Updates

I feel better today.  Thank you all for indulging my vent and for those of you that commented.  It is always nice to know that other people have crappy days too.  I kid, I kid...kinda ;-)


I had an especially good lunch today.  I got my 25lbs charm today at weight watchers.  Made me smile.  About 1/2 way to go now, and somehow that doesn't seem as impossible as it did a few weeks ago.  I love emailing Matt and calling my mom after every weigh in.  They have been SO supportive and I appreciate all their encouragement.  Thinking I can definitely hit 30lbs before I go to the beach.  Just hope I don't do too much damage with a week of vacation but luckily I will have mom there with me to keep me on track!

I ended up ordering 2 bathing suits from Lime Ricki.  (Rachel, that is where the one you liked is from and one of the ones I ordered.  Ill post how it is when it comes in!)  They had free shipping on Tuesday and I found a 10% off coupon online so I just went for it.

And after a week off of running due to Matt working late and his guys' trip, I am back on track.  I went Monday and today and getting back in the groove.  I ran 3.2 tonight in 35min.  Slower than I have been but DANG, it is still HOT OUTSIDE.  I have book club tomorrow so perhaps I will get up in the morning.  It always just looks so dark outside....and the bed is SO comfy!

Hope every one's hump day was good today.  I am moving on and looking forward to Thursday!

The Cluster

I should have KNOWN it was going to be one of those days after leaving my cell phone in Z's room from a 4am sheet changing (I use it as a flashlight so I don't have to turn the light on), my wake up call being Zachary bringing me said blaring cell phone (it's my alarm) and then proceeding to step in cat barf as I was getting dressed (thanks max!)!

I thought I had all the plans worked out to make it to my god-daughter's birthday party at Chucky Cheese from 4-6pm.  Maria would put the boys down for an early nap so they could be there around 4.  My dad would meet them there so that Maria could leave to get to work on time after.  I would meet my dad and boys there on the way home from work and all would be glorious as the boys ran themselves wild and wore themselves out!  Go, Supermom....I CAN do it all!!  Right??

Maria called me at 4 to say they were there but couldn't find the party..but would just play until my dad got there and helped.  I was still busy at work so didn't think much of the conversation.  I texted Becky to see if she was running late?  Dad called at 4:30 to say he was there at the party...but where were the boys?? WTH??? Where is everyone??  After several frantic phone calls, I figured out....they were at two.entirely.different.locations. I managed to figure out where to go to meet boys and Maria....but once I got them and headed back to where we SHOULD have been all along....we ended up going home as we would have MAYBE been at Chucky for 15 minutes, if that.  Drats!  I bartered with the boys by telling them we would just go to Katie's house for "the real party" and that seem to pacify them as I listened to them chanting "K-T's-House, K-T's House" all the way home.....

We stayed for the cake and ice cream and let the boys run wild at Becky's house instead for about an hour.  I think I was honestly too frazzled from the whole thing and driving all over town to totally relax.  Although Miss K definitely put a smile on my face with our Littlest Pet Shop gift being the chosen present  for the day ;-)

It was definitely a Supermom FAIL moment.  Trying to do it all....and failing miserably.  Or at least in my mind I did.  I mean, who doesn't make sure everyone is going to the same place?  And then of course I was thinking, what if something had happened at a previous outing...I would have had no idea where the boys were.  All this time I thought they were had been going to the Chucky closest to our house....

We got home in time to put PJs on the boys and head to bed.  Z has been a bit challenging these last couple weeks and I think that has been weighing on me too.  Tell me people, is it just being THREE or something else to it.  Discipline, attitudes, etc....that's topic for another post all together.  It has been on my mind so perhaps I will write it all out soon.  This sister needs some ENCOURAGEMENT there.  I told my friend, Amy, this morning, I just feel so defeated by it sometimes.  Sigh.  Parenting is not for the weak at heart!

After the house was quiet, I mellowed out for a bit over dinner....and thought about this:

I have so very much to be thankful for.  And it really puts so much into perspective.  Husband, boys, family, friends, health, home, job, etc....So I went to bed and vowed to make today a better day! :)  Thank you Jesus for the grace you give us to get through these moments that drive us mad!

What do you do when you have one of those days and get over the emotional funk they can sometimes put you in to??

yummy lasagna

Been awhile since I made a new recipe...decided to try out this weight watchers lasagna....and it did not disappoint. With using the no-boil noodles, this was a breeze to make. And it made a ton, plenty of leftovers for this busy week!


Here goes:
1lb lean ground beef (I used 94/6)
1 small onion(s), chopped
1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
15 oz canned tomato sauce
2 14.5 oz diced tomatoes (I used one plain and one Italian seasoned)
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 cup(s) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheeses, divided
1 c low-fat ricotta cheese
1 package frozen spinach (defrosted)
6 item(s) dry lasagna noodles, no-cook
1/2 cup(s) shredded parmesan cheese

*Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes (I didn't have any so left them out); simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
*Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, spinach and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
*Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 13x9 dish. Lay 3 lasagna sheets over beef mixture; top with half of ricotta mixture. *Repeat with another layer and finish with remaining 1/3 of beef mixture.
*Cook at 350 for 50 minutes.
*In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over beef mixture. Bake until cheese melts, about 10 minutes. Yields 1/6th of dish per serving=10 points

I served with a side of broccoli and carrots medley and it was a good sized meal! Quick, easy, and delish that does not taste like diet. Can't beat that!

Rainy day cure

What will chase the rainy day blues away??  Why, some little rainbow cupcakes!! :)  I recently pinned a similar type of these cheery treats and I the boys haven't been able to stop thinking about them since!

I didn't really have a plan,  so we just colored our batter and spooned it in layer upon layer.  Since cupcakes are fairly small, they didn't come out in even layers, but they still look great!  It was a great activity for Z and I to do during quiet time while Mark is napping.  You be the judge...but I think he enjoyed it!

So go on, make some rainbow cupcakes.  Your kids will think you are super cool!  And don't worry, Markey will get to enjoy his later too! :)

American Tail?

Anyone remember if this is a good movie?  It's showing free this week at a movie theatre by us and wondering if the boys would like it....it is rated G.

Hope everyone had a good weekend.  I kept the boys very busy while Matt was out of town on his guys trip!  :)  We played with Katie, hit the bounce house and Mickey D's, hung out with Grammy and popsie, walks, swim lessons, etc!   Made for some tired boys and mommy! :)

And it is officially less than a month away to the beach house trip, yippee!!

Swim Suits

Here are a couple I have found so far...what do you think?  Granted I don't have the cute figures the models do but I think they are all something that could work??

bathing suit Shopping....

I had a good weigh this week, somehow managed to lose 4lbs (gained 1 lb last week so I am sure that was part of it).  On ww I have now lost 24lbs and total about 29lbs now!  In the last couple weeks, a few people at work have either just noticed or just now decided to say something.  Probably because I work with mostly men and maybe it's weird for them to mention it?  But a couple of my closer friends have said something now so that was nice! :)  I think part of it was last week I finally broke down and bought some new pants....  Wearing pants 2 sizes too big isn't really a great way to show off your weight loss ;-)  The final straw was I wore flats to work and was tripping over myself all day (not cool)!

Anyway, our family beach vaca is coming up in ONE MONTH and I need a new swimsuit.  A lot seem to be on sale now too which is good!  Unless you are a VS model, I don't think bathing suit shopping is fun for ANYONE!  One of my problems too is so many suits are so low cut and when you are holding a grabby toddler, it can be a wee bit too showy.  I also have a longer torso so I want something that covers nicely too!  So...I am turning to online shopping.  Have you done this before for a swim suit?  I figured I can always return it.  Been looking at Lands End.  They are cute, age appropriate, and inexpensive.  Score.  A lot of the sizes are sold out but there are a few still I found so I think I will give it a shot!

Hope everyone has had a good week.  Heading to the bounce house to wear these boys out! :)

free fun

did a little research, found a little park, had a picnic lunch...and had 3 sleeping little boys on the way home!  love that! although we need to go earlier the next time, the slides in the playground were all too hot to go down!  darn houston heat!!

All was well until it was diaper changing time....the poor little one has got this diaper rash/chaffing going on??  It was some awful crying going on.  I am not sure how to get rid of it?  It really looks more like chaffing now than diaper rash.  Anyone ever dealt with this before??  Help!

1 lb

well, it's not HORRIBLE......but I will admit even though it's exactly what I thought it would be, I am disappointed in myself.  Oh well, not going to beat myself up about it and have already moved on....and I DID enjoy the pizza, popcorn, mexican food, hamburger, cake, and wine I enjoyed this weekend with my family! ;-)

Back to Life...

Back to reality!  Nothing like a little En Vouge on a Tuesday to get ya going.  As my friend, Theresa said, back to the grind!  I enjoyed my holiday weekend.  I had mexican food, pizza, cake, and wine....and I let myself enjoy it.  But the difference between making a lifestyle change and a diet, is that it was a temporary indulgence.  Not letting it derail my efforts, it's back on the wagon today.  Tracked my points, drank my water, and ran my 3.1 miles.  whew.  We will see the true damage on the scale tomorrow at ww! ;-)

And summer tv....man, there is not a lot on to watch.  We are watching Friday Night Lights as the season comes to a close, the train wreck called The Bachelorette, giving Combat Hospital a try (China Beach is one of my all time fav shows so hoping maybe it will be good!  I still love Diana Ross's Reflections because of that show!), and of course...Big Brother starts Thursday!  Anyone else watching a new show or an old show we should give a try over the summer?

Can you believe we are already a third of the way through summer???

Happy 4th of July!

We had a great weekend.....friends, family, and lots of fun.  So good to see some friends we don't get to see near often enough, and we have our Dallas crew in town for the first time in years.  It was great!!  Wish we got to see all of them...the friends and the family....much more often!