The grand master plan

We have been struggling lately, and I think a lot of it is just simply not planning and to further that point, not knowing what the future holds. I'm making some changes. I am due with my third and final SON, Joseph in September. Two days before my due date (good timing, I know) I begin my final leg of my English B.A. with Empire State College (a SUNY school) in New York online. I will be obviously here in Utah. After that, I will continue on to my M.A. in either Lit or Creative Writing (probably lit because I think it'll be more useful career-wise) also through SUNY. I found out the residencies are only 3-4 weekends during the program in Albany, NY - maybe some family would be able to come have lunch with me or something - it's kind of far though. Anyway, after that, the nation-wide hunt begins. I don't know as much as I'd like to about how the career of an English Professor works, but I think I will be looking for a school that will accept a teacher with an M.A. into a tenure-track position with the goal of completing my PhD. at said university. If not, I know I should be able to get in as an adjunct lecturer while I complete my doctorate. I'm starting so late, but I am so glad to finally know where my road will take me. Okay, not exactly where. I don't begin to know where to start looking for the most desirable university, locale and neighborhood to raise my kids in, but I'll figure it out. There's got to be something online, right? In the meantime, once I've got my B.A., I should be able to procure a job on campus locally working hopefully in the English department and maybe even assisting an English professor. I'm late getting my time in on this, so the more experience the better! Now, all I have to do is 4.0 my way to my B.A. so I can get to the Master's program. Piece of cake. LOL

Wow, time gets away from me...

So it's been almost two months since I last posted. Sorry 'bout that. Wow, let's see. I've been having a different kind of pregnancy this time around. I truthfully barely recognize myself, and that's not a bad thing. I felt like all this time I was talking out my ass, saying, Yep, that's right, I'm going to CHANGE how I eat, CHANGE how I move, and CHANGE my attitude about my body. Well, looky here...enough talk about something and it might actually gain a foothold. (Note to readers, I am NOT a proponent of this new fad book known as The Secret, though I do believe positive thinking can only help). So I find myself suddenly not trying to "be better" or "stop eating bad foods", and instead, I just buy healthy food, make it the way I like it and eat a reasonable amount. My body has decided that twice as much food as I need is no longer a reasonable amount, and so I have without any effort, managed portion control. I think I just needed to stop thinking about it so damn much.

I even ate brussels sprouts last night. I hated them. BUT I did give them an honest go, and they failed my taste test. That's okay though...I ate them, and will just buy their other green cousins for my veggie fix.

I have not been walking like I had been, BUT I have been gardening and mowing the lawn, which is a BUTT-whoopin' for me, but I enjoy it, so it's not such a chore.

I found out about a food co-op here in town. I remember my mom belonging to a co-op when I was a kid. The food is so well priced, and it includes local fresh produce, so you can't go wrong with that.

I am toying with the idea of writing a book about eating. Not a diet book, more of an anti-diet (and by that I mean the opposite of diet, not that I'm against dieting, though I am). I want folks to take a look at the food on their plate and wonder where the heck it came from! Folks joke about it, but ask a kid where chicken comes from, and rarely will you get "the farm" as an answer. And if he did say "the farm" he wouldn't be right on that count either. The travels and tribulations our food goes through are something everyone should be aware of. I'm trying to stick to foods with pronounceable ingredientes, and when possible, if a food is going to be "processed", it's going to be processed by me. Really, what I need is a Kitchenaid Mixer with all the bells and whistles (including the pasta attachment) if I'm going to go totally un-processed, because we eat a lot of pasta.

Speaking of pasta though, try this: Instead of buying jarred, salty, greasy, flavorless pasta sauce, gather the following:

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/4 onion chopped (optional)
2 Cloves of Garlic (minced)
1 can crushed or diced tomatoes (plain old tomatoes only)
1 Tbsp of Italian seasoning (or basil and oregano at the very least)

Heat the oil in a pan on medium until it spits if you flick water at it. Put in the onion and garlic and stir until the garlic turns a little golden. Quickly, so the garlic doesn't burn, add the can of tomatoes, add the seasoning and heat through. You can add or subtract seasoning as you like, and salt and pepper to taste. It doesn't really take much longer to make it, but you KNOW what's in it. Here's the ingredient list for Ragu Traditional:

Tomato Puree , Water , Tomato Paste , Soybean Oil , Salt , Sugar , Dried Onions , Extra Virgin Olive Oil , Spices , Romano Cheese , Part-Skim Milk , Cheese Cultures , Salt , Enzymes , Natural Flavor

1/2 cup contains 6 grams of sugar and 580 grams of sodium. Who needs that? And what, pray tell, are those "natural flavors"?

Obviously, compared to many food items, the Ragu isn't even a scary list of ingredients. At least you can say them all without spraining your tongue.

So I guess, my challenge to you is, see if you can't take something you use all the time: bread, eggs, pasta sauce, taco seasoning or Hamburger Helper and find a way to make it yourself or get it fresh from a farm. See if you can't make a healthy alternative to the packaged, preserved garbage we stick in our mouths every day. You may find it to be cheaper even, at times, and it is almost ALWAYS more flavorful.

Oh, speaking of eggs. Have you ever eaten a farm-fresh egg? I hadn't until this past month. A co-worker of a friend gave me two-dozen eggs to try from his farm down the road to see if I wanted to buy them on a regular basis. The shells ranged from speckled rust color to light green and blue. The inside was where the real shock was though. The yolk was BRIGHT orange. To clarify and give you a better picture, when scrambled, they were the color of dark, sharp cheddar cheese. They were richly flavored and when fried, the yolks stood VERY tall and didn't break easily. Compared to the bleached (literally) white eggshells of the pale-yellow-yolked grocery store eggs, these were a total shock. And they were wonderful. I found out two interesting facts: the yolks are orange because the chickens actually get to go outside and have greens in their diet (weed shoots, alfalfa, that sort of thing) AND, they make terrible hard boiled eggs. Why? Because they're not old. Old eggs peel easily when boiled, which is why if you're planning on boiling eggs, either buy them from a farm in advance, or buy them at the store where they're already plenty old.

I'm rambling, but I'm learning so many things, and I want to SHARE! I'm no longer afraid of butter, olive oil, sugar, bread, etc. I've discovered that there are ways to use all of these things in moderation that gives you the flavor you want without going nutso. I found I can make two loaves of white bread with 1 Tbsp of sugar (in lieu of the one loaf I was making with 1/4 cup of sugar! I found that whether I choose margarine or butter, it doesn't matter, so long as I try to do a lot more cooking with either in small amounts for flavor and not slathering it on bread or potatoes on my plate.

Speaking of plates: I have taken to plating up dinner for everyone before we sit down, with the understanding that what's on the table is ALL there is to eat. Any leftovers are for lunch the next day, and are not available for "seconds". No one seems to miss them.

Tilapia is my new friend. Read about it here.
Everyone in my family loves it from the baby and my six year old to my husband. You can make it SO many ways, it's sustainable, low fat and SO delish. Between that and chicken, my proteins are just about covered for the week.

Okay, so that's probably enough for the day.

March of Dimes Walk 2007!

Hello, hello! Today I enrolled my http://www.utahcountymommies.com team to walk in this years March of Dimes Walk America! I'm very excited about it, and we've got quite a few people interested in participating If anyone wants to help but isn't here in Utah County to walk with us, you can sponsor me by going to Eileen's Personal Walk Page. You can donate using your credit or debit card, or PayPal! Thanks so much for your help!

Oh how I hate Chuck E. Cheese

My son has had a very rough year at school and recently started treatment for ADD. He has done amazingly well, and had an entire month (with only one bump in the road) with great days at school. My husband decided to treat him to a "fun night", and of course, he chose Chuck E. Cheese, animatronic beacon of fun to children everywhere. He told me that the Chuck that comes out on stage is a robot and so is the one that comes down and hugs the children. I told him I didn't think so, but he assured me that he had an amazing brain that could figure these things out, so I conceded. Even after seeing the Man/Mouse walking around, he's certain it's a robot. Then again, I would think anyone working at this particular Chuck E. Cheese would do well to be able to go on autopilot. What a circus. I have never seen one of these places SO busy. I have crowd-o-phobia (don't ask me for the real name, I don't feel like looking it up) and the noise and crowd and lights are really too much of a sensory overload for me. So I am immediately in panic mode and ready to leave. Then I eat a ton of pizza and bad salad and finally decide to go next door to Robert's craft store (like Michael's) and buy the remaining yarn for Nico's blanket. (I'm going to attempt to design a teddy bear on the off white background and give it a blue and brown border). Immediately, I'm getting gas pains enough to nearly double me over, but I perservere, wanting to waste as much time as possible without going back to the Cheese. Finally, I couldn't wait any more, so I left my yarn at the service desk and went to get Mat and Mat's wallet. They were just wrapping it up, and so we finally got to leave.

I hope never to go back again. I know this is too much to expect with two children younger than Vinny to contend with, but at the very least, I can assure you I will NEVER go back on a Saturday. NEVER.

Now we're going to watch season One of Battlestar Gallactica (the new one) that my brother lent me. Chat atcha later!

Buying a house

Well, we found a house we liked on Thursday and put an offer in. They accepted it this morning, so we're under contract now, and the wheels are all turning. We have to do our inspections and whatnot, but hopefully all will go well, and we'll have a new house in three weeks! The kitchen and downstairs bath are both BRAND NEW, including a shiny new fridge and dishwasher. The range is not brand new, but it's newer and in great condition. It's a tiny three bedroom with the main bedrooms in the basement, but the basement is a daylight basement with a walk-out, so it's a lot safer than most of these Utah houses with six bedrooms in the basement where the kids would have to scramble out of the window well six feet above their heads. The best part is, ours and the kids' bedrooms are downstairs, so NO ONE ever has to walk by them when they come to visit! And the laundry is in the basement too, so no carting clothes upstairs! Whoo hoo! I love the hardwood floors in the living room and kitchen, and the yard is gorgeous! There's already an area set up for a garden (complete with rotting veggies from last year - ew!) and a shed of the back of the garage that is BEGGING for gardening tools. I am going to start my journey into organic goodness this Spring!

Speaking of which, I went to Target last night and found they had normal Kellog's cereal in an organic variety (Rice Krispies and Frosted Mini Wheats are what we bought). The mini-wheats are my favorite, and I actually preferred the organic because it was a much lighter "frosted" side, so I didn't feel quite so bad blowing away my diabetic rules and regs. Vinny had the Rice Krispies (which I hate) and said they were good. Then again, he also enjoyed a hunk of the cement brick I made out of whole wheat flour in my bread machine. My son is every mother's dream - if I make it "homemade" he thinks it's the greatest.

Anyway, I'll keep ya's posted on the house!

Finally

In 1990, I started college at the University of Buffalo. I went to orientation and the first person I befriended was a young woman named Linda Yalem. She was upbeat, athletic and we hit it off right away. We talked about running together since I was a former track runner and she was training for the New York City marathon. I've never been much of an athlete though, and as college got underway, I kind of stopped hanging out with her as much and we never ended up jogging together. Then, on September 29, 1990, while jogging alone on the bike path near the college, Linda was raped and murdered.

I felt guilt the likes of which I had never experienced before or since. If she hadn't been alone, if I had been with her, maybe... I couldn't watch TV because they kept putting her face on the screen. I couldn't go to the bathroom because the composite picture of that bastard was on the back of every stall door. (I tore quite a few of those down - counterproductive, I know, but I just couldn't bear it). Throughout the past 17 years, I have periodically searched the web to make sure her memorial run was still happening and to see whether they'd found her murderer.

My best friend from college called me today and told me that it seems they've found him. His face looks a lot like the face on those flyers and more importantly his DNA looks like a good match. I'm glad they found him, though I'm not happy that Linda was not his last victim. I'm angry now, angry like I was back then - I can't believe it's finally over. I pray that Linda's family finds closure when they put this man away. I'll be keeping my eye on the proceedings, and hope that justice is served swiftly and with the steepest penalty allowable for such a miserable, heinous crime. God bless you, Linda.

Just for Erin

I wanted to post just because Erin said she needed more wallpaper options for her desktop. I think this is one of the cutest pictures of my boys.

This week, I'd be surprised if I haven't lost 5 lbs simply for lack of eating. I've felt cruddy AND we're broke, so food in the house actually requires lengthy preparation and I just haven't felt like it. Last night we made a pretty good shrimp stir-fry, so I got some much-needed vegetables and protein in me. We discovered that jasmine rice apparently needs more water and more time in the steamer (or it stays a bit "al dente"). I also discovered that my husband, for the last few days, thought the dishes in the dishwasher were clean. (They weren't). Ewww.

Still working on a new baby blanket which is going to be for Nico since I never finished his yellow one and now the pattern for the yellow one isn't making sense so I've dropped it for now. This one is all off white, but I think I'll put a blue and brown border around it and I'm going to try and embroider a teddy bear on it. This will be my first attempt at a self-genenerated design, so it could be disastrous. Good thing he's a baby.

Oh where oh where has my litle blog gone?

I have not been posting. Mostly because I have not been walking. I had a scary moment after a long walk, and since then I've been leery of walking for fear of "overdoing it" and losing this baby. So here's the worse news: I have gestational diabetes again. I have to go in and find out just how bad it is with a three hour test, but it's not a matter of "if" I have it but "how bad" I have it. The good news is, when I went in for my first appointment (four weeks after finding out), I'd lost a pound, so at least I'm not piling on the fat. My goal is to try and gain only 15 lbs this time around.

I got to see the little bean via ultrasound this time, and everything seems fine. We've got one (thank goodness) healthy baby and our due date has changed to September 12th.

Anyway, I may start using this blog to document my gestational diabetes fight since the walking is probably going to be cut to a minimum, at least for now.

Here's a pic of the throw blanket I crocheted for my livingroom. Vinny keeps trying to confiscate it for his own room, but THAT my friends, is a battle he will not win!

3.03 miles today

Amanda and I walked 3.03 miles today. I left Nico home with Mat again because he still has the sniffles. My hips felt a little achy by the end, but it was a good walk. Not much else going on, but I wanted to post! See ya Friday!

Thank goodness for snow and friendship

So I told my friend Amanda, "Don't take 'no' for an answer when it comes to us walking!" Since I've come to the conclusion that getting in shape means life or death for me (avoiding diabetes), I took a "no messing around" stand. That is, until I shoveled my whole driveway last night AND this morning and was comfy on the couch watching Top Chef with hubby who didn't have to work until 2pm. The phone rang, and I said, "Oh my God, it's Amanda, and I totally forgot to call her, oh man, I don't want to walk...Hello?" That's when she tells me she's parked outside my house, and how long would it be before I was ready? Gotta love it. So I threw some semi-warm clothes on and left Nico with Mat so I could walk solo. We did a shorter walk than usual, but it was because it was cold as heck! I think we probably walked about 2 miles though. So, I'd like to publically thank Amanda for getting my butt in gear this morning and making me live up to my end of the deal!

Surprise, surprise!

While eating Tostitos and homemade salsa (why is this stuff so damn good???) and swigging a beer, I signed up for Weight Watchers online the evening of January 1st. In the morning, I had a doctor's appointment to talk about a digestion problem I've had where food gets excruciatingly stuck in my chest, to the point where it's actually made me get sick. I also have tinea versicolor that's gone untreated for forever ('tis a lovely fungals skin problem that discolors your skin in little spots - quite lovely if it was wallpaper and not my shoulders). Plus, I wanted to get my psychotropic cocktail re prescribed now that I'm no longer nursing Nicholas.

Doctor tells me that I've likely got an esophageal constricture, and that he was referring me to a specialist to have a scope run down my throat and if that was the problem, to have my esophagus stretched. None of which sounds the least bit pleasant, pardon me if I seem the naysayer.

He prescribed me my anti-fungal cream, Topomax for mood swings (and apparently it also actually helps folks lose weight as an added bonus), Cymbalta for anxiety and depression and Xanax for anxiety attacks. This heavy does of meds for a small dose of "normal". Hallelujah!

So he says, "Is it possible you're pregnant, because you can't take these if you are."

I said, "It's not outside the realm of possibility, but no, I don' think so." So he sends me in for a urine sample anyway, and a little while later, the nurse comes back with something cupped in her hand that she shows the doc.

"Looks like we're going to have a positive," he says matter-of-factly.

Tears spring to my eyes and I probably said something like, "What?!? Are you serious? Oh my God, really?"

So he cancelled all my scripts (except the anti-fungal) and I went home and cancelled weight watchers. I did tell my walking buddy that she's no longer allowed to take "no" for an answer. I'm going to walk 3-5 times a week if it kills me. Well, hopefully what it will do is prevent me from gaining (along with eating all the veggies and good-fat foods I bought yesterday) but also it will tone my body for an easier pregnancy and labor.

Did I mention my baby is nine months old???

We walked for about an hour and a half yesterday, maybe three miles. Not sure if I'll make it out today, the weather is supposed to be dreadful. We'll see.

Vinny is the only one we haven't told yet (Mat and I haven't been home at the same time with him yet), but I imagine his reaction will be something like this:

I know mine was.

The land of "I suck"...

Okay, so I suck. I've been doing HORRIBLY with not walking, not doing much of anything, and I went to the doctor the other day and 'lo and behold, I'm clocking in at 299lbs. This terrifies me. I could justify clearing 300 when I was at the end of my pregnancy, after all, everyone knows a newborn fetus puts 50lbs on you...right? RIGHT? So now here I am, no excuses and I'm at my heaviest weight ever. On Tuesday, January 2nd, I'm going back on the Weight Watchers core program. I'm not sure if I can swing the cost of meetings or not, I may just sign up online again (it's like $65 for a three months) and journal there. I'm going to walk today. It's cold as a mother out there, but I'm doing it. With both boys, I should be able to get in almost 2 miles. (This idea to make myself walk today just occurred this very moment!)

I have been watching cooking shows all morning, and daydreaming about going to culinary school like my brother did. I'm thinking there has GOT to be a way to eat healthfully without eating food that tastes like garbage. This is my mission. If I can't go to school, I'll school myself. I'm going to remove butter and shortening from my menu. Out with white rice and in with brown, wild and basmati. When we get our house, I plan to have an herb garden people would weep over, and now that I got a lovely dehydrator for Christmas, I can even dry my own herbs. (Granola chick in the making, I am!)

Here's the deal: I am practically guaranteed Type II Diabetes if I don't get my rear in gear. Like "Congratulations, you may have already won...!" Well, I don't want it. Because I REALLY don't think I can eat that way, and I abhor pricking my finger every other hour. It makes me ill just thinking about it. So I've gotta figure this out. I'll start posting more recipes at my website as I find and/or develop them. (www.brainaim.com) In the meantime, I made a gorgeous bread loaf yesterday, and now I'm thinking..."How can I make this with FAR less sugar (1/4c. in the recipe).

So, I'm going to jump in the shower, feed Nico, pop him in his stroller, toss a jacket on Vin and out the door we'll go.

Okay, I lied - 42.57 total miles

I said I'd post again tomorrow, and here it is, not yet tomorrow and I'm posting. Vinny, Nico and I went to the Springville Museum of Art's Free Family Night (first Monday of every month) and got to learn about a local artist's work, listen to the Springville High School singers and pianists, and worked on an art project. We had to paint with tempura paint in one color using non-paintbrush tools. Vinny and I both chose a toothbrush, a Q-tip, and a piece of sponge. Vinny painted a Christmas tree with Jesus next to it and a "thing that Jesus was on when he died" hovering above it. When he got bored waiting for things to wrap up, he told me he wanted to paint more on it. When I asked him what he wanted to paint, he said, "Him eating a piece of chocolate. I'm pretty sure they had chocolate back in the day." My son is very precious, and at times, very um...creative. Anyway, here are our masterpieces. I call mine "Orange Sherbet". Oh...and we walked there with Nico in his sling .84 miles! Whoo hoo! Now I'm dedicating myself to a glass of Riunite Lambrusco (totally gauche, I know) and my new computer chair massage pad. My husband is good to me. I just wish he wasn't working so late tonight.

Walking Provo - 41.73 total miles

So today I broke the 40 mile mark. Amanda and I walked 4.26 miles - a nice long walk, and I felt great (if a little sore) after. I'm a little (okay a lot) frustrated that after walking 40 miles in less than 2 months (39 miles more than I'd have probably walked before I started this project), and I haven't lost a pound. In fact, I may have gained one or two. I have to get my food under control. I keep saying that, but I'm having a hard time actually putting intentions into action. My genius train of thought has even caused me to consider taking up smoking again ("WHAT?" you say, and I agree with you.) I feel so gigantic, like my skin is actually tight on my body. I'm resigned for the moment to wearing only sweatpants, which are oh so attractive. Hrrmmmm. I think tonight, I'll spend some time cleaning out the fridge, and tomorrow, when I don't have Vin with me, I'll go grocery shopping. (Speaking of Vinny, here is a gorgeous pic of him).

It's not really snowing out now, and the snowfall from the other day is starting to melt, so walking outside is really pretty nice right now. We're starting to look at houses now online that might actually be a consideration for purchase. They're a little farther away from this town than I'd like, but we've gotta go where the budget allows.

Nicholas did it. Mat asked for one thing for his birthday (December 2nd) and Nicholas managed it for him. He said his first "da da"!!! ON Mat's birthday! He's also pulling himself up to a stand. I cannot believe how fast he's getting so big. In just one week, he will be 8 months old. And Vinny is a quarter of the way to 7. Unreal.

So, that's it for today, it's cold, but I walked anyway, and tonight the boys and I are going to the art museum for FREE Family Night. Mat's at work, and it's leftover baked ziti for dinner. Not a great weight loss dish, but it's what's in the fridge at the moment. More tomorrow!

I hate Gold's Gym - 37.47 total miles

I mentioned that I joined the gym a few days back. I finally got in there on Friday and I was unimpressed. The girl at the counter greeted me with a "What's up?" in a gum-chewing, what-the-hell-do-you-want? kind of way. She proceeded to give the the "tour" which involved her pointing to where the daycare, ladies lockers and sit up machines were (do I hear a hint, hint?) The personal trainers were not in to give me my initial eval, so I was on my own. That aside, when I got to the daycare, the told me that not only was the limit 90 minutes, but that I couldn't split that time up (I'd planned to walk in the morning on the treadmill and play raquetball at night with dh). The salesperson, Carlos at Provo Town Mall, told me that I would be able to do that. Well, I'm peeved...I'm not getting what I paid for. So I called to cancel my membership. They told me I'd had three days from the date of contract to cancel, but now I'm obligated to the payments for three years. I told her that Carlos had misrepresented the daycare features. She said she wasn't there for that conversation to know what he said. (?!?!?!?!?) I told her I was telling her what he said. She said her manager was telling her contract states that the terms of the daycare may be changed by management at any time. I told her this wasn't a change, this was what it was before I even signed. I told her I would dispute it with my credit card company, she said they'd send me to collections. I asked to speak with her manager, she said she wasn't there. I asked how SHE'd spoken to the manager if she wasn't there; she said she was at lunch. I left a voicemail. An hour later, I called back. The girl who answered the phone said, "I don't see her (the manager) around, she's probably in a meeting or something." (Uh-huh) When I asked to speak to another supervisor, she said there were only two, Tanya, the one I left a voicemail for, and Tanya's boss. Both were "probably" in a meeting; "they've been in and out of meetings all week." Am I STUPID? The "they're at lunch", "they're in a meeting" line means, you're an irate customer, they're too scared to talk to you, so they're going to put you off until you stop calling.

Here's the deal: If they do not get me out of this contract, I will do the following: I will NOT go away. I will NOT pay for an unused gym membership. Instead, I will go there EVERY BLOODY DAY and be the most gigantic, painful thorn in their side. I will complain constantly and be very vocal about my dissatisfaction, particularly when there are new, potential members in earshot. I will demand repairs, cleaning, more classes, less soap operas on the T.V.'s, whatever I can think of.

Why any company would FORCE an unhappy customer to continue to do business with them, particularly since they aren't "out" anything, is beyond me. I paid them $50 for my first month, and I've gone once. Where is the loss in terminating my contract? I will continue to pursue this, and let you guys know how it goes.

Also, I told Amanda I didn't want to walk on Friday because I wanted to go to the gym. I walked for 45 minutes on the tread mill and got 1.43 miles out of it. Had I walked with Amanda, I would have gotten about 3+ miles in. Buyer's remorse, my friends, buyer's remorse.

Hmmm....I dunno how far...36.04 total miles

So today, as I was driving to Amanda's house to walk, it started snowing. Part of me was like, "Yay! Snow!" and the other part said, "So what now...can't have the babies out in the cold!" We decided to walk at the Orem University Mall, and it was great. You can really walk SO much farther when you have someone fun to talk to! So here's the problem: I didn't count laps. And I can't find info on their website as to how far one lap is anyway. I'm going to say we walked two miles, though I think it might have been further, since we walked for about an hour and a half. Mat and I are going to the gym for the first time tonight. We kind of slacked up until now with the holiday and whatnot, but no more excuses! I'll let you know how it goes!

P. S. The pic is of me and my "boys" on Thanksgiving!

Joined the gym today! - 34.04 total miles

Well, my walking today consisted of walking a bit in the mall, just around, not laps and grocery shopping, neither of which I counted on my distance. I picked up Vinny form school on foot, so that's my .84 miles for the day. At the mall, I joined Gold's Gym (for three years, yipes!) and got a great deal for both me and my husband Mat. Best of all, babysitting is included, so I can go for an hour or so and have someone watch Nick right on the premises. Of course, even though he'll be very close, I'm still nervous about it. I wore Nico to pick Vinny up so my back is a bit achy right now. I roasted a chicken and potatoes last night which we didn't get to eat because we ate too late of a lunch (4pm) so no one wanted to eat "dinner". Going to have that for supper tonight and make soup with the leftovers. I actually found barley, bulgar wheat, basmati rice and jasmine rice at the store today, so I'm going to try incorporating those into my meals for more fiber. (And in lieu of high-sugar white carbs like pasta and bread). I also bought my Turkey for the pot luck at church, and some fresh cranberries for sauce. I'm also going to make roasted garlic mashed potatoes because I bought a HUGE bag of potatoes and we'll never make it through them before they grow eyes! I've been bad about posting here lately. I'm going to make an effort to get here every day. Tomorrow morning, I'm heading to the gym for an hour, and then hopefully I'll have my interview at 10am for an at home job I applied for. I'll tell more as I find out more. Until tomorrow then!

Playdate/Walk - busy day! 33.2 total miles

Today is Mat and my one year anniversary! It is hard to believe so much time has passed in the blink of an eye. He had to work today, so this morning, I met with a few girls from my mom's club, and had a short but fun "playdate" at McDonalds at 10am. I then hurried home to meet Amanda to walk. It was COLD outside, and windy as all get-out. Once we turned once, the wind was calmer, and it wasn't as bad. We walked 2.87 miles, and then came inside to warm up! Nico's hands were like ice (he won't keep mittens on, so I have to tuck them under a blanket - this lasts about three seconds as well). I'm tired now, but glad I walked. Tonight is the SCA, though I'm not sure what I'll wear, as I still don't have the cash to go buy fabric for garb. I need to buy a dress this week too so I can go to church on Sunday! I'm really bad about taking pics these days. I'll try to get some more up...this blog is so DULL without them!

It's been a bit...30.33 total miles

Okay, I've been slacking on the blog. I went to the mall yesterday and walked 1.35 miles (three laps around). On my way, I weighed in on the GNC scale which told me I'm at 289.3 lbs - about as bad as I've ever been. So, although my walk caused me to break the 30 mile point, I'm bummed (though not really surprised) that I haven't lost anything. In fact, I've gained. So ... what's the problem? FOOD, FOOD, FOOD! I need to get back in the diet groove, and so far, I haven't done it. Tonight I made a killer meal - Roast duck (first time ever), gravy, garlic mashed potatoes (which I forgot all about until after dinner - they were sitting in the microwave), salad with mixed greens, tomato and mozzerella with an oil and balsamic vinager dressing I made. I also had steamed broccoli. Overall, I made too much food, and it was all fabulous - a dangerous mix. So I cleaned the duck and saved the meat for soup and the carcass is a-cooking as we speak in my crock pot. I'm going to use up my frozen homemade lasagna this weekend, and on Monday, we start. It'll be a little hard because I can't really grocery shop until Tuesday or Wednesday, but I've got enough couscous and hominy to get me started. I am going to weigh in again two weeks from Monday to see where we are.

My first walk repeated - 28.98 total miles

Today I repeated the first three mile walk I took, for 3.03 miles today. I walked with my new friend, Amanda and we wheeled our baby boys around town. It's so nice to walk with someone you can talk to, instead of babbling away at the baby for an hour and a half! Anyway, the bad news is, I keep forgetting to take my camera, so once again, I have no pictures. I will bring my camera tomorrow. I'm going to IHOP with some other ladies in the area, and then Amanda and I are going to walk. Advice for the day: find a walking partner, they're great for company AND accountability!