I'm HUNGRY!!@@#!!!

It's weird. I have lost 12 lbs. so far on the Weight Watchers program and have been quite satisfied. So it's a little frustrating when I have been really HUNGRY and have been stumbling as far as managing. For instance, if I was hungry, I would eat 1/2 cup cottage cheese and be very satisfied until dinner. However, this past week, I still want more. I am at my eating limit already and it's only 3pm. In the past, this is what happens when I've lost 10 lbs. so I shouldn't be surprised but since I've changed my eating habits-I thought I would be stumbling so much at this point. I need to refocus and realize it's not that I'm truly hungry. It does help to work out. Working out really takes the edge off. I have to remember that I'm still doing very well and this is not a quick process. It's uncomfortable when I have to deny my body's wants by not giving into it. Pray I don't stumble across a box of cookies or chips.

"It's Time for real Change"

I will be the first to admit I'm not a political guru and try to steer away from politics. However, I am a very proud American citizen not by birth but by choice. I love this country. I would rather live here than anywhere else in the world. I love that my parents and I worked hard, really hard, and now they live the American dream-not P. Diddy's kind but one where they own their own home, don't go hungry, and can enjoy the rewards of their hardwork. It's a simple formula for success in America: work hard, save money, and spend wisely.

So, frankly I am very mad at how what is happening at this time. Barack Obama just came into office and when he was campaigning, he would spout lines like "vote for a change you can believe in", "vote for real change", and "voting for McCain is voting for MORE OF THE SAME (in reference to G.W. Bush". I am not a fan of Mr. Bush, but I digress. So what does Mr. Obama do in his first two months in office?! Sign a stimulus package of $787 BILLION dollars. Isn't this more of the same?! Didn't Bush just pass one a few months ago? What's going on?! I can't believe it's more of the same!!!

So the new American dream is spend as much as you like on credit, buy your own piece of your dream house, don't practice your business ethicially, and we will come in to bail you out of your mistakes. Of course I'm exaggerating but remember I'm mad?

What's done is done and I suppose I'll get over this but I really hope that a lot of this money will go to truly deserving people who either had hardships brought on by health or loss of job get a help in getting back on their feet.

As for me, I'll continue to find ways to clip coupons, shop sales, and find all the ways I can to save my family money so that I won't be a burden to the country I love.

Don't mess with New Wave Music

Okay, I have had enough. I was listening to the radio while out and about with my little boys and I heard the most horrific song-it was a remake of "You spin me" by Dead or Alive. HIDEOUS. It was a hip-hop/dance version for tone deaf people. It sent me over the edge. I have been ticked by some of today's okay talent singers re-doing songs and killing them for awhile but have kept it to myself. What happened to the motto "if you can't do it better than the original or put a new twist to it-DON'T DO IT.

Examples of recent horrors: John Mayer (I hate his voice) remaking "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty. Horrible. Then you have ding-bat Jessica Simpson's lift of John Mellencamp's classic "Jack and Diane" in one of her annoying songs I don't even remember what it's called nor do I have enough space in my grey matter to want to remember it. Usually I can turn the station and not get upset by it, but today-I lost it. Don't mess with the New Wave songs man. Don't go there. It rocked the first time and you can still get your groove on to it-why mess with a good thing?!!!!

I'm not against all remakes. Growing up I enjoyed Tiffany's remake of "I think we're alone now" because she made it faster and upbeat compared to the original bake in the early 60's. It felt fresh because there was longer gap so most of us kids growing up in the 80's didn't know or remember the song existed. Bit of advice, if you are going to remake a song, give it at least two decades for people to forget. John Mayer added nothing good to "Free Fallin'".

Maybe I am too stuck in the 80's when it comes to music. I remember around 1989 when I was seventeen and I worked with a guy in his late 20's. His name is Tom B. He liked the 70's classic rock and back then, I thought it was old fogey music. I cringed when I would arrive at work after him because we lived by the motto "He who arrives first, controls the radio". When it was my day, I would listen to dance tunes and whatever bubble gum pop was on in the 80's. He used to ask me "how can you listen to that garage?". In my head I would think "I hope I don't get to be a stuck in the mud like Tom is about music." Well, God got me back because that's what I think about Hip-Hop and most of whatever is playing on the radio now. UUUGGHHH...I'm morphed into an old fogey. Sorry Tom whereever you are.

Welcome Lucas

My oldest sister had her third baby today weighing in at 9 lbs. 4 oz. and 21 in. Big baby. Interesting enough, her three kids are about seven years apart. That means getting through the baby-no-sleep phase, getting them potty trained, send them off to public school-then do it all over again. Twice.

My boys are 20 months apart and in a lot of ways I love it because they play well together, fight well together, but most importantly all the phases run into together because they not only learn from each other but it seems like it's still fresh in my mind. I don't know what's best-just what I know. Overall, I have really enjoyed staying home and getting to know my boys.

I pray for health and sleep for my sister and newest baby nephew.

Sodium Bicarbonate a.k.a. Baking Soda

I need to sing the praises of baking soda. It has so many uses. I not only use it to bake with and make my refrigerator smell better. I add it to my washer to help give our clothes a little ooommp! if you will since I use the most mildest of detergent because my skin is so sensitive. In addition, I use baking soda to clean my baked on goo clinking to my casserole dishes whenever I bake a roast, vegetables, or lasagna. Just make a paste with a little water and elbow grease and it's bye-bye hard, crusty mess.

In this period of potty training and having two boys, I sprinkle baking soda around the bottom of my toilet and let it stand for 10 minutes. It's amazing how it wicks the hidden yellow liquid hidden underneath the toilet. EEEWWWHHH. Sweep it up and clean your floors as usual.

Every once in a while, I add a tablespoon of baking soda to my sinks and chase it down with vinegar and once the chemical reaction is complete (no more bubbling) I hit it with hot water. Preventative measure to keep my sinks from getting clogged or smelly.

If I have an upset stomach from overloading on chili paste in my food or eating too much acidic food, I add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to 1/3 cup water and drink it. Taste awful but within 10 minutes, my stomach is not upset anymore. In addition, if you rinse your mouth in this solution, your breath smells nice.

As if this ingredient isn't hard working enough, you can make a paste by mixing it with water and scrub your face with it and it helps loosens and remove blackheads. WHOO! HOO!

Lastly, this gift from God is dirt cheap. I buy a lot of baking soda-Costco size is too small, that's how much I buy.

ch-ch-changes...

I have been trying to eat better following the Weight Watchers program which is basically eat healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, whole-wheat grains, lean meats and dairy, etc...but the biggie is PORTION CONTROL. My goodness I didn't realize my portions before this program was basically for a 6ft. 5in. male. You say no way? I say just ask my husband and he'll verify that I ate more than him. Add to that, finishing what the children didn't finish. And there in lies the secret of gaining a lot of weight.

What I've been most impressed with this past month and a half that I've been "tracking" (WW lingo) is that I actually like whole wheat bread. This coming from I-bake-my-own-white-bread because that's all I like to eat. My recipe for whole wheat bread isn't much better than the one Costco provides (5 grams of fiber /slice) so I buy the Costco two loaves and FREEZE one (which is a food science no-no in respect to flavor and texture). I eat it and like and don't have a craving for white bread. Weird. I don't even miss it. Even more weird. The experts say that your tastebuds adapt to whatever you bombard it with so I guess my brain has stopped fighting the whole wheat battle. And it keeps me full and satified, which causes me to not overeat and stay within the 21 points / day and voila!!! I'm losing weight.

Progess report: 153.2 lbs (1/7/09)
144.0 lbs (2/4/09)

24 lbs. to go...

"One big nugget and one small nugget"

As mentioned earlier, my youngest child Koo has been potty training. All is going well with going by himself when it comes to the No. 1 deed. We still keep him in Pull-ups because he still thinks the toyroom is his personal bathroom. He is still set on doing his stinky business in there and we have not been able to get him sitting on the potty. We tried putting him on the potty each day to get him used to it, bribe him, have him watch my husband, S.E. and myself do our business. Nope. Nada. No way Jose.

Well, we recently bought him some big boy underpants with Transformers all over them. He has been dying to wear them and asks for them every night after getting out of the shower. Our response has been "not until you go poo-y in the toilet and not your Pull-ups". Something finally clicked tonight because he ran into my room half naked and I was expecting the worse (like him having an accident), he calls out "Mom, I went poo-y in the toilet. One big nugget and one small nugget". The partying began and we danced and cheered. Then I gave him a piece of chocolate that lovely husband promised if he went in the potty. Next was a phone call to dad. Koo was so happy and I let him wear his Optimus Prime big boy underpants.

Hallmark moment right? Never that easy when raising children. He had an accident (No. 1) not ten minutes later. Stop the party. Rewind. Clean up. Put Koo in shower. Remind him that big boy underpants still means you have to go No. 1 in the toilet. Back in a Pull-up. Still so proud of him.

My Love is gone

My lovely husband is gone on a business trip and I feel like the house is on vacation. The boys and I have tried to not be on a schedule (which you know I am big fan of) and have gone out to visit friends, driven to a town half an hour away to shop, and just eating whatever, whenever. However, I have been able to keep on the Weight Watchers program even as I was hungry coming home from our shopping trip. Old me would pull right into the nearest greasy drive-thru to order a heart-attack in a burger and inhaled it. So far I have not done it and was able to reach for an apple and be satisfied.

Doing well as far as the food goes but I am always afraid to weigh in on Wednesday night each week. But on a "good note" I signed up for another session of Better-off-dead workout at the gym this Saturday and for a 5K run on March 28th so I can get used to running with A LOT of others beside me and I'm sure passing me. I'm okay with this because it's about getting in the game, not standing on the sidelines wishing I was skinny.

Bloomsday

I signed up for my first Bloomsday 12K run coming in May. I'm looking forward to this event because it will be the longest distance I will ever run. Hope I make it up Doomsday hill. Kind of scared but it's mainly due to not knowing what to expect.