A Truth about Challenges

Some challenges are ridiculous! Like the challenge I gave myself saying
I'd blog once a day every day for a year. :) Hehe!
Whatevs!

I am on Google Plus and Pinterest every day and I feel like I share a
lot of my thoughts there. That leaves me at a loss for a blog post that
is BETTER than just a sentence or two about my silly day.

I have things to blog about, especially about yesterday, like my awesome
Mario Bro's costume and the Halloween Party we went to... about how
Saturdays are therapeutic for me because I tend to reset my brain and
recenter myself back down to reality (instead of the not-reality of
every-little-stupid-thing-matters-and-must-be-fixed-urgently).... but
the day comes to close before I have time or desire to share any of it
with the blog'overse.

So, I'm cutting back the challenge requirements.
I can only promise one or more posts per week instead of per day.

Does anybody really care anyway? LOL!!

Feeling Loved

I have the best husby in the whole wide world.

I love him.

And he loves me.

Right now our kids are gone. They had a movie deal that they got to go to so husby and I had three hours to ourselves to do whatever want!  

We went out to eat.

We did a little bit of shopping (last minute Halloween stuff).

We got ice cream (mmmm, pumpkin pie shake from Sonic!)

And now we still have an hour to spend and I'm on the computer in my "study" and he's downstairs watching Game 7. 

And I feel loved. Supported.  Adored.

I'm a pretty lucky lady.

He loves me.

And I love him.

I have the best husby in the whole wide world.

Candy Free Until Mid-November

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=293022197383289

So, I know that I do well when challenged.  Like, measurable, accountable challenges - like "I challenge you to lose a buttload (literally) of weight in x amount of time" or "I challenge you to make a difference in the community" ... that kind of stuff.  (I'm not modest!)
But seriously...

I think I do well with real challenges because the goals are usually juuuuust out of reach.  And, whenever something is juuuuuust out of reach, I know that I can still have a shot at it because I have God on my side and nothing at all is out of reach for Him in any way whatsoever.
That seems pretty simple.  It should, because it is.

So anyway, my newest, latest, greatest challenge is to go Candy Free until Mid-November.  This means that I, Ms Maggie, do solemnly swear to not eat even one piece of candy whatsoever between now (yesterday actually) and November 18th, 2011.

I can do it!

Know why?
Because candy is extremely fattening. And it's full of pointless calories. Calories that are good for nothing except putting lard on my thighs.  That's not too graphic is it?

My personal trainer at the Y told me last year that if an 'average' person eats one tootsie roll everyday for a week, at the end of the week that person will have consumed enough calories to gain a whole pound of weight.

Recent "research" has taught me that one hershey's kiss comes out to about 26 calories.  That's like 27 more calories than a whole stick of celery.

And really - who eats just ONE tootsie roll or ONE kiss anyway? Not me! How do you think I got to be such a 'big' girl?

So that's it. I'm candy free.  The teacher's lounge at the school where I work is creepy crawley with "fun sized" candybars.  The kiddos snacks (I have to classes a day, that means two snack opportunities a day) are ridden with sugary goodness, usually in candy form.  My own kids receive candy as gifts or rewards from relatives, friends, even neighbors at a rate that is alarming to my calorie conscious butt.  The very best ice cream on earth (from Coldstone Creamery) often has candy mixed in with it.  There's candy in my house right now (open bags!!) waiting for distribution at Trunk or Treat.  The kids are going to be LOADED with the c-a-n to the d-y in just a few days as they partake in the most obscene holiday we have around these parts.  My "candy drawer" really is going to be overflowing with candy in a week's time, instead of the stuff WE call candy in OUR house (fruit snacks, crackers, raisins, yogurt covered raisins, etc.)....

All that going against me, and I stand by my statement.

I will be candy free until November 18th!  and, let me add that it's my goal to have the kids candy stash totally GONE by then. Seriously. And those of you who mock my challenge should be willing to take bags of the crap off my hands ... that would be much appreciated.

That is all, thank you.

Excuses

I have bicep tendinitis.  Oops, guess I wasn't stretching enough when I was lifting weights 3-4 times per week during the challenge.

It has been my excuse for a lot of things:

• not sleeping
• being crabby
• skipping exercising
• not carrying heavy things (namely, kids)

The cure, says the good Dr., is some physical therapy and some heavy anti-inflammatories.  Basically she said that if I wanted the pain to go away now and fast and stay gone, then I'll have to do the formal therapy. Or, if I wanted to take my time with it, I could do therapeutic exercises at home by myself.

I hope the insurance covers it because who wants to sit around twiddling thumbs, avoiding exercise, losing sleep due to pain ...when there's the option to nip this thing in the bud.

This should be interesting - it will require physical therapy 2-3 times per week for a month or more.. it will take a 35 minute drive to get there and I'll likely have my two kiddos with me for most of those sessions.  I wouldn't mind if you feel called to pray for my sanity and patience...   oh, and healing.

Open Letters

Dear Husby,
I'd like it if you'd make this on your next day off, please (reminder: you're off tomorrow).  Thanks, sweetie!
Sincerely,
Wife

Dear Kids,
I love you more than I ever thought possible. And it keeps getting better. Every single freiking day.  This past weekend was a blast... and all we did was play together.
Smooches!
Mom

Dear Dogs,
Play together and be friends.  But, for the love of a peaceful home, STOP barking after the girls' bedtime. Gah.
Loves,
Maggie, the giver of your food

Dear work,
I don't mind you so much. It'd be awesomer, though, if I could make a living napping. Just sayin'.
Not Ungrateful,
Mrs. Maggie

Dear Exercise,
I do love you so. So, why is it so hard to remember that sometimes?
Needing Motivation,
Formerly way too large Maggie

Health & Diet

I have been watching a lot of documentaries and reading a lot of "articles" on the internet lately about healthy eating and all the different lifestyles/diets there are out there.

One thing I've learned is that I'm very impressionable.  The things I'm told about how diet affects your body in the long term stick with me. I'm thankful to have the gift of discernment, so I tend to research those subjects which interest me thoroughly before "buying" into them.  I'm the first to admit that I don't have a lot of time on my hands (wife, mom, employee, homeowner, pet owner, etc.) so I know that while my research seems "thorough" to me, it's not extensive by any means. I don't know who the producers are of the movies I'm watching nor do I really read into the authors of the things on the internet I'm reading about the subject.  I'd like to be more informed in that way, but I'm just not. I'm too busy for that and, truthfully, the purpose of my "research" (as I like to call it) is to get an understanding of my own body, my own diet, and how I can live in a way that is biblical and healthy.

I have a few favorites that I've seen lately.  One of my first favorite films was Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead."  This film made me want to go buy a juicer and become a vegan. No joke. Serious as a heart attack.

One of my most recent favorites is called Fat Head.  That movie made me want to go out for a 5 Guys Burger, hold the fries and (if I'm feeling extra healthy when I finally get that burger, I'll toss the bun).

I've tried to watch a few documentaries about medications and the recent research on the use of fluoride and all that, but I just can't sit through them. In my life right now, healthy eating and exercise is of great value.  The medication factor (and other supplements like vitamins) are a part of being healthy, but are not directly related to my eating lifestyle in this society.

I follow a few bloggers who are on the Paleo Diet. I read a lot of bloggers who eat only organic.  I personally know a handful of folks who despise (and rarely ever eat) vegetables.  I know a couple people who eat fast food at least 5 times a week. I know some people who hardly EVER eat out (they never know what restaurants I'm talking about when I mention them in casual conversation..  are you kidding me? I know of every restaurant in a 20 mile radius. I like to eat! and I love to eat out! but I digress...)

Honestly, my take on dieting and healthy eating at this moment is this: everything's good in moderation.  Not a new concept by any means, but certainly a more reasonable one to me than the "go vegan!" "no way, just eat more protein!" or "you'll be fine if it's all home-grown or organic!"  and the "don't worry about any of that" back-and-forth-thing that I could be entertaining.

My biggest battles with food right have little to do with what I'm eating ...  my personal battles have more to do with how much I'm eating. Especially when it comes to the tastefully delish variety.  But, I've lost 50 lbs this year and I've reached my goal weight for now. My plan is to maintain this weight until the new year, then go at it again to lose 10-20 more.

I've enjoyed being healthier.  Now THERE'S an understatement!  I've enjoyed it quite a bit. I can't even blog about it right now because I know there's enough pride in me to write a whole 'nother post. Perhaps I will someday.

But for now, I'm just going to keep reminding myself to walk away from the temptations.  To treat my body like the temple it is.  To be mindful of my caloric intake.  To exercise so that I can keep my new-found strength and energy.

Is there a documentary or an article you recommend on this subject? I'll gladly take a look!

1 Corinth 6:19-20 says, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

These are a few of my Pinteresting things...

I heart Pinterest. I find perusing the site to be completely relaxing. It can be a time-waster so I have learned to be careful and to only Pin when I'm ready for my me-time (as opposed to my family-time). Heh... 

Someone out there might be wondering, "What is Pinterest?" ...My best description for it is that it's a visual social medium. "To pin" is to peruse the site, finding things that inspire or interest you and then saving them in your own space so that you can go back to them later when you're ready to create or remember what you saw. Or, "to pin" is to save a picture of something on the www that you want to return to at another time..something that is inspiring or interesting to you that can be categorized in a way that will help you have easy access to it when you're ready to revisit it. For me, pinning helps organize my thoughts, inspirations, ideas so that I can return to the tutorials, ideas, recipes, etc. when I have a few free minutes to go at 'em. I often see something on the internet that makes me go, "ooooh! That's neat!" and then when I "red x out" I completely forget what it was that I saw or where I saw it. Pinterest is way better than having thousands/millions of "bookmarks" in your browser. 

 Anyway, I thought I'd share some of the things I've done lately that have been inspired by Pinterest.

The very first thing I ever did that was inspired by Pinterest was to recreate this artwork display. I don't have a picture to share because the board is still in the garage where it was painted months ago. I just haven't had the inspiration to finish it because it was intended for our "new living room" (used to be a playroom when I did daycare) and we just don't spend as much time down there as I wish we would (our big expensive fancy TV is in the "old living room, so that's where we dwell). Someday soon (next weekend??) I will finish it and hang it up and I will love it. :)

 I've also tried numerous recipes from Pinterest... a lot of which we will definitely do again as long as we remember to buy the ingredients. The latest recipe we put into action was pinned from this blog post. I had more fun making these thing the kids did, probably because I got to pipe the chocolate onto the pretzels while the kids just watched. Rebecca (4) loved putting the raisin in the middle of each pretzel stick starburst. :) Julia(7) just wanted to eat them... that's my girl.

Last week, it was Boss' Day, and while I don't typically enjoy "celebrating" such things, I do play along. It's been a very long time since I have ever had a BOSS... so I didn't mind going with it. I would have never thought to give a gift for this occasion if my co-worker hadn't texted me to let me know she was going to be buying flowers.. thank goodness for that sweet co-worker so I didn't look like a tool showing up empty handed. Anyway, I made a pop-top can of Oreo cookies (boss' favorite). It was fun. :) It was inspired by this post. Here's how mine turned out:

The picture is not very good - but the can itself was pretty cute. It was the easiest project I've ever done (except maybe for the next one I'll write about)... and it was a cheap gift that was meaningful.

 Ok so this morning, the girls and I were going over all three of our "invitations" for fun things to do today and trying to decide what we'd pick because we can't do them all. They definitely wanted to attend a friend's 6th birthday party, so we had to get to work on a gift for the friend. We decided to make her gift because it is more meaningful that way than rushing out at the last minute trying to find something cheap/silly to buy for someone that we don't know that well... husby and I aren't big fans of cheap plastic stuff - so we try to steer the kids away from it, too. A while back, I bought the supplies for these necklaces. I knew they'd come in handy! (I'm going to be making gifts for Christmas this year for teachers with these supplies!) I made my first necklace for my BFF (it was kind of crappy but she's the kind of BFF that said she loved it anyway :) She's sweet for letting me experiment and then give her the trials.) ... Anyway, we used the birthday invitation to make the necklace for our sweet six year old friend:

Well, there have been a few FAILs along the way too...

 I tried the dried bananas and they turned out pretty bad.

I put hot glue on the under side of our hallway runner and it's still slipping everywhere (but I think I just didn't use enough hot glue.. only dabbed the corners and a few spots in the middle.. I may re-try with strips all the way down the back side).

 I even made this fun wrap-scarf thing. The wrap/scarf turned out EXACTLY as it should have, the tutorial was perfect - but it just doesn't work for me/my style. I did use it as a scarf once at church, but I probably won't use it anymore. Maybe I can find something new to do with the fabric. :)

 I have more fabric just like it for this fun maxi skirt - I just need to muster up the courage to make the skirt...

Despite the fails and the sense of urgency I get when I see a really good idea that I love, I will use Pinterest as my search engine more than google now... because usually what I'm searching for can be found on Pinterest with pictures, tutorials, preschool lesson plans, coloring pages, craft ideas, etc...

 I have learned a lot from Pinterest. Like where to get free and awesome letters for finally framing the letters of our last name for display on our mantel and how to get the urine smell out of the carpet.

(We still need to hang our last name, but someone (me) forgot to make sure that the dollar-store frames we bought for the pictures were the kind that you can actually hang. oops...

 So those are a few of the things that have been keeping me busy lately... if you haven't been to the visual toybox that is Pinterest, and you have some time to kill, I highly recommend it!

Gems

I think Kindergarten or First Grade are going to be my FAVORITE stages for my kids. The reading and writing tugs at my heart strings EVERY SINGLE TIME. Rebecca is only 4, and she's a young 4, so she won't be going to Kindergarten next fall but the Fall after that. She's ready now. I kid you not - the girl is ready for Kindergarten and she has to wait one and three quarters of a year STILL before she can go. Which, really, is fine. Because she's my baby anyway and there's no hurry to get her into school to let the system start mucking her up. ;) But, I can't wait until Rebecca starts producing writing and drawings like Julia is right now. It's so much fun being a mom!

How can you look at this picture and NOT smile! Mr. Hell sure looks friendly, right? Hah! I love it... this picture is definitely in the "to save" pile that I need to figure out what I'm going to do with...

S.h.i.T!

So happy its Thursday! Its been a long week. I need to catch up on my organizing, Pinteresting, and kindle-reading. Sounds like a decent weekend to me!

Blog worthy

So, I've been looking forward to tonight all week, because it was in my plans that Wednesday night, the girls and I were going to the urban core to help a mission feed some under-resourced folks.  ...I knew that tonight would be meaningful and powerful, and somehow inspiring...
...and it was...
so I saved my today's blog post for the end of the day, knowing I'd have so much to write about...

...

...

{crickets}
..



..

I enjoyed the evening.  It was spent with an old friend that we do not see often enough. I met some new folks, got re-acquainted with some other new folks that I met last time I did this with this group of folks.. and it was all in all a good evening.  I came home feeling super blessed to have a home to come home to and I was thankful to find food in my cupboards and fridge, and yadda yadda yes, I'm grateful...  I just don't know how to put it all into words tonight I guess.

Is it blog worthy? or is it all kinda something I feel better about keeping to myself...

Well here's some blogossip for ya:
My seven year old told her biggest-lie-yet tonight.  It was over something relatively trivial - but if we let this lie slide, then when she's a teenie bopper, then these lies will be much more detrimental and horrific so we have to cover our bases early on and treat it as if this was, in fact, the WORST LIE EVER. 

The problem (I think?) here is that this girl has a GREAT conscious and hardly EVER makes bad choices.  She punishes herself with her own bad feelings after she's made a mistake.  It's a fault, really. 

So here she was caught in this big enormous lie (not really that big nor enormous but we're making it out to be because we're just mean parents I guess) and she's hysterically upset about it.   Hysterical. Like the world is going to end tonight and it won't be pretty kind of hysterical.

And part of me thinks that is pretty cool. Kind of funny in a way, actually.
But then the human part of me thinks it's pretty sad, too.  I mean - seriously - it's okay. She's already forgiven. No biggie, geesh.

But the fact that she doesn't know better than to let this TORTURE her inside makes my job as "mean mommy"  a bit easier.
(I think?)

...and that, my friend, is tonight's blog worthy news.

A Poem

Good boundaries make good friends; in the same light, healthy vulnerability can be a seed to create great friendships.

I hear your cry for friendship.
I feel your unmistakeable fear.
I'm here for you with open ears
if you will just let me hear.

The work it takes to make it
a friendship lasting long
requires a two way street
open to right and wrong.

Allow yourself to make mistakes
allow me to make some too
together we can grow a friendship
and bid your loneliness adieu.

Hate it when that happens

So I recently put a lot of thought, time, and effort into a cute crafy
thing (thanks Pinterest!) and this morning. It's a gift for somebody
who is going to receive it today. As I was putting the finishing
touches on the card that I made to go with the gift, I noticed that I
spelled the person's name wrong... When I was a kiddo, I could scribble
it out or turn it into a flower or something cute. Now, I'm all grown up
and I don't know what to do about it. There are not enough supplies to
make a whole new card. I tried to creatively turn two letters into one
letter but it's obvious that I made the mistake.

Don't you hate it when you finish a project and make a ridiculous
mistake at the very end, kind of messing up the whole thing?

....

Oh well. :)

Monday

After having all last week off, it's Monday again. This morning, I
asked God to help me see all the opportunities I will have in front of
me to bring a little heaven to Earth.

Challenges

I am learning that I respond well to challenges that I accept publicly.  Since I'm currently in a season without an official, measurable challenge, I thought I'd create one for myself.

The challenge:
To post to the blog at least once a day, every day, for one year.

The reason:
I love to write and I find it relaxing and a bit therapeutic.

The goal:
To have at least one sentence or picture posted to the blog everyday.  It doesn't even have to be meaningful :) (I'm all about attainable goals!)

The easy part:
I'm naturally wordy and I get along well with the computer.

The hard part:
I'm a pretty private person and I like to shell up into a nice comfy private hole when I feel like someone's pushing too hard to get a glimpse into how/what I'm doing.  Also? Frankly, the hardest part is going to be remembering to just do it.  I'm on the computer for at least 5 minutes a day every single day anyway, usually doing nothing very important. It won't take much to put up a simple thought, sentence, picture or comment... as long as I can remember to do it.

The predicted outcome:
I can see myself completing the challenge and having a glimpse into a year in my life to look back on. Hopefully I'll be able to capture some things about my cute kids in the meantime... cause they're more fun to write about anyway.

Let's see how it goes!

Not a Morning Person

I used to loathe mornings.

Every night when I go to bed, I thank God for our comfortable bed. I don't want to ever take my warm and comfy bed for granted. I've even facebooked  (look! a verb!)  about how comfortable I think my bed is.  Weird, maybe - but I do take pleasure in relatively simple things, I think.

The worst part of my day is used to be when I wake up.  I never like to be pulled from my comfy bed and into the reality that another day is ready to take my energy away.

So, the thought of getting up early to exercise seemed ridiculous to me!  When I started my new job, I met some people who purposefully get up two hours before they HAVE to just for the purpose of working out.  Ridiculous, I say!  I said I could never do that. I said there's no way in H-E-Doublehockeysticks that I would ever get up early on purpose... just to work out.

And now I'm doing it.

Say what?

Yep. There's a few things working here:

• I'm working outside my home now so the time I have at home is much more coveted than it has been in the past.
• Time with my kids is precious to me, and I'm tired of taking time away from them to work out in the evenings before they go to bed.
• I'm working a demanding job (physically demanding, sometimes emotionally demanding, and psychologically challenging at times) so I'm SPENT at the end of the day, which means there's no room for a late workout. 

How do I do it? How did I finally teach myself to get up early to work out before starting my day?  The answer is simple. The answer seems ridiculous to most people.  The answer is this: I left it up to God.

I literally told God that there was no way in H-E-Doublehockeysticks (maybe I didn't use that expression, maybe I simply said no way on Earth) that I was going to be able to get up early on my own.  I told God that if I was going to start getting up early for a workout, that HE was going to have to get me up.

So, He did.

One night, I went to bed on time and asked God to please help me appreciate the insanity of working out in the early mornings, and the next day, I woke before my alarm clock. (Not much before... not enough time for a full workout, but enough time to feel the earlyness and to learn that early will not kill me.)

Another night, I went to bed and asked God to help me get up with enough time to work out before getting ready for work.  The next day, my kid wet her bed (unusual!) and so I had to get up to change the sheets.

Some mornings it's simply that I have to pee at the buttcrack of dawn and so there I am - UP, with plenty of time to exercise before work.

Do I enjoy it? Not so much.  Is it fun? Meh, nope!   Is it worth it?  ..... oh HECK YEAH.   My day starts earlier but I get more accomplished. My appetite is better throughout the whole day. I'm in a better mood after work.  I have the whole evening to play with my kids instead of plotting my workout.  It's way worth it. 

And that is how this non-morning person has managed to get up by 5am on recent mornings to enjoy an early workout before my usual shower and morning routines begin at 6:45.  

And - truth be told - a 3 mile run at dawn is way more enjoyable than at 5pm or 8pm or 10pm.  Mornings are beautiful! The sounds are beautiful, the sky is pretty, the calmness in the streets and in neighborhoods is beautiful.  There's beauty to early mornings. I just needed to learn to appreciate it.  Thanks, God, for showing me how to act like a morning person! :)

Praying

My long time friend (she was my best one for the bigger part of my adult life) died from cancer a year ago yesterday. I'm praying for her family, especially her husband who is now a widow at my age'ish.

A friend of mine lost her grandmother recently and is heartbroken. I pray for her and her entire family who lost a matriarch. 

A relative of mine owns a small business in this economy and would like to eat a square meal.  I'm praying for financial relief.... in some form or another.

My cousin just found out she has an aggressive brain cancer.  I'm praying for her, her family (including 3 kids), and myself, selfishly.

Another relative of mine is under the pressure of owning three homes - living in one money pit and in and out of renting away the other two money pits. I pray for the economy, for this relative's wisdom to know when/how to make financial decisions that will impact the rest of their life (financially anyway), and for the renters/buyers in the area.

A very good friend of mine is under the pressure of paying two mortgages after having to re-gain possession of their (old) house due to a rent-to-own deal gone bad. I pray for the family financially and for the market to turn around quickly.

A long time friend of mine has been unemployed for almost a year. I pray for him to regain hope, to find his passion and to be offered a position quickly.

Another great friend of mine is dealing with the pressures and emotions of divorce and separation.  I pray for her to find peace.  

One of my sweet under-5-years-old friends is helping his/her mom feel respected, loved, appreciated, and important as a single mother... especially when life gets in the way.  I pray for the child and the mother.

One of the people in my life who I highly respect and admire is due for another CT scan soon - to find out if the cancer has returned.  Whether it has or not, cancer has taken the life out of this friend. I pray.  

One of my friends just had surgery today to remove a tumor.  It's benign, but still scary.  And because of this surgery, the possibility of having more children has been taken away.  I pray for the whole family and for my friend's broken heart.

One of my newest friends just lost her job on Friday.  I don't know why/how, but I do know that it brings tears to his/her eyes to talk about it.  I pray for the family and for a new job.

...

I'm sure there are others I specifically should be praying for.  There are abundant blessings to be thankful for and I'm praising God for those things as well... 

Easiest Salsa Recipe EVER

Inspired by my new lifestyle and also by this recipe, I decided it was time to throw together my own salsa.

I know that the fresh stuff (not canned) is MUCH healthier than this version. However, I don't happen to have the fresh produce on hand, and I happened to be in somewhat of a salsa emergency (read: Need Salsa Now).

I wanted to whip up something quick and I didn't want to have to go to the store to buy anything for it.  I must say, the finished product is quite impressive. Its' yummy!

Here's what I did:
Opened one can of Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies, Lime and Cilantro
Opened one can of Dice Tomatoes with Green Chilies (original)
Poured the cans of maters in a bowl.
Added a heaping spoonful of minced garlic (from a jar - forgot to include in this pic)
Chopped and added a handful of cilantro (more stems that are in this pic - I just eyeballed an amount that looked good)
Cut a lime in half and squeezed most of it's juice over all of it.
Stirred.
Added salt.
Tasted it.
Added another squeeze of lime (can't have too much, really!).
Took this crappy picture.
Covered & refrigerated.

I plan to put this over some grilled chicken tomorrow.   ...As my dad would say, "Yumskers!"

Food Choices

Here's another post about that again...

When I woke up this morning, I was faced with these choices for breakfast:

Option One

Spinach Shake (It's YUMMY'er than it sounds!)
1 whole banana, 1 cup coconut water, 1/4 fresh Orange, a little ice and a handful of spinach

Option Two

One bowl of Multi Grain Cheerios

Option Three

One bowl of Fruit Pebbles

So ... what did I choose and what did my thought process look like??
Well, to be perfectly honest, I wanted Option One. Really I did.  Honest.  I had that exact smoothie the other day and it was perfectly delicious.  Why I didn't go with Option One is simple: The blender is noisy and my family was snoozing.  Plus, the spinach is expensive and with my new hobby of eating right and exercising more, I have to ration those expensive nutrients so that they last throughout the whole week.  Spinach is my friend, I love it. It tastes good and is about the healthiest thing I put in my body.  Making a spinach smoothie for breakfast seems like a smart way to start the day.

Option Two was enticing at just 110 calories per 1 cup serving.  Of course, my serving sizes are a bit bigger than that...  but the package label promised lots of good nutrients despite my inability to scarf just one serving on an empty stomach.

Option Three.  Ahhhh Fruity Pebbles - let me tell you something about Fruit Pebbles.  They are so delicious.  It's my weakness - delicious, sugary cereal. ..... I recognize that's CRAP though.  No nutrients. But, at only 110 calories per 3/4 cup serving, it was a hard thing to pass up this morning.

Why do I have CRAP cereal in the house, anyway?  Well - I believe that my kids need to be exposed to, offered, and sometimes even tempted with CRAP every once in a while in their own house so that they are not overcome with pure joy when they encounter such crap at a friends house or at grandmas house (for example) elsewhere in their lives.   .... The fact that we let our kids consume CRAP on a regular basis does not make me a bad parent. On the contrary, I'm quite a smart, educated one. :)    My kids are allowed one helping of CRAP twice a week - on the weekends only.  They choose between a bowl of something like delectably delicious and oh-so-naughty Fruit Pebbles and a banana or a bowl of Raisin Bran and some pop tarts.  Either way, they get CRAP and we all win.  Somehow that works, think about it.

ANYWAY.....  I am happy to report that I opted for Option Two. My helping of MultiGrain Cheerios was LOADED with vitamins and minerals and whole grains that sustained me until lunch.

However, I think it's a bit cruel and unusual that Fruit Pebbles appears to be a contender in this... don't you?  

Ahhh the weight OUT is in October. I'm thinking Fruity Pebbles Treats will be a nice reward for winning the grand prize. :)

Funny Habit

My husby works shift work and his schedule is crazy.  He's home, he's not, he works nights, no days, he works this weekend, wait no he doesn't .... if it wasn't for Google Calendar, there's no way I could tell you if he's even home right now.

I recently got a new job - that I LOVE.  And with this new job, there's no more working in PJ's.  No more sweat pants, no more mis-matching.  

Well, actually - there is.  I'm doing it right now. I'm finishing the summer with the business, but when school starts it's hi-ho hi-ho back to work I go.  (I am excited!!!!)

The funny thing about husby working shift work and me having a "real job" in which I have to get up early and get ready for work and leave the house by a certain hour is that I have to plan ahead.  When I go to bed, I have to figure out whether husby is going to be here the next morning when I get up - because if he is, I need to get dressed quietly.  If he's not, it's an all- lights- on,- music -blaring,- getting -ready -with -my -Jesus -while -I -worship -in -the -shower kind of morning.

But he works shift work and it's hard for me to remember whether or not he's going to be here, so most of the time I just plan like he is so that my clothes and necessary morning-items are ready for me when I get up anyway.   And even though I'm still working with the kids this summer, I'm already starting to train myself for when school starts so that the ole get-back-to-school routine isn't a shock to my system.

 Since I have been working out, I have required a little more morning prep.  So, this week, I've taken extra care to set things out before bed.

The thing that has been cracking me up in the mornings lately is that it's summer and our bedroom is as light as noon at 7 a.m.  (Whoever thought it smart to install a skylight in the master bedroom is an idiot... just sayin.)   So while I'm sure to find socks that match my shirt and hair accessories that work well for my planned 'do, I crack up every morning at the sun.

I guess I trained myself well during those dark Spring months, when I just started my job and had to get dressed in the dark.  It was annoying going through my sock drawer with my phone as a flashlight.

Oh well, if I keep this up, I'll be well trained for this Fall/Winter when husby needs to snooze and it's dark at 7 o'clock.


Do you have any old habits that don't hurt anybody/anything that kind of make you giggle every time you do them?

Getting Hot and Bothered

Nope, this isn't another post about weight loss (but it's going GREAT, thanks for asking!!).  :)

It's also not a post about s-e-x so those of you visiting from google or some other such search engine, Welcome but ... sorry?

This one is about temper.

When I was a wee little girl, my mom used to roll her eyes at my dad for "doing the monkey."  (Hey that does sound kinda bad!)

"The Monkey" is a series of moves one makes with body language and blatantly obvious footsteps when annoyed.  For example, if you're at the grocery store looking at a birthday card for grandma, and some stranger comes in and pushes her shopping cart at you to scoot you away from those cards so that SHE can look for a birthday card for HER grandma, one might make big "monkey" moves as they scoot out of her holy high precious way.

I was able to witness "the monkey" a lot as a kid - I guess my dad got annoyed a lot.  Sometimes, the monkey moves would even come out in our own kitchen. I didn't realize as a young kid that there was only allowed one person in the kitchen at a time.

That makes my dad sound awful.  He's not.  He never has been awful.  He just appreciates his personal space and believes it to be a common courtesy for other people to recognize that. No harm, no foul.  

However, having that example in my life has caused me to re-learn a few things as an adult.

The monkey is not an attractive dance.  My husband hates it when I break out the monkey.  As it turns out, I think he's right in that someone can indeed pour himself a bowl of cereal while another person is making her oatmeal. Two people can indeed live harmoniously in the kitchen together at the very same time.
 ....I can't help but wonder if dad does the monkey at his home with his new'ish wife.  I might have to call her later on to ask her - it would buy us some easy giggles if nothing else. :)

As an adult, I decided to choose weather or not I was going to get outwardly annoyed with others.  I taught myself to remember that everybody else's "Normal" is not my normal. That I may do things that thoroughly annoy other people in public and not even know it.  And, when I started to realize this, I began to recognize the monkey moves as ... childish. (Sorry dad!)

How do you react when someone cuts you off in traffic?  Do you get hot and bothered? Do you throw your hands up and maybe even shout out loud? Do you, in your head, think "what am I? Invisible?!"

How do you handle it when someone beats you to a parking space you were obviously about to park in? Do you take it out on the poor steering wheel? The gear shift?

What do you do when you're looking at your grocery list in the store and someone asks you to move, when you're clearly not in their way anyway? Do you stuff your list away and scoot your cart to another aisle in a matter that is sure to make your point?

Maybe it's just me and my family. Maybe you don't get hot and bothered like this at all.. in public or at home.

But if you do, or if you have before - what is it that sets you off to dance the monkey?