7, and 3, looked on and laughed when I wanted to cry.  My 7 yr old clamoured... "But mum they smell awesome and I want to eat it anyway!"  So I rolled it off and handed it to her! Not before snapping a picture and facebooking it first... which was met with the very first response: "I would never, with a million guesses, guess that was a waffle."  This made me laugh

The 12 yr old came next and said "I want some!" - she then proceeded to try and make a sugar glaze dipping sauce for hers!

Attempt #2 was then demanded by the 3 yr old, who ate it with lots of mmmms and nnnmmms.  By now I'm questioning the recipe which told me not to spray, it simply would not stick!  (um I begged to differ!)  So I figured I'd use some margarine - which I had hoped to avoid!  I'm also starting to suspect that there is something missing from my iron - namely a little clip which didn't seem important - and had broken off sometime in the last 9 years!

Multiple questions are running through my head now.  Is the recipe a dud?  Is the clip really necessary.  I ate the other half of GiraffeGirl's waffle, and while tasty it seems a little on the soft/undercooked side.  Since there are no eggs in it, I'm not worried, but made a mental note to try it longer next time!  So this time I decide to hold the iron closed which I believe the clip would do.  I did not add more margarine, but did let it cook a little longer.

Attempt #3 was scoffed by the 12 and 7 yr old.   And it is starting to look like it should!  YAY Me!

So Attempt #4.  I broke out the Olive oil cooking spray and doused that baby with all it's chemical laden badness, all hopes of today's success blowing out the window in a fit of "THIS THING WILL NOT BEAT ME!"  (yes I flickered a Jekyll and Hyde image!)  I then took a towel and squeezed that sucker shut -growling the whole time! Until BirdGirl (7) yelled "It's oozing out the sides mum!" and her two sisters came to inspect a mid a flurry of "eeewwwws" and "gross-es!" Like a killed it!  The light flickered off, and on a couple times, and the girls asked if I was gonna take it out.  I said "Not yet!"  I think they were scared at that moment! LOL! (kidding)  I gave it long and then slowly popped that sucker open and YES!  After 4 attempts and in a fit of total Lunacy - I won!  Bird Girl and I split the last waffle - for now I can call it a waffle!

I learned a few things!

1. Despite what the recipe says - you will need a spray!  (so I will find a non chemical spray to use!)

2. The clippy-thing, just might actually be important!  (but not so much that I'll buy a new iron until I master this!)

3.  The auto-timer on the waffle iron isn't really a timer, it's just a heat indicator that tells when the element is on, so I'll need to figure out how long to cook those beasts for real! :)

4.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and Taste doesn't give a fig if it looks good!

The Nature Box

So the Nature Box finally arrived a few days after my last post, but all that is my life has been up-ended by this silly move.  Chaos, takes over at every opportunity!  We aren't actually moving til the middle of August but there is so very much to do... and my house looks like someone detonated a mess making machine in it... oh wait, that's what three kids can do!

So anyway back to the nature box.  Remember this is the family box, which means two of each package.

So this is what the box looked like on first open. Though the info card was buried a little deeper in the box.  Once I took the extras out, there were 5 packages with about 4 small portion servings in them, basically enough for a taste and you'd need to beef it up with something else maybe a piece of fruit or some veggies or, well you get the idea.


So inside the box was the

1. Tuscan Summer Mix.  I can't say this one is a favourite.  I tend to like my nuts and sees with a tiny bit of salt and not much more, but theses have a hint of herbs and Romano cheese, which means the littlest didn't even get a taste of them.  The two older girls weren't too keen on them either, I guess the flavour was all wrong for all of us! :)
2. Cherry Crumble Granola.  A favourite.  I put some on my regular cereal a few times before sharing with the girls.  I don't recall seeing what happened to the 2nd package or the rest of the first for that matter.  This was gone in pretty short order!  So ya, that was a hit!
3. Mango Almond Bites.  Another favourite.  These were like little Rice Crispy Square (and i mean little) with bits of almond and Mango in them.  Same thing happened with these as the Cherry Crumble, though I gave the girls first dibs on them.  They had a couple as a small snack and came back for more.  The package of these quickly disappeared too!
4. Tart & Tangy Fruit Medley.  An interesting mix of dried cranberries and apples.  Only one of my kids like dried fruit a whole lot, so she dug into these and would have eating the whole bag but for the new braces she got!  She liked them, I thought they were okay, but the two littles weren't thrilled.
5. South Pacific Plantains.  Okay these were very different.  All of us have been having cravings for potato chips lately, and these were a neat variation.  They were all wrong on first bite, but then I realized just how much I liked them... and had to steal t hem from my husband before he ate the rest.  as it turned out he had half and I had half a package and we split the last package with the girls who weren't terribly thrilled with them, but then they don't like Baked Chips either.

All in all!  I think it was a pretty good introductory to what Naturebox is about.  We only really didn't like one item, but that is more a personal flavours thing than a problem with the package.  I'm not sure it is worth the money I've paid for it, but I will continue getting more.  I'm more interested in the variety and ideas in the package at the moment because our snacking and lunching repertoire is kind of limited and needs a face lift!

So there you have it...

Health and Moving

Friday my Small Fruit Box arrived from a local delivery service.  I missed the delivery guy and they only packed the box with one extremely tiny already melted ice pack - which I return to them when my next delivery comes.  I think next time I'll leave out a cooler and put my own ice packs inside.

I was pleased with the variety of organic fruits in the box.  3 of everything except the less used citrus fruit, plums and avocado.  The strawberries were not in the best shape, I think I only managed to salvage half the box so I won't be adding them next time, they also tasted shelved (they were actually horrible), I think I'll keep my visit to the grocery store for berries and quick spoil fruits.  Here it is only Tuesday and the girls and I have already devoured most of this selection.    While this size box was designed to feed about 3 people (and we are 5) I don't think ordering a bigger box would be smart - because these are truly fresh (near peak) and therefore won't last long, definitely not 2 weeks but I can shop in between or add another box  The fruit is tasty and clean but, I'm not sure that it was worth the amount I paid for it.  I'll have to make a run to the grocery store this week and buy the same amount and kinds of fruit (organic) and find the price differential and determine if delivery is worth it (factoring fuel as well!)  I must say this was worth the experiment and definitely has given me some ideas to add to our repertoire anyway!

In the mean time, we are furiously packing to move.  In about 5-6 weeks we'll be changing homes.  I've been packing since mid-May, and this room is finally nearly done.  Some of these shelves were double lined with paperback and hardback books and this is all that remains.  There are 2 additional similarly sized bookshelves on the other side of the room.

I'm expecting my nature box in the next day or so.  They emailed me to tell me it was on its way!

Continuing on a Health Quest

So last week I posted about the new changes I'm making and this week is focusing on the little changes that make a difference.  I've finally made a long awaited appointment with Dr. to find out where I'm at health-wise - I mean despite being overweight with high blood pressure, so a physical will happen shortly, including blood test and the like.  This time it's all about me!

So no word yet on the Naturebox and when it will arrive.  But it is only 1.5 weeks now since I put in my order.  A little sad at the time it takes to get it moving but they did say 2-3 weeks, so hopefully I'll hear something soon!

The Co-Op is set to deliver a box of Fresh fruits this Friday - we added some Strawberries to the box since one of my girls is a Strawberry fiend and the contents of the box for the week is looking interesting!  I can't believe I'm actually excited to try this... but since I'm not thrilled with the supply of fruits at the local grocery store, I guess that might explain it.  

In preparation for the fruit box that is coming we went through the list of veggies that they ship too and they had things on there that I have never seen before.  I'm not sure what a small box will really yield for us so, we'll see what we get and go from there.

In the mean time, my middlest is helping me make better choices.  I think she is tired of the lunches we've been having, so she is making suggestions of her own and her's are definitely more nutritious (with some additions) than mine have been so, I consider her as my little helper! :)

Keeping on changing!  Keep ya posted.

Experimenting with Health

So many false starts lately! :(

Of late, I've tried to get this blog going again with very little success.  I've tried a weightloss challenge, I've tried a house habit challenge and it's just not keeping me going here.  I think I need to redefine my purpose!

Wish me luck here I'm gonna need it!

So many changes are afoot in our house at the moment that it seems like a good time to make a fresh start!  Moving day is looming, once the repairs to the new house are done and the old house is packed up, we'll have a new view of the world!  And with that I've been thinking about my health lately and the crappy foods I've been eating, despite knowing they are bad for me, I do it anyway.  My girls are learning bad things from me this way, so I'm hoping to make some positive changes.  I'm supposed to be their roll model.

I suck at doing lunches and snacks at home.  They usually consist of processed foods and things that aren't so good for us... so Change #1.  I've been considering NatureBox for about a month now and finally took the plunge.   What is it you ask?  Well, before I give you the link, let me explain.  It is a box of healthy snacks that are free of High Fructose Corn Syrup, Trans Fats, partially hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, colours and flavours.  It appears to be mostly dried fruits and nuts and the like... but we will see.  My first box should arrive in 2-3 weeks.  And I hope to review it at that time.  Mine will be an unbiased review (save mine and my family's taste preferences) based on value for price.  We've ordered the Family box, which is 10 FULL-sized packages of snacks each month (5 different snacks, 2 packages of each.)  You can find more details at  Naturebox.com

Change #2.  follows the same idea, in that I've been looking to go more organic in our food choices, after having looked at the "Dirty Dozen" lists posted on the web.  It would allow me to eat more healthy fruits and veggies and not worry about the ones that are highest in pesticides.  So I've found an online co-op that will deliver to my door.  Sometime in the next week or so I should get my first box of fruit.  I'm starting small first, because I'm learning that doing things in the big way I normally do, usually spells disaster! (look ma, I'm growing up!)  So I started out with a box of fruit and if it works for us, we'll consider moving on to a mixed box or add a box of veggies later.  This can only be good for all of us right?

For the record, I'm currently overweight with blood pressure issues and likely cholesterol issues.  So in addition to the above, I've decided that I need to visit my doc before I put these changes into effect, because I know he'll want me back in a couple months and I'll want to seem some dramatic changes! :)

So there ya have it... I'm trying to get back in the saddle and reign in some health for myself... and get this blog going in a health direction.  I'm also looking to get back into digital scrapbooking and simply sharing some fun!

Wish me luck, and I'll try to keep you posted.

Reality Check

So I came to the realization in the last 24 hours that I could be moving in six days, six months or sometime in the next six years and the concept frightened me beyond words.  How much stuff can a family that grew collect in the short space of 10 yrs... and how much of it do I want to move??

Understand my house is not like those houses on TV - it's not Hoarders here, though sometimes I cast an eye around and feel like it could be.  I lack storage more than anything.  And I lack the discipline to put things back!

You see, I have lived in this house for the last 10 1/2 years. My oldest was four months old when we moved in. Three additional children later, all-girls I might add, and you have a recipe for disaster. Now throw in the fact that I'm a reforming packrat (that is a packrat that is trying to mend her ways!), and you begin to realize the magnitude of my problem.  I am a knitter, crochet'er and sewer, which compounds the clutter.  Yes, I have thrown stuff away in the last 10 years, and donated yarn, usually when my clutter got under my skin, but I homeschool too, and as homeschoolers tend to do, we have amassed a collection books - both school and general fiction, so the problems continue to grow!  As a packrat thinks, I often say - oh well I can use that again for the next child ... not fully comprehending that it is only useful if I can find it again when said child is old enough - so it needs a place to live in the mean time.

For years, I have been trying to follow Fly-lady, and when I didn't see results with that, because I lacked the follow through and ability to follow routines, I would wander off to organizedhome.com or Cindy's Porch - which is now Cannywomen.com, so I have been doing stuff, just never with my full heart and intentions of getting somewhere, UNTIL NOW!

My clutter is getting to me!  It's making me REALLY grumpy.  I spent the last couple weeks stepping over stuff to get through the door into my laundry room, trying not to kill myself with the full clean laundry baskets on the way out again!

It's official though - I have decided that I need to finally bite the bullet and get myself out of this mess.  There is nothing I love more than a clean surface and a clean area to sit down comfortably and just enjoy my surroundings.

I haven't posted on this blog regularly in recent months, I'm hoping to be better about that, I will be focusing on my efforts of decluttering, cleaning and simplifying our mess.  And the occasional knit/crochet/sew project or two!  Emotions are sure to flare as I pack away my stuff and get rid of things that I just don't need anymore.

So let's begin!!  

This passed Friday, I received some Method soaps and detergents from Soap.com - we've been using them for ages, anyway, after school lessons today - I re-purposed the box - I used it to pick up all the mess of STUFF on the floor in the laundry room.  I gave the floor a good vacuum and scrub.  Got rid of the shoes the girls have outgrown or don't wear!  Got rid of the empty bottles of detergents from the cupboards that I was going to refill with homemade detergents.  In the end I got rid of a bag full of trash - no, none of it was reusable!  Though what could be recycled was and a couple of shoes went  into the Goodwill Bag.

I spent 2 hours in the laundry room, digging out stuff that needed gotten rid of and freed up some storage space for curriculum materials that I'm not currently using but know I will use for sure for the youngest!  I also managed to clean up some other stuff that was lying around and tossed on a couple loads of laundry.  

I'm throwing in the stuff I do on a regular basis as well, just because I'm working on routines!  Laundry happens M, T, Th, F (and sometimes Sat,)  my oldest does her own laundry now (W) because she refuses to put it away if I do it, so I made her responsible for her own, mess!  

Tomorrow's goal is to empty my new "SOAP box" and deal with that clutter so that I can use it again for the next round of stuff that needs done.  I'm hoping to declutter my home, one soap box at a time - 15-30 minutes a day (a la Fly-lady!!)   :)  I figure I can declutter for 15-30 minutes and then re-load my box for the next day's 15-30 minutes worth of stuff to declutter.

New Habit:  So as of now, the tops of the dryer and washer need to be tidied each night after the last load is done! :)  This needs to be how it looks each night!  (21 days to a new habit!)

Potty Learning Project

Today, I and my 3 yr old, are embarking on my 3rd and hopefully final, her first and hopefully only journey into potty learning.

She is my most stubborn child. But I have faith that she'll get there in her time, I'm hoping by the end of the day she will agree that NOW is the time. LOL!

It's odd that each time I have done this with my children it seems like a complete mystery to me and something that requires study and relearning on my part. I teach my children at home, but for some reason this potty learning poses a huge challenge for me to teach.

Without further ado, we begin! Wish me luck!!

Summer / Solstice - Wordless Wednesday!

Day 22 - operation 295

As predicted my plans to succeed over the holidays kinda fell down.  But I have also been investigating a new eating plan!  I love WW, love that I can track cals and eat with a specific idea in mind of when I've had enough.... but recent health issues have come up that I'm struggling with the whole idea.  I've discovered that I need to eat wheat and gluten free... and while that isn't new to plenty of folks, its new to me and quite a challenge and quite a learning curve.  I have room to play, I don't have to be super strict, but I do need to proceed with caution.  So anyway, I'm looking at Eat Clean with a little WW thrown in just so I can track what is going on and what my comparisons are.

So I've got 2 of Tosca Reno's books and am reading through them trying to set things up to work with it.  While balancing the girls on the other side.  And that is where I'm at.  Since I eat next to no fruit or veggies at the moment, I'm going slow and moving it in!   I can do this!

I ate really poorly over the holidays... and gained some.... Weigh in on Sunday will tell me how much.

On the exercise front, I did none over Christmas, but this morning oDD and I went for a 2 mile walk, and despite the cold, I dragged the hubs and other 2 girls out late this afternoon for a fun walk 1.45 mile walk!

Tracking my miles here:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/

And I have tomorrow's oatmeal (Bob's Redmill Gluten Free Steel Cut Oats) in the crock ready to be turned on at 4 am! I'm getting ready!

Knitting / Crocheting for Special Olympics

So here is my first scarf for the Special Olympics.  It is the 2012 Colours of Red Heart SOFT -  Really Red (9925) and Navy Marine (4604).

I started it at 4:30-ish pm and finished it around midnight.  Making dinner in between and watching TV!  Hoping to get my kids involved with making some of these!

Day 11, 12, 13 - Operation 295

The eating OP isn't going so good, but we did take in a mile on Friday and another 1.5 miles today (even the littlest walked the whole mile - well she ran half of it! LOL!)

Since I'm not posting regularly it is tough to caculate the miles... but I'm getting in at least 2 a week I think!


Weigh in:


up 0.5 lbs  (boo hiss! but I knew that would happen!)


Last night's Lasagna, left me bloated and overfull - even though I didn't eat all of it.  I think if that hadn't happened I would have stayed the same.  Oh well.  Roll on next week, and better laid and kept plans!

I'm printing my journal for the week and tomorrow morning planning out the menu.  Dh's birthday is this week (so a party!)  plus Christmas Eve, then Christmas and Boxing Day...


To all my weight losing friends good luck.

Day 10 - Operation 295

It is early in the day right now - so exercise hasn't happened yet!  But I got started on this post early and hope to be back to finish it! :)

So after yesterday's slacking post, I really did print my journal for the week, and we really did have lunch, and we really did go for a 2 1/4 mile walk around the block (yes big blocks in the burbs!)

The weather is unseasonably warm, for December in our part of the world.  So we took advantage of it and took that walk and my 6 yr old announced that she'd like to do that everyday - I think I've found a walking partner in crime! LOL!    We hung at the park for a little while, the girls played and I shot photos.  Got some really nice outside photos of the girls for my Project Life book! :)  So pleased.

Thanks for keeping me honest.

Today's Mileage - 2.25  mile (yesterday)
Weekly Mileage - 2.75 mile (Goal 8 miles)
Overall 295 Mileage - 6.25  miles!  (week 2)

Day 7, 8, 9 - Operation 295

Ya, can we say slacking.

This is what happens everytime I embark on a weighty adventure, by the 2nd week I collapse in despair and give up - my whiney innerself complaining that it isn't happening fast enough! While my normally logical mind knows full well that it will take more than 6 months to get rid of the weight!  My whiney innerself also stubbornly refuses to plan out a menu and go shopping.  My whiney self doesn't want to take my 2 yr old shopping knowing full well that she won't sit in the cart.  We look like a 3 ring circus in the grocery store lately and that just gets my ire up!!  Yet my logical brain also knows full well that if I provide dh with a shopping list, he'll get what I need him to get and just what is on the list, this is win win right?!

No walking has happened.  But lots of sleep is happening - no not really a good thing -- I so don't love this season! and when pressed the other day as to why, I really had no answer!

I find myself tucking into comfort foods of high sugar and salty foods and high fat foods too!  I haven't even printed my journal for the week which I should have done, but someone reset my computer and we ended up leaving the house for most of the day on Sunday, and I just never got back to it!!

I've got plenty of excuses, but the buck needs to stop here.  Now printing my journal for the week as I type here.  Then we need to figure out a reasonable lunch.  I think the girls and I will have lunch in a sec and then I'll drag them for a 2 mile walk around the block, it's such a beautiful day!  A short stop at the park on the way home will also be in order.

Thanks for keeping me honest, and giving me a boot in the rump to keep on plodding.  Today will be a better day!

FWIW, I said I'd post back on Sunday if we made it out walking, and I never posted.  We did go out.  Walked about 1/2 mile maybe, with me carrying the sleeping 2 yr old most of the way!


Today's Mileage - 0 mile (so far!)
Weekly Mileage - 0.5 mile (Goal 8 miles)
Overall 295 Mileage - 3.5mile!  

Day 5 & 6 - Operation 295

So Weigh in Day is Sunday even though it is only the 6th day of my week this week. 

Anyway without further adieu... I'm down 2 lbs

Woohoo!

Week in Review
This week has been any eye opener.  I can see where the little bits sneak in.  Ya I'm eating pretty healthy most of the time, but the times I don't are like benders when everything goes to heck in a handbasket!

Our Monday Burrito routine while fun is detrimental if it happens more than twice a week, at times it has.  When I run out of ideas, it easier to go out and grab something with mega calories than it is to just fix something at home, plus it gives me a change of scenery on days when we don't get out as much as we could.  I have succumbed to the convenience of fast food and restaurants.  I think part of me is also jealous that dh eats out everyday at work - and while his choices are healthier he still eats out a ton!

My love for sweet tea - though lightly reined in is still there and like soda/pop/coke it all catches up at some point.  I'm still weaning here, and this week will be 75 un/25 sw

I managed 3 miles this week.  5 miles short of my goal, but that's okay!  I didn't manage to walk as much as I'd hoped this week or even get in much exercise.  So that is a place I need to pay attention and fix.  I did manage to walk a little over a 1 mile yesterday, carrying 20 lbs, & snapping pictures!

For this week my goals are:

• Continue to follow the WW plan and  eating better  (portion control and more veg & fr)
• I'm aiming for 4 fruits and veggies daily!
• I will make a conscious effort to walk 6-8 miles this week.
• I will consume my 6 - 8oz glasses of water - daily!
• I will plan better lunches!

Today's Mileage - 1 mile (yesterday)
Weekly Mileage - 3 mile (Goal 8 miles)
Overall 295 Mileage - 3 mile!  


I will update later this aft.  Hoping to get out and walk with the family!

Day 3 & 4 - Operation 295

2 more days of staying on points.  And still working down those extra points I indulged in on Monday - but they are balancing out!  I'm still trying to get the extra fruit and veggies in, but struggling with that.  Might have to resort to smoothies for breakfast to cover that aspect - which isn't a bad thing, with fresh and frozen fruit, no added sugar!  I have a plan!  I just need to make sure I measure! :)

Exercise is also not coming along this week.  I'm not sure if it is the weather, lack of sugar (ya fellow addict here!) or just the season, but I have been really tired this week, yet getting up at the crack of dawn!  Could be the fact that DH is leaving early too that is doing it... but I don't really know!  A nice early afternoon nap has become the mainstay!  hmmm maybe I should go to bed earlier! LOL!

I did sneak on the scale this morning, and was happy to see 2 lbs gone.  I'm not counting on that as my 5 yr old turns 6 tomorrow!  And has requested the one place where I'm likely to over-indulge for dinner.  I suppose if I plan well, I could bring some home, and not eat too much, plus budget my points the rest of the day.  We'll see what happens!

Thanks for reading!




Today's Mileage - 1 mile
Weekly Mileage - 2 mile (Goal 8 miles)
Overall 295 Mileage - 2 mile!

Day 2 - Operation 295

So today I managed to stay within my points range better, but I need to save some for Friday for my 5 yr old's birthday.  She has demanded that Daddy go to lunch with us at Moe's, and that we take her out for Steak and Sushi dinner.  Major pointage!  There will be cake (unless oDD can convince her that birthday pie is the way to go! LOL! or maybe Fairy cakes! hmmm!)

It was a dreary, wet and rainy day outside.  We started off with a quick trip to the post office to mail gifts.  Some idiot, bashed his car door into my car while it was moving (worth a bag of M&M's but I let it go sans M&M's - told him he was an idiot, and left it at that!)  Drove to the grocery store to get nutritious food for lunch and few staple items, but the 2 yr old had a major meltdown, turned into a raving lunatic, so we left without further thought.  Dh happily brought us home food for tomorrow's lunch when he brought home dinner fixins!

Being wet and dreary, I decided not to walk outside today - figuring I'd get some time on the treadmill, but the couch sucked me in, deep and cozy, so I took a nap.  Was so tired this morning I couldn't even keep my eyes open while doing math and reading with the middlest!  (sad, I know!)  It's close to migraine time for me... so I wonder if this had something to do with it.... hmmm maybe hormonal, must watch that maybe the sudden vitamin kick changed something!)




We had a crappy lunch, but I planned out my points, and I knew what I was getting into.  I budgeted enough for dinner, and added in a couple of snacks... so life was good!

I know Christmas/Holidays are a really bad time to start a life change, what with all the baking, fun foods and a holiday 100% surrounded by food!  But I've been putting it off, and putting it off, and suddenly I feel that pull and need to succeed, very much inspired by Kara over at 365 days and 100 pounds .  I'm determined to do this!

By the end of the day, I will have met all of my water goals, 1/2 my milk (but I take a supplement), 1/2 my F&V intake.  Not bad considering I haven't been watching these in eons!

Thanks for reading!

Today's Mileage - 0 mile
Weekly Mileage - 1 mile (Goal 8 miles)
Overall 295 Mileage - 1 mile!

Uncultured Book List (updated!)

I'm feeling a little uncultured today so I thought I'd post the 100 Greatests! (yes new word!)

100 Greatest books (according to Nicholas Whyte in 2003 - his take on the BBC Big Read)

legend: black=Read, red = not read, green=on my book shelf!

1. The Lord Of The Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride And Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (read 1 of 3)
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie-the-Pooh, AA Milne
8. 1984, George Orwell
9. The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch 22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne Du Maurier
15. The Catcher In The Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind In The Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War And Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone With The Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling (12/09)
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
28. Middlemarch, George Eliot
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Auste
39. Dune, Frank Herbert (hated this one... tried 3 times)
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (loved this one!)
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
85. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
86. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
87. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E. Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer (hated this one .... tried 3 times)
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

Woohoo - only 76 books left to read! LOL!  (that means I've added 4)

100 Greatest movies that I haven't seen (stolen from AmyDe in one of her Februarywho stole it from someone else! LOL!)

legend:
black=seen, red = never seen

1. Citizen Kane (1941)
2. The Godfather (1972)
3. Casablanca (1942)
4. Raging Bull (1980)
5. Singin' In The Rain (1952)
6. Gone With The Wind (1939)
7. Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
8. Schindler's List (1993)
9. Vertigo (1958)
10. The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
11. City Lights (1931)
12. The Searchers (1956)
13. Star Wars (1977)
14. Psycho (1960)
15. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
16. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
17. The Graduate (1967)
18. The General (1927)
19. On The Waterfront (1954)
20. It's A Wonderful Life (1946)
21. Chinatown (1974)
22. Some Like It Hot (1959)
23. The Grapes Of Wrath (1940)
24. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
25. To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
26. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)
27. High Noon (1952)
28. All About Eve (1950)
29. Double Indemnity (1944)
30. Apocalypse Now (1979)
31. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
32. The Godfather Part II (1974)
33. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
34. Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937)
35. Annie Hall (1977)
36. The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)
37. The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)
38. The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (1948)
39. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
40. The Sound Of Music (1965)
41. King Kong (1933)
42. Bonnie And Clyde (1967)
43. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
44. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
45. Shane (1953)
46. It Happened One Night (1934)
47. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
48. Rear Window (1954)
49. Intolerance (1916)
50. The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)
51. West Side Story (1961)
52. Taxi Driver (1976)
53. The Deer Hunter (1978)
54. M*A*S*H (1970)
55. North By Northwest (1959)
56. Jaws (1975)
57. Rocky (1976)
58. The Gold Rush (1925)
59. Nashville (1975)
60. Duck Soup (1933)
61. Sullivan's Travels (1941)
62. American Graffiti (1973)
63. Cabaret (1972)
64. Network (1976)
65. The African Queen (1951)
66. Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)
67. Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
68. Unforgiven (1992)
69. Tootsie (1982)
70. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
71. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
72. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
73. Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)
74. The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
75. In The Heat Of The Night (1967)
76. Forrest Gump (1994)
77. All The President's Men (1976)
78. Modern Times (1936)
79. The Wild Bunch (1969)
80. The Apartment (1960)
81. Spartacus (1960)
82. Sunrise (1927)
83. Titanic (1997)
84. Easy Rider (1969)
85. A Night At The Opera (1935)
86. Platoon (1986)
87. 12 Angry Men (1957)
88. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
89. The Sixth Sense (1999)
90. Swing Time (1936)
91. Sophie's Choice (1982)
92. Goodfellas (1990)
93. The French Connection (1971)
94. Pulp Fiction (1994)
95. The Last Picture Show (1971)
96. Do The Right Thing (1989)

97. Blade Runner (1982)
98. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

99. Toy Story (1995)
100. Ben-Hur (1959)

Woohoo - only 85 movies left to see! LOL!

Day 1 - Operation 295

I'm both happy and sad to admit that today was really a fact finding mission.  An eye opener.  I learned much, but learning about your behaviours is the first step to correcting them right?!  So even though it was half a loss, it was also half a win!

Every Monday for the last little while, I have been taking the girls out for lunch to the same place, we love Moe's (Welcome to Moe's!)  When we first started going, dh and I had difficulty eating a regular sized Burrito split between us, but eventually I just started chowing down and eating the whole thing.  (ha, yes OINK!  *blush*) By the time you have the burrito, add the chips & salsa, Tea, and cookie you're walking away with a 28 pt lunch (at least!)   OMG, good job I had a light breakfast, drink unsweet tea (yes I have weaned myself off the sugared variety a while ago!) and we walked 1/2 mile there and 1/2 mile back (low intensity 40 min exercise - c'mon I'm walking with a 2 yr old!!)

The girls don't eat the chips with lunch but have recently taken a liking to the black bean salsa (I prefer the verde variety!)  So we bring home the chips, just in case the girls want a snack later, we often toss them, I don't seem to indulge after lunch (ha too full!)

This afternoon however, I found myself happily munching on some of those chips, twice I stopped to ask myself if I was hungry and twice I was not, I found I was craving the salt on my tongue, so I put back the heaping handful that I took and stopped eating (yes I recorded it too!)

In an effort to offset the big burrito lunches we've been having - if the weather is not too hot (heat-stroke variety) and not too cold (for my fatless children!) we've been walking there.  As I said 1/2 mile there and 1/2 mile back, totaling a 40 min low intensity 1 mile walk.

Today though, being one of the last beautiful days of the year, I decided to rake the leaves.  The girls wanted to play outside, so I set to raking while supervising them and I set a timer for 1 hour on my phone, so that we could finish up some unfinished school work for the day.

Feeling guilty about the lunch as it was presented in my worksheet, we opted for a lighter lunch of (gluten free - for me) Pasta with tomato sauce.

I also managed to sneak in a couple fruits for the day.  So while I was about 13 pts over my daily budget today, I'm opting to correct this over the rest of this week.

To change What I love
I love the tradition of going out for lunch on Monday's with the girls, they look forward to it each week.  I'm thinking we can still do it, I just need to find a way to reduce the pointage.  I can - without difficulty half my burrito and save some for lunch the next day but that would leave me with 2 high point days no matter how I look at it!  I can look into the salads, with better choice of options (hate salad dressing anyway - so save points there!)  This would give me more veggies and might lighten the fare.  Decisions, decisions!

I'll keep ya posted, on what I decide!

Today's Mileage - 1 mile  (+1 hr of moderate raking!)
Weekly Mileage - 1 mile (Goal 8 miles)
Overall 295 Mileage - 1 mile!

Tad Files

So the Tads are now swimming head down.  According to the literature that means they're happy and adjusted!  They are growing and getting easier to find!

Funny M pointed out that when Tad arrived - he already had arm buds and was quite large judging by these little guys!