Sucked in

to another season of The Bachelorette.  I know, it's so silly...but there is nothing else on now that summer is here and well, I can't resist the drama.  It's one of the few reality tv shows we watch and yes, we watch it together, LOL.

Matt and I both agreed, the beginning with the guys is way worse.  They all seem like such dufuses with their introductions!!  As Matt says, it's the unintentional comedy that comes from it all that makes us keep watching.

So far, mask guy and the bad guy, Bentley, are already annoying...and the previews, oh lordie, should be an interesting season.

Matt and I thought wine guy should win for best introduction.  He seemed genuine and was able to tell something about himself without being totally cheesy about it.

And we liked Matt too...another seemingly normal dude, although the very staged phone call to his mom was a little cheesy.

I was never a big Ashley fan from the previous season, she was a little whiny....but I always hope it works out for them in the end.  (Although I think Bachelor Pad may have more successes than the original shows!) :)

So....anyone else out there watching??

holy crap

I just ran 2.25 miles without walking!  I can't believe that 5 weeks ago I could barely run for a minute at a time.  I am more than halfway through the couch to 5k program and every workout surprised by what the old body can actually do.  I am still slow....but I am getting better.  Will I really be able to run for 3.1 miles in 4 more weeks?? :)

A little shout out to my friend Kerri today too....her little princess turns 1 today!!  We are looking forward to celebrating with them at the big birthday this afternoon!  The boys are ready for the bounce house! :)

Hope you all have a great weekend!

pizza love

Friday nights are pizza nights here in our household....but pizza can be a tough one when ww is involved!  I have been guesstimating what our local pizza place points should be but tonight I decided to switch it up a bit.  After some online research (thankfully it seems all chains these days have nutritional info online somewhere), I ended on Domino's.  We ordered the large thin crust Pacific Veggie pizza for 6 points a slice.  Not bad for pizza and it was very tasty too!  I made a salad and had 2 slices of pizza...and still a few points to spare for the day!  yay!  So don't be afraid of pizza...just plan it out first!

A little nervous about my morning jog tomorrow.....I am on w5d3 of the couch to 5k program which means a 20 minute jog.  Should be interesting.  I will let you know how it goes!

Hope everyone has a good weekend planned!

New Dinner...Success!

Today I was on the quest for a new chicken recipe.  I get so tired of making the same ones OVER and OVER.....and I ended up finding several that seem both quick and easy...and ww friendly.  Ended up deciding on Caribbean Chicken and Pineapple Salsa to try out first.  I feel like I am always making mexican or italian type stuff so this was a good change in pace.  AND, only 7 Points Plus points!!  I heated a can of black beans and the cilantro lime Rotel together for our side.  10 points for the whole meal, and really filling!

It passed the husband test too.  He said it reminded him of a Cafe Red Onion dish and after finishing it, said that was definitely going into the rotation!  Success!  I love when a new recipe works out!  Thanks Betty Crocker!

Chicken:
1 1/4 c Fiber One original bran cereal
2 tsp jerk seasonings (dry)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c buttermilk (I just used plain milk)
2 tsp dijon mustard
1.2 tsp red pepper sauce

Pineapple Salsa:
1 can (8oz) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1/4c  chopped red bell pepper
1/4c chopped apricot
1/4c chopped cilantro
1 tsp sugar
1/2 lemon, squeezed

1.  Heat oven to 400F.  Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Place cereal in bag and finely crush or chop in food processor.  Place cereal in shallow dish and mix with jerk seasoning.
2.  In large plastic bag, place chicken, milk, mustard, and pepper sauce.  Seal and shake well.  Remove chicken from bag; coat with cereal mixture.  Place on cookie sheet.
3.  Bake 15-20 minutes or until juice runs clear when center of thickest part is cut.  Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix salsa ingredients.  Cover, refrigerate until serving.  Serve chicken with salsa.

My mom, my best friend

On Tuesday, my mom had another birthday.  She is 30 years older than me, and might I say, looks pretty darn good!  She was actually part of my motivation to go back to ww (we joined together last year....she stuck with it and did awesome....and here I am trying again).

But anyway, that's a very little part about mom, but I am just so proud and impressed by that so I thought I would throw it out there.  I hope when I am in my 60s...I look and act as young as my mom does!

So, besides all that, what makes my mom so cool?  Well, she truly is my best friend first of all.  Besides a short stint my senior year in high school (that she so kindly never reminds me about), it has always been that way as long as I can remember.  We call each other every day.  We have a lot of the same interests.  I know I can talk to her about anything and that she always loves and supports me no matter what, and that means the world to me.

She is very involved in our lives, but only because we want her to be.  She never makes me feel pressured to do this or that with my parents, but we do because we truly have fun when we are all together.  And of course the boys L.O.V.E. their Grammy (Z actually woke up crying Wednesday morning after seeing that she wasn't here!).  She is just a great mom, mother-in-law, and grandma.  She is self-less and does so much to help us out, we are so thankful to have her nearby....and always without a complaint. What would we do without her??

I aspire to be the kind of mom and wife that I have seen my mom be through the years.  She is just such an amazing woman and I am so proud to call her my mom.

Happy Birthday, Mom!  We love you and are so blessed to have you in our lives!!

Going out on a Tuesday night is TOUGH!  Man was I tired today, and feeling my age a bit for sure.  My funny commentary from the concert was that Matt made some remark about where all the young people were??  I replied that most people under 20 probably hardly even knew who Bon Jovi was unless their PARENTS listened to them ;-)

Nonetheless, it was a fun time and I enjoyed our floor seats and standing and screaming and singing along for 2+ hours!  Thanks again honey for the fab Valentine's present!  More than anything I enjoyed our rare  kid-free night out with my man, we need to do that more often.  Many thanks to the parents for stepping in and babysitting...and on my mom's birthday! (I owe her a birthday post still...)

And although I missed my first Tuesday exercise for the first time in over 2 months, I caught up tonight and survived.  I was tired and it started off rough, but I can actually tell it is getting easier.  I need some good running songs though.  Listening to Pandora isn't dependable enough and I can really tell what a catchy fast song does to my pace.  Any suggestions??

BON JOVI TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just sayin!! :)

Perfect Zoo Day

Guess the rest of Houston thought so too...it was PACKED today!  We actually had to park at the museum, it was THAT crowded!  Once we were inside though it wasn't too bad and we had a really good time, crowded and all :)  The monkeys were a big hit today with the boys and oddly not crowded so we had several up close views of them.  We got a carousel ride in too and just enjoyed the lovely spring weather before the boys were reaching their melting points and we headed home :)

We also enjoyed a very rare kid-free afternoon on Saturday.  My mom was very kind and came and watched the boys for a couple hours while we met some good friends at the Gingerman.  It was a great day for a couple beers on the patio and the boys had a fun time with their Grammy!

Hope you had a good weekend too!

w4d3

Today I completed the 4th week of the couch to 5k program.  I have never been a "runner". I have been a mean power walker in the past...but never a runner.  But as I am out there going through the neighborhood and passing other people, I  think to myself, WOW, I am doing this!  I am still very self conscious as I am out there...thinking people see the big girl running or when the "real" runners zoom past me....but then I have to remind myself.....out of the 6 or 7 other people I even see out there exercising, who cares how I rank up against them because at least I am out there doing it.

Now I am sure this may seem very silly to some people, but to me, what  I have completed so far is already an accomplishment.  I am still totally amazed at the difference between week 1 and week 4.  I am changing up the program a little bit as I go longer than what you have to do.  We have a course mapped out from our house to the other park and it is exactly 3.1miles.  So after the program completes, I just keep going until I get home.  Today after the last 5 minute jog, I decided to just keep running to see how long I could go.  I ran for over 13 minutes without stopping, took a short walk by the pond, and ran another 5 minutes until I got home and then some.  Completing a 5k in about 41 minutes. What a difference a month makes.

For anyone out there thinking about starting a diet or exercise program, I know how daunting it can seem in the beginning, but you have to start somewhere.  I have started and stopped SO many times.  But this time I am just thinking, I only wish I had started sooner...where would I be by now?!  I am finally seeing the weight come off, the body changing and definitely the endurance picking up!  So just remember, we all have to start somewhere!

Anyway, just had to get that out.  I came in the front door smiling a little bigger today.  One foot in front of the other, one minute at a time, one mile after another....

It doesn't matter how slowly you go so long you do not stop.  ~Confucius

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Hope you all had a wonderful mother's day and weekend! We woke up today to sneezing every few minutes, too much snot and a very puny little boy....was very bummed to miss church but little M was just not well enough for nursery. So we hunkered down and played around the house and little guy actually fell asleep on the couch before noon (usually naps at 2!). My mom came over for the afternoon to just relax and play. We pumped up the pirate pool and the boys played a good 2 hours with it which was a nice break for mom and me! :)


By the end of the day though....all 3 of my boys are congested, tired, and feeling very puny. Ain't that how it usually works? Thankfully I am feeling well so I can take care of everyone else! I got them to bed earlier and took the E dog out for a nice long walk.


All and all though, it was a nice and relaxing day. My men got me a beautiful new necklace from James Avery, made breakfast and Z made sure to repeatedly wish me a happy mother's day! I was thankful to spend it with my mommy, my best friend! She is the best and I am beyond blessed to have such a great mom and role model. And the boys are pretty lucky for that too!


Hope you and yours all had a good mother's day weekend!

Just popping in to say he got in the water today!!  we were a little worried when class started since he was already crying....but we had a nice girl name Shauna who seems to have won z over.  Matt could see a lot more since he was in the viewing room, but once Z got over the 5 minutes of crying....he relaxed and had FUN!  By the end, he was hugging coach Shauna and high fiveing and smiling.  WHEW.  I think we are going to be okay.  Shauna said that she planned to be his coach for the new few weeks as he got more comfortable and that she was surprised how good he actually was in the water!  Maybe next week we will have no crying at all! (too much to ask for??) :)

Mark had a great time again too.  This kid has no fear.  His biggest challenge was having to wait till 3 to jump in the water!

All in all, leaps and bounds better than last week.  Since we bribed the boys with getting a prize if they did better today, we may a quick stop at Walmart and let them pick out a new car.

This day just keeps getting better! :)

early morning

the alarm went off this morning at 6:30...and I was out of bed and out the door by 6:45am...on a SATURDAY, for the 2nd week in a row, to exercise....Whhaaaattt?  It's quiet out there.  I saw some of the same people.  And I liked it.  When it happened last weekend, my hubby actually said, "who are you??"  HA!  

Who am I?  Good question!  Cause the me from a month or so ago had not exercised regularly in YEARS.  Seriously, years...The me from a couple weeks ago would have surely consumed several slices of pizza and a few glasses of wine on our regular Friday night instead of just 2 slices and 1 beer.  They say it takes about 4 weeks to make a habit...so I think I am comfortable enough  now to admit...I am trying to get more healthy!

Whew, there, I said it.  Why is it so scary to put that out there?  For me...I think it is the fear of people seeing me fail cause I have so many times.  Or judging me when I indulge. Or simply just to admit that I, ahem, need to lose weight.

I have a long way to go, but with exercising and ww-ing, I think I am on the right track.  I am becoming accountable for every nibble, taste, and snack.  I am doing the Couch to 5k schedule for exercising (and surprisingly ENJOYING it). I came home today from my 45 minutes realizing that I jogged more than I walked...and I didn't die!  Something I surely couldn't have done before.  I am noticing slowly that REALLY playing with my very active boys is getting less tiring.  It is getting easier, both the exercise and the will power with food and that makes me excited.  I love ww because really nothing is off limits but you cannot have it all ALL THE TIME.

Anyway, I am proud of me so far and sometimes it just feels good to say out loud.  So don't judge me if I taste a piece of chocolate or eat some french fries...I will make up for it later.  And hopefully you will see a smaller and healthier me over the next few months! :)

Happy Saturday!!

lesson learned

If you are going to go out to lunch....PLAN BEFORE YOU GO!!

We went to Chili's for lunch.  I remembered from ww-ing long ago, that the black bean patty on a wheat bun was always a good option so I opted for that with some steamed veggies.  Go me, right??

Um, WRONG.  I looked up the nutrition when I got back and then wheat bun has TEN points plus!  Yes, 10!! And the patty was five...so that was 15 pts for an okay lunch.  Very disappointed by that!   Calorie-wise the burger was only 560 calories, 11 grams of fat, and 10 grams of fiber...so not terrible but the carbs on the bun killed all that.  OUCH. 

Their grilled menu w/o sides would have been a much better option.  I could have had a sirloin or fried shrimp and veggies for 10.5, margarita grilled chicken for 6.5 or the spicy garlic & lime  grilled shrimp for 4.  And just added the steamed veggies for 0...

Oh well, live and learn, right?  I wrote it all down and will just have a salad for dinner or use some weekly points!

And the next time I go to chili's....I am having the steak! ;-)

Thursday readings

Clearly I need a more clever title, HA!

Some fun linky love....articles I have enjoyed reading lately!

Lysa Terkeurst is one of my fav Christian authors.  She writes some really great daily devotionals for Proverbs31.  I like this one on expectations and being a good wife.

I really like this one on Answered prayers...

A good article on why to include fruit in your daily routine....dieting or not! (its a free points food now in ww too!)

I've never been a regular at the gym...but I could relate to this article about feeling too out of shape to even know where to get started again...but I finally have gotten started!

Need some inspiration to get moving?  Check out this video of Ben's weight loss journey.  His blog is pretty good too!

What I will be doing Father's Day weekend....I CAN do it!  Matt and I are going to do it together and I can't wait to see him waiting there at the finish line for me! :) (cause you know...he is WAY faster than me!!)

Happy Thursday, everyone!  Hope you have a great day....1 day closer to the weekend!

Phone insurance

I had never bought phone insurance before... (although those that really know me are probably wondering why the heck not! back in college I had several cell phone incidents...one in the toilet and one left at tropical isle in new orleans...just to name couple) :) but thankfully when we got our phones a year or two ago, we opted for the insurance.  Within 2 months, I have now made 2 claims!  YIKES!  The first was for a dead phone. It MAY have been dropped one too many times but I don't think it was my totally fault...little fingers like to grab my phone too!


BUT THIS LAST TIME HAS STUMPED ME!  We went to my parents' house on Sunday for lunch and for the boys to try of their new vehicles from Popsie and as we were packing up....I realized I couldn't find my phone.  It only took 2 calls to realize it was still on silent from church.  DOH!  WE.LOOKED.EVERYWHERE.  For like 2 hours.  And no phone.  Mom and I did take the boys to the elementary school's playground but I really don't think I took the phone with me.  I put a hold on it in case that was it's untimely fate but who knows.....Thankfully when I went to the phone store, they reminded me that insurance covers loss as well so for $40, I get a new phone.  I made a claim yesterday and it was on my doorstep today.  Now that's service!  I am glad to have a new phone, but I didn't realize how much STUFF I had on my phone and how much I relied on the stupid thing.  Pictures and videos mainly are what I am the most upset with losing.... :( but also texts, apps I use, and of course all my contact info!  I am still hoping maybe eventually Mark (poor kid...i am blaming him, ha!) will remember where he walked off with it eventually and I will get all that back!