Weigh In Friday

I almost forgot... it's Weigh In Friday. I lost another 2 pounds this week, not bad considering Thanksgiving was last Thursday and we had a kids birthday party with cake, too. Now I get to experience decreasing my point intake by 2 points per day and let me tell you, 20 points is not a lot of food. Unless you eat vegetables all day. Well, keep chuggin. I haven't been this weight since college...

Poor Me.

I see a theme here. As a person involved in law enforcement the recent disappearance of Stacey Peterson from Bolingbrook, IL, and this spring's disappearance of Theresa Parker, I am disturbed. Both were (or as they claim, are) wives of police officers. I have watched both of their husbands taped television interviews and see an alarming similarity to both Drew Peterson and Sam Parker. It's all about me. Even when asked about how they feel about their wives leaving them for another man, how they feel about the fact that they haven't been seen or heard from, they make a short boo-hoo statement, and go right back in to how it's all so unfair for THEM.
This http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=11188157 is a link to the Sam Parker interview and this http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&brand=msnbc&vid=98456f87-5fda-422e-a4c2-285b8e94a648is a link to the Peterson interview. Watch them both. Now I'm no statement analysis expert, but isn't there a shocking similarity between these two men, and their stories?
If you couldn't tell, I've been very interested in the Peterson case. While I know first hand that the media makes mistakes, and that there is A LOT more to a story than what's made public, I still find the facts, or lack thereof, in this case very interesting. These men just don't appear to be mourning the disappearance of their wives. Or even bothered by the fact that they "ran off" with other men... which is alarming, given most police officers I know are extremely type A people. They like to be in control. And have mercy on the person who crosses them. I doubt any person, especially someone with a take control personality would just shrug something like this off, and turn on the "poor me, I'm the victim" mentality.
I've already convicted Drew Peterson. I hope a jury does the same, someday.

WFMW: Cutting Kids Food

Maybe I was just the last person to figure this out, but your standard, good ol' PIZZA CUTTER cuts more than pizza. We have 4 of these things in our house, and I use them to cut EVERYTHING. With kids, as many of you know, at mealtimes there is a lot of cutting to be done. This works great... just line up the food - chicken, green beans, bread... whatever - and roll away (I sound like a Bob Seger song).

Funny, even Wikipedia defines "pizza cutter" as a utensil that is used to cut pizzas. Touche. It cuts much, much more, at least in this house! Try it... you'll buy a dozen of them!

A special note: This is ESSENTIAL for cutting pancakes or waffles. I will hunt down the pizza cutter before I'll try to tear into these doughy creations with a knife...

I figured I'd put this in instead of another photo tip. Apparently none of you like taking pictures because I only got one lousy comment from last weeks tip.

Be sure to check out my other WFMW posts:
Take a better group picture...

Taking better pictures...
How to keep holiday gift giving under control...

The best hair tie ever...
Keeping your linens organized in one easy step...
Turning lunch bags into diaper bags (are those raisins you're having?)...

Visit Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer for other great tips and ideas!!!

A Bad McExperience

Last night I got home from work and really didn't feel like cooking a meal, so I decided to be a cool mom and take the kids to the local McDonalds to eat and play. Rarely do we stay to play in the germ tubes, so I thought it would be a treat, and a way to keep them occupied till around bedtime.
I have to say, I've seen a lot of gross things in my day. But this McDonalds was the filthiest, most disgusting fast food restaurant I have ever stepped foot in. Even the initial impression was awful. In the area before you get into the actual restaurant but after you come inside, it was like, literally, 100 degrees. I thought, ok, it's cold out, they have the heat blasting in here because the doors open and close. I can deal with that. Not like I'm going to be spending any time there anyway... so I thought.
I went through the second door and into the restaurant, and it was cooled down to a chilly, oh, I'd guess 85 degrees. No joke. I felt like I was in an oven. And of course, we were all in sweatshirts and jeans, so that didn't help. I'd have never thought to wear a tank top and shorts. Anyway. Then I looked down. Crap - like straw wrappers, drink lids, french fries, napkins - all over the floor in the lobby. I scoped the area with hopes of securing a table that wasn't nasty like it hadn't been wiped all day - yeah, right. I chose the least nasty of the nasty tables, which incidentally, was right next to about 7 or 8 mid teen "goths." Now, if you want to be gothic, go right ahead, just don't act stupid. They were all there, cussing, not eating any McFood that I saw, sitting on eachothers laps, kissing, and drinking "Monster" power drinks. Then AC/DC came over the radio speakers.
I thought, did McDonald's change it's focus? Am I at a rave or something? I thought, maybe I should say something to the manager, because clearly he or she has no idea what is going on out here. Nay. As soon as this thought crossed my mind, out walks the McManager. And she SITS DOWN WITH THE GOTHS!!! Then proceeds to call one of the employees a dumb ass, right in front of my kids. I hear another customer complain that there's pop spilled all over the floor in the playland. So the employee with the mohawk gets the yellow mop bucket out, slops it on the floor, and calls it done. Hey, while you're at it, why not wipe a few tables or sweep the floor, genius?
I thought, ok, just eat, play, and leave, hopefully without Hepatitis C. The kids ate and went into the playland. After walking through the half assed mopped sticky pop area (that incidentally was just spread around, not really cleaned up) I noticed a band of about 10 adult Nascar fans (clearly) in the rear corner. One parent calls out to his son, "Now don't kill the other kids, ya hear?"
Great. Even Playland isn't safe. The next proceeds to call over his about 10 year old son, and proceeds to hollar at him for an unknown infraction, then whip him, right there in McDonalds. This is about the time the smell of stale cigarette smoke mixed with pot is wafting over to my filthy table. I go back to the lobby.
"Could someone give me a cloth so I can clean a table to sit at?" The McEmployee looks, "Uh, yeah, let me find a clean one."
Let me find a clean one. That indicates to me that you haven't had a clean one for some time.
I'm frightened. Instead of giving me the rag (which is what I expected) he actually came into Playland and asked "Which table?"
DUH. Look around. I replied smartly, "Well take your pick, they're all equally disgusting." He proceeded to wipe one table, then walked out, leaving the other 10 the way they were. By the way, he had to walk through the pop mess twice just to do this.
I am losing patience. After a few minutes, I just can't take it any more. I pack up the troops and head out to get our Halloween Treat Coupon treats (that I promised we'd use) TO GO.
So there I stood at the counter, in the heat, among the cussing goths (half of them were now about 2 feet outside the door, smoking) to get my apple pie and cone.
I wait and wait, as the employees find it more entertaining to play grab ass behind the counter than to wait on actual customers and finally get waited on. I ask for an apple pie, and one cone IN A DISH WITH A LID. I get handed an ice cream cone in a cone, no dish.
Uh, yeah, could you put it in a dish with a lid, like I asked? So the cone goes into a sundae cup (top side up - a real surprise because that actually took a brain not to put it in upside down). Still no lid. I ask for a lid. I get a lid and a "have a nice night." Ok, and what about the pie?
Is it really this difficult? And I am trusing these same people to make sure my chicken is kept at 160 degrees? I think I'm going to go purge now.
Even over 14 hours after this experience, I am still very very disturbed. Yikes.

A Funny Thing Happened...

Compliments sometimes come in small packages. Here is a recent conversation I had with a Walgreens employee when I went to pick up our Christmas Card picture prints.

J: I need to pick up the photo cards for (insert last name).
W: OK (looks in box), uh... um...ugh.
J: What?
W: Um, how were these taken?
J: (pause) What do you mean?
W: Well, we have a copyright protection and these look like they were done by a professional photographer.
J: Yeah, I took them.

And after I provided a business card and signed a copyright waiver (for myself?), my cards were given to me.
Huh.

Weigh In Friday

I lost another 3 pounds this week. I'm down to 154, which is the lowest I have been since Vincent was born. Considering this weigh in included Thanksgiving, I feel pretty good! I was kinda torn over the whole Thanksgiving thing, especially as how it is my favorite holiday. I decided to eat what I wanted in reasonable portions (not the usual fill your plate till you feel sick), but not to skimp and feel like I didn't enjoy the meal. I made an oath to not hit the "snackies" before (or after) and limited dessert to the filling from a half a slice of pumpkin pie (no crust) and a mini cupcake. I still felt like I participated in the holiday, but didn't walk away feeling like I completely fell off the wagon.
I'll keep chugging till Christmas...

Happy Thanksgiving

Well, this post really has nothing to do with Thanksgiving. I hope you have a good one and get stuffed... that's all I have to say about that...

I got a new backdrop for my photo adventures. I thought I'd try it out in the absence of studio lighting, just to see what would happen, ya know, in my hallway studio. Anyway, I needed some models, so I subjected my loving family to the tortures of portrait sitting. You can see they were less than enthused...

But they soon realized that they'd better cooperate or they'd be there all day...

So they did, and I got this one... I thought it was great, capturing the beauty of staying in your PJ's till noon on Thanksgiving morning.

In other news, we took some pics of the horses as we begin our construction of this years multi photo Christmas card. This was just an extra, and I messed with it a little, I just thought it was a really nice shot...

WFMW: Take a Better Group Picture

So this WFMW post has a little to do with last weeks, as its photography related. I've just seen so many bad pictures that didn't need to be bad, I feel like I need to do something. Plus, it's one of the few things that I'm actually good at (other than horses - limited audience) that maybe someone will appreciate learning how to do better. And who doesn't like taking pictures, other than who we're asking to stand for them?
How many of you have seen (or even taken yourself) the standard lineup of family members in a group picture. Everyone standing shoulder to shoulder, hands at their sides or cupped in front of them, square to the camera, with that familiar cheesy smile?

I admit, even I've done these. Take just a few minutes to actually pose your family, and you might just like the result! I won't go into complicated posing techniques, but I've found people kind of automatically arrange themselves by height/importance in the family, so that makes this job a lot easier. Here's what to do:
1) the eye likes triangular arrangements. Layer your people. Here's an example of what I mean:

And what you should try to avoid:

I'm having a hard time getting these where I want them, so use your best judgement in what I'm saying is good and not good.

2) let the relationships between the people show! In the home taken portrait above, we don' know who is who (except maybe for the dad holding the infant...we'd assume this is the baby's father...but who does the little girl belong to?) Let your emotion show, let the viewer know exactly how you feel about those folks!! See, isn't that nice?

Keep these tips in mind as you dress your kids in those sweaters from last year and line em' up in front of the fireplace... let your portraits show the real "you". You'll be much more pleased with the results...

By the way... these pictures are not my own work!! I am using them for demonstrative purposes only and take no claim to any of them. I'll remove any of them if anyone gets upset that I'm using them...

Be sure to check out my other WFMW posts:

Taking better pictures...

How to keep holiday gift giving under control...
The best hair tie ever...

Keeping your linens organized in one easy step...

Turning lunch bags into diaper bags (are those raisins you're having?)...

Visit Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer for other great tips and ideas!!!

A Cute Late Nite Post

I'm up for no good reason, stuck on a photography forum. Anyway, I took a few pictures of the neighbor's kid today. Vincent went with us and I was able to pull a few shots of him, too. I thought this one turned out especially cute...

Weigh in Friday

It's officially weigh in Friday. This post is a little late in the day, but not for any reason other than the fact that I have been stupid busy until now.
I lost another 2 pounds this week. So far my grand total, including todays pounds is 8. It's pretty cool because I can actually feel the difference in how my clothes fit and in how I look. Yay. That's motivation right there - I get new clothes!!!
Right now (just in case you were wondering) I can take just about every pair of jeans I own off without unbuttoning or unzipping them. Get your minds out of the gutter - I only know this because I tried.
So I'm happy. I didn't really discover any new major breakthroughs with low point meals or foods, I've kinda just been eating the same things that I have been for a few weeks, and it seems to be working. Pretty soon I'm going to have to decrease my points allowance because I'm getting close to the cut off for 20 points per day. Until then, things seem to be working, and I feel great!
Remember... anyone who wants to join me is more than welcome!!!

WFMW: Taking Better Pictures

Today's WFMW tip is for anyone who wants to add that something extra to their pictures, without spending a fortune on new equipment. All you need for this one is a supple wrist.

Here's the trick and it's so easy: TURN THE CAMERA!!!

Easy, not all the way, just a little to give your pictures a little artistic edge. See what a little experimentation can yield?

And if you already have a picture that would benefit from this tip, most reasonably well equipped digital photo software programs have the "rotate" option. Just rotate the image to your liking, then crop, and voila! A better looking picture in minutes!!

Be sure to check out my other WFMW posts:
How to keep holiday gift giving under control...

The best hair tie ever...
Keeping your linens organized in one easy step...
Turning lunch bags into diaper bags (are those raisins you're having?)...

Visit Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer for other great tips and ideas!!!

A Very Dangerous Week

We have been flirting with disaster all week. Really living life on the edge. Yesterday the weather was AWESOME (with the exception of a few here and there rain showers), so we took the opportunity to put up some Christmas lights. Yeah, I know, it's a little soon, but it sure beat trying to do it in the freezing cold. I haven't even bought one Christmas gift yet, so don't be overly impressed with my efforts...

Jade got another birthday gift from a friend of ours that she LOVES. It's one of those horses that is on 4 springs and a frame that she can jump on and ride back and forth. I tried to put a picture of her riding it on the blog, but realized I took the picture of her on it on my phone and stored it on the phone instead of the memory card. And I'm not paying to send a picture that I took to myself. She's not here right now to duplicate the moment, but I'll post one as soon as I take another. Anyway, the reason this is posted under the title "A very dangerous week" is because she had her first spill on the plush horse. She was riding with a little too much exuberance and her hands slipped off the little hand pegs. She shot backwards and landed who knows how. She looked up, gave a little whimper, then got back on and was back to riding.

What a natural!

Back to the Christmas lights topic. The whole time Brian was up on the ladder, I was envisioning him spilling to the ground, then being laid off work and everything else for 6 months. All in the name of home decorating.

It didn't happen though, and our little LED display is ready for the day after Thanksgiving. I thought it was pretty funny, as he stood at the top of a 10 foot ladder, and told me "hold the ladder" how silly holding the ladder really is. As if my 160 pound body is going to stop a 210 pound man 10 feet in the air from toppling over if he were to start to go. Yeah. I may care, but I'm not Hercules! What a silly concept! With all that leverage, there'd be no way in the world I'd even slow down the topple. Oh well, I guess it only matters that it feels more secure, right?

Weigh in Friday

Well, this week wasn't quite as impressive as last, but I lost one more pound this week. I'm now down to 159!! I followed the plan to the tee this week, so I am not disappointed with my loss- I think I'm going to try and drink more water (I haven't been drinking my full 4 bottles/day). Maybe that will help. I imagine if I work out a little, too, that will help boost my metabolism. We'll see. I just am not in the mood lately to move a whole lot more than I do on a normal basis.

Also, I have found a host of 1 point foods that I'll be posting... I've even found a few that are 0 points!

The first one that I'm totally excited about are these Hostess Cupcakes. What could be better than a creme filled cupcake (3 of them at that!) for only one point? You can eat one now, one later, and one even later and cure a serious chocolate craving for the day!!!

I guess my theme for today is chocolate, because these and these are only one point, too, and totally help me when I JUST NEED SOME CHOCOLATE!

WARNING: THIS IS NOT PRETTY

For all of my co-workers, and anyone else who is sensitive, read (and look) no further. I know you were all anxiously awaiting that "fat picture" I promised you all about a week ago. So here it is, in its raw format, untouched.

Believe me, this is VERY difficult for me to do. I am not proud of how I look right now, and I know I need to do some work. That is why I'm posting. I've been told over and over that I carry my weight well... I think that's not entirely true. I think I HIDE my weight well. As you can tell from the following picture, I don't carry it so well after all.

I am glad I'm doing this, though. I plan on posting again when I hit my target, whenever that might be. WW is going well for me. I am learning what 22 points a day feels like, and am able to plan and ration my meals to include snacks and an occasional treat, too.

Sorry if I've offended any of you... this is more for ME to keep me honest. I need to have that feeling that I've exposed myself (well not entirely, at least not yet... just kidding) to the world or whomever cares to read on... I need to know that someone is watching.

I can do the right thing when no one's watching, yeah, but it's a whole lot easier when someone is...

WFMW: Backwards Day, Holiday Overspending

Happy WFMW!! Since this is the first Wednesday of the month, it is backwards day, therefore, I write about something that preplexes me, and you write the solution to my problem.

What I don't know how to do is KEEP HOLIDAY GIFT BUYING AT A MINIMUM. I am part of a family that goes absolutely insane at Christmas. And truthfully, every year we say we're not doing much, but we still do. I end up with an entire SUV full of boxes and stuff. Every. Single. Year.

I just can't afford it! I mean, spending 2 grand on Christmas is not unheard of in my family. I just feel like such a cheapskate when my kids get 4 boxes from someone, and I give them an ornament for the entire family. I just don't know how to deal with the "my gift is much much less involved than yours" guilt.

Any suggestions for keeping holiday spending at bay, and for making those overzealous relatives actually adhere to the principle that the kids (and we) JUST DON'T REALLY NEED ANYTHING? I understand that Christmas should be for kids, but at age 2, do they really care if its a pair of pants or a $50 toy? No, not really. They just like tearing shit open and making a mess. A few toys, fine. A hundred toys? Ok, what I want for Christmas is $200,000.00 to buy a bigger house to keep it all in.

Ho ho ho.

Be sure to check out my other WFMW posts:

The best hair tie ever...

Keeping your linens organized in one easy step...

Turning lunch bags into diaper bags (are those raisins you're having?)...

Visit Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer for other great tips and ideas!!!

I Hate Daylight Savings

It totally screws up my entire family's clock. They say, "Yeah, but you get an extra hour of sleep!!!" Oh no, not me. Maybe that night, but then I pay for it with kids waking up an hour early every day, and screaming an hour early every afternoon because they don't understand the concept of a 25 hour day. So actually, that "hour gained" turns into 10 hours lost, and 10 more in misery, until the "clocks" get reset. And by the way, whose idea was it to divide the state in half? Can't we at least agree on what damn time it is? Have you ever tried to explain to someone who doesn't deal with this the concept of going to the grocery store across town, getting there at 2pm, and getting home at 1:30? Yeah, it could happen. Or what about these counties who are actually on CST, but operate on EST? Fast time, slow time, Chicago time... WILL SOMEONE JUST TELL ME WHAT DAMN TIME IT IS? And here's another lovely daylight savings story.

I had to get up early (5:30) this past Friday to go into work early. The alarm clock is on Brian's side of the bed, so in order to not wake him up too much when it goes off, I set the alarm on my cell phone instead. It sits conveniently next to me on my nightstand, after all. So I set the thing for 5:30, and didn't sleep well anyway knowing I had to get up before it was natural (something I'm not used to - I know boo hoo). Well, I had just drifted off to a light slumber and the damn cell alarm is going off. I turn it off thinking, bleary eyed, "I feel like it's too early." This is not an uncommon thought, however. I thought "Just 5 more minutes." Then I looked at the real alarm clock. 4:30. Uhhh, hello?

Then, cursing, I looked at the cell phone clock. 5:30. Ok, I'm tired, but not insane. Now I'm concerned. What the hell time is it, anyway? So I call time and temp. Brian exclaims, "What the hell are you doing? If I did this at 4:30 you'd kill me!!" Yeah, I know, but I just need to know what damn time it is. "Well it's 4:30," he answers. Then I had to explain what happened. Or at least try. And now I'm bolt-ass awake. Yeah, it's really 4:30, but my phone is finding its signal from a tower where its 5:30. How much does that suck? And by the time I complete my call to time and temp, what time does the phone say? You guessed, 4:30. I hate my life. So now that I'm awake, it decides to find a tower in this time zone.

And after my shower, you know what time it is? 6:45. I can't take it anymore.

All Right, All Ready!!!

Ok, ok... yes, I did in fact take pictures of my kids for Halloween. It's pretty funny. Someone commented the other day "You must have really good pictures of your kids!" I had to laugh because in all reality, I don't. Not like I should, anyway. The problem I run into is that I have no one to pose them. And if someone does pose them, they are usually instantly reverted to the arms outstretched, screaming "Mommy" pose. Oh well. I have some cute candids, but I'd really like to find someone who could handle my camera and take a few of us too. At my cost.

Here are a few of the Halloween winners...

Weigh in Friday

SUCCESS!!!
I lost 5 pounds this week. I tried really hard not to step on the scale before today (I cheated once) to see my progress... I didn't want to get discouraged if I didn't see an improvement early on. So far the plan is going really well. I have been eating healthier than I have ever in my life and I am actually feeling the difference. I was kinda doing another diet plan for a few weeks before this, and was eating better then too (more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables) so I'm sure it's adding up by now. I have come up with some really good meals through kraftfoods.com (check my earlier post). I even made a recipe with Boca ground... uh... stuff, fed it to both the husband and the kids, and no one knew it wasn't ground beef (till now, anyway). And it's loaded with fiber, low in fat and calories.
I made a bracelet that helps me to keep track of my points. It has beads with a different colored bead every 5 beads. I move a little charm around as I use up my points so I have a constant visual reminder of what I have left for the day. I put the 35 flex points in different colored beads after the daily beads. That way I don't have to remember to carry around a notepad or something else to record the points on. And if you know me, I won't remember how many I have used more than 5 minutes after I eat, so this works really well for me.
So, I'm happy. I am also impressed that I sat and passed out Halloween candy and didn't eat one piece while I was sitting there. This really isn't so bad. If I want a treat, I just count it and move on. I can live with that!