Thursday, March 31, 2011

OPENING DAY!

 It's Opening Day here!!!! Gotta love the StL Cardinals!!! Woot!! I'm hoping we'll make it to the World Series this year! 
ALBERT PUJOLS rocks!

It's nuts around here. It should be a holiday in this city. I wish I was downtown where all the action is.  They have had coverage going since 4:30am today. Is anyone else's city like this? 

I'm loving it, for now, lol. Probably not so much in a month or 2 when I'm a Baseball Widow. I'm a football and hockey widow, too. Football is the worst. lol. (when it comes to losing the hubby for those months...)

Anyway, I just hurried up and made some cuppycakes for the boys for when they get home from school. I hope they like them.

ETA: Sorry, I lost a ton of pictures on my computer. Guess I need to remake a few things to get the pics back  up. ;)

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Blog Envy

Right now, I have blog envy. I know, I know, it's not good. I have found a few blogs that I LOVE. I wake up thinking about them and go to bed thinking about them. Some of these women out there are GENIUSES. Seriously. I LOVE their ideas, so creative!

I am stalking one blog right now. lol, not really, but I have spent 2 days looking at a bunch of her stuff. I have a lot of ideas running through my head right now, like the fact that at some point, I would love to make my island into a beaded base and butcher block......or that I need to put something above my BORING fireplace... I don't want a mirror there. I want either canvas pics or molding or something. Just not what I have right now. lol.

I want to have lots of followers, too! lol. I want people to read my blog and feel the same emotions I feel when I read some of theirs. Or not. Whatever the case may be.

Needless to say, today I have a bad case of Dragon Ass. I'm sitting here, drinking my Chai Tea (which is a new fave of mine, btw) and brainstorming. Meanwhile, I have loads of laundry to be put away, chicken thawing, trash to take out, dishes to unload and load and a whole list of other things. It's kinda gloomy outside which doesn't help!

I hope this gets better before I have to hit the gym tonight with my trainer...


Friday, March 25, 2011

Tutto Mare (sounds like Tutu Mar ay)

It's Lent and my husband LOVES fish. I'm not a big fan, but I am getting better at it. lol.



Here's a Tutto Mare recipe I make. (Made my own...) Feel free to tweak it anyway you need to, just please link back here if you are going to use some or all of it. Thanks!

1 bag of Sea Scallops
1 bag of shrimp
2 pkgs of crab "meat" (i use imitation)
1 1/2 sticks of butter or I used Parkay Light
1 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 bottle of Alfredo Sauce (yeah, this time I cheated a bit)
2 TBL of chopped garlic (I use more sometimes)
1 box of Linguine 
1 "jar" of milk ( I used 2% but I know others who use half and half)

My husband hates that I use whole wheat noodles, but I figure that this dish is so high in cals and fat, he needs to eat SOMETHING healthy!*Make sure you have a pot or pan big enough to fit the can of sauce, milk, and seafood.* (or you will end up like me and dirty 3 pans/pots....)



Put 1/2 stick of butter in a pan and 1 TBL of garlic. Throw the thawed Scallops in, the shrimp and the crab "meat". The scallops are what you want to make sure are cooked thoroughly, so when they get a bit pink, you are doing good. Tonight I threw a lid over the pan and let it steam so it would cook faster. After about 6 mins, it should be done. Put it on low and let simmer.

Boil your noodles. When they are done, drain them.  I then put the Alfredo sauce, the Parm cheese and the other TBL of garlic into the pot with the seafood. Fill the jar of sauce up with milk and pour that into the pot as well. Let that boil for a minute or 2. Stir it!


After it boils, take it off the heat and pour (carefully) onto the noodles. We top with Parm cheese or red pepper flakes, and ground black pepper. ENJOY!!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Stalling

I'm sitting here stalking reading blogs while drinking my 2pt Caramel Via Sbux... I need to finish painting the loft since I started that yesterday. I decided to stick with the Soft Suede from Glidden. I'm also going to use the Leather Brown, somehow.

It's time for the trim part and I HATE heights. I don't want to drag that ladder upstairs and get on it. I have 9 foot ceilings which kinda stinks at times. Well, really only when I'm painting or need to do something that requires a ladder, like changing a light bulb. lol
 This is going up the stairs (on one side)

 See that light? Yeah, the lightbulbs have burnt out a few times and we've been here 6 months. It sucks. I make DH get on a ladder and I have to hold it... That ceiling is way higher than 9 ft. That's where the "landing" is. (We have a T stair case)
This is a pic of when we moved in, it has since been drawn on. I wish I could upload that pic... lol. Lots of bright pink marker, since you know, that is baby girl's favorite color. *sigh*
That's kind of a crappy shot of the loft. When it's done, I will give you a better shot.

Anyway, the 2 older boys are with their dad fishing so I have a bit of peace (no fighting) right now. Ahhhhhh

Alright, time to finish reading a bit and then off to do the trim. BLECH.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Self Sabotoge and Emotional Eating

 I have come to the conclusion that I do this to myself. I can go a few hours (just being honest) or a few days and be very good about eating within my points (on WW). Then I get freaked out and have the urge to shove food in my face. I am DEFINITELY an emotional eater. (EE for short).


I haven't always been fat. See? That's me in college. I weighed about 139 in that pic and was like a 7/8 I think. I even wore a 5/6 at one point!  There were a few times in my life that I can remember a relative or 2 tell me I needed to gain some weight. If only that were true now. lol. There are times where I need to remind myself that I have given birth to 4 children. I am capable of exercise and do quite well with my trainer. I average about an 800 calorie burn twice a week with him. Actually, I make it a point to make sure I hit 800 cals every time I work out with him.

The worst time for me with the eating is at night, after the kids and the hubby are in bed. For some reason, I feel like I NEED to eat, even if I KNOW I am full. I think a lot of that is habit. Is it my reward for making it through the day? Is it my way of dealing with the pressure and the anxiety about different things? Is it my way of celebrating? Is it all of the above and more? Is it comfort? Yes. Not necessarily all of the above at once, but one or 2 things that bring it to the forefront.

Our cousin's son is getting married in 15 weeks. I'm really hoping that I can lose 30 lbs by then. My BFF is getting married in 34 weeks. I really want to have lost 75 or 80 lbs by then.

I just need to stop sabotaging myself. I mentioned that to my husband the other day. He agreed that I tend to do that. I will be on a good streak and then all of a sudden....it comes to a SCREECHING halt. I also told him he has to stop agreeing or asking if I need anything. As in, "do you want me to go get you something?" "Do you want a cappuccino?" etc. I LOVE that my husband is so kind and wants to make me happy, but like I told him, that stuff only leaves me temporarily happy and when the feeling of euphoria is over, I'm left feeling guilty, fat, bloated, sad, etc. Not good at all.

My goal is to work through this by writing, reading or exercising. I need to keep my mind off of eating my feelings or what not. It can be very hard. I know there are a ton of people who understand that. I'm trying to figure out why I feel like I "can't" do this, when I very well CAN. What is keeping me from losing this weight? What am I afraid of? What is blocking me? I mean, I don't want to be fat. I want to be thin again. lol. There's obviously something holding me back..... I can't conquer what I don't acknowledge or face. I wish I knew what it was.

So today I went and got myself a case of bottled water. It is bad for the environment, yes, but it helps me track what I am drinking. I am going to flood this body with water. This time tomorrow I will be floating! :)

Have a great night.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Revamping this blog

Alright, so I see so many blogs with such cute "easy access" buttons, etc and I'm trying to figure mine out. lol. I hope that I am doing this right.

and.... I didn't do it right! Eeek. How do I get my recipes over on my kitchen page????

off to google. :)

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Saturday in the park....

Today starts the hubby's first day of a week long vacay for him. :) So now I have the 4 kids and him at home for the week. E-gads. lol. For our first official outing, we went to a local park. It was SO MUCH FUN. I got some great pics, I am so thrilled. We only spent 2 hrs there, but the kids are well worn out. YIPPEEE! Except, so is the husband. boo. But, that's understandable, the poor guy is up at 1:30am everyday to get ready for work. BLECH.


It's thundering and lightening out like crazy now. Who would have thought that 2 hrs ago? Not me. I had wanted to get the firepit out and make s'mores with the kids, but we had to settle for ice cream sandwiches. They aren't too disappointed, so that's good. 

I'm hoping this week will be a good one and that we accomplish a few things as well. It was so nice to be able to relax and have fun and not worry about anything that needed to get done today. I LOVE days like this; I wish we had more!


 Can you tell that my oldest HATES having pics taken right now? Geesh, he's bad about it.
 
She refused to leave, so this was the only way we could get her out of the park...lol. Gotta love the fact that she's coming up on 3 years old... lol.

I'm off to put the kiddos to bed. I have a feeling that the hubby is already sleeping...

Friday, March 18, 2011

Sodium sucks

Last week I lost 3.5 lbs. I weigh in on Friday mornings. Well, this week, I had gained that 3.5 lbs back that I worked so hard for (5 days a week at the gym and an extra 55xx burned during those workouts). My measurements were up, too, a bit. I was NOT HAPPY.

I know that a lot of it had to do with the fact that I ate a few, ok, daily ate Smart Ones. That pre-packaged food is SO convenient but SO bad with the sodium content. I also didn't drink enough water and it probably didn't help that I ate a few pieces of chocolate chip cookie with icing...Yeah, I know.

But, I did my workout with my trainer and my friend and burned my 800 cals for the hour. For the rest of the night last night I just kept drinking. Water and "lemonade" flavored water...this morning I woke up and the scale was down 2.5 lbs. That was before the normal bodily functions.... I hope that tomorrow morning, it's down even more. I hate the fact that those things are so convenient, but obviously cause bloating and swelling with their sodium contents. BLAH. It's such a trade off.

I'm drinking more water. My trainer, N, thinks that I should drink a gallon of water a day. WHAT DA HELL? I will float away! lol. I also don't think that I can drink that much. My water HAS to be COLD. I mean, COLD. Like with ice particles/chips/whatever you want to call it. lol. Besides, Dr Pepper tastes so much better. :) I know, I know, that's a problem.

So today has been NO processed foods. Seeing that "gain", water weight or retention or whatever, was a smack in the face. I've got 34 weeks til my BFF gets married. I want to lose at least 70 lbs. That's totally doable at 2 lbs a week. Of course, I won't be at my goal weight, but close enough.

Anyway, here's hoping that this water intake helps float away some of the extra pounds this week. lol.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Balancing Act

Life is about balancing everything...I'm trying to balance the kids, housework, myself, etc and some days it's overwhelming. I am trying to lose this extra weight I've had for 8 years now...Gosh that's hard to read and write! YIKES.

I have some fantastic kids and a great husband. He works really hard to make sure that I can stay home and raise the kids. I'm very fortunate. Very. We've had our hard times (financially) and we are FINALLY out on top. I can say that a lot of our progress has been helped by creditboards.com. That website was a lifesaver for us.

I'm feeling a bit scattered lately with trying to keep track of the 2 older boys' school stuff and what's due when etc. I need to develop a better system as this Fall, 3 of them will be in school. I will only have one at home!!!! I'm hoping that will give me a chance to better keep up with the housework. lol.

I don't know how some of these moms do this. I have tons of laundry in the other room that needs to be folded and put away....I HATE that job. Hate it. I have a dresser out in the garage that needs to be finished. I started to strip it before school started and never finished. I'm waiting for some good weather days when I can pull it back outside on the driveway and finish it off! I've got a room that I need to finish painting the trim at the top of the walls. (I am NOT good with heights. I get nauseated) The ceilings are 9 ft...that's 3.5 feet taller than me. lol. blech. It also means I need a ladder and I would have to climb on that ladder. *pukey smiley*

The kids are on break starting Friday so hopefully I can "re-organize" or get situated again. Today I am balancing taking the kids to school, laundry, the gym with my trainer, the Direct TV guy, lunch, picking the kids up, making dinner, and homework stuff. Just a few things that come to my mind right away.

I'd really like to finish painting my foyer and loft. Did I mention that I repainted the foyer? lol. I liked the Toffee Crunch, but it was pretty dark. I switched to Soft Suede, another pretty color from Glidden. I'm also using Leather Brown by Glidden for parts of those walls...I was up til 2am the other night painting. It's hard to do it during the day. Once the 2 older boys get home, it's like a whirlwind of activity that doesn't stop until 9pm.

Anyway, off to "balance" everything. Or JUGGLE. lol.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Strep Sunday

Our oldest was complaining of headaches for a few days last week. I chalked it up to allergies. We made sure to give him his meds for those and some Motrin. Friday he said his throat hurt. mmm ok, well, we've been passing some viruses around this house for a few weeks. I hate viruses. Saturday he woke up and was sick, so I gave him his allergy meds and some Motrin. 20 mins later he walked by and I could see a rash sticking out underneath his shirt. He was covered head to toe. (in ALL SPOTS) I freaked and called the Med Exchange thinking he was having an allergic reaction and I knew I couldn't give him any Benny (Benadryl) since he just had his Zyrtec. The Dr said he figured it was from the "virus". (Have I mentioned how I hate "Viruses"?) So I was less worried now.

This morning I woke up and he showed me his arm. It has a petichiae looking rash on it, from his elbow to his wrist. I know what Petichiae are as my daughter has had this TWICE. (last week we went for blood work on her) I get him in the shower so we can head to the UC (urgent care). The Dr there was so old, he was shaking! All of a sudden, OS's headache and sore throat etc was "gone". OS is a nervous kid when it comes to Drs. He's worried about getting shots and stuff so I have to constantly reassure him there will be no shots. (when I know there won't be)

They did a strep test and that thing came back POSITIVE. I am glad I took him as the poor kid is probably feeling worse than he's letting on. No real fever of any sorts, just the pounding head and sore throat. He says it feels like when he's swallowing, something is stuck in his throat. Yesterday I looked in his throat to see if I could see the famous white spots and there were none.

But at least OS has some Amox now to help him. Unfortunately he is contagious for another 24 hours. We are keeping him in our room away from the other 3 kids. Although, at this point, I wonder how much actual good that is going to do considering the 3 boys fell asleep in our bed last night together. lol. It is so hard to keep them separate as OS and 2nd OS are like twins and have to do EVERYTHING together. No school for OS tomorrow. I think that makes 8 days this year. I am sure I will get a letter soon. I think at 10 days they could or do call DFS which is sucky, but all but 1 of his absences was related to sickness. I'm not concerned, it just seems like a hassle.

Stupid viruses. But thank God for that rash or he probably would be suffering another day. :(

Friday, March 11, 2011

Gym Gym Gym and more gym

Creative juices/thoughts are still flowing, but this week has been full of appointments, etc. I haven't had much time to do anything. I'm trying to go to the gym every day. So, for instance, Tues and Thursday, my days went like this: Wake up, get kids ready for school, drop the older 2 off at 8:30-8:40, take the soon2be 5 yo to speech therapy at 9. It's over @ 9:30, come home, eat something, get changed for the gym. Be at the gym by 10:30, exercise for an hour, get home about 11:45 or 12. Shower, eat lunch, run to Home Depot or Lowe's or wherever. Come home. Clean for an hour, stretch, etc. Go pick up the 2 older boys, come home, cook dinner, get kids ready for bed, clean up etc etc. CRAZINESS.

Today is my day to "relax". Well, really to catch up. We leave for the gym in 30 mins and then when I get home, I have to catch up on laundry and other chores that have fallen to the wayside... lol.

It has paid off--going to the gym AND watching what I am eating. 3.2 lb loss so far since Monday, really. :) I have to get off of here and get changed!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Ash Wednesday

So today is day 3 of eating clean and working out. I feel MUCH better since being back at the gym. OMJ. It's amazing the endorphins that I get from working out. I also didn't realize my mood swings were so bad when I DON'T go to the gym.  I have been having some major light headed episodes. I GOOGLED and figured out that I am probably dehydrated. I need to start drinking more, obviously. Oh, no, not THAT kind of drinking. HA! More water.

Ash Wednesday....the start of Lent. I am proud to say that yesterday was NO Fat Tuesday for me. :) I'm going to try and make it to the gym 5 days a week. That is my goal. I am also going to try and stay within my WW points for the next 40 days. I figure after 40 days it should be a habit so... see? I'm thinking ahead and planning for it! lol.

I have been reading quite a few blogs lately and my creative juices are FUH LOWING! I wish the Money Tree was, too. I know I can decorate fairly cheaply, where it looks good, but sometimes other things come up and I have to realize that we have only been in this house since September. That's only 6 months. SIX MONTHS? Wow. It has flown. Anyway, I know it can take years for people to "finish" their home. I'm just an obsessive freak over it.... I'd rather decorate than fold clothes and put them away. lol. I'm sure there are plenty of others out there in blog world like that, too.

Now, to figure out what's for dinner.... I think maybe some Enchiladas for the kids and hubby. I can probably eat one, too, I have to go check the points. I will post the recipe later, maybe.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Viruses, allergies, ear infections

Finally! It's actually going to be like 50 degrees here today. I'm feeling those stirrings of movement and change inside....I feel like I need to be up moving more and am wanting change. I don't know if that's because I REALLY need to lose like 80 lbs or what. The sun is actually shining and I feel like being outside. Of course, it could be because we've been cooped inside this house for the last week with too many viruses!!

I just took my 2.5 yo daughter to the Dr yesterday because of the Petechiae I found on her thighs and abdomen. She's had this happen before, but it was up near her face and neck. I wasn't too concerned, to be honest, because I figured it had to do with the cold she has. (hello, Virus??!) but the Dr insisted I bring her in, which I did. Then we went and had her blood drawn. Her platelet count came back fine. He's not sure why this happens to her but it could be virus related. Who knows? But I am glad I took her in because she ended up having an ear infection anyway! She's allergic to Amox, so we are Zythromax.

We had taken our oldest son (7.5) into the Dr last week because of his cough etc and was told, VIRUS. ::shrugging:: I hate that. I am happy though that we have an insurance that has ZERO copays for the kids up until age 18. 2 years ago we had insurance that the copays were $25 a pop. We have 4 kids and that was a year where all of them were constantly at the Dr or ER. $1200 later....So no copays *unless they see a specialist* is FANTASTIC.

My 2nd oldest son (6.5, yes, they are only 13 months apart) was home from school yesterday with a belly ache and a fever, that was more low grade. By the afternoon, he was running around. So, the mean mommy that I am, sent him to school today, even though he swears his belly hurts. I told him to go to the nurse if he got sick. They only have a half day anyway... it's 11am and no call yet. :)


So then we have my 3rd son, who will be 5 next month, who has allergies to milk, wheat, strawberries and oats. The nurse at the school called today (since I registered him for the Fall for Kindergarten) and was asking me all about it. He has a contact reaction with oats. He did for a bit with wheat, too, along with a physical reaction. (diarrhea) We are going back to see the allergist in a month to reevaluate. I wanted to make sure I had all of that down before he goes to school in the Fall. There are so many allergies! I didn't even have him tested for the outside stuff. The oldest is allergic to SOOO many outside and indoor things. He's miserable come Spring time.

I have a hard time keeping track of all of this, I'm gonna be honest. It's a lot! Anyway, I will be so glad when we are done with all of the sniffling, scratchy throats and coughs!

ETA: well, here it is 45 mins later and I just got a phone call to pick my 6.5 yo up. He's got a normal temp, but says his stomach hurts. *sigh* So he's home now and I've made him try and poop. lol. He said it's been a few days....hopefully this helps because I don't know what else it could be.