Traditional Tuesdays

I've had a bit of a hiccup on the weight loss train. DH and I fell "off the wagon" when we were super busy last week. Then this weekend we were determined to hop back on and I got sick. My throat hurt so bad I wanted to rip it out of my neck! So, all I wanted to eat was Chicken Noodle Soup and Popsicles. However, on this little detour I've noticed a couple of things:

1) When I'm eating low-carb and I get hungry I don't get whacked out. Last week when I was off of a low-carb diet and I got hungry (ie my blood sugar dropped) I would get emotional, kinda depressed, overwhelmed and have great difficulty making decisions. I CRAVED sugar and had a very hard time making the best choice for a nutritious meal. I had fallen off the low carb wagon but we still had fruit and veggies in the house and I could have eaten healthy. Nope, I would dive for the cookies and bread. So, I had this amazing realization, when I eat low carb and my blood sugar drops I'm just hungry and a bit grumpy (who isn't?). I'm not overly emotional or overwhelmed. It's pretty easy to choose the healthiest thing for me to eat. When I'm low-carb I see food as fuel instead of comfort.

2) I get terrible stomach aches when I'm hungry and not eating low-carb. I feel like I'm going to throw up but I'm hungry....it's awful. When I eat low-carb, nope, hunger just feels like hunger.

3) I don't eat breakfast when I'm "off". I drink coffee like a madwoman all morning and then at noon I'm STARVING and craving, yep, sugar and bread.

4) And my final observation is about how often I get hungry. On the wagon, I eat 3 meals a day and get hungry every 3-4 hours. Off, I'm hungry every 2 and I'm not just hungry, I'm "whacked out" like I described above.

So, I have new motivation to get back on the low-carb wagon and the weight loss train! Not only do I want to lose weight but I want to FEEL BETTER! I don't want to be on an emotional rollercoaster all day long depending on where my blood sugar is registering. And those stomach aches are awful! Today I'm going to stick with Chicken Noodle soup but if I feel better tomorrow it's back to eating the way that makes me feel best!

Here is my favorite low-carb recipe for the week:

scallops
2-4 T butter (depends on how many scallops you have)
parmesan cheese
parsley (optional)
green onions (optional)
garlic (optional)
bacon

Place scallops very close together on tin foil on broiler pan. Melt butter, pour over scallops, sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese. Broil for about 10 minutes on low until the parmesan cheese is lightly browned. Top scallops with minced parsley, green onions and/or minced garlic. While scallops are cooking, cut bacon strips in 1/2 and cook in frying pan until done but still soft. Allow bacon and scallops to cool a bit, wrap bacon around scallops and secure with toothpick. Serve over a hearty salad with dressing. If you are in a hurry, just cut the bacon in to 1X1 squares and toss in with the salad and scallops. Make sure you take at least one bite with a scallop and bacon though!

Note: Veggies for the salad that go with the bacon wrapped scallops particularly well are snap peas, red bell pepper, romaine lettuce, tomato, avocado! The dressing I like with it is ranch and DH likes bleu cheese.

Monday Morning Random Fact

It's hard to think of a Random Fact through my haze. I'm sick today. My head feels like it's being squeezed in a vice grip, throat hurts, cough, runny nose, blah, blah, blah. Summer colds just stink. All I want to do is snuggle under the covers and drink hot tea but it's going to be over 100 degrees today so I doubt the covers and tea would make me feel better. Anyway............

Okay, I got one. I was a ballet dancer when I was young. I was really, really into it. I went 4-6 times a week to classes. I helped in the beginner's class to help pay for my own lessons. Even though I never aspired to be a professional dancer I worked hard at ballet. I even got on point at age 10 which is on the young side for point. The only reason I quit is we moved and there was no where to take lessons in the town we moved to. It had a population of 350, not kidding.

Friday Funnies

I got this from an article in "Cookie" magazine. I had tears rolling down my face as I spit out my coffee all over the table because I was laughing so hard at this. I've had so many of these same thoughts about Pre-school TV........

"Mysteries of Pre-school TV by Julie Klam"

Max and Ruby
Where the hell are the parents? How old is Ruby anyway? She takes her little brother into town on the bus, grocery shops, puts Max to bed.... Every time Grandmother leaves after a visit, you want to yell,"No! Don't go! They'll be alone again!"

Miffy and Friends
What's with her strange lack of seating? Her parents drive a convertible, yet they don't have any kitchen chairs. At dinner, they all stand at the table. Why? The show is European, so they must have access to IKEA.....

Arthur
How can an animal character have another animal as a pet? He has a dog, Pal yet the janitor in his school is also a dog. Is it some kind of social commentary? He's not the only one either--this all dates back to the classic Mikey-Pluto-Goofy conundrum.

Franklin
Why doesn't he sleep in a bed? Instead he's stuck with a rug on the floor. Yes, he's a turtle but all the other animal leads get to sleep in beds.

The Backyardigans
What the heck is Uniqua anyway??? Tyrone is a moose, Austin is a Kangaroo, Pablo is a penguin, Tasha is a hippo.........Uniqua is a????? My best guess is a prehistoric bug.

And here is one of my own questions about a kid's show..........

Little Bear
Why do his parents wear clothes but he doesn't? The kid is naked all the time but his folks are dressed to the nines in Victorian formal wear.

Do you have any questions for the producers of kid's shows at Noggin, Nick Jr or PBS Sprout?

Thursday Thoughts on my Faith

Nope, still nothing this week. The only reason I'm posting at all is to keep track of my Spiritual dry spell. Maybe today will be different.............

Sick to my Stomach........................

..........................no, it's not the flu. I am just sick about the way a certain TLC Reality Show family is being ravaged, dissected, discussed, attacked and exposed in the media. I won't even say their names but it's not necessary because I'm sure EVERYONE who watches a TV in the USA knows who I'm talking about. The season premiere last week had 10 million viewers. I will admit I watched a portion of it but became uncomfortable when the interviews with the couple discussed things that should be private and turned it off. I realize that this couple has willingly participated in the show and all the media attention around it and it's possible that the family would be falling apart even if it weren't shown on TV. The couple themselves are partially to blame for the media circus around their family. However, I hate the media for exposing this family. It's sick what TV executives have allowed to continue with this show. But there is another culprit in this mess, if we the American people weren't watching there would be no public carnage of a family. The paparazzi only follows them because we, the American TV public, WANT THEM TO!!!!!!

I do not know this couple personally and I have NO IDEA what is going on in their lives. And out of decency, privacy and my love for the Institution of Marriage I am not going to discuss anything I've "heard" about them in the media here. That would be contributing to shameful gossip and I refuse to participate. I refuse to discuss even what they themselves have said because 1) it would be gossip and 2) with skillful editing and a producer's "spin" of the interviews nobody but the couple and those close to them have any idea what is really going on. I am going to discuss the modern phenomenon of "Reality TV" that has chewed this family up and spit them out...............no, swallowed them and vomited them up.

I was a HUGE fan of the first "Survivor". I thought it was a fascinating study of Group Dynamics and I was glued to my TV for every episode. As the season went on however, I became more and more perplexed that the person who I was "sure" was going to be voted off the island, was not and the "perfect, popular angel" of that episode was given the boot. I feel stupid now, not to have put it together until I watched interviews of the cast after the season ended. THEY EDITED THE SHOW, DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The producers couldn't control what the cast members would do or say but they could put a spin on each episode by showing certain characters doing/saying negative things and others only the positive so the ending would be a surprise and talked about at length by the public for days later. Also ensuring a returning audience for the next episode. How else can one explain how the cast member who seemed to be the most evil, hated member won? Do you think he was really that clever? Or is it possible the producers just edited the show so we thought he was hated by the entire cast? With the editing the show was far from "real" and might has well have been scripted. I haven't watched an episode of Survivor since. It's not a fascinating exploration of Group Dynamics, what we see on TV is not real. It's a TV show, mindless entertainment and nothing more.

Reality TV is a genre I would be thrilled to see disappear from our airwaves. It was bad enough when MTV put eight 20-somethings in a house together and put them on display for the world to see. We saw them spout off their opinions, get drunk, party, sleep together, cry, cry a lot, yell and yell a lot. I don't think it was a sound, moral idea for a show but it did/does get ratings. I can't say for certain but I'm not sure too many of these kids lives were permanently damaged by their stints on the show. While I don't think it was wise for these people to put there "real" selves on TV for a mass audience to watch and scrutinize, they are young and young people make crazy mistakes. Young adults are also resilient. They get older, reason through what they did as a young adult, process it and usually move on. Case and point, I have a beautiful tattoo on my arm down by my elbow that I put "on display" for all to see and scrutinize when I was 22. The tattoo was not a mistake but the location was and it's permanent. However, I have processed it, learned from it and moved on. I can live with it, but what if I had decided to put a tattoo on one of my children when they were born? That would be a different story...........

You see where I'm going with this. When TV executives/producers decide to put children and families on display in a "Reality TV Show" there is always a chance that some ugly stuff could be filmed. Actually, there's more than a chance and if something ugly comes up the cameras should be turned off! Period. It is completely wrong to subject children to having their family's dirty laundry put out for all the world to see. I struggle to think of how you would control that kind of damage in a child's life. Just the problems themselves in a family alone take their toll on children, why add publicity of the problems to it? Why add public discussion to a family's private struggles? WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MINDS WOULD WANT THAT? WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MINDS WOULD WANT THAT FOR THEIR KIDS?

My very strong opinion is that the Reality Show, unnamed here but obvious, should be canceled. First and foremost in the interest of protecting those precious children. But also to protect the sanctity and privacy of a marriage. A marriage whose partners claim to be in trouble. Marital problems should be dealt with privately and with dignity. Shame on TLC for having such disregard for Family and Marriage. Shame on them for benefiting from people's personal pain, especially innocent children's pain. What disgusting part of a human being would produce it and profit off of that? TLC, are you listening???????

I'm not saying that imperfections in the Institution of Family should be swept under the carpet and we should all turn a blind eye to the fact that marriage is hard and that many, many families have tremendous problems. What I'm saying is that it's a crime to broadcast a specific family's problems. No good can come of this. Join me in protecting children, boycott Reality TV with children in it!

"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea." Mark 9:42

Traditional Tuesdays

I'm down about 12lbs and it feels so good! When I started this new weight loss journey I was thinking I wouldn't really feel much different until I got 25+ lbs off. I forgot how good even a small weight loss can feel. I'm 12 lbs lighter puts a bounce in my step and encourages me to keep going. I DO feel different and I can tell I look different but I don't think others could unless you saw me naked and only DH is allowed to do that. Yes, he has mentioned places he's noticed on my bod where I'm shrinking. Also, I should mention that DH is down about 15 lbs and he feels and looks great!

I've had a few slips and one day that was a downright disaster (I was deep in the throes of PMS so I do have an excuse) but for the most part I'm sticking to healthy eating and healthy portions and the weight is coming off. Praise God! I'm still amazed at how much energy I have even late in the afternoon. Also, I have no more acid reflux which used to plague me 4-5 times a week. So, onward and upward or downward if I'm talking about the scale! Here's a new recipe that I really like, I made it for our Low-Carb, Traditional Foods Father's Day Brunch: Egg and Sausage Casserole from Recipezaar.com

• 12 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
• 12 ounces shredded colby-monterey jack cheese or (I used 6oz cheddar & 6oz of jack because that's what I had on hand)
  
• 6 ounces sliced mushrooms, drained(I had to leave these out ={ because DH hates them)
  
• 1/3 cup chopped green onion
• 1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 8 ounces julienned ham or sausage, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I used only 1/4 cup to reduce carbs)
  
• 1 3/4 cups milk (I used 1 cup of milk and 3/4 cup heavy cream again to reduce carbs)
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 8 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place cheese in a large bowl and toss to combine.

Place half of the cheese blend in the bottom of a 13x9 casserole and spread evenly.

In a medium skillet, melt butter, add mushrooms, green onions, and peppers cooking until onion and pepper are tender.

Arrange vegetables over cheese evenly.

Arrange ham or sausage over vegetables evenly.

Add remaining cheese evenly over meat.

Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off, in a large bowl using wire whisk, blend flour, milk, parsley, and eggs; pour over layers in dish.

Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes or until set and lightly brown.

Let stand for 10 minutes (to let egg and cheese set).

Cut into squares.

NOTE: To make ahead, complete recipe upto adding Custard mixture. Stop after topping with last half of cheese. Cover and place in refrigerator over night. Next morning prepare custard and bake accordingly.

Monday Morning Random Fact

My Random Fact is about my Dad, in honor of Father's Day.

Back in college my Dad into acting. He performed (and starred) in many plays at Dartmouth College. While he was in college he became friends with the girlfriend of a Hollywood screen writer who worked on "The Graduate". My Dad was given the opportunity to audition for the role of Benjamin Braddock. The story is that he was one of the final three they considered seriously for the role. Hoffman was an unknown at the time he auditioned for the movie and it pretty much set his Hollywood career in motion. My Dad could have had Dustin Hoffman's life!!!! But then would I be here? Koo, Koo, Katchoo!

Hope you had a happy Father's Day!

Friday Fun Fact

I was talking to my my 7 year old son, Monkey, today about how many of the common entertainment technologies of today weren't available or weren't common in every household when I was a kid. And some of them that made appearances in our lifetime are obsolete already! Walkman anyone? I think I still have Van Halen's Jump cassette tape around somewhere...............

He was shocked to learn that we only had 5 channels and that "kid shows" were not on 24/7 much less ENTIRE channels that program only kid shows. I think if I told him we didn't have a remote and had to change the channels by HAND it would have totally cooked his noodle.

Monkey's mouth hung open when I told him that we didn't own a VCR until I was in High School. I told Monkey that we used to rent a VCR every New Year's Eve as a treat. I told him only "rich" people actually owned one. Come to think of it, I'm a little surprised he even remembers VCRs!!!!

As we kept talking about it he asked me today who invented DVD players. So, I googled it and found out lots of interesting info on the technologies from our childhood and ones still current today.

1) No one person is credited for "inventing" the CD or DVD player. The first CD player was invented and produced by Sony and Phillips.

2) The first CD player went on the market in 1980! It cost about $900!!!!! The first portable CD player for cars became available in 1984.

4) The first music CD released was Billy Joel's 52nd Street.

5) After the CD player made it's appearance on the market several companies began to work on the DVD player. However, DVD movies and players were not available until 1997! Apparently, the companies working on the DVD were focused more on developing DVD's for storing information for several years.

6) The first movie to be released on DVD was "Twister".

7) The first VCR intended for home use was released in 1972 by Sony and Phillips in England and it cost about $5,000!!!!!!!! (No wonder only "rich" people had them)

8) The first VHS movie released was "The Young Teacher", a Korean film.

9) Cassette tape players were first introduced in 1964 in Germany. They were used mostly to record.

10) The first pre-recorded music tape, called a musicassette, was released in 1965 by the Mercury Record Company in Germany. They were available in the US in 1966, about 49 titles were available.

11) The popularity of the Walkman in the 80's is what killed records and made tapes the main way folks enjoyed pre-recorded music. But as we all know CD's killed tapes faster than tapes killed records and MP3 players are very quickly killing portable CD players...............ipods, iphones, on and on and on.

What will are grandkids listen to music and watch movies on?????

Tip of the Week

Here is my big "tip" for moms, if you feel like you need a nap and you have the opportunity to take one, DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! So many times I've felt like I need a little snoozer and the boys are at school and Baby Girl is sleeping and I do something stupid like clean a bathroom. Yesterday I was extra tired and I decided to lay down (oh my goodness!!!). I had to fight feelings of guilt for like 10 minutes and then I had a delightful rest. And I found myself in quite a good mood for the rest of the day. I am going to try to remember this ignore the guilt and get some rest! A rested mama is a happy mama!

Monday Morning Random Fact

Note: As I type this Baby Girl is crying in the other room. She came into the kitchen, asked for something to eat, I started giving her options and she ran in the other room and started crying. Hmmmm. Also, she keeps saying she wants "Momma" but when I go in there to pick her up and comfort her she pushes me away like I'm someone else. I just love toddlers, don't you????

Random Fact: If I could only eat one type of food for a month it would be Greek food. I love the way the Greeks do meat! All kinds of meat, however it is that they season beef, lamb and chicken tastes awesome to me!!! I also love pita, feta and eggplant which they use a lot. Greek food is also so varied, meat, yogurt, rice, potatoes, veggies and they do it all!!! DH and I used to frequent a place in Arizona called "My Big Fat Greek Restaurant". I really miss that place..................

Speaking of Greek, I'm looking forward to seeing Nia Vardalos new movie "My Life In Ruins"!!! "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" is one of my favorite all time movies.

Okay, Baby Girl finally let me hug her and bring her into the kitchen. Now as I type this she is munching on Cheetos (don't judge me, it was all she would agree to eat) and falling asleep at the table. Her sleepiness explains the tantrum. It makes me laugh so hard when kids get the sleepies like this. Here is my favorite kid falling asleep in a sink on youtube: Kid Sleeping in the Sink.

And speaking of youtube kids, if you have never seen "Charlie Bit Me" you HAVE to!!! It's hilarious!!!! If you have seen "Charlie Bit Me", check out the remix, I think it is equally as funny. I hear their are Charlie Bit Me T-shirts!

Gosh I'm RANDOM in general today! Have a happy,random Monday!!!

Thursday Thoughts on my Faith

Here's a sad fact: I don't have many thoughts on my faith this week. I have got to get back into the Word and mediate on it!!!! So my post is short today, just a renewed commitment to read my Bible daily but more important meditate on it and apply it to my life.

"I will meditate on Your precepts,And contemplate Your ways........" Psalm 119:15

Wednesday Tip of the Week

I am writing down a tip that I had to use myself today! When changing something in the routine for kids you have to 1) be consistent and 2) be confident.

Here's the deal, Baby Girl is still nursing. She only nurses at naptime and bedtime but I think it's time to move on. I've struggled weaning her not because I will miss it or want to keep her my "baby" but because I've allowed her to rely on breastfeeding to fall asleep. I know, I know rookie mistake. But for the last 2 years I have nursed the girl to sleep and now she's two and has to learn how to fall asleep on her own. I didn't do this with my boys, they had to cry-it-out starting as infants. I have no idea why I changed it up with Baby Girl. Probably because I needed her to sleep so badly in order to get a rest myself or get something done. Maybe I just couldn't stand to hear my girl cry..........I don't know but I know it's not a good idea to let Little Ones make a habit of falling asleep at the breast because it's so difficult to "undo". I may be in for a long haul here.

Due to the reasons above I've been really wishy-washy with weaning. I've tried it but after she asks 2-3 times for milk I give in. I've tried just nursing her a little bit and then putting her in bed but as soon as she whimpers I pick her back up and nurse until she falls alseep. I've actually asked her, "Can we not have Mama Milk today?" Like she is going to say yes!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I am the grown up here and I believe that I need to direct this. Today, I reminded myself that I have given weaning a great deal of thought, I have decided that weaning Baby Girl is the right thing to do so I need to make a plan and present it to her confidently and follow through consistantly. I told her before her nap today, "We are going to read a story, then Mama will sing you a song and then you are going to get into your bed for a rest." She said, "No!" of course! But we did just that. She whined and whimpered when I put her in her bed but I told her I would stay next to her (I know, I know then I will have to "wean" her off me being in the room while she goes to sleep but one step at at time people!). Through the whole process I said to myself over and over "Be confident! Be confident! She needs to know that she can trust her Mom! She needs to know that you are in charge!"

I stayed in the room until she drifted off to sleep. She asked for "Mom" several times, meaning she wanted me to pick her up but she never once asked for "Milk". I know it wasn't pleasant for her but I think it was a great start to her being able to go to sleep without nursing. I plan to still nurse her at bedtime for a while and just wean at naptime but eventually I will stop altogether. And I promised myself that when I know the time is right to wean her completely I will be confident and do what's best for me and my kiddo! Be confident! Be confident! Dogs, bees and kids can smell fear or worse when a parent is waffling................

Traditional Tuesdays and Weight Loss

DH and I are continuing down the path of Traditional ways of eating. It continues to be a challenge with our food budget but I'm finding ways to get grass-fed beef, free-range poultry and eggs, raw milk, etc on our table. Not 100% of the time but as much as possible. We have begun to use coconut oil in place of vegetable oil almost all the time now. I have replaced sugar for the kids with things like sorghum, real maple syrup and honey (DH and I aren't eating sugar). The taste of the food we've been eating is amazing and the kids aren't complaining!

Like I mentioned in a post a couple of days ago DH and I are also trying to lose weight. So far, so good. I'm down almost 10 pounds in 2-1/2 weeks and DH has lost about the same amount. I'm feeling really good about what we are eating and I'm feeling good about being able to reach my first goal of a 15 lb weight loss. I've tried to lose weight so many times it's hard not to doubt myself but we are doing things a little different this time. For one I'm trusting God to show me the way to health and taking it one meal at a time. I've heard it said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting the same result. DH and I have discussed our dieting history together at length and have made some changes. After 12 years of being a fat couple we have learned the best "diet" for us to lose weight together. Low carb is the way to go to meet his weight loss needs and mine. It's food we both like to eat, it works for both of us, there's no sugar and there's little to no hunger. It absolutely falls right in line with Traditional Foods so I think we are eating the healthiest food for our bodies. I miss fruit terribly right now but we plan to bring in fruit in about 2-4 weeks and I think I can hold on until then.

Like I said, we have been successful with low carb diet before but we've obviously never totally reached our goals on it. DH and I think we have figured out why we only make it for a few months before returning to old ways of eating and start gaining back the weight lost. It begins with the meal we take "off" every week. Every time we have gone low carb we eat one meal "off" of our diet each week. In the past it was usually a Saturday night pasta pig out followed by a huge bowl of ice cream and a total carbohydrate hangover the next day. Also, I used to hold on all week by obsessing about what we were going to eat for our meal "off", which means I wasn't changing my habits of gluttony. "Where your treasure is, there you heart shall be also........" But every time, slowly our one meal "off" turned into 2 meals "off". Saturday afternoon would roll around and we'd say to each other, "Why not have a deli sandwich and a cookie? We are going 'off' tonight anyway." Then it would be a whole day. We have pancakes in the morning, deli sandwiches for lunch and the pasta pigout I described above for dinner. Then we would have the leftovers the next day to deal with or PMS would come knocking on my door..........you see where this is going! It wouldn't take long before we were completely "off" the low carb wagon.

So we made some changes this time. First of all we agreed that our meal "off" has a two hour window. No matter what! Every 7 days we can have a 2-hour window where we can enjoy things that are not usually on our weight loss diet. Second, I decided for myself that when I did take a meal "off" I was to use it as an opportunity to practice eating like a healthy person. Eat reasonable portions and not to stuff myself. I decided on my meal "off" to eat the way I plan to when I've reached my goal and I'm maintaining my weight. Basically, I don't want to engage in gluttony once a week. Even if I was able to lose weight I want to make sure that my eating habits please God. I can't find anywhere in the Bible where it says "The Lord hates gluttony, unless thee art on a low carb diet and it's thy one meal 'off' for the week."

Our first meal "off" was a success in following these boundaries! We ordered pizza. I ate 2 slices and then stopped because I was full. YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT AN ACCOMPLISHMENT THAT WAS FOR ME! I LOVE PIZZA! I usually eat 6-8 slices of it and then 2-3 peices the next day for leftovers. Then we had Haagen Daz ice cream for dessert. I LOVE HAAGEN DAZ!!!! However, I controlled myself. I ate a scoop of vanilla and a scoop of coffee and that was that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was all delicious, I enjoyed the taste of the foods, savoring every bite. I also enjoyed my family as I wasn't quickly shoveling food in my mouth concentrating only on my next bite. It was a lovely dinner and we froze the leftovers (Because there was a ton! We usually order 2 extra large pizzas for our family and there was almost an entire pizza left!). And guess what? No carb hangover the next day. I felt just fine and we resumed our low carb diet.

The other thing I hope I am prepared for this time around is PMS. I bought a 3-pack of Trader Joe's milk chocolate bars. I gave them to DH to hide somewhere in the house. I told him that once a cycle I might call him and ask for a candy bar. I told him he was only to give me ONE per cycle! Also, the goal is to NOT use the candy at all and find alternatives to dealing with PMS but I wanted to give myself an out so I don't go berserk. I had PMS last week and I didn't ask for my bar. When I would feel over-emotional and think about my candy I would ask myself, "Is this bottom? Because you only get one per cycle so make sure this is the time you really need it." Each time I would figure I should save it in case things got worse. Somehow it never seemed to get bad enough for chocolate.

I have been finding some good alternatives to emotional eating. Friday night was really bad, PMS-wise. I felt like a total lunatic. You know that point the week before your period when you move from simple irritation and weepiness to going full-blown POSTAL! I hated my life, I hated my family, I felt like the worst person on earth and I had just had it with everything in general! I definitely considered the chocolate but decided to try to get through it without using food for comfort. I made some herbal tea, took a hot shower and climbed into bed early with a couple of good magazines. Totally worked! I was feeling better 1/2 way through the first magazine.

I have a long way to go, about 95 pounds but I try to only focus on my first goal of 15 lbs. God has been supplying me with what I need every step of the way and I trust Him to continue doing that. I have put lots of prayer into this and appreciate your prayers for me. I can't do this without God's help! Thanks for all who are rooting for me!!!

Monday Morning (afternoon) Random Fact

When I see a movie that was almost a good or even great movie I spend a lot of time thinking about how it could have been better. I rewrite/recast/edit movies even years later. I saw one of those movies this morning. "He's Just Not That Into You" could have been a good movie and it had the potential to be a great movie but..............I'm sure I'll spend several mental hours reworking it and I'll get back to you on how I'm sure it could have been a hit.

Happy Monday Ladies!

PS It really makes me sad when talented actors lend themselves to a floundering script or bad directing. The movie I mentioned above had tons of talent and was well cast but................

Hodge Podge

Whew! The boys went back to school yesterday!!!! For four weeks and then they are off again for 3 weeks........sheesh! It's all good though, I will rest up and prepare for round two.

I have made myself extremely busy lately with the boys out of school for the month of May and taking on 2 new projects and not had much time to blog. Here are some updates on my life and my Random Fact for this week.

1) I started up a Toddler Group for Baby Girl! I found 5 (and maybe 7) other moms with kiddos under 3 who want to get together and do a pre-pre-school if you will. We do a very short circle time for very short attention spans, play with bubbles, sandbox and other large motor activities, read a story, have a snack, free play, do some art, etc, etc, etc. Yesterday was our first meeting and even though several things fell apart (behind the scenes) I could tell I was the only one who knew and all the kids and moms had a good time! We are meeting again tomorrow so hopefully I will have most of the "kinks" worked out in how I want the group to go and flow. All-in-all I think it is a good thing for Baby Girl and I. Social interaction for the both of us galore!!!

2) I am just beginning to sell new and gently used Gymboree clothes on ebay and Craigslist. I bought some things for Baby Girl a few weeks back from a woman who has been very successful supplementing her husband's income by doing this. She has decided after 5 years that she's done and is closing her store. She agreed to meet with me and show me the ropes. And what ropes they were! It's not as easy as it sounds to make a profit selling Gymboree online but it's not that hard either. There were definitely tricks and secrets and she let me in on them! Nothing magical or illegal, you just have to know what to buy, when and for how much. Then of course you need to know what to list it for. She also let me purchase a few items of her remaining stock at wholesale price to get my feet wet along with all the free advice I could write down in 2 hours! I am slowly going to list thing and see what happens! I just want to pay down our credit card debit.

3) DH and I started yet another weight loss diet. Last week was week one and we did it! No cheating either. We are doing our own brand of Atkins. It's worked for us in the past and it keeps us both from being hungry. That's one thing neither of us do very well, make good choices when we are really hungry. Our Atkins-ish diet keeps us full and I have lost 6 lbs so far! The biggest hurdle for me is no sugar. I'm still craving it but it's been almost 10 days of a sugar-free me! I've been extra grouchy and I run to sugar-free whip cream at night but that is actually tapering off. Both the being grouchy and running to sugar-free whip cream. Because running to any food, sugar-free or not, is my goal! I can never keep my weight down if I use food to feel better. I'm also re-reading this book called Feeding Your Appetites by Stephen Arteburn which is about what God created appetites for and how they fit into our lives. Basically, you satisfy your appetite for God first and it keeps the other ones in check. There is workbook in the back that I didn't complete the first time I read it 4 years ago (incidentally the first time I read it I lost 60 lbs.) so I'm doing the workbook and it's excellent as well!

Random Fact: I have been between 30-105 pounds overweight since I was 15. The only reason I list this fact is that I'm trying (yet again but with a great attitude) to finally get to healthy weight once and for all! Wish me, um, not luck but wish me the best!