Stress sucks!!

I haven't been here in a couple of weeks.  I haven't lost anymore weight, and I have been under some crazy stress at home lately.  (Teenager induced)!!  
Not going to go into the long drawn out story, but suffice it to say....she lied, she got caught, the Borderline personality disorder is annoying me to say the very least, and I am so tired of winter!!  

How is that for summing it up huh?

J.R. starts his new job on Monday.   He was supposed to have 3 days off, and instead he has to be at his old job today after he takes his dad to the doctor, to finish up work.   So basically he is working and not getting paid for his time.   Which sucks because this is why he left the job in the first place.  They didn't want to pay him for all his hard work and hours put in.   I will be so glad when he starts the new place.   He deserves less stress especially at work.

We are going out tonight for dinner, can't wait.   Off to Dodici's with Janet and Jim, and going to try Cuban food tonight.   I don't care if it's McDonalds as long as we get to go out together and just relax a bit.   We both need it and deserve it.

Shelby got her wisdom teeth out yesterday.  So she is still sore and swollen.  But none the worse for wear as they say.   We decided to keep Ryan and Elizabeth home today from school, Ryan was coughing alot last night and sounds just terrible.  He is all congested and snotty.   Elizabeth has said her throat was scratchy the past couple of days and she has some congestion as well.  So, we figured if they had the weekend to rest up and feel better....by Monday hopefully it will have run it's course.

Not much else going on around here.....just trying to get by everyday and get Shelby to do what she needs to do in order to be considered a responsible person.

1st week weigh in!!!

4.2 lbs down in 1 week!!  Not too shabby!!   I feel really good, I have been quite diligent with tracking my foods.   I know I could be better with exercising, but if my back is hurting I don't push it.   Hopefully by the time Spring is sprung I will be down more weight and will be more comfortable and moving more freely and more often!!    My meals I have been creating or getting recipes for on the WW site have been awesome!!    Even the kids like some of them.   The ones I know they won't like I just make for J.R. and I.   We have both enjoyed them greatly.

J.R. is doing great too, not snacking on junk at work and I think he has lost some weight too.   Men just lose so much easier than women....Damn Estrogen!!!  

I've been really trying to get more of the recipes I make up on the "Healthy Habits" page on Facebook.  There is a link to the left if you want to check it out.  

I've also been tossing around the idea of taking some online courses at home.....I would like to take the Pharmacy Tech class so I can have some direction in my studying.  I have a couple of study books, but it is hard to digest without some instruction on how to do it.   For fun I would love to take a Creative Writing course or even some Nutrition and Fitness classes.  

Kids are back to school and getting back in the swing of things.   Will post more later about our Family meeting and the rules we all re-made and re-committed to for our house.  
It's laundry day so I better get to washing, drying, folding and putting away!!!   :)

Photo montage...

 Elizabeth in her PARTY Dress!!

Shelby and her friends on her birthday!!  17 WOW

Elizabeths funky socks!!

Ryan doing his "Dr. Evil" impression..LOL

It's Karaoke time!!

JR...the love of my life!!

Opening her gifts!!

Wes He is a very cool cat!!

Elizabeth pretending she has a talk show!!

Me looking like a big pumpkin!!!

It's the Ryan and Lizzy show..:)

Shelby!!  

Patiently waiting....well kind of :)

I ordered some of my new favorite foods from the internet.   VITATOPS!!  www.vitalicious.com   I first found these wonderfully yummy, low calorie, high fiber treats in my Hungry Girl cookbook.  Hungrygirl.com  They were mentioned all over the book.  Not just muffin tops and muffins, but people use them for desserts w/ a little whipped cream on top.  WOW!!  They are so good.   So, JR and I went to one of our local grocery stores and asked if they could get them, since they have the biggest "vegitarian, health food" sections in our small town.   After many weeks of us checking to see if they were there, finally....there they were.  They only stock two flavors, which I love both of them.  I want to try other flavors too, is that so wrong???   :)     So I ordered some more online since I got an e-coupon from their site for free shipping!!!   BONUS!!   Today is the day they are supposed to arrive, ready to put in the freezer.  That is yet another one of the bonuses to buying these wonderful little items in bulk, you freeze them until you eat them.  Just pop one in the microwave for about 25 seconds and you can have a warm double chocolate muffin.   (C'mon, you know you are drooling now huh?)  
When they arrive I will freeze all of them, but I have already factored one in to my points plan for the day!!  :)  They are Weight Watchers points friendly.   Just another reason to fall madly in love with them.  

Here is a pic of a box I have in the freezer already.  

I mean really???   How can you turn that down?   Good for you in so many ways, and they taste good too!!
SO I will sit and wait.....till the UPS man comes a knockin!!

Day 3 has been great, got lots of stuff done that I have been working on.  Feel good, no acid reflux last night YAY!!   And I even got up at 6:15am this morning !!!  Also, I don't feel like I need a nap !!  
I will check back in later....uploading some pics from Shelby's birthday,  Really want to put up some Christmas photos as well.   (I know I am a bit late...oh well) LOL

Have a blessed day everyone!!   No matter what your goals are, every tiny step towards those goals counts!!

Day 1 & Day 2

I know, I know....I forgot to post something about day 1, so here is a combined post ....:)

Day 1 went well, I made a big decision and committed myself fully to doing the Weight Watchers Points Plus program online.   So I spent a better part of my day yesterday getting that started up.  I love that I don't have to throw everything out and restock my cupboards and fridge.  I will do with what we have now in the house, and move ahead from here.   I also subscribe to the E-Z Meals program online, which really saves me money.  It is awesome and so many different plans to choose from.  15 dollars for 3 months and you have 3 months worth of recipes and grocery lists.  I print them off and it gives you a grocery list with totals of what you need for the entire weeks meals.  It saves me from having to run out mid week because I don't have something for a meal, and I know for me I end up buying other things that I "think we need", well we really don't but, you know how it goes.   I think this happens to alot of people.  Then they end up spending more money on groceries than they plan to each week.   And in this time of financial instability in our country and in our own homes, who wouldn't pay $1.25 a week to save literally hundreds of dollars a year on food.   Okay, getting down off the soapbox..LOL    I put a button on my page, so check it out!!   :)  

Day 2 is going even better than I could have ever planned.  I was down 1 lb this morning, which in itself is very motivating!!   Although I didn't get up early as I had wanted to do ( I did yesterday though, forgot to mention that up there).    I was up about midnight with some acid reflux, but I know that as I lose more belly fat that will diminish as well and I won't need medication for it.   Then I was up again at 5am to let the dog out, I actually should have stayed up at that point, because I honestly felt rested at that time.  But I figured...it was cold, and the house was quiet why not go back to bed for at least another hour....yea right....I woke about 7:15 when JR came into the bedroom, and I was intending on getting up at that time, but shut my eyes and before I knew it, I had slept another hour...YIKES!!  
I got my food all entered into the WW site and got my points added up for the day.   This kind of planning will surely help me to stay on track.  

I also started another blog...(Like I need one more thing to do right?  LOL)   but that one will be for menus and stuff like that.  This one will still be about the rest of my life as well as updating on the "healthy" changes I am making.   But as I type this...I feel like I should delete that one and just put that stuff on this blog.
One of my resolutions were to Live Simply....okay I think I just convinced myself to do that.   :)
Forgive me for thinking out loud and on the fly but hey, it's who I am!!  

hope everyone has a great day.....I am off to get some work done around here.   :)

21 DAYS

I heard that it takes 21 days to form a habit.   So, with that in mind I am starting my own 21 day challenge.
With it being a New Year and all, I thought to myself, "what better way to get rid of some bad habits and replace them with new and healthier ones.   It won't be easy I am sure, but I know I need it more than ever.  What do I need?, you ask....well I need structure, routine and to get my life organized from the ground up.  The past 6 months I have either been on bed rest, recuperating from surgery, or just plain being lazy and flying each day by the seat of my pants.  No structure, no plan.   My kids have felt this as well and are acting out accordingly as kids will do.   I know this isn't the only reason, but I know it certainly doesn't help things any.
So, 2011 is going to be a much better year, and already is in many aspects.   Putting this down in writing gives me a way to be more accountable, more in control of it all.  So here we go.....

1. Healthier eating for everyone ~  This means better shopping done by me.  More homemade meals where I control what goes into things.  Healthier snacks for the kids, more fruits, veggies and yogurts.  Making healthier breakfasts for the family and taking the time to sit down to family breakfast everyday, (with J.R.'s new job he might have to work past dinner time, so he won't always be here for dinner.)   Also, making dinner time at a certain time nightly, none of this up and down and all over the place...remember the key is structure!!

2. Be more active ~ I am developing a workout based on  some of my PT exercises.

3. Teach kids to be more responsible ~ This one isn't going to be easy, but we know it will be do-able.  Up until this point if I asked them to clean their rooms, they would go in and move things around, not always putting them where they need to be.   I would then go in and re-do what they did.  I am realizing that this isn't allowing them to take pride in a job well done, it isn't encouraging them to take care of their things or teaching them to be responsible, helpful members of this family.   So, chore lists will be made up for each person.  (Shelby has stated in  Family counseling that if I make her a list of things to do, she can tackle it more easily than me nagging her all day about things.   We have been trying it and it works with her.  So it might work on the other two kids.)  

4. Re-establish our "Family Rules" board ~ We have had a board with Family Rules on it since we moved in together, well over a year ago.   We need to revisit this board and make the rules clearer and set some consequences for actions that don't go in line with the rules we all agree on.   Also, we have had a swear jar, and I am one of the worst culprits of cussing in this house, and I can't expect the kids to stop if I don't.  So that will also be re-enforced along with "allowance" for each child based on their performance of daily and weekly chores that we all agree on.


I know there are only 4 things on this list, but I think it will be a great start, and we can always add on as time goes by and the need arises.
It is time to get our lives moving in a positive direction.  We are a family, and family is important!!!!