To Cute!

My friend Laura and I were out and about doing some shopping on Saturday and we were both blessed with only having to bring one child with us. I brought Bo and she brought Violet, who is the same age as Bo. While sitting at Chipotle both kids were being really good, eating there food. Bo then takes his cup of sour cream and offers it to Violet to dip her chip in. It went something like this.....

Bo " Here violet....want some"
Violet "Ok, thanks"
Bo "you're welcome"
Smiles and giggles

Me "Awe, you guys are being so nice to each other......(to laura.....maybe they'll get married?=))
Laura to Violet "Violet do you want Bo to be your prince?"
Violet "YEAH!!!!"
Bo "ok"

Steak Gorgonzola!

YUM! Can I say again YUM!!!! I have been getting almost if not all of my meal ideas from this blog that I am absolutely in love with. Well Monday night Italian food sounded really good and I remembered that one of the meals on my list was Penne Gorgonzola! Score! Well the recipe called for chicken but I was craving steak so Jason fired up the grill and made to delicious fillets! While he was doing that I worked on the pasta. Here is the recipe ! It was sooooo easy to make and it was soooo good! I almost always get the steak Gorgonzola when we go to the olive garden, and I think this recipe even tops that! I would however recommend measuring out the Gorgonzola cheese, it calls for 5oz and my package was 8 ounces and I just eye balled it and though it was still really yummy, I could tell there was a little to much of it in there. I think next time I make it I am going to add red peppers and maybe some broccoli.

If you have some time look around on the eat at home cooks blog! You will find some great recipes. Jason and I would highly recommend the Peanut Butter and Jelly muffins! They are so good! Enjoy!!!

Potty Training...

This past weekend Jason and I really focused on Bo and his potty training. I am happy to report that I think he has got it a good handle on it! He came to us on Saturday morning and wanted to go potty, so he went and we put underwear on him. He kept them dry all morning and afternoon. He even kept them dry all through his nap. Saturday night we had several friends over and I think there were 7 kids running around the house and he still kept his pants dry up until everyone started leaving, then he had is first accident. But hey only one accident, I can live with that.

On Sunday he had a diaper on during Church but then he was in underwear the rest of the day, again he kept them dry through his nap and for the whole day except during dinner he had a accident, because we forgot he was wearing underwear and while we were eating he asked to go potty and we said he had to finish eating first....oops now I have to remember he is wearing big boy underwear and can't hold longer than a minute or two.

Today he has been doing great as well, no accidents yet! Now he has not gone #2 yet on the potty, I think he might be holding it in cuz he has not gone in his underwear either, but once I put his diaper on for bed within like 10 minutes he has a poopy diaper. So we need to work on that but hey Bo is making huge progress and I am so happy and proud of him!

weight-loss update...

I know I have failed at posting about my weight-loss fails and successes since I started back in Ohhhh October? Well here is an update on some things that worked and some that didn't.
First Jason and I joined the YMCA back in October. We also invested into some good cookbooks, workout apparel, Shoes, and food journals.

**Let me start off by saying to be effective in your workouts having the right gear is essential, Esp. Shoes. Spend the money and get a good pair of shoes.

Initially when we started this whole thing, we were writing everything we ate down. We were working out on average 3 days a week at the Y and doing a lot of Low fat foods. Now let me expand on what worked and what didn't here. First of all I found that writing things down worked for me initially to help me realize how much I was really eating. After a few weeks though, I found my self eating things just to fill my calorie count for the day and I was not necessarily hungry. I was thinking that if I had calories left for the day I might as well use them. However I think that hindered my weight loss a little. So Now I do not write things down but I do take more time when it comes to menu planning and using a lot of fresh veggies and fruit.

Second, we tried doing a lot of low fat foods or fat free foods. In the end it is disgusting. I found it harder for the body to process the fat free foods esp. when it came to anything dairy. So we will not be doing that anymore. Plus if you think about it there is probably more junk in the fat free stuff that will hinder weight loss than if you were just to eat a smaller portion of the normal healthy versions.

Third, going to the gym is proving to be more difficult that I originally thought. I HATE working out, however when I do I feel good after all is said and done. Up until Jason's job got really crazy with long weird hours we were going together 3 days a week. I have not been going regularly since about the middle of November. I have done the occasional day or two but nothing consistent.
Now since I am not working out regularly I need to be watching what I eat. A friend sent me this website, which I think I posted last week, and I have found it to an absolute life saver. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it! Eat at home cooks! Try it! Also with Jason working long hours I have found that I am eating less in the evenings because I am not make huge meals. PORTION SIZE, PORTION SIZE, PORTION SIZE! I started serving dinner on our salad plates instead of the huge dinner plates. I eat less and yet I am satisfied. I also don't eat breakfast, I know there are those of you who will say that is the wrong thing to do, but I am not a big breakfast person. On average I will eat breakfast 3 days a week, and even then it is usually a piece of toast, a granola bar or a bowl of high fiber organic cereal. I almost always have a small glass of juice and a cup of coffee with creamer. Hey it works for me and if I weren't seeing results I wouldn't do it. For lunch I usually eat a deli sandwich, quesadilla, salad, mac and cheese or leftovers. I always have a snack mid afternoon of either popcorn, a handful of candy (for my sweet tooth), whole grain crackers and swiss cheese or pita chips and salsa. I have been making our dinners from the menus on the above website! I drink water, coffee, diet coke and tea a lot. I also love the Hansens sodas and sparkling juices from Trader Joe's! Trader Joe's is my new prefferred grocery store!

One more thing that has helped me is that I am staying busy around the house. I have made a chore chart for myself and I am doing a lot more moving, cleaning, going up and down stairs, and playing with the boys! Now if I can just get ahead and start fresh with all the chores and upkeep then it would be a lot easier. I am really going to tackle the cleaning, organizing and chore cart this coming week. I need to finish the upstairs.....No it is not done yet but I am managing to do a little bit each day. It will get there!

So since the week before Thanksgiving I am proud to say I have lost a total of 14.2 pounds! I have one pair of jeans that actually still fits and all the others are really loose and I have to keep pulling them up and I get the saggy crotch after wearing them for like 10 minutes. I have lost most of the weight in my legs, neck, and a little in my waist/breast area. I would really like to loose another 10 pounds in my waist/stomach in the next month. I am going to TRY and get to the gym at least 2 times a week to do some biking and ab workouts. My ultimate goal is to loose a total of 75 pounds, but I am setting small goals to help me get there otherwise I get overwhelmed and tend to give up. So the small goal would be another 10 pounds by valentines day. I think that would be enough to justify buying a smaller pair of jeans. After that I would like to loose another 30 pounds by July 3, my birthday! Because Jason has told me that once I loose 50 pounds he will give me a $1000 for a new wardrobe! Wouldn't that be an awesome birthday present!

I know this has been a long post but thank you for reading. Let me know your thoughts, ideas and suggestions. Also, what has worked for you when it comes to house upkeep, weight-loss, working out and eating well?