melts in your mouth.

a bag of m&m's straight from new york.

pretzel m&m's. peanut m&m's. mini m&m's. peanut butter m&m's. milk chocolate m&m's. dark chocolate m&m's.

who knew they made so many different kinds of those little chocolate candies...

i grabbed a small handful (or two)...

i couldn't help myself... just look at those colors!!

row 13.

in just four weeks, tim and i will be on a plane heading to our favorite place and vacation spot. playa mujeres. it can't come soon enough.

we booked our plane tickets this evening. row 13. not sure how i feel about the number 13. i am not a superstitious person. but the fact that almost the whole plane was full except row 13 and a few other random seats here and there... makes me wonder. why didn't anyone else book them? is our country so superstitious that the only two seats available were in row 13.

tim was ready to pay extra to get an emergency seat and avoid row 13 altogether...and i stopped him. seriously, tim?

all we can do is pray for a safe flight and know that it doesn't matter what row we are in... we have no control... Someone much bigger does.

would you sit in row 13?

dropped the ball...

or the mouse. or the cat. or whatever i was trying to balance. my plan this week failed miserably. i tried really hard to stay focused on eating healthy and enjoying life at the same time... and it failed. couldn't balance it. everything dropped.

this was a learning experience. learning about my body. learning what works with it... and what doesn't work with it. obviously indulging on a delicious chocolate cake with ice cream and peanut butter sauce doesn't work with it. and eating cap'n crunch cereal for breakfast four days in a row didn't help it either... :)

wish me luck, as i try to jump back on the ball and learn how to figure out a balance in my diet that makes me happy and confident. just like this guy!

Check out My Journey page if you are interested in seeing my balancing act gone wrong.

Next weigh-in: Monday, July 4th.

balancing act.

i have been really working on having a balance in my diet... learning to maintain my weight.... and enjoying life.

last night, tim and i went on a date at one of our favorite restaurants in town. i decided to order a mediterranean wrap with roasted red peppers, cucumbers, lettuce and hummus. with a side of french fries to split with tim.

we then decided to share a dessert after dinner. and i totally indulged.

and we ended the night with my brother dan and his wife amanda, relaxing and enjoying the company.

weigh-in tomorrow. this is the first week that i focused on balancing my diet. eating healthy throughout most of the week but having some of my favorites in between.

found the golden ticket.

sometimes... who am i kidding... all the time, i crave something sweet after a meal. i usually want chocolate, cookies or ice cream.

i found a low calorie sweet snack that satisfies that craving.

the everlasting gobstopper.

9 of these jawbreakers for 60 calories.

thank you willy wonka.

just me and the cap'n.

somehow on our grocery trip TWO weeks ago, a box of Cap'n Crunch's Crunch Berries cereal ended up in our shopping cart. i don't want to point fingers... but i think the guilty person was my other half in the grocery store...

two weeks later... and we still had a full box of crunch berries in the cabinet. for some reason, tim buys a box of cereal, eats a bowl for breakfast on the weekend, and then forgets about it.

on monday morning i saw the cap'n just smiling down at me wanting me to enjoy a bowl of his crunch berries. i looked at the nutrition label on the box. 100 calories for 3/4 a cup. in those 100 calories, it was mostly sugar and very little nutrients. but that didn't seem to bother me because i enjoyed it so much that i ate another bowl on tuesday, and then on wednesday. oh and this morning.

i love cereal. i have the biggest problem with cereal though. i sometimes feel like i can eat a whole box. it is so hard to stop eating it... especially when it is a sugary cereal. i am learning to measure out my cereal and milk and save the rest for another day.... oh. and try to make sure that those fun kid cereals don't end up in our shopping cart.

what is your favorite kids cereal?

peanut butter cravings.

after my most recent weigh-in, i have really been motivated to stay on this healthy eating wagon. my summer routine is much different than my school year. i can eat breakfast whenever i want. i eat lunch whenever i want. i can snack whenever i want. (it's kind of like using the bathroom during the summer... i can go whenever i want!... however, transitioning back to one trip a day in august is ALWAYS difficult)

yesterday for lunch i made a tuna fish wrap with tomato, lettuce and homemade guacamole with a side of red peppers. i estimated it to be about 450 calories. and it was so satisfying!

when tim arrived home last night, he rummaged through our cabinet to see if he could create something for dinner... he found the peanut butter! he made a delicious pasta with a spicy peanut butter sauce. i hope to post the recipe once tim figures out exactly how he made it.

keeping on the peanut butter kick. i decided to make a peanut butter banana smoothie for lunch today that i tweaked from another recipe i found...

ingredients:

1 banana

1 tbspn of peanut butter

1 cup of milk.

1 cup of ice

chocolate syrup (optional)

Blend ingredients together and add a little chocolate syrup on top for a chilling lunch on a hot and humid day. it hit the spot for about 320 calories.

i am starting to really like adding peanut butter to meals. it is high in calories but it always satisfies hunger cravings.

name change.

yesterday, tim and i met around noon at the courthouse to get a copy of our marriage certificate... our trip to mexico is right around the corner and i am still in process of getting my name changed on my passport.

i love my new last name... but changing it... has been such a headache! from drivers license to teaching certificate to colleges and transcripts... and now my passport.

after we left the courthouse, we had only a little of time until tim had to return to work. not enough time for a sit down restaurant... so the fastest place around was a mcdonalds. now i love mcdonalds. i immediately thought of sinking my teeth in a double cheese burger, dipping fries in ketchup and washing it down with an orange drink.

then i realized, i had to be smart. enjoy the food, but be smart about it. so i asked the young man at the counter for a cheeseburger happy meal. he looked at me funny, smiled and asked if i wanted a girl's toy. or a boy's toy... not only did i eat a mcdonalds meal for 530 calories... but i got a toy to boot!

weighed in yesterday. new number is 146.0. extra birthday weight. GONE.

if you had to change your name, did you find it to be a headache to get all the paperwork done?

a father's day wish.

Happy Father's Day!

a very special father's day wish to a dad...

who took us mini golfing through "36 holes of hell" every summer despite the angry tears from three kids losing.

who rode down water slides and had just as much fun as his kids.

who cooks the best cinnamon rolls on christmas morning.

who fills up my gas tank in 20 degree weather.

who will lend a helping hand to anyone who needs it.

who sold our nintendo for a basketball net so we would get more exercise.... and stop fighting over the controllers. (two controllers for three kids= total disaster)

who cheered me on through my fifteen year running career and travelled to most of my races.

who is a hard working man and a provider.

who walked me down the aisle to marry the man of my dreams.

who is a karaoker.

a diver.

who is a cornhole bag thrower.

who is a great friend.

who is a wonderful husband.

who is an amazing "pop pop"

and a fantastic dad.

i wish you a very happy father's day Dad! The three of us wouldn't be the adults we are today if it wasn't for mom and you.

reflection.

yesterday, tim and i were walking into a store...

as we were walking in the door, i got a quick glimpse of my reflection in the window. and instantly thought "ewww, my hips are so wide"

why do i look at my reflection whether in a mirror or a store window and criticize myself... why can't i look at it and think "whoa! lookin' good!" or "holy moly! look at those skinny legs!"

nope. i instantly see the negative.

what do you see in your reflection?

garlic guacamole.

a couple of months ago, i wrote a blog about how much i love guacamole dip from chipotle. a friend from high school was nice enough to email a guacamole recipe that she uses and loves.

fast forward to today...i am going over a friend's place for lunch... and she mentioned if i would be interested in bringing guacamole dip. my first instant was.... sure! i can totally drive to chipotle and pick some up for us... and then i thought about marsi's recipe.

i tweaked it a little bit because it will just be the two of us for lunch... i didn't add cilantro but i definitely threw in garlic! i am so excited to try it this afternoon!

Guacamole Recipe:

2 avocados

1 tomato

1 garlic clove

1/3 cup of onion

1 lime

salt

pepper

Mash avocado in bowl ( i tend to like my chunk so i like leaving some chunks of avocado)

Squeeze lime on avocado

Add tomato, onion and garlic

Combine

Add salt and pepper for taste... and..

ENJOY!

i keep hearing that avocados have "good" fat! i read that dipping red pepper in the guacamole is a healthy choice rather than tortilla chips. this is the perfect summer time snack!

Happy Friday!

pass the granola.

i woke up this morning with another list of chores to do... from laundry to organizing our closets and cabinets (i am getting good at this wife thing, huh?)

after some cleaning i decided to take a lunch break. i made a tuna fish sandwich on a Thomas Everything Bagel Thin with tomato and onion. the whole lunch was about 460 calories!

one of my hobbies is blogging... but another hobby i have is reading other people's blogs. it is better than reality television! i really get a clear picture of how a person lives their lives with ups and downs. one blog i follow religiously, had an AWESOME recipe for peanut butter granola. i had to try it:

Peanut Butter Granola (Makes four 1/4 c. servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. creamy peanut butter
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 c. oats

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Spray cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
• Combine peanut butter and honey in a bowl and microwave until peanut butter melts (approximately 20 seconds). Stir.
• Stir cinnamon and vanilla into peanut butter and honey mixture.
• Add oats and stir until oats are completely covered in peanut butter mixture.
• Spread out oat mixture onto prepared cookie sheet and bake for 7 – 8 minutes until granola is slightly browned.
• Let cool until granola is crunchy.

It seriously took me a total of fifteen minutes to make and was so worth it! you can add it to yogurt, cottage cheese or just eat it by itself (that's what i did!) the granola is about 115 calories per serving.

look at me...i am becoming suzy homemaker!

surprises.

school's out for summer! i have sang that song ALL day. from my first sip of coffee this morning. to the scrubbing of my bathroom floor. to my unpacking of groceries at 3 this afternoon.

i realized that i can finally be a house wife. i married tim last summer at the end of july. by the time we arrived back from our honeymoon, it was the beginning of august... i was home for a few days before i headed back to the classroom and started getting ready for the school year.

school consumes me. i am guilty of coming home from work... sitting on my couch. and either doing school work. or zoning out and watching ridiculous television. i am not a fan of cleaning a bathroom or doing laundry. or really being a housewife. i am way too exhausted.

today i did some much needed chores around the house. afterwards, tim called me on his way home from work and said he had a "surprise" for me to celebrate the end of the school year!

he surprised me with a banana mama. this was my FAVORITE drink while we were on our honeymoon in mexico.

i decided to step on the scale this morning since i chose not to do a monday weigh in. the number was 146.8! what a nice surprise! this day was full of surprises!

i went grocery shopping today and added some new items to my cart. can't wait to share some new recipes i have found. healthy, easy and delicious!

do you sometimes feel like it is hard to be a good housewife when you are working full time?

year of the plant.

the school year has come to an end. i had a wonderful bunch this year. i love the end of the year gifts from children. the best part is receiving them. they walk in the classroom with no book bags (which they are THRILLED about) and in their hand is usually a gift that they are SO excited to give to their teacher. oh. and they are DYING for you to open it.

this year, i received a few gift cards, which i am always thankful for... but the gifts that make me smile the most... sometimes get me teary eyed... are the gifts that the children find in their homes, because they want to give something... and parents may not have the time or money to buy...

this year i received a little angel.

and a chinese mug (i think)...

although these gifts are precious... this was definitely the year of the plants. not sure where my students overheard me discussing flowers and plants. or if it was just a coincidence... but i have received so many plants that tim was a little confused whose apartment he walked into today...

hoping i can keep them all alive... i'll take any tips... :)

wishing everyone a happy and safe summer! it truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

a gift.

drinking water has come a long way since march. i have tried to have it every way possible to make it better. i went from gagging on water... to finally enjoying it.

i have gotten in the habit of asking for water at restaurants. instead of diet coke... i no longer buy a case of diet coke at the grocery store. i buy i case of water...

now drinking water was fantastic... until i watched the commercial of the empty water bottles polluting the earth...at that point, i realized drinking water isn't as good as i thought.

then i saw the brita water bottle... i told tim i wanted this for my birthday... and lucky me... i got it!

i was a little apprehensive at first using it... i didn't think it would purify the tap water so fast... but it did... it even passed tim's test.

so much so, that he bought two! one for him and one for me!

after much thought. i have decided to pass on the weigh-in this week. let's just say that i celebrated this weekend with some of my favorites... and i am petrified to get on the scale. i didn't want tears to start off my 30th year...

tune in next monday, june 20th... for an update.

30 years.

i woke up this morning full of excitement. it was my birthday! tim took me to have my favorite breakfast which was a delicious everything bagel with cream cheese and a frozen vanilla coffee.

we celebrated the day at my favorite place...the pool! and i got my peanut butter cup blizzard ice cream cake!!

My 29th year.

this past year has been full of events. definitely the year of the weddings. our family had two!

although my 29th year has the best memories and best day of my life because of my wedding, there were still many other wonderful memories throughout the year...

my bachelorette party.

getting ready for my wedding day.

my dad walking me down the aisle.

marrying timothy.

dancing with my new husband.

honeymoon to mexico.

My best friend's wedding.

Mckenna is born!

creamer stacking champion.

beating mario 3 with tim.

my brother's wedding day.

praying for another happy and healthy year.