Exercise High and Similac Beetles....

I'm so glad I went back to Zumba after Andie was born. It's amazing how fast that hour goes by when your shakin' your ass to that loud Latin music! I felt extra motivated tonight for some reason and I really pushed myself and it felt AMAZING!! Tonight was the second time I've gone this week so I hope that reflects at this weeks weigh in!

Exercising like that even motivated me to get back on track with eating and tracking! I haven't by any means gone off track as far as my food choices are concerned, just slacked a little on measuring and tracking.

Speaking of eating... I made the most amazing dinner last night. I found a recipe on WeightWatchers.com and amended it a little bit. The recipe was called Baja Taco Blitz. I started with a 96% fat free tortilla (2 points) top with grilled chicken, cubed (3 points), a squeeze of lime, sauted(w/cooking spray) sweet onions and bell peppers, fat-free sour cream, and green taco sauce. It was an instant hit, not only with me but my whole family!

Alright, WTF (please excuse my obscene letters) is with the beetles in Similac? Oh yes it's true.

And guess who had 3 containers of recalled formula? That'd be me.

Next, guess who didn't have any other fomula in the house? Me again.

And Last, Guess who got to run to the store in the middle of the night, stand in front of the baby formula twiddling their thumbs because she had absolutely no idea what to look for in a different formula? Yep, you got it. Me.

I was so mad last night I'm sure there was steam coming from my ears as I walked through the store when I was getting new formula. But, now that I've cooled now and my baby isn't drinking beetles anymore I think this may have been a blessing in disguise. The new Enfamil brand I chose is doing wonders for my sweet little Monkey's gas problems! Needless to say, when the recall is over and the formula is "safe" again we won't be buying Similac.

I'm glad it's all figured out now, and Andie slept for 7 hours last night-she must have been relieved too....

Weigh in day...

Da-da-daaaaa...

I felt like suspenseful music was appropriate there. I lost another 1.2 lbs this week! I weighed at 220 on the dot tonight so next week I'm hoping to break that second digit and be in the teens! I didn't track as well as I should and could have, I just got lazy. I probably would have had better results had I been more diligent, so I'll try harder this week!

I went back to Zumba for the first time since having little Andie. I thought I would be so lost, I was even afraid I wouldn't have the stamina to finish! But I did, and loved it! I surprisingly even remembered some of the steps! I've never experienced being high on any drug, but if it feels like what I feel like after Zumba I can totally understand how people become addicted. It makes time go by so quickly which for me is important when doing exercise. I don't wanna force myself to trudge through something I'm not enjoying!

Tonight at Weight Watchers the lesson was about asking for help. I think I do a fairly good job at this when it comes to my weight loss. I ask for help taking care of the kids if an activity isn't stroller friendly. My family and friends know what I'm doing and don't try to pressure me into bad choices. (Someone in the meeting actually said their friend peer pressured them into eating at a restaurant when they didn't want to... I'm thinking time for some new friends!) I'm lucky to have awesome supportive friends and family!

Biggest Loser anyone? I watched the premiere tonight and was so motivated by the end I was ready for another workout! Some of those people have had to go through some serious struggles in their lives and to see them trying as hard as they are is inspiring. The woman who lost her 3 year old son to cancer broke my heart! I don't think I would be able to function if I lost a child, let alone get up there in front of America and feel so vulnerable and open about such a sensitive subject as weight. My hat is off to this woman, those two things require bravery I'm not sure I have.

One last thing, my thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Jessica Wilson. She was hit by a car and killed on the BYU campus this past weekend. I worked briefly with her at Wal-Mart and while she was only an acquaintance it's chilling to hear about her untimely death. She was kind and soft spoken and very easy to get along with in the little time that I knew here. Without a doubt I'm sure she leaves behind many who love her. RIP Jess.

So behind...

365 of Frankiestein and Andes Mints!

{Seven}
Frankie was running around Grandma's House.
♥
Andie's face is just priceless. She's good at those.
♥ her.

{Eight}
Friends and Sisters.

Frankie and Andie.

Tatum and Jaelee.
(Missing you Levin and Brighton)

{Nine}
Yes, I almost forgot to take pics this day. :)
And yes, I'm still behind a few days. I know my kiddos are amazingly beautiful, but you'll just have to wait! Bwahaha!

Tuesday Blog Hop!

Hippity Hop! I'm finding new friends! This is the first blog hop I've participated in! :) My blog is growing up so fast, where DOES the time go?

Exercise? Nope. Bloggy Bootcamp? YES!!

I'm mesmerized gazing into baby Andie's eyes and catching glimpses of her adorable dimples as she flashes me sweet little smiles. It's just the two of us, our other two crashed out early tonight. I love these special little bonding moments. I'll probably remember this moment for the rest of my life. :)

I didn't exercise today. I feel a little guilty. It was a busy day for me and by the time I had time to exercise I really just felt like 1.) eating and 2.) vegging in front of the computer for some Photoshop and blog time.

I didn't eat very good today either. I didn't go over my points or even make the worst food choices but I definitely didn't prepare like I should have. This should explain what kind of day it was: Breakfast: Rockstar lite coffee drink. Only 2 points, however, not that great tasting. Waste of money. Waste of points. Lunch was non-existent, unless you count the tiny piece of cake I had at a birthday party. (Which I'm going to blame for the slight stomach ache going on right now...)

And definitely not a great way to start the day. I made up for it at dinner. Egg white omelet, Alternative English muffin, yogurt. Healthy and satisfying!

In other SUPER EXCITING news, I've decided to go to Bloggy Boot Camp in November! I'm going with Marci and it's being held in St. George so it'll double as a girls road trip!! I'm so excited to learn more about blogging, networking, and writing. The speakers all seem so fantastic! And, believe it or not, I'm looking forward to stepping out of my comfort zone and meeting new people! I'm entering to win a ticket over at The Daily Blarg's giveaway! I started browsing hotels today and I'm getting SO excited! It ends on Monday so cross your fingers for me!




Well my little love bug is sitting here on my lap crashed out now, too. You know what they say "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." And, I don't mind if I do!

Zzzzz......

It's about time...

Well, well, well, when life gets busy - life gets BUSY! But here I am now so let's get started.

This week has been crazy! 15 credits at school and a newborn is proving to be a lot more challenging than I thought, but I'll make it through (even if I pull all my hair out by the end of December.)

It's about DAMN time- I had THE BEST weigh in of my life! I lost 5.4 lbs this week! I could barely sit still in my meeting, I wanted to scream, dance, cry... That is the most I've ever lost in a week... ever! It put me right back on track with my goal of 2.5lbs a week. Total lost 7.4lbs! Wow, even just typing it now I kind of want to jump up and down!

One thing that I think impacted my weigh in in a positive way was my attitude. I felt horrible gaining at my second week and the old me would have beat herself up all week long, deprived myself of anything not completely diet in turn just starting the vicious cycle of feeling bad all over again. BUT I didn't. This week I didn't, I ignored the gain went on about my busy busy business. I tracked what I ate religiously, and just made sure to get in my activity daily.

It's about time I found a few new low point favorites from the grocery store. The Western Alternative Bagel, and English muffin are only 1 point each - and taste the same as the regular kind to me! I just tried the Weight Watcher's brand cream cheese for the first time, 1 point for 2 tablespoons - lovin' it. I also found some New Quaker oatmeal - Hazelnut Latte flavored! It's not bad but definitely better with a lil cinnamon or splenda. It smells just like a Hazelnut Latte though, YUM!

It's about time I got back to Zumba! Tonight was FANTASTIC! I haven't been since I was about 4 weeks prego (last December) and I didn't know how much I missed it. It is such a great workout because it's SO fun! The teacher at the particular class I go to has such great energy I don't think I could have a bad time if I tried! I can't wait for next Thursday!

Cheers to another great week! Are you on a weight loss journey too? Please leave some comments, questions... let's talk!

I haven't forgotten about my blog challenge of 365 days of Frankie and Andie, I have been taking the pics I just haven't had time to get them uploaded and posted, but they're coming!!

Favorite Fall Memories

There is something about Fall that makes my heart jump for joy! I love the feeling of the first time you step outside and realize... Fall is right around the corner. The air is crisp and cool and has a distinct smell that I can't quite put into words. The sun seems to create a warm cast on everything and there is an eerie quietness all around, even if you are in the middle of traffic, or at a park, fall is quiet. Or perhaps it only seems this way because of the leaves rustling as the wind blows? Fall has always been a time of contemplation for me. As the world around me changes I feel it necessary to do the same.

I always associate the beginning of Fall with going back to school. A new year, a new you, time for rebirth, reinvention and creation. The beginning of the school year always filled my head with ambition to go above and beyond, do the best and be the best. But slowly as time went on schoolwork (sadly now) took a back seat to social time just in time for Halloween.

Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday! It has the best traditions, best colors, best food and treats... it is the best! Who doesn't love to dress up, eat good food and get spooked? One of my absolute favorite memories of Fall time and Halloween is when I volunteered at a spook alley! Maybe I'm strange but I find that terrified "OMG" look on people's faces after you jump out and give them your best roar, FREAKIN' HILARIOUS! I could seriously watch those youtube vids ALL day. However, being there in person for the shriek is the best!

When I think of Fall inevitably I think of the album In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth:3 by Coheed and Cambria, only the best band on our planet... and any planet for that matter. I still remember the day I bought it, I was out of town in Las Vegas, NV and I bought it at the Virgin Megastore in Ceasar's Palace (and I think it was Oct. 4, 2003, but I could be wrong.) This album and band has changed my life and I will forever think of Fall when I listen to In Keeping Secrets, and I will forever think of this album during Fall time.

One of my earliest Fall memories is one of my Halloween costumes that my mom made when I was 4 or 5 years old. I was a 1920's flapper girl! I LOVED that costume! I can still remember watching my mom sew it at our kitchen table. It was lavender and I loved the way I could shake the fringe! I could even go as far as to say that I loved this costume so much, it inspired me to research fashion in the 1920's as my senior project in highschool. I recreated the costume in pink!

I could go on with memories of Fall forever, but I will stop with just one more, the birth of my amazing Frankie. October 11, 2007 changed Fall time for me in the best way possible, she was born at 11:03 pm by emergency c-section. After 12 long hours of waiting for something, ANYTHING to happen my blood pressure was only rising and my body was showing no signs of it happening on it's own. 3 years later I couldn't be more proud of my little lovely. She's smart and beautiful, kind, generous, polite and makes me smile like no other Fall memory could.

{5 and 6}

Day 5

I promise I take her out of her carseat, she just usually looks so peaceful and so i snap a pic!

Day 6

Lovin' her new boots!

Spectacular Saturday!

My legs are aching something fierce tonight.

Roxie and I rode our bikes 5.5 miles today! I know it doesn't seem like very far on a bike, and it's not, but when you're just starting out on the work out wagon it's far enough. It felt so good to be active and the weather couldn't have been nicer! I earned 4 activity points. The trail we rode on was almost entirely shaded and the trees grew up around the path creating a tunnel. It will be a beautiful place to ride when the leaves start to change. (Which I am SO excited for!)

On our little excursion we even ran into "Bill Nye, the science guy." I kid you not this dude was a spitting image. We also met a man I've nick-named "The toothless ninja" he was pushing his shopping cart, yes, I repeat, a shopping cart full of fishing gear down the trail until he found a nice place to fish. Exhibit A:
After the bike ride I felt like I deserved a little treat, so I pick up a little Red Mango! No Key Lime this week but this Madagascar Vanilla topped with a little granola and fresh strawberries (3 points) is good enough for me! Exhibit B:


I'm going to be trying some new weight watchers dinner recipes this coming week! :) Check back for pics and recipes!

{Four}

Tater tots, it's whats for dinner!

Very excited because Daddy found the purple plate she wanted.

Watchin' Mom fix the bike.

oops... big spit up!

{Three}

Day 3 of 365 photo challenge!

What an eventful day! Andie is pictured with Dr. Bennett, she delivered Andie and Frankie and I have a picture of her with both girls now!

Frankie, Frankie, Frankie.... she decided she wanted to wear make up today, how could I resist taking a few pics. We were laughing our heads off! She was putting make up from ear to ear, litterally!

{Two}

♥

Kisses

She's so proud to be a big sister, check out this smug face...

Oh Andie's face in this one is PRICELESS!

Day 2 of 365 days of Frankie & Andie

Day 1 of 365 day blog challenge!

I got this idea from a friend of mine, Marci. I'll be posting a new picture of my kiddos everyday for a year!! I'm excited to watch their transformations over a year!

We started our day with a walk at the mouth of Provo Canyon. The weather was beautiful and so are my babies.

Frankie telling us about the fish in the pond.
Andie's first smile? Maybe.
Frankie spotted the fish in the pond for the first time.
Enough pictures mom, honestly I'm in my pajamas and I have a milk mustache!

Ouch! Not such a good weigh in...

Alright. This is not MY fault, oh no. I'm not taking responsibility for this gain, I'm blaming the holiday weekend and moving on. Watch your back scale, next week you're going down!

I tracked. I exercised 6 days this week. I held back from eating a lot of tasties while visiting my grandparents and for what? A 1.6 pound gain.

That brings my total lost from 3.6 to 2lbs.

UGH.

Part of me really wants to give up. It's only the second weigh in and already I've had a gain. Am I just not as motivated as I think I am? Then the other half of me gives myself a swift kick in the mental ass and I realize that I don't really want to give up, I just want this to be easy.

But it's not, I know that.

SO. I'm done with the negative self-talk and ready to get pumped. This week I'm amping up my exercise and setting clear goals for myself. Not just for weight loss but in all aspects of my life. I've got to clear my head a little bit if I'm going to make this busy life work.

Tonight at my Weight Watcher's meeting we talked about storyboarding. We picked a goal for ourselves to complete by October 23 and came up with steps to achieve it.

My goal was to reach my 10% weight loss goal, which is 22.8 pounds.

{One} Go to Zumba class once a week. I discovered Zumba just a few weeks before I found out I was pregnant with Andie. I went a few times after I found out but as the morning sickness got worse so did my motivation. I LOVE it and I think this will be a great way to have fun and exercise.

{Two} Measure and weigh all food. I am pretty good at this until dinner time. I'm going to be sure not to get lazy and guestimate.

{Three} Exercise 6 times a week. Walking with Roxie has been great to get this done, I think I might need to incorporate more vigorous activity as well though.

{Four} Establish a routine. At the moment my days are crazy. I feel like I'm running from one thing to the next. I need to establish somewhat of a routine to create balance in my life.

{Five} Clear my head. All the running around is making my head feel like a muddled mess. I've got to prioritize my time and quit feeling guilty when I take a little "me time." Even if it's only 20-30 minutes a day I think a little time to myself could make a big difference in my mental energy level.

{Six} 10,000 steps a day. I have a nice pedometer I plan to start wearing tomorrow. I'd better start walking places!

I feel very confident in my goal, really that's only 20.8 lbs to lose because after this weeks gain I've still lost 2 overall. This will put me so close to breaking the 200 mark and that is such a GREAT feeling.

On a side note, I'm starting a blog challenge tomorrow I heard about from my friend Marci. 365 days of pictures of my babies! It should be so fun to see how much they change and grow from start to finish.

I heart them.

In the end, as depressing as a gain can be, they are my heart and I know they don't want or need me to be down about anything. I'm looking forward to the positive changes I'm making in my life, I know that it can only get better from here.

Time for a deep breath....

I could swear yesterday was Thursday. It's just been that kind of weekend. Fun, yes, but so busy.

So much to share...

Friday
Friday night we had a dinner for Andie's "blessing." We don't belong to any church so we just had a family get together to celebrate our little love girl. My food actually turned out good and on time! I made chicken broccoli pasta with a rosa alfredo sauce and topped it with mozzarella cheese. For dessert I made cupcakes. Peanut butter and jelly and strawberry shortcake flavors. The strawberry shortcake kind is my newest creation. I used a vanilla cupcake, filled it with strawberries that had been soaked in balsamic vinegar and sugar topped with whipped cream and biscotti shavings! YUM! and so NOT diet friendly! But don't worry I planned for it and didn't even go over my daily points!
Saturday
Saturday we went to Flaming Gorge to stay with my grandparents for a night and try to get away from the normal for a bit. Getting away from the normal included eating my grandma's delicious and oh not so diet friendly food. (hmm... seems like a reoccurring theme in this weekend's adventure).

Every year on Labor Day weekend there is a boat show at the lake where people decorate their boats with lights and have a parade on the water! After the boat show there are fireworks to watch. It was the first time Frankie was really into the fireworks without hesitation about the loud boom! I was so proud of her!
Did I mention I stepped in some damn animal's hole and fell flat on my face? Yes, it happened.

Sunday
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday... This was my favorite day of the weekend. I finally felt like things were slowing down a bit and we weren't running around like chickens with our heads cut off. We drove home on Sunday, but we stopped for a few hours at the mountain man rendezvous in Ft. Bridger, WY. I LOVE this! People dress up in period clothing, sell their hand-made goods and there are demonstrations of the way things were done back in the day. And of course who could forget more unhealthy, greasy food!and Today...

Today I went walking with Roxie and cleaned the house. It felt good to have a little relax time even if it wasn't long. We are finally starting to get a routine around here! I'm getting a good feel for school and Andie is getting better at sleeping at night. :) I love to get away, it always reminds you of how much you love home.

Until next time,
Cheers!

What do you eat in a week?

After my freakin' awesome weigh in someone asked me, "What do you eat during the day and what are your favorite snacks?"

So... I decided to post my trackers from this week and hopefully from that you can get an idea about my favorite snacks!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Breakfast

• Low Sugar Quaker Oatmeal (2 points)
• Activia Light (1 point)
• Black coffee (0 points)

Lunch (Chuck-a-rama, OMG!

• Salad bar w/garbanzos and vinegar for dressing (3 points)
• Wheat dinner roll w/1 tsp butter (4 points)
• 1in x 1in rice crispy cube (1 point)
• marinated cucumbers w/olive oil (1 point)
• 1/4 cup cottage cheese (2 points)
• Grapefruit and Cantelope (2 points)

Dinner

• Bagged pasta dinner, 1 serving (6 points)

I didn't quite use up all my points! oops! I've actually struggled with this all week, I'm restricting my self a little more than i need too, I've been so busy with kids and school I've hardly noticed hunger.

Thursday, August 26, 2010
Breakfast

• Low Sugar Quaker Oatmeal (2 points)
• Activia Light (1 point)
• Black coffee (0 points)
• 8 oz. V8 Juice low sodium (1 point)

Lunch

• Toasted Tomato Sandwich w/lite miracle whip on whole wheat (4 points)
• Lite String Cheese (1 point)
• 1/2 c. canned peaches, no sugar added (0 points)
• 5 c. 94% fat-free microwave popcorn (1 point)

Dinner

• 3 tacos, hard shell w/extra lean ground beef and fat-free sour cream (9 points)
• olive bread (3 points)
• 1/4 peanut butter & jelly sandwich (3 points)
• bites through out the day (4 points)
  

Friday, August 27, 2010
Breakfast

• Low Sugar Quaker Oatmeal (2 points)
• Activia (2 points)
• black coffee (0 points)

Lunch

• 1 c. brown rice (4 points)
• 1/2 c. canned peaches, no sugar added (0 points)
• 1 cucumber (0 points)
• Lite string cheese (1 point)
• Sorbet (2 points)

Dinner

• 1/2 Asian salad @ Red Robin (8 points)
• whole grilled chicken breast, no sauce (4 points)
• Red Mango frozen yogurt (3 points)

Saturday, August, 28, 2010
Breakfast

• Low Sugar Quaker Oatmeal (2 points)
• Activia (2 points)
• black coffee (0 points)

Lunch

• Grilled Chicken Sandwich (7 points)
• 1 c. vegetable soup (2 points)

Dinner

• 2 tacos (8 points)
• red mango frozen yogurt (3 points)

Sunday, August 29, 2010
Breakfast

• Low Sugar Quaker Oatmeal (2 points)
• Activia (2 points)
• black coffee (0 points)

Lunch

• Squash, summer, cooked (0.5 cooked)
• 5 cups 94% fat free popcorn (1 point)

Dinner

• Shepherd's Pie, 2 cups (17.5 points)
• Pumpkin pie (6 points)

Monday, August 30, 2010
Breakfast

• Low Sugar Quaker Oatmeal (2 points)
• 16 oz. V8 Low Sodium (1 point)
• black coffee (0 points)

Lunch

• The Alternative Bagel (1 point)
• 1/2 c. 2% cottage cheese (2 points)
• Watermelon (2 points)

Dinner

• 1 c. white rice (4 points)
• 1 c. Nalley Chili (5 points)
• Salad w/shredded cheese (3 points)
• Light Catalina dressing (1 point)
• Parmesan cheese (1 point)

Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Breakfast

• Low Sugar Quaker Oatmeal (2 points)
• Non fat Yogurt (2 points)
• black coffee (0 points)

Lunch

• Watermelon (2 points)
• Lite string cheese (1 points)
• cereal bar, high fiber (1 point)
• 5 c. 94% fat free popcorn (1 point)
  

Dinner

• Spaghetti w/store bought marinara and ground beef (13 points)
• 5 doritos (2 points) NEVER AGAIN! what a waste of points!
• banana (2 points)

Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Breakfast

• Low Sugar Quaker Oatmeal (2 points)
• Non fat Yogurt (2 points)
• black coffee (0 points)

Lunch

• Sheperd's Pie (9 points)
• Banana Squash (2 points)
• 1/2 slice cheesecake (4.5 points)
• Banana (2 points)

Dinner

• Iceburg lettuce wraps (0 points)
• 1 c. white rice (4 points)
• 1 grilled chicken breast (3 points)
• 1 Tbsp. spicy peanut sauce (1 point)

Well there you have it, everything I put in my mouth beside water in the last week!

I went on a nice 45 minute walk this morning with Roxie my WW buddy! It felt so good! Roxie got me up early and it was nice to get going in the morning I'm hoping to keep it up! We're planning to go walking up Provo Canyon tomorrow, I'll be sure to take some pics!

Thanks for reading!