Huzzah! Finally!

Can you believe it? In a fit of clarity or exhausted delirium I FINALLY remembered my password to this dang thing.

Yes, that's right. I've been silent all this time because I couldn't get into it and I didn't want to fess up to forgetting the login/password combination. I've tried so many different combinations of so many things I'm pretty sure Blogger thinks I'm a bot. When I pull up the sign in screen I automatically get the word verification thingy. However I have Queen's "We Are the Champions" playing in my head and Blogger can suck it: I REMEMBERED!

That's it for now. I'll be back with something witty and life altering later. Okay so only one out of three of those is accurate. In the immortal words of the Terminator, "I'll be back."

(yeah I wrote the password down -- I've got no faith in my memory these days)

Surviving the Pork Chop

The Pork Chop

Last night was MUCH BETTER than the night before. This is what happens when you implement the things you learn!

We did NOT try to make her sleep in her crate last night. So there wasn't FOUR HOURS of digging, crying, yelping, whining, banging the door of the crate, and any other freaking noise that the Pork Chop could come up with. Because we severed her water supply at 7:30 AND didn't try to make her sleep in her crate there wasn't the drinking binge at 3 in the morning that produced a 5:30am need to potty. Which means we didn't have an accident this morning because I wasn't quick enough to get my slippers and sweater on to take her out.

The licking and itching are driving us nuts but that's not her fault per se. She has allergies and her meds ran out right before we got her. So we're waiting for them and then that should solve that problem. Hopefully.

Sunday night, I would've said, "We've made a mistake."

Last night, It's more like, "Maybe we can do this after all."

Oops...

...I did it again.

NO! Do not cue horrible Brittney Spears music here, please!!!

Let me explain. Every year for every holiday, I start shopping early. You know, so it's not so financially painful. And EVERY year for EVERY holiday, I squirrel stuff away and forget how much I actually have until I put it all together.

And this year is NO different.

The Easter Bunny is being VERY good to the boys this year. They have so much crap it's over flowing their baskets...

See?


(Now in all fairness The Little People's Farm is from Nana and Papa they just had me pick it up for them and the Lego Starwars III The Clone Wars game they got 3ft isn't here yet because they picked it up)

And on top of that we're adopting a dog. Yes. A. Dog. So 3ft is having like the best Easter ever because he's been wanting a dog since he could say the word, "Dog." The best part is that we've known the dog since she was 6 weeks old -- an Easter present for my sister (notice a trend?). Well 8 years later my sister has to move and can't take her dog with her. So we volunteered to adopt the dog. 3ft doesn't know. It's going to be epic to watch his little boy face light up.

The cool thing is that I'll definitely get my walking in every day because I'll be taking the pork chop for walks. Pork Chop is what I christened the dog when she became a potbelly pig of a dog. It's also what 3ft calls her so to this day anytime I serve pork I call it chicken. I will not be responsible for the therapy 3ft would need if he thought we ate the dog, you know? So the Pork Chop and I shall be slimming down together.

Someone out there please tell me I'm not the only one who does this...

K?

Not a Tuma...

So, I was a day early in my pictorial debut of my porch garden. The pods on the one plant really did bloom and they're pretty, see?

"I'm not a tuma." (Hey plants can channel they're inner Arnold too)


And my dud watermelon seeds? Well this morning, when I was rearranging my plants for the morning sun, I found this!


So even my melons are growing! (yeah cuz that doesn't sound wrong) WOOT! I'm totally excited.

In totally unrelated news. I got a new workout top today. Isn't it super cute?



And do you notice it's a tank top? It's my first workout top that is. Mostly I workout in yoga pants and the baggiest shirts I can find to hide my fat and jiggles. Screw it. I've come a long way. I've lost over 100lbs. I'm proud of my jiggles because they jiggle much less than they jiggled before. I embrace my jiggles. Well, okay, I don't really go that far but I'm far less subconscious of them. Well, okay, you caught me. I'm trying to be less subconscious of them.

Mary Mary Quite Contrary...

...how does your garden grow?

On my porch.

I have wanted a garden forever. For-Ev-Er. And I've never had one because I'm lacking one small thing. Ground/dirt/soil/land to put one in. Year after year I've watched in silent jealousy as my friends put up their gardens or being envious of the gardens I'd see out on my walks. Finally I decided enough was enough. So I broke the vicious garden envy cycle.

So what if I live in an upstairs apartment and have a small balcony to call my yard? Why can't I grow things out of flower pots and buckets? Have soil will grow with a little water and some sun, right?

Right.



So I've started my little porch garden. So far nothing big. Just some herbs: parsley, basil, and chives. Then I've got two different kinds of tomatoes going -- cherry tomatoes and normal sized ones. The one on the right is a hanging upside down one. I'm just waiting for my babies to get big enough to do so. Then I have some sunflowers, zinnias, and daisies to add a little color and fun -- if they ever bloom.



Then I have my snapdragons (on the right), which I totally love and then my grandmother-in-law gave me a jade plant (the one on the left) and something else. She told me what it was but I don't remember. I think it's going to flower eventually either that or it has tumorous offshoots. *in my best Arnold voice* It's not a tuma -- I crack myself up.



And then there's Flora. My grandmother-in-law gave her to me last year for Mother's Day. She's starting to bud again. When she gets full blown she's more red than green. My GIL told me what kind of plant she was too but I don't remember.

I'm also giving another shot at sugar baby watermelons. The first attempt was a dud but I need to get a rectangular type pot for that I think. I'm also thinking about doing some sage, thyme, oregano, rosemary, and maybe some sugar snap peas. I just wanted to make sure I got enough sun on my porch because I'm faced north and I'm sandwiched between apartments. I only get a couple hours of sun in the morning on the right side and a couple hours in the evening on the left side so I move my garden around to try and give it ample sunlight. So far everything is growing (except the stupid watermelons) so I'm going to add more. MORE! MORE!!! Muwahahahahahaha I've gone gardening crazy!

Healthy Kids...

...who has them? And how did you make that happen? I would dearly love to know.

At first it was just 3ft with his asthma and his personal little pharmacy to keep him healthy and pneumonia-free. Now, the Grumpybutt has chronic ear infections. So much so that if this latest medicine doesn't clear it up he's going to be referred to a specialist to get tubes in his ears. If it's not one thing it's another with these boys. I swear any vacation their pediatrician takes is because I paid for it. So that is the fun we're having over here. I spent my morning at the doctor's office -- lucky me.

On a good note: I walked over 4 miles today.

On a bad note: I ate Mc Donalds for lunch.

On a worse note: I had french fries.

On a more worse note: I followed it with a cookie.

Guess who's doing some Wii Fit tonight?

Great, that damn balance board is going to bitch at me because I haven't used my Wii Fit in like a month! Maybe I'll just jog around my apartment for half an hour and avoid it completely. How sorry am I that I'm afraid of being berated by the Wii AI?

Yep. Pretty sorry.

Rainy Day Chef Salads

I know that the rain is good for us -- no droughts and food growth -- but I just have to say I'm tired of the rain. It keeps me indoors. If I didn't have children I'd probably be one of those hardcore runners/walkers that is outside even in a downpour but I can't do it to my kids nor can I afford to be sick. Mom's don't get sick days. Ever.

Mondays are Riana lunch days where she comes over to my house and we have lunch together and let our kids play. Today I made Chef Salads with hard boiled eggs, ham, cheese, cucumbers, and romaine lettuce with lite 1000 island dressing. They were super delicious. I have enough stuff left over to probably have it for the next couple of days. Yay me. The only thing that would've made the salad better was if it had been a sunny warm day (those feel like salad days to me) instead of a dismal raining day.

(Can you tell I'm tired of the rain?)

I'm so excited. Riana and I are making a hexagon tiered cake with tropical flowers on it for a dessert auction fundraiser for our elementary school. We bought some of the supplies today and finalized our design. The tiers are going to be (from bottom to top) purple, pink, red orange, and yellow -- deep vibrant colors like a tropical sunset. Then we're going to do gum paste white tropical flowers with the inner petals dusted with different colored luster dust. It's going to be awesome. There's a prize for the top three cakes with the highest bid . So, hopefully we'll win but if not we're having a blast anyways. I'll be posting pictures as we go. We haven't started yet other than the planning phase. The cake's not due until May 13th. I'm so excited.



The flowers are our color palette for the tiers. Fabulous, right? And then I bought the hexagon cake pans today. Aren't they awesome? I can't wait to bake in them.

Dusting the Old Blog Off...

I have a problem. I can only say the same thing in different words so many times before I'm boring myself. With that being said Melting Before Your Eyes is getting a makeover. I'm just going to babble about any ol' thing I want -- from weight loss, to food, to whatever pops up into my wee little brain.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

So, guess what I've been doing lately! You'll never guess. Go ahead and try.

Give up?

I've been buying tank tops. I can't tell you how many years it's been since I've willingly purchased and comfortably worn a tank top (bathing suits don't count). To give you an idea, I have a picture from when I was either a freshman or sophomore in high school. It was a teal sort of blue sleeveless shirt that I had a matching big floofy bowed barrette to go with it. Nunan, should remember the barrette, if not the shirt, as she wore it a time or two (unless oldtimers has set in) and I have pictorial proof that she did. You gotta love late 80's/early 90's fashion. Anyways I digress.

I've been buying tank tops like hotcakes. Like hotcakes I tell you! See?


Aren't they cute? I'm also wearing a dark blue one with a lime green under one right now (like the brown/pink one) so that's 7! And guess what? They're all XL. I don't know as if you remember but the last time I mentioned clothes sizes it was a 2XL. So can I get a woot?

WOOT!!!

Still in size 18 pants but then I haven't been really being as good a girl as I could be. So I'm dusting off this blog because I have the most success when I type on it EVERY DAY and getting down to business. Bathing suit weather is just around the corner and last year I was a 28. Wouldn't it be fabulous if I could squeeze into a 16 by June? Oh yes, it'd be FABULOUS!

You've heard it here, folks. I'm back.

Again.

Yeah, I know.

The Secret Word of the Day...(Part 1)

CUPCAKES!!! *hollers and jumps around crazily in memory of the old Pee Wee Herman's Playhouse days*

I've been inventing cupcakes *jumps and shouts* again and I've gotten a lot of requests for their recipes. So since my three favorite things to do on this blog is: 1.) brag about my exercise accomplishments, 2.) whine, and 3.) talk about food, I figured I'd post a couple cupcake *screams* recipes along with my bragging and whining.

Cherry Pie Cupcakes












(AAAAAAGGGHHHH!!!! No, the joke doesn't get old. Yes, I am cracking myself up!)

Cherry Compote (store bought -- I was lazy)

Butter Cake
6.75 oz all purpose flour
2 oz potato starch (also called potato flour)
1 1/2 TSP baking powder
1 TSP salt
1 3/4 C sugar
10 TBS unsalted butter (room temp)
3 eggs
3/4 C almond milk
1/4 C half and half
2 TBS Jim Bean Whiskey
1 TSP vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven 350 degrees
1.) Combine the flours, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; whisk together. Set aside.
2.) Combine milk and half and half in a large measuring cup; stir. Set aside.
3.) Combine sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl; beat until light and fluffy.
4.) Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated between each one.
5.) Add in flour mixture and milk mixture alternatively; beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat until just incorporated.
6.) Pour batter into paper lined cupcake tin (around 2/3 full) and bake for 15 minutes or until done.
(makes 24 cupcakes)

Italian Meringue Buttercream Frosting
2/3 C sugar
1/4 C water
4 large egg whites (room temp.)
1/2 TSP cream of tartar
3 TBS sugar
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (room temp. and cut into small chunks)
brown icing dye

Directions
1.) Combine sugar and water in a small pot. Mix to get all the sugar wet. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, without stirring, and cook until sugar reaches 250 degrees on a candy thermometer.
2.) While sugar boils, place egg whites in a large mixing bowl and using a whip attachment, whip eggs until foamy and frothy on low speed.
3.) Add cream of tartar and turn speed up to medium-high.
4.) When soft peaks form, add 3 TBS of sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks form.
5.) When sugar reaches 250, pour a slow and steady stream into the meringue.
6.) Continue to whip meringue on high speed until it's room temp.
7.) When meringue is cool turn the mixer to medium and slowly add butter, a couple TBS at a time. Keep beating until buttercream is smooth.
8.) Mix in a little brown icing dye to make the frosting the color of pie crust

Assembling Cherry Pie Cupcakes (AAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH! *waves arms wildly*)

1.) cut a small well into the tops of the cupcakes.
2.) spoon into the well approximately 1 TBS of cherry compote and a little extra to cover the top of the cake.
3.) then frost the cupcake tops to look like pies.

Cheater method --
1.) make butter cake from a box
2.) dye some white store bought frosting with a little brown dye to make it look like crust
3.) assemble as above.

Now on to the bragging and the whining -- I walked a little over 2 miles in 30 minutes this morning after dropping 3ft off at school. And... strangely enough, I don't have anything pressing to whine about at this moment. Lucky you!

Total steps today (so far): 12,672 (as of 3:19 pm)

Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow when I give you the recipe to the "Peanut Butter Cup"cakes with my bragging and whining.

I've Been Liberated...

3ft woke up fever free and went to school today. He begged and pleaded and against my better judgment I let him. Of course, when he came home, he had a low grade fever again but he's in high spirits because he got to go to school and see his friends. It's been as hard for him if not harder as it's been for me being cooped up in the house for nearly a week. The Grumpybutt was beyond excited to be out walking this morning. We've all been pretty miserable.

To celebrate my freedom of the snotty boy child, 3ft, I went on a 7 mile walk OUTSIDE! And better still, I forced my friend, Riana, to go with me. Now before you even start to feel sorry for her "forced" march, it's her fault it ended up being 7 miles.

I said: Let's walk to Safeway. I need a couple things.

She said: Let's walk to Richard's (it's a craft store here in Livermore) instead. I need some red dye and pearl dust for the McQueen cake I'm making.

So we walked and for the record, Richard's is further than Safeway. Then when we got to Richard's at 9 am they weren't open yet so we walked to Target which is further still. Then back to Richard's and then we still ended up going through Safeway before going home. It was all her fault. But it was a lot of fun!

So because of that happy little liberated jaunt I've already passed 10,000 steps for today.

Total steps today (so far): 18,825 (as of 2:49 pm)

Still Quarantined...

Poor 3ft is still rocking the fevers and the snot. On top of that he's complaining about his ear hurting. So I was finally able to get him some antibiotics. I'm hoping he can go to school on Monday because he's not going to make it tomorrow either. Stupid fever. Stupid snot. My poor baby.

I wasn't able to walk outside again today which is such a travesty because the weather was beautiful out. But I did jog around my apartment again. I did 3.547 miles in 40 minutes. I wish I could get it down to half an hour but I'm just happy to be able to jog that long and get that "far", you know? Especially when I couldn't jog for 10 minutes with my Wii Fit when I started this whole process. I know I'm in better shape. I just wish it was more betterer shape (yes, I write. So what? :P).

I've noticed I haven't posted any new recipes or anything or even really talked about food other than Jelly Bellys. But with the Grumpybutt being picky in one direction and my other boys being picky in the other. I've really struggled to come up with meals (that I haven't already talked about) to please everyone. Last night I made 4 cheese tortellini with red sauce. Mr. Grumpybutt LOVED it and 3ft picked at it and hardly ate any while the whole time telling me how delicious it was. But then I'd forgotten that a month or so ago 3ft hurled up spaghetti with my red sauce and could just not be into red sauce right now. Oy. So I have more tortellini (thank you Costco) and I think I'll make an alfredo sauce to go with it. Which I think would be super delicious.

I've made some different healthier version cupcakes. So far the favorites have been the "Lemon Meringue" cupcakes and the "Cherry Pie" cupcakes. I'm getting an itch to make something and my husband bought me the master set of Wilton cake decorating tips just because so now I can make my stuff really fancy! Now I just have to figure out what I want to make. If given the choice, my husband will ask for the "Lemon Meringue" cupcake again because it's his favorite but I feel like experimenting. So we'll see.

Total steps today (so far): 13,262 (as of 1:45 pm)

Whoop! Wednesday.

Woohoo! I did it again. (I love endorphins) I just jogged another 3.5 miles in 40 minutes.

I'm still under quarantine with 3ft and his cooties. Since his fever STILL hasn't broken (although it's not as high), I'm probably going to be stuck inside tomorrow as well. I miss my walks. Don't get me wrong, I love knowing I can jog a 5K but it's inside, boring scenery (I don't have any awesome landscapes on my walls), and my floor creaks (so I feel a little self conscious about what my downstairs neighbors think I'm doing). At least the music is good as I jog in my room with my tunes on low (the Grumpybutt is sleeping after all).

I get bored just jogging so I also do jabs, punches, and other fun arm movements -- I did the "swim" and the "monkey" with my arms today as well as some boxing moves. Depends on the song and how it makes me feel to determine if it's silly moves (I'm sure my neighbors are laughing their butts off watching me in my window) or serious moves. But, hey, I figure any moves counts and it's more fun than lifting my weights -- which I also do.

I'm getting serious again, at least today I am. My brother-in-law is getting married in less than a month (on April 1st), and I have to dress up -- sorta. It's not super formal or anything but I do have to wear something nice. I'm not the bride (thank goodness) as I'm already married to his brother and I think his fiance deserves a sainthood for putting up with him so I won't be the center of attention -- but there WILL be photos being taken and I know I won't be able to avoid them all. So, time to get cracking on this inch loss deal.

Trudging Tuesday

I am still mired in the muck of mucus without a pair of waders. I will be absolutely amazed if I don't catch what 3ft has with the amount of snot he is producing and the exponential times I've had to man the tissue as he blows his nose. My hands are chapped from washing them so much and lotion doesn't have a chance to help because before it can soak in I've had to hold his snot and wash my hands again.

Envy me. I have all the fun. No, really, I do. I know you're all jealous.

Have I mentioned how much I love my new pedometer? I super heart it. Without even trying, I walked over 5 miles. I'd tell you how many steps that was but 3ft found my pedometer thought it was pretty cool, started pressing buttons, and wiped out my display. Yes, he's still living but just barely. It's pretty cool to just wear it all day and see how far you walk. My plantar fascia is acting up again so I didn't jog today but I walked quite a bit. Can you imagine how awesome that number would've been if I'd jogged? Over 8 miles. Crazy.

Hopefully my foot feels better tomorrow so I can make that happen. It'd be awesome.

Mucus Monday

Help. I'm hip deep in snot. Please send more kleenex and some waders ASAP.

Poor 3ft has a virus. Which means he stayed home from school today. Which means I didn't get my walk in this morning. However, necessity is the mother of all invention and with my nifty spiffy new pedometer attached to my sweats, I jogged around my apartment for 40 minutes. And in that 40 minutes I jogged 3.537 miles or 7,463 steps.

Wait.

3.5 miles is a 5K.

Holy crap I just jogged my first indoor 5K in 40 minutes. That's about 11 minutes a mile. I'm totally ecstatic! *does a booty shake*

Now if I can just quit stress eating the Jelly Belly's on my counter all would be well with the world. So far I've avoided them for an hour and a half as I stopped eating them to jog and then I've been chugging water and ignoring them since I got done.

White Mochas...

Are the nectar of the gods when your toddler decides to not sleep the night through the last three nights in a row. And as I really don't like the taste of coffee, immersed in white chocolaty goodness is the only way I can get the caffeine jolt past the lips and over the gums for my belly to look out cuz here it comes. I don't drink them often, I don't really do the whole caffeine thing on a whole, but once in awhile I need the buzz to take the fuzz off my brain. So I had one this morning. I'm not in the least bit guilty either. I figure wrestling with the 23ish-pound-Grumpybutt not through one store but two and then carrying him the whole way walking home from my friend, Riana's house, should've burned off the excess calories. Especially with all the squirming he did.

And that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I'm totally excited to announce that I got a pedometer today. I asked my friend, Nunan (a HUGE inspiration for me), what one she had and if she loved it. So after not being able to find the brand she had (which is Weight Watchers, by the way), I at least found one that did all the stuff hers did. Especially since she said she loved it and I really want to know what kind of mileage I'm putting in a day. I think it'll be fun to see. So I'm going to start using it everyday and then, of course, brag about how far I'm going. Lucky you.

I also got a new pair of pants -- not for the ultra cool reason of dropping another size but because my washer ate my favorite pair and I needed another one because I was down to one pair that actually fits right. It was almost a horrible experience. I picked out a pair because I liked the butt pockets and tried them on (I almost didn't as they're the same brand and size and cut of the pair of jeans I was already wearing). They fit my legs and rump great but I couldn't get them buttoned or zipped over my stomach. I was horrified. So help me, Bob, I even laid down on the dressing room floor to try and make them fit.

Devastated, but putting on a brave face, I took them back to the rack of pants when I saw a couple other size 18s. For grins and giggles I held them and the one I had together and the one I had was an inch smaller around the waist than the other pants labeled the exact same (I got some sizing freak of nature pair on my first grab, I guess). I ran back to the dressing room, slapped the other 18s on and voila... fit perfectly. Much relief. I couldn't believe I'd gotten fatter when I hadn't gained any weight and was still actually losing -- albeit slowly.

So in celebration of not having gotten fatter, thank goodness (look how I say it's not about the weight but have a mini meltdown thinking I'd gained some inches -- talk about a hypocrite, eh?), I bought a couple new shirts too. They were on sale so I got three -- a white, black, and purple one. Hooray for new clothes now I feel all sassy rocking my new wardrobe.

I'm Not Dead...

I just seem that way with my lack of blogging and facebooking as of late. I've just been crazy busy. Yeah, I know. Excuses excuses. It's all I got and I have a ton of them. The biggest is, of course, my youngest, the Grumpybutt, and his unfortunate decision to drop his morning nap. So now I have a narrow 2 hour window to get everything I need to get done in the day (work wise -- don't I sound so busy). And then I run into the, "I'll blog tonight." and then "Oh, crap! I forgot, I'll do it tomorrow!" as I'm already in bed and snuggled warm in my blanky.

I suck. I know. I swallow too. Dirty minds. I *innocent face* was of course talking about food and beverages. Sheesh people, this is a family blog. *chortles* I am cracking myself up over here.

Anyways. I digress (yeah, I know, what else is new?)

So, I've been on a huge walking kick. I'm up to about 4 miles a day and it takes me about 48 minutes or so to do it. That's about a 12 minute mile. I drop 3ft off at school and then the Grumpybutt and I start walking. I'm already up and dressed to take 3ft to school so it's nice to just walk and get it done, out of the way, and anything else I do is bonus. Which is crawling around on the floor after the Grumpybutt, wrestling with 3ft, and doing sit ups. *glares at my stomach roll* Why won't you go away?

I've been doing pretty good eating wise. I'm not the intake slave I was. I eat when I'm hungry, I don't eat when I'm not. But when I am hungry I eat what sounds good. Whether it be a bowl of Raisin Bran Crunch w/ almond milk (my new addiction), jamaican banana bread (my newest creation -- which is just banana bread with rum, coconut, and lime added to it), or a cupcake or something perhaps not as good for me.

I'm living.

I'm still losing the weight. Perhaps not as fast as I was but then it never really was about the weight loss that was just the added bonus. I just want to be healthy and active for my kids. I figure as long as I do that my body will get where it's comfortable at. Which is good enough for me. My husband already tells me how beautiful and sexy I am (I'm thinner and healthier now than the day we met 10 years ago), and I feel beautiful, so that's all that really matters to me.

Can I get an amen?

The Power of Poop!

This could be a post about the not talked about power of being regular -- absolutely a weight losers friend...

But it's not.

It's about how Mr. Grumpybutt's stinky diaper saved the day! How did his excrement save the day, you ask? I'll tell you.

I mentioned that I'd gone grocery shopping the night I lost my ring, right? Well all the Safeway bags get stored in a small cupboard to wrap stinky diapers in so I don't have a smelly garbage cupboard and I don't have to walk to the dumpster every time the Grumpybutt poops. So, I changed his diaper, pulled out a Safeway bag, and PING!

Something hit the floor at my feet. I screamed, dropped the bag and the diaper (it was closed up securely there was NOT a poopy mess everywhere, in case you thought so), and fell to my hands and knees. There under the oven was my RING!!! It must've gotten pulled off when I shoved the Safeway bags into the cupboard. I didn't even THINK to look there.

POOP totally saved the day. I have MY RING back! I couldn't be more excited. I put it on for all of one second -- to savor the feel and the knowing that I had it back -- then put it up to be resized. I have definitely learned my lesson. I still feel naked without it. I still try to fidget it with it like it's there and every time I don't feel it I have a split second of panic before I remember it's NOT lost -- IT'S PUT UP! *does a spasmodic happy dance*

A Drawback of Weightloss...

Skinnier fingers. Which in and of itself is a good thing until you add into the equation one wedding ring.

Skinnier fingers + wedding ring = lost.

Yes, I freaking lost my wedding ring. I've been talking for MONTHS about how I need to get it resized because it was getting way to loose on my skinnier fingers. I'd even had it slip off a time or two. Now, did I get it resized? Nope. Did I stop wearing it? Double nope. I could kick myself.

Somewhere after dinner when I massaged olive oil and sage into chicken breasts (oh yeah, *cue porn music* the chicken liked it) but before the husband and I watched Machete (which was an awesome over-the-top action movie, btw) I lost my ring. It slipped off my finger and I didn't feel it this time.

The husband and I rifled through the garbage in the house, dumpster dived to get the garbage we'd thrown away earlier and then rifled through it, checked the car, the mailbox, the sidewalk, all the pockets of every pair of pants I own (not just the ones I was wearing), and I stuck my hand into the black, murky, disgusting depths of the garbage disposal. No ring. We turned our apartment upside down looking for it and can't find it anywhere. I even called Safeway (we'd gone grocery shopping after dinner) and no one turned it in (shock, I know).

The ring is well and truly lost. The first ring a boy ever picked out and bought just for me. The only wedding ring I've ever had. The one I've worn for the last 9 years. Gone. I'm devastated. My husband keeps telling me he'll get me a new and better one, bless his heart, but I just want the one I had back, you know?

I know there are worse things that could happen to a person than losing enough weight to lose a wedding ring but it still sucks the big one, sideways, while choking.

I know I've been awful quiet lately which some people might take as a sign that I haven't been doing my healthy lifestyle or exercising as that's been my MO in the past. And while you're not all together right you aren't all together wrong either. Mostly I haven't been blogging because when I think of it the Grumpybutt won't let me and then I forget about it til I'm in bed. So, I'll do it tomorrow, and then it's the same routine all over again. But some of it is: I haven't been doing as well as I could be.

I'm an emotional stress eater. I know I've mentioned this before. Well my one-year-old has been stressing me the hell out on a daily basis since his birthday. We're trying to wean him off his bottle and trying to get him to eat FOOD at the same time. I swear this child is going to suck on his bottle til he's 18 years old. Perhaps if he can't get a date to prom he'll give up the bottle. He is killing me. I battle with every meal and snack time to get him to eat something. Anything. Let me rephrase. Anything BESIDES Cheetos.

And so he fusses and whines constantly because he's hungry and he wants a bottle. And I battle wills with him that he has to eat SOMETHING before he can have a bottle and I only let him have 3 bottles a day. By the time I get the Grumpybutt down for his naps, I'm frazzled and just shy of an emotional breakdown. So what do I do? I eat.

On the plus side: I'm binging on healthy food.

On the negative side: Calories still add up. It's still a horrible thing to do and I know this while I do it but still can't stop but at least it's not awful for me food, you know?

However, while I've gained a little weight back it's not much -- about 5lbs. I've been walking over 3 miles a day -- at a 12 minute mile pace -- everyday before picking up 3ft from school. So that's at least some balance in the upswing of food inhalation.

I've not completely fallen off the wagon but I'd say it's dragging me behind it. I can't let stress win, so I'm dusting myself off and hopping back on the healthy wagon of life. No more binging, damn it, even if it is on healthy foods!

6 AM -- Day 2

Oy and Vey!!

6am is incredibly early. Incredibly early. And I say this when I haven't been able to sleep in til 7 since I had my first son almost 6 years ago (3ft's birthday is this Thursday). Maybe because I'm rolling out of bed to put on clothes instead of just trudging around the apartment for a couple hours in pj's but 6am sucks. Just saying.

However, what doesn't suck is having my workout done for the day. So, yes, I will drag my tired butt out of bed tomorrow and do it again.

This morning was cool. I made my friend, Riana, go with me. She beat me to the gym, couldn't figure out where the light switch was (insert my snickering here), scared herself silly with her overactive imagination (cue more snicker and even full on chuckling), and so we ended up going for a little over 2 mile power walk around the neighborhood because there could "rapists" lurking in the gym at 6am, don't you know. (more laughter) When I made fun of her (yes I'm that kind of friend) she assured me she was going to tell me, "I told you so," when I'm raped at 6am in the gym.

So that was the excitement that started my morning. We walked in the dark, passed a woman walking by herself, to which we both thought that wasn't the smartest thing ever -- at least get a big dog, and got home before the sun came up (we were both a little disappointed by that). But we got a good walk in, and felt pretty good. Tomorrow it's the gym so we can workout a little harder on the equipment.

So tomorrow, imaginary rapist be damned, we're working out in the gym.

Oh, and yeah, Riana is WAY prettier than me, just saying!!!

(more snickering)

Trying Something New!!

Well...

Between 3ft having pneumonia, the Grumpybutt having double ear infections, and me getting a cold I didn't get a whole lot of working out in last week. Not to mention the time I liked to workout has disappeared. Mr. Grumpybutt doesn't want to take his morning nap anymore and if I can convince him to sleep, he only sleeps for 15 minutes. So not enough time to get a workout in.

I tried working out at night again. But the husband isn't getting home til after 9pm these days and the "gym" is locked up at 10. So by the time I get over there, I'd barely get a half hour in before they kicked me out. And we don't even want to mention how exhausted I am after 9pm when the kids are in bed and all I want to do is veg.

So this morning, I got my lazy butt out of bed at 5:55am, threw on my workout clothes, and zombie walked in a half-dazed-sleep-stupor to the "gym" which they unlock at 6am. I did the elliptical for 35 minutes. Went 2.5 miles and burned over 425 calories (so the machine told me).

The first 10 minutes were killer. I'm not sure I was totally awake and my bed called to me like a siren from across the apartment complex. I wanted to quit. But I figured WTH, I did it for 10 minutes I can do it another 25 -- and so I did. The best part: It's after 8, I'm exhausted, and my workout is ALREADY done for the day. Super awesome.

I've already set my alarm clock for 6am tomorrow. Here's hoping for 2 days in a row!

Is It Normal...

...that my toes go numb when I jog on the treadmill? (Shhh don't tell my husband or my doctor that I jogged for 10 minutes instead of just doing the stationary bike). They don't go numb when I jog on the street (*whistles innocently* Not that I did that on the way to the "gym"), they don't go numb when I jog in place in my apartment, they just go numb on the treadmill. Weird, right? I don't know what's up with that. And it's my left foot, not my right foot where my plantar fascia is all irritated with me.

I'm proud to say I tried something new. In the cookbook my sister-in-law, Leora, got me there was a snack idea of mandarin oranges and cottage cheese. When we saw that, Leora told me how much she liked it. I mentioned how much I hated cottage cheese and she said she did too except for with mandarins. So I figured what the heck and tried some with clementines (I didn't have mandarins) and it was actually pretty good. I don't think I liked it as much as Mr. Grumpybutt did. He inhaled his and then made sure to get some in his hair and ear for a snack for later but I thought it was pretty good and I'd eat it again.

That's about it and now I have to go be a rock god in Rock Band. 'Night.

Still Kicking...

I survived the holidays and my birthday. It was no easy feat. I gained a couple pounds back but I didn't gain all 75 of them back, so that's like a win, right? Right.

I'm feeling good. I'm back on track -- kind of. I have plantar fasciitis. I've somehow managed to tear, inflame, or strain the fascia that connects my heel to my toes in my right foot. So I'm not allowed to do any high-impact exercise (no running for me) I'm allowed to do water aerobics (which would be cool if it wasn't freaking freezing outside or I had access to a gym pool) or stationary bike. So I'm on the stationary bike. I rode for about 45 minutes last night and for 45 minutes tonight.

Today, I made a popcorn trail mix that I got out of a cookbook my sister-in-law, Leora, got me for my birthday. I have to tell you right now -- it's delicious.

7 cups popped popcorn (I used 94% fat free butter microwave popcorn as I don't have an air popper)
1 cup Quaker Oat Squares (the ones with a touch of brown sugar)
1 cup Craisins
1/2 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

Throw it all in a bowl, mix it up, and EAT!!! I split it into 3 servings (one for me and one each for the husband and 3ft) and we all devoured it. A perfect snack with just the right amount of sweet and salty and a lot less fat than a trail mix with a lot of nuts.

So, now I'm back from my holiday vacation and raring to go.