I just ate some oats and they tasted so good that I didn’t really stop when I should have and I ate the whole bowl.  Now I feel like I may explode.  It wasn’t really a large portion but I really should have just listened to my body. Live and learn, right?

I was going to take a picture of them but then decided that they didn’t look that impressive so why?  I did, however, take some pictures of the beautiful flowers that my husband got me.  Thanks to Kath I now know that I can use AV Mode until I get all my M Mode stuff figured out.  I did find some online photography tutorials that I’m going to try as well.  I let you know if they’re any good.

The flowers are amazing and smell so good.  It’s also fun to have something to photograph.

Tomorrow, I get to take pictures of my first finished knitting project since January!  I finally finished Lucy’s sweater and I can’t wait to show you.  I love it!

Last night, I was supposed to have stuffed peppers but I ended up not having any help after picking Lucy up from daycare since Shaun had to work late.  I figured spaghetti was easier and so I made a big pot of that.

Lu loved it!

Really liked it.

Okay, really, REALLY, liked it.

And, now she’s all done.

(that’s the sign for “All Done”)

Today’s food plan:

B: Larabar

S: Oats

L: Either a date with my hubby (salad or sushi out) or leftover spaghetti

S: Apple and nuts

D: If we go out for lunch, we’ll have spaghetti for dinner and vice versa 🙂

Legs and Shoulder workout tonight!

I haven’t used an SLR (on manual mode) in almost 10 years and boy do I have alot to relearn.  I took some pictures this morning of my green smoothie and they’re all black-oops.  I think it’s an issue with my aperture-right? I wish I was one of those people that saved all their notes from classes (um, actually, I take that back).  I can see the notes and hand outs that I used to use in my mind and it’s so frustrating to me that I can’t remember what they said.

I took some pictures of my lunch and while they are dark they are kind of cool looking:

I’m working on it :)  Like how messy my desk is?  Argh.

Here’s today’s food plan:

B: Protein Shake (rice milk, protein powder, banana, spinach, ice)

S: Nuts and granola

L: Leftovers-chicken and orzo salad

S: Apple and Nuts

D: Stuffed Peppers

My workout didn’t happen this morning because I was TIRED but thankfully I have time to do it tonight :).

Work put on a women’s conference the last few days and the buzz phrase has been “Work/Life Integration” rather than “Work/Life Balance”.  This isn’t to say that you should integrate work into your life but more that your life should be integrated into your work.  A perfect example happened for me today.  They were having a Halloween Parade at daycare and I needed to leave work at 3:45 in order to get there on time and participate.  I got all my work done and could do this, so I did.  Integrating my life into work.

I’m so glad I went.  Where else would I get to see this?

There were some really amazing points made today that I want to capture.  I think the one that struck home with me the most was “Know what you CAN do and know what you WILL do.” there is a difference.  I could have made Lucy’s costume but I found it online and love how it turned out.  I could have made it but I will buy it (and DID!).

Another powerful point was do what you need to do to not feel guilty.  That doesn’t mean doing everything and doing it perfectly.  It means that you have to pick your battles and decide what is really important to you.  If you’re going to feel guilt about not doing something or doing something then make the right decision.  I would have felt guilty had I not gone to Lucy’s Halloween party, so I went.

Another aspect that I struggle with is that I need help.  I can’t do everything myself and that’s okay.  Even if it means it won’t be up to my standard. Shaun gets Lucy ready in the morning.  Sometimes that means that she goes to daycare with buttons not buttoned and sock that aren’t exactly right.  In the long run, who cares?  I’m sane.

There were many other fantastic points made but the last two that I want to talk about had to do with me time and us time.  Make time for it.  Make time for me and make time for us-Shaun and I. I always said that I would do this and I really haven’t.  Shaun and I have been on 3 dates in the last 13 months.  We need to work on that.  I also need to work on taking time for myself.  I’ve gotten better but I really HATE to be away from Lucy.  I feel like I’m already away from her so much during the week but I also know that I’m a better Mommy if I get some me time.  I go to Knit Night every Wednesday night and I’m trying to do something every weekend for a few hours just for me.  Sometimes that only means a bath but hey, it’s better than nothing.

Isn’t my little fairy princess adorable?

Exciting Delivery

So, I got my exciting delivery.  Maybe these will illustrate what it was?

Coffee? Nope. Guess again! This may help…

Did you figure it out? Do you think a point and shoot camera could do that? NO!  I got a new DSLR camera!!!!  It came today right when I had meeting and then I had the conference.  Starbucks was the first chance I had to play around with it and then I used it in the pictures of Lucy above. I love love LOVE it and can’t wait to see what it can do.  My fancy schmancy lens comes tomorrow.  Yay pretty pictures!

No, not really.  I have been thinking that I have 40 pounds to lose when really I have 30 pounds (27.5 to be exact) to lose.  WOO HOO!!!!  I never thought I’d see the day again when I was excited to lose 27 pounds but it is what it is 🙂

I have something VERY exciting coming in the mail today and I can’t wait!

Here’s the food plan for today:

B: 1 piece of Ezekiel Toast with Almond Butter and Jam (with lots of help from Lucy-she LOVES Almond Butter)

S: Protein Shake

L: Salad Bar at the Big Campus

S: Pear and Almonds

D: Leftovers from last night-chicken and roasted veggies

This afternoon is the Halloween party at Lucy’s school.  I can’t wait, it’s going to be so cute!!! Fun pictures to follow!

Popcorn made on the stove is seriously amazing! My Mom used to make it all the time and I decided to try it for myself last week. It’s really easy and so much better than microwave.

First get out everything you’ll need:

From left to right: A pot with a tight fitting lid, vegetable oil (or any kind of lighter oil), measuring cup and spoons, popcorn, salt, and a fun bowl to dump it in.

Next, put about a tablespoon of oil in the pan. Make sure that the bottom of the pan is coated. If it’s not, the popcorn will stick to the pan and burn.

Next, put about 10 kernels of popcorn in the pan.

Cover and turn the heat to high.

As that heats up, measure out your popcorn. For 1 person, I do 1/4 cup. This was for Shaun and me so I did half a cup.

When the tester kernels start to pop, you know the oil and pan are hot enough. Quickly add the measured popcorn and cover. Wait and listen for the pops! You can hold the lid and shake the pan (try to keep contact with the heat source). I don’t know if this does anything but my Mom always did it and it reminds me of popcorn so I do it.

As soon as the pops start to slow down, take the popcorn off the heat and dump it into the waiting bowl. Add salt and enjoy!

Yum!

My eyes flew open today at 3:45.  I didn’t even have to go to the bathroom, my body just decided it was time to be awake.  I tossed and turned for an hour and then finally thought “screw this”.  I got up, did Core Synergistics (love that workout!).  I was done by 6, so I took a shower and now here I am =D

I wore my HRM today for the first time in a looooong time and I “only” burned 170 calories.  I thought to myself “what a waste” and then I thought “are you insane? That is a ton better than 0!” Core Synergistics works out your CORE.  It’s not like  you’re doing insane cardio.  It’s just a good workout and good for me.  I need to get out of the mind frame that I have to burn X amount of calories in order to lose weight.  This is about being healthy and doing that workout was very healthy for me.  I’ll get some walking in today and it’ll be great.

I bet I am going to be DRAGGING today around 3-JOY!

And, just because, here’s a picture of Daddy and Lucy going down the slide this weekend:

I went down to Bakersfield this  weekend for my 10 year high school reunion.  It was fun but I over-indulged and had a 2 day hangover!!!  You know you’re getting old when your hung over for 2 days.

Lisa and I have been friends since 7th grade!

I woke up at 5:30 this morning but there was no way I could workout.  I felt like I was going to toss my cookies (again) so I took it easy today but will be back at it tomorrow.

I made a great dinner tonight!  Quick and easy and the whole family enjoyed it.  I took 2 salmon filets and put lemon juice, salt and pepper on them and baked them in a 450* oven for ~20 minutes.  I made whole wheat orso and chopped up some marinated artichoke hearts, capers, lemon juice, spinach, s+p, and parmesean (YUM).  And then I just blanched some brocolini.  It took me 20 minutes to makeand was delish!

After dinner I got a whole chicken with parsnips, potatoes, carrots, and onions ready for the crockpot tomorrow.  The chicken has a spice rub on it overnight and then I’ll stick it in the crockpot in the morning.  I’m very excited to use the temperature probe function in my crockpot to insure that I will not come home to overcooked chicken-SO COOL!

Here’s what today’s food looked like:

B: Jamba Juice (small) Mega Mango

S: Oatmeal with banana on top

L: Soba with fish broth and chicken breast

S: An apple with peanut butter sample from Whole Paycheck and a peice of dark chocolate

D: Described above

S: POPCORN!!!

Tomorrow’s food:

B: Larabar

S: Protein Shake

L: Leftovers from tonight’s dinner

S: Apple an nuts

D: Crockpot chicken and veggies

S: POPCORN!!!

Do you see a theme?  I’ve been OBSESSED with popcorn.  I started making it on the stove again, just like my Mom used to do and it is A.MAZE.ING!

But, my aunt gave me some funny popcorn this weekend.  It’s a popcorn still on the cob.  It looks like this:

You put it in a paper bag (I don’t have any of those paper bags that I used to take to school everyday so I just cut the top off of a grocery bag and put it in there:

Fold the top over on the bag and stick it in the microwave:

5 minutes on the microwave, start it, and then listen. When there is 3 seconds or more between pops, stop the microwave. You get this:

The best part? The kernals that didn’t quite pop off the cob-they’re really thick and just yummy:

I like the pan made popcorn better but this was fun!

There are two things in my life that I need to keep on top of in order for the big pay-off down the line. My health and my money. These two things almost always go hand in hand for me. When I’m on top of my health, I’m usually on top of my money-the one place this wasn’t true was when I was training for the Ironman. Wow does an Ironman ever drain your account!

Control in one area begets control in another area. I know I’m not the only one that is like this.

As I was walking to the train yesterday, I was thinking that if I can continue to make good choices both financially and health wise that I’ll be in a GREAT place a year from now. To be honest-I’m already in a great place-I love my life and feel so completely blessed but I will be in an even better place if I make the right choices now.

What are the prizes (other than the blatently obvious ones) do you ask ?

Health-once I’m at my “forever size” I’m getting a head to toe Mommy make-over. I’ve been saving for this since BEFORE Lucy was born. Out of each paycheck Shaun and I get a small amount that goes into our personal account for our own personal use. I’ve been squirreling away that money for over a year now and plan on hiring the very stylish people at Urban Darling to help me define my style and shop. I am VERY excited about this and can’t wait.

Money-We are OH SO CLOSE to being debt free (other than our mortgage). Once we are debt free so many options open up to us about our lifestyle. The possibilities are endless.
So? I’m keeping my eye on the prize!

And just to make you smile:

Lucy wore her first pair of big girl jeans today.  They have a REAL button and a ZIPPER.  Plus she has on a long sleeve tee-not a onsie.  She looks CUTE but definitely not like a baby.

As for me, yesterday was a success! And today is on track to be another success! I got up before my alarm today and did arms and shoulders plus abs. I feel great!

Here’s the food plan:

B: coconut Larabar (best flavor IMHO)
S: oatmeal with chia and banana (no Barney Butter today-I forgot!)
L: Leftovers from last night-Spicy Apricot Chicken (recipe below), Chinese long beans, brown rice
S: almonds, apple, and ryvita cracker
D: homemade marinara with spinach and whole wheat noodles

Here’s Lucy eating the marinara the other night-it was her first experience with spaghetti and she loved it!

I have a HOA meeting tonight-BOO! We have to talk about the budget and those meetings always suck. Plus, I don’t get to really see Lucy 🙁 Oh well-hopefully it’ll go by quickly. Wednesdays are normally knit night but the HOA meeting is killing that. I am OH SO CLOSE to finishing Lucy’s sweater and hopefully can do that while watching So You Think You Can Dance (dance, dance, dance…) tonight. My goal is to get it done in time for this weekend when we’re down in Bakersfield.

Here’s another cute one of the bug:

And here’s the recipe for the chicken. It’s another weight watchers recipe.

Spicy Apricot Chicken:

• 3 teaspoons dark sesame oil
• 4 (6 ounce) skinless chicken breasts, bone-in (the bone-in part is important-I didn’t use bone-in and I regretted it)
• 1/2 cup apricot preserves
• 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce (I used Siracha)
• 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce (I used Bragg’s Amino)

Directions
Heat 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook until browned, 2-3 minutes on each side (I didn’t do this and wish I had). Transfer the chicken to a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Combine remaining 1 teaspoons of oil and the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken. Cook covered until the chicken is fork tender, 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. Transfer the chicken to a platter, keep warm. Pour the sauce into a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 3-4 minutes.

Weaning has been a very emotional thing for me. I really fell in love with nursing. It wasn’t a question to me IF I would nurse but I didn’t know for how long and I was really scared that it would gross me out. It was the exact opposite. It was the most natural thing in the world and brought so much joy to my life.

First Time Nursing

I struggled through supply issues, pumping in airport bathrooms, bleeding nipples (yes the pump caused my nipples to BLEED) but I made it to a year! I’m so proud that I did and I’m so happy that Lucy and I got to experience that bond for 12 and half months.

First Time Nursing in Public

The BEAST (the dreaded pump)

When it came time to wean I had too many questions to count. I called the lactation consultant numerous times and consulted many of my online Mommy friends and friends in real life. I read books, I researched, I searched online. Still, going through the process was confusing and hard and most of all scary.

Six Months

I thought I’d tell you about my experience.

When Lucy was about 10 and half months old I started paying attention to how much she was nursing. At that point it was around 4-5 times a day. I decided not to just whip out the boob at any provocation and tried to only nurse 3-4 times a day.

The next thing I tackled was pumping. I reduced my pumping sessions from 3 times a day to 2 times a day. I was pumping at 10, 1, and 4 and I started to just pump at 10 and 4.

Six Months

Then we went to Hawaii and I was REALLY glad that I had my superhuman milk making powers! That 6 hour plane ride would have been hell without nursing! While we were in Hawaii, Lu nursed 2-3 times a day but while on the plane ride home she nursed almost constantly.

Nursing While Hiking in Hawaii-Almost 12 Months:

We got home a few days before her 1st birthday and I REALLY wanted to be done pumping. I tried to only pump once a day for 10 minutes (vs. the 30 minute sessions I was doing before). My plan was to reduce it each day by 2 minutes. On the second day I was super full and in pain. I ended up pumping twice that day, just to relieve the pressure. I did make sure to STOP pumping before my milk stopped dripping. Milk is totally dependent on supply and demand and I needed to let my body know that there was no more demand during the day.

By the end of September (her birthday is on the 22nd of September) I was DONE pumping.

I was still nursing morning and evening but I noticed that she was barely nursing at night. I decided to cut out the night nursing but continue nursing first thing in the morning.  I did start to nurse for shorter amounts of time but wanted to keep going. Our morning nursing was my favorite part of the day and I didn’t want to stop that just yet. I would bring her into bed with me and would nurse while I got a few more minutes of sleep and we would cuddle.

I was nursing at night on my right side and in the morning on the left side. I decided to try and let my right side dry out and continue to nurse on the left in the mornings.

After I cut out the night nursing, my right boob was fine. I thought that I was “drying up” already and this confirmed it for me.

Well, until 2 days later. Oh.My.God. I have never been in so much pain in my life. My right boob was engorged, hard as a rock, and painful to the touch. I decided right then and there that it was time to to completely wean because I didn’t want to prolong the process.

I had the added benefit that my in-laws were visiting and we we sleeping out on the couch (they got our bed) and so our routine was messed up anyway. They tell you NOT to go where you normally go to nurse when you’re trying to wean. Since, we wouldn’t be in our bed for almost a week, it seemed like the best time.

Instead of nursing Lucy that next morning I gave her her normal morning snack of string cheese as soon as she woke up (rather than after she nursed) and I gave her a sippy of water. She seemed fine with it.

To deal with the pain I was in I took hot showers. I massaged my breast in the shower. I wore cold cabbage in my bra (ahhh that felt so good-wear it until it wilts and then replace). I took anti-histamines at night (notorious for drying nursing mothers up). I drank mint tea (also helps dry you up). My left side did get a little engorged but it never got painful. Almost a week later and my right breast was still in pain. Like, MAJOR pain. My whole right side hurt. It was horrible. I felt my breast and discovered that it was completely soft except for one spot that was rock hard.

I had a plugged duct. I had gone 382 days of nursing with no plugged ducts and then this. The best way to get rid of a plugged duct is to have your ‘lil one nurse. I was hesitant to do that since Lu was doing so well not nursing.

That night I got into a really hot shower (heat helps with letdown) and started massaging. Then I pressed on the lump and milk SHOT out of my nipple for a good 5 minutes!!! No hand expressing, just pressing on the lump-CRAZY. I swear to you-that was the best shower of my life.

After that I’ve had no pain. I haven’t needed cabbage or anything and my boobs seem to be back to “normal”.

Emotionally-weaning has been hard but not as hard as I thought. Lucy has become a little cuddle bug. I get more cuddles now then I did when I was nursing-it’s fabulous! She has asked to nurse 3 times in the last week and a half and I was able to distract her and just give her cuddles instead.

I also have about 100 times the energy now as compared to when I was nursing. I didn’t realize how much it was draining me. I feel like the “old” me again.

If I had it to do over again would I stop nursing sooner to get the old me back? Never in a million years.

Last Day We Nursed