my baby is moving.

10 months. i seriously can't believe that landon is already 10 months. he has hit some big milestones in his ten month mark. and he has only been there for five days!

before i tell you his big milestones, let me first share with you a word i have learned to understand and now can empathize with people who have it...  ANXIETY. i have never been an anxious person. i take things as they come and i don't really dwell on things to get me worked up. i believe i have no control over situations in my life... and that God does. but after having landon, my faith has been tested. challenged. i started to become an anxious person.

it all started when i found the lump in his neck. and then we discovered the broken clavicle. afterwards it was the torticollis that made me nervous especially when i realized that my baby may have to wear a helmet. and then the dreaded hearing test that he failed at six weeks old. i remember googling and crying over the many things that could be wrong with my baby. ANXIETY.

and because of this anxiety, i have been anticipating and nervous about him meeting milestones. i know. most mothers are worried and get nervous. i sometimes get in the habit of comparing landon to other babies around him... even though i KNOW all babies develop differently. i get frustrated with myself because i am trying to enjoy every second and not worry and get nervous about him... they are only little for so long... why am i rushing him?.... i am rushing him to make sure he is okay. that's it.

on sunday morning, he woke up, came downstairs. and instantly started to crawl on all fours like he has been doing it for MONTHS. he never rocked on all fours. he never crawled backwards to figure it out. he literally just started to crawl around the house out of NOWHERE. that very same day, he started going from laying on his belly, to kneeling, to sitting up. in ONE day. but wait, there is more. he figured he would really make it a big day and started to pull up on furniture and start "slowly"cruising around. in ONE day. i couldn't believe my eyes on sunday morning.

since then, he has been on the move, and i love it. he crawls to a toy, plays with it for a little while and moves on to the next thing. my baby is moving. all the stress, nerves and anxiety for no reason. he is moving.

my "anxiety" has greatly improved with him, as he is growing older and i realize he is fine. he is growing and behaving like a typical baby. he doesn't have all of those scary things i googled back in the summer. the helmet wasn't all that bad. his torticollis is coming along. and he can hear! but, i have learned that being a mom, i will always be worrying and anxious about him. i just need to trust that God will take care of him. and it is completely out. of. my. control.

Weigh-In Wednesday

still here and refuse to miss a weigh-in even if i do have a rough week... i am on Day 8 of the Shred.  i am hoping to pick it back up the monday after easter. i have been a bit off the band wagon lately. not sure why. i am wondering if it has to do with the weight gain last week and maybe in my mind i wanted to give up on this weight loss thing.

i know these are all normal feelings in a weight loss journey. which is why i will continue to blog and weigh-in. bathing suit season is right around the corner... :)

speaking of bathing suit season, landon had his first swim class at the pool yesterday. he seemed to enjoy it! however, the little stinker has had a rough day today. started it at 4:30 this morning and has been screaming and crying ever since. clingy. miserable. clear runny nose and can't keep his fingers out of his mouth...TEETH!!! i have tried everything to help him but nothing works. any suggestions other than teething tablets, motrin, frozen wash clothes, mesh teethers, teething rings, sophie, and a gum massage... i am DESPERATE!!

173.6 this morning. maintenance. i'll take it.

how did you do this week? have you ever been in a weight loss funk?

Next weigh-in: Wednesday, April 3rd

Weigh-In Wednesday

just completed Day 7 of the Shred. it was miserable and i was cursing jillian the whole time. no doubt that i feel stronger... i last pretty much through the whole thing with just a couple "five second" breaks. for those of you who do jillian, you know what i mean. that is all she allows you to break for.

weighed in this morning. 173.4. that is a gain of 2.6 pounds. puts me down 19.6 pounds since the new year. it is a good amount gained in a week especially since i saw 169 on thursday. but i had a rough weekend and i started the shred at the same time. i always gain weight when i start exercising. maybe it is because i am more hungry. maybe it is because i think i can eat more since i am exercising. or maybe it because of the old saying "muscle weighs more than fat."

to be honest, i definitely haven't gone out of control with eating since the weekend. i have had a few things i shouldn't have eaten... like a six chicken wings. but i could have had TWELVE!

i was going to update my inches lost but figured i would wait until day 10 of the Shred... when i am finished Level 1. i will be adding more progress pictures along with the updated stats.

and i will finish this update with a few landon pictures. he is working SO hard at trying to pull himself up on things. he gets frustrated but this doesn't stop him. it requires a lot of muscle to pull up 23 pounds of weight!! once he is up (with a little help from me) he loves standing! he stood in his pack and play for over ten minutes today... and LOVED it.

next weigh-in- Wednesday, March 27th.

how did you do this week?! do you gain or lose weight when you start to exercise?

Day 5- Shred

To keep myself motivated to do the Shred, i thought i would post pictures to show progress every five days. for some reason, whenever i start working out, i GAIN weight. so i have a feeling the scale won't be too nice to me on wednesday. i did take measurements... so i may start adding those to my wednesday weigh-in. 

(january 2nd)

 

(march 18th- DAY 5 of The Shred)

(january 2nd)

(March 18th- DAY 5 of The Shred)

 

(january 2nd)

(march 18th-DAY 5 of The Shred)

 

i have a few friends joining me on The Shred journey. how is everyone doing? i am not going to lie. i hate jillian. i just keep watching the time go by during every exercise waiting for the workout to end. thank goodness it is only 27 minutes and 22 seconds.

a ruined weekend.

this weekend was a rough one. we had a small get together with friends last night. and of course i ate my face off. chips and dip. pasta in a heavy cream sauce. homemade garlic bread. cookies. cadbury mini eggs. jelly beans. and more.

today we had a retirement party to attend. and of course they had appetizers galore! i ate cheesesteak bites. crab cakes. cupcakes. chicken wrapped in bacon. hummus on a pita. and i ended the night with more cadbury mini eggs. it was a mess.

it took all my might to do the shred tonight. i kept thinking "i am ruining my whole diet plan. i ate THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS worth of calories this weekend." the shred is going to do NOTHING for me if i keep eating the way i do. but, i decided to push through and do it... and i will give you the honest reason why......

i wanted to check off the day on my "shred chart." the chart is on my fridge. i put it there for a reason. the reason being...to stick to it. don't give up. complete ALL thirty days. (oh. and i am obsessed with using post-its... that could be the REAL reason why i did the shred tonight. to use a post-it.)

so day 4 of the shred is done. i felt gross doing it tonight and a little more miserable than usual knowing that i ate my face off this weekend. but it is done. and i am back to eating my normal way tomorrow.

have you ever felt miserable after falling off your healthy eating plan? i know i do... but i keep thinking this whole weight loss thing is a process and of course... tomorrow is a new day!! :)

The Shred... Take THREE!

I stepped on the scale this morning and it read 169.8.  i knew i had put it off for way too long. i am no longer in the 190s anymore. i have no excuse. so i did it.  i started Day 1 of The Shred.  i did The Shred back in September, and i seriously thought i was going to DIE with all that weight bouncing around. my knees hurt doing even doing ONE jumping jack. today, was a complete different story. i was able to do the whole workout with no pain and stopping only once.

(THANK YOU PINTEREST!) 

here is my 30 day shred calendar... i printed it out and put it on my fridge. if anyone has the DVD and would like to follow along, let me know!! oh and it is also free on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Pc-NizMgg8)... it helps me tremendously when other people are holding me accountable and doing things with me. 

i'll definitely be doing progress pictures after each level to see if there is a change. hoping i can do this!! wish me luck!

Weigh-In Wednesday

i should be back to blogging more than once a week... because i am finished TWO grad courses for the spring semester! woot! woot!!! i just wrapped up the last one on monday night. and it feels amazing... almost like the feeling i got when i stepped on the scale this morning. 170.8. that is a weight loss of 1.8 pounds this week. and a total of 22.2 pounds since the new year.

it feels good to say that i am only about fourteen pounds away from pre-pregnancy weight. and not almost forty pounds away!! i kept saying in my mind that i would start exercising when i got in the 160's... well they are so close! i can't believe how excited i am to see the 160's!

i stopped counting calories about two weeks ago. i know i shouldn't have, but eating only 1200 calories a day was killing me. i now know how many calories are in certain snacks. and i am just trying to pick healthy choices and eat smaller portion sizes.

i have also always allowed myself even when i started back in january a food that i LOVE every day. this week it has been a scoop of chocolate ice cream. but for the past couple of months it has been the OREO cookie... my FAVORITE.

next weigh in: Wednesday, March 20th.

how did you do this week?

do you have a favorite treat you love to eat? obviously mine is chocolate!! :)

Wednesday Weigh-In

I've been slacking on blog posting simply because i have been super overwhelmed with grad school. i don't know what i was thinking this semester balancing three grad courses and a baby. seriously. but the good news is statistics was a 4 week intense class. and my ethics class was an 8 week long accelerated course... so that means this time next week, i will be down to only ONE grad course!! but let me tell you, the last eight weeks of my life have been HORRIBLE. just ask tim. or my mom. or landon. or even my cat.

even though i have been highly stressed, i have still managed to lose weight this week. the new number is 172.6. that puts me down 2 pounds this week and 20.4 pounds total since the new year! i have earned my 20 pound reward! a manicure!

i am going to be honest about this weeks weight loss... i had a massive stomach bug on sunday night/monday. and i just started to eat some light food last night. i'm pretty sure "the bug" probably helped contribute to my weight loss this week.

and i'll end today's post with an update on our little guy. he is NINE months today. and honestly, in the past month, he has developed a little personality. he is becoming more determined which has caused him to start doing the old army crawl. he is getting faster and faster every day. he lights up a room. literally... he has learned to turn off and on the light switches! and he smiles ALL the time. just saying a word to him brings a huge smile to his face. tim and i are absolutely adoring him and enjoying every second with him.

Happy NINE months Landon Robert!!

Weigh In Wednesday and an Update

I thought i would start this post with a helmet update. Landon has been wearing a helmet 23 hours a day since September 17th. i am going to be honest, i was really sad when we first put him in a helmet. i never got the chance to be a mom who had a head I could kiss all day. or smell the fresh baby powder smell. instead i kissed plastic. and smelled sweaty socks. but this is a process i am SO HAPPY we decided to do for our little guy. without a doubt, it was the HARDEST decision we had to make as a family but one i don't regret for even a second. 

We are on our third and final helmet. the nice helmet lady told us we have around six weeks left of wearing a helmet full time...give or take. SIX WEEKS!!!! that seems like nothing. there are a couple of places that need to grow in still on his head... and few places that need to be pushed around. and then we will be good to go... 

How many of you moms out there have THREE molds of your baby's head... talk about lucky! ;)

 The biggest change is his cheeks! his face is finally becoming symmetrical!

 In this picture you can see the eye pop out along with his forehead... 

 September 17th

February 17th

And here is Landon sporting his new helmet!

Weighed in this morning... 174.6. that is a .6 weight loss... I'll take it!! :)

Next weigh in: Wednesday, March 6th.

Weekly Calorie Intake

HOLY RED!!!!!!!!!

Weigh In Wednesday

Stepped on the scale this morning. 175.2... that is a gain of .2 pounds. not getting too worked up about it. it is the first time i gained in seven weeks! and such a small one at that!  i still have been doing a decent job not losing control and staying pretty close to my weekly calorie amount.

still no exercise. ugh. i had two simple goals this month. lose seven pounds. and exercise ONCE a week for thirty minutes. okay. this will be the week. i will feel the burn this week. i am determined to be successful with just one of my goals. :)

this guy doesn't seem to mind that i haven't started exercising yet.........

Next weigh in: Wednesday, February 27th.

How did you do this week?

Weekly Calorie Intake

i meant to post this yesterday but was completely swamped with school work. and i mean SWAMPED! i have one more day to try to meet my goal of exercising just once this week... tomorrow has to be the day... just thirty minutes.

SIx Week Progress Pictures

Operation Lose Baby Weight

January 2nd-(193.0)

 February 15th (175.0)

 January 2nd (193.0)

February 15th (175.0)

 

January 2nd (193.0)

February 15th  (175.0)

Wow. i decided to do a six week progress picture shoot. i always love seeing progress pictures of weight loss... it can be so motivating and help me stay on track. 

i decided to take my pictures in shorts so i could see change in my legs too... i remember taking the first set of pictures and feeling absolutely awful about myself. i remember thinking, "it took you over a year to get this way... it is a process." This is a process. i will take another group of pictures in another six weeks! 

hope everyone has a great weekend! Happy Friday!

Weigh In Wednesday- Week 6

weighed in this morning... 175.0. that puts me down two pounds this week and 18 pounds in six weeks. for an average of three pounds a week. i am getting so close to those 160s i can taste it!

i didn't achieve my goal of working out this week. landon has been pretty sick. in fact, the poor little guy had his first ER visit last night/this morning because of all the vomiting and diarrhea he has been having since sunday. he has been fighting all food. won't take a bottle. and i have been spending my days trying to get him to drink pedialyte. however, last night he woke up again getting sick to the point of dry heaves and being very lethargic. so off the ER we went. he was given some fluids through an IV and WHAT A DIFFERENCE. we are home now and recovering.

hoping to get ONE day of working out this week. just one day for thirty minutes. that's it! i can do this!

(this kid LOVES a box)

Next weigh-in: wednesday, february 20th.

How did you do this week?

Weekly Calorie Intake

this week went okay until the weekend... i went out to eat twice. once with a friend. and another time with tim and landon. i tried to choose the healthier things on the menu but i still ended up going over my calories. 

it is getting hard staying under my calorie budget. every time i lose weight, the app then recalculates the amount of calories i need to eat in order to meet my goal this summer. i have been going over on most days but trying to keep around 1300-1400 calories.

this week has been a bit crazy. taking three grad courses and having a teething baby at the same time is getting a little nuts. my poor little guy. he is usually a pretty happy fellow... but he has been absolutely miserable in every way possible the past few days...i am assuming it is teething... no teeth for this little guy yet but i am definitely seeing little bumps on those bottom gums. but i will probably be calling the doctor tomorrow just to be on the safe side.

look at that sad face... and the TEAR!! ahhhh!! it just breaks my heart when i see a tear stream down those chunky cheeks.

survival tips for teething babies, P-L-E-A-S-E!?

dreading exercise.

i bumped into a friend last night who wanted to know why i dreaded exercise. this answer is short and brief.

i feel too big to exercise. 

does that make sense? let me explain...

i tried "the shred" back in september and my body just couldn't handle it at 194 pounds. my body HURT. that workout CD is not meant for me to do at 194. it is meant for me to do at 165. my knees couldn't handle the pressure of all of my weight. they HURT.

i tried wearing work out clothes. nothing fits. and i refuse to buy "fat" workout clothes. i want to fit in my old workout clothes. i will not budge on this issue. i won't even tell you what i was wearing when i was doing "the shred" back in september. it was a sight to see.

i will compare myself to how i use to be. i was a MARATHON runner. i was able to run miles and miles and LOVE every second of it. i will not love running now. i am too out of shape to think about enjoying even a walk.

i know. it doesn't make sense. to lose weight, i need to exercise. but i am doing simple things... like running up the steps EVERY time i need something. or doing a little weight lifting with landon in my arms. no need for jillian. no need for work out clothes. no need to compare myself to the old "theresa."

do you dread exercise too? what are your reasons?

to the left... to the left...

i have used beyonce's song "to the left" many times in my life. i sang it to teach decimals... breaking out beyonce in the middle of math class to middle schoolers really gets attention.  i have used it when i have directed someone to turn left in the car... tim got annoyed, so i had to stop. i have used it pretty much anytime i felt the need to add a little excitement in my life when things "go to left."

landon's torticollis is pretty severe. i haven't mentioned much about it on my blog... well just that it can be SUPER annoying and a it is a very long process. 

when landon was born he only turned his head to the right. he never turned "to the left." i am learning stretches and massages to help loosen the tight muscle on the left hand side of his neck. i also have been taught how to keep him aware of his whole body... not just the right side that he prefers to use... i mean torticollis even affected his tongue. the little guy would always stick his tongue out... to the right! i had to jump on it because of eating and speech concerns. it has come a long way and he is now getting much better at getting that little tongue midline. but "to the left" was sung A LOT every time i was moving his tongue. 

we hit a huge milestone that most parents may think is RIDICULOUS. unless you have a child with torticollis. landon slept with his head "to the left" for the very first time a couple nights ago. he always sleeps with head to the right (hence, the flat spot and helmet). tim and i both got super excited and tears may have even welled up in eyes... mine more than his! (must be a mom thing.)

SING WITH ME!! "To the left, to the left, Landon slept with his head to the left.... MMMMMM!" 

Weigh In Wednesday- Week Five.

i made it through the month of january. this morning the scale said 177.0. that is a 1.2 weight loss from last week. it makes for a total of sixteen pounds in five weeks. i am so happy with the weight i have loss so far! i can't really tell i have lost sixteen pounds... my mom said it may not be noticeable until i lose twenty pounds. so only four more pounds to go until i get to that point!

i have a couple "mini" goals for the month of february. i would like to be 170 by March 1st. that is a loss of seven pounds in a month! i am also planning on doing a little exercise. i am thinking about working out just one day a week during the month of february and blog about it on "sweating it saturdays" to tell you about what i chose to do and my experience with doing it.

i am dreading exercise. DREADING it. so i thought easing myself into it just one day a week will be my best bet.

and i will end this post on a delicious dinner tim made for us on sunday night. pork, sauerkraut, and sweet potatoes. it hit the spot on super bowl sunday.

oh. and i am off to ulta to buy my favorite item for my fifteen pound loss! tune in tomorrow to see my purchase! Interested in checking out my reward list... CLICK HERE!

Next Weigh-In: Wednesday, February 13th.

coffee is magic.

i have been drinking coffee since i turned the ripe old age of 21. i remember my first cup. i was sitting in lower manser at mansfield university. i remember taking the first sip and gagging. and then i added sugar. and more sugar. and more sugar. until it was so sweet, i barely even tasted the coffee.

i have matured and realized i needed to start taking it a little easy on the sugar. i especially realized this when i went to a party and a stranger watched me add sugar and asked if i wanted coffee to go with my sugar. i was a little embarrassed.

i now have perfected the cup of coffee. it has just the right amount of sugar that i no longer get funny stares. and enough cream to make it a tan color instead of black.

but the reason for this blog post is to not tell you how i make the perfect cup of coffee. it is to tell you that coffee is seriously magic. let me explain...

(DISCLAIMER: i know i am very blessed to have a baby sleep through the night, so i am in no way complaining in this blog post.)

landon has always been a good sleeper. he use to go down around 7 and wake up around 7... sometimes 8!! it was wonderful. but something happened over the past three months. he still goes down around 7-7:30... but wakes up anywhere between 4:30-6. this is early. and i feel like dying some mornings. i live for the morning nap... LIVE FOR IT! i will lay on the floor with a pillow and blanket and "rest my eyes" as he plays with his toys around me. every once in a while i will feel his hand grab at my hair. or at my face (this is usually when i realize it is time to cut his finger nails.)

now many of you are probably thinking... drink a cup of joe. but the thing is coffee is magic. if i drink that said cup of joe... i won't get to enjoy our morning nap. i can feel the coffee go through my body after the first sip. i would rather feel utterly exhausted for a couple hours and get a solid morning nap in than drink that magical cup of coffee and be up for the day at 4:30...

after the morning nap... i still feel like death. landon chooses the length of our nap and he usually decides for us to sleep about an hour. sometimes a little less. sometimes a little more. if i had the control of our morning nap, we would sleep until noon.

after i pick up my smiley little guy up from his morning nap... we head straight to the coffee machine. i take my first sip... and magic. i go from feeling like death to feeling like i could run a marathon in only ten minutes. M-A-G-I-C!  i am ready for the day and everything is has to offer.

how do you fix your coffee in the morning?

does coffee have a "magical" affect on you?

do/did you have an "early riser?" I'll take ANY suggestions to help him sleep later!! :)

Weekly Calorie Intake

Wow. i had a rough thursday, huh? I just couldn't say no to lasagna, garlic bread, and apple crisp with vanilla ice cream for dinner. we will see if this will affect wednesday weigh in... 

Happy Sunday!

A typical day.

i was asked the question about what my typical day's menu looks like... i thought it would be best to share in a blog post then in the comment section of a post... :)

tim and i go shopping every other week. we make our grocery list the day before we go based on dinner ideas from our dinner planning notebook. we have decided on a few staple meals that we both agree and pick about five from the 10-12 we have chosen as "favorites" or "quick and easy" for the week. we usually eat leftovers throughout the week too which explains why we only need to go shopping every other week...

dinner can vary from being healthy to not so much. i've had to compromise with tim since he can't eat salads every night like i can. but on nights when dinners are not the healthiest... i just eat a smaller portion size.

Daily Menu
Breakfast: (250-300 calories)- 8:00 am

• Coffee with cream and sugar w/ grapefruit
• Coffee with cream and sugar w/ waffle and peanut butter
• Coffee with cream and sugar w/ bowl of favorite healthy cereal
• Coffee with cream and sugar w/ cereal bar

Snack: (80-150 calories)- 10:30 am

• Fiber One Cereal Bar
• Nutrigrain Cereal Bar
• Cheese stick
• Banana
• Popcorn

Lunch: (300-400 calories)- 12:00 pm

• pb and j waffle sandwich with side of carrots
• tuna fish sandwich on a bagel thin with wheat thin crackers
• turkey sandwich on an engish muffin with popcorn and fruit
• veggie wrap with baked chips
• peanut butter on wheat toast with a cheese stick or glass of milk

Snack: (80-140 calories)-3:00pm

• coffee with cream and sugar
• popcorn
• wheat thins with cheese
• cereal bar
• carrots with hummus
• small latte with skim milk

Dinner: (350-500 calories)

• shellless fajitas
• wheat pasta with red sauce and salad with homemade dressing
• pork tenderloin with baked sweet potato fries
• grilled chicken salad with tomato and avocados
• chicken and veggie stirfry

Dessert: 100-200 calories

• 2 oreos and a half a cup of milk
• 2 cookies of any type with milk
• hot chocolate made with milk (not water)
• canned fruit
• apple sauce

This menu varies especially when i find something new i like and want to shake up my meals a little bit. these are just a few of my favorites to go to during the day.  i find it easier to have meals that i know exactly how many calories i am eating so as to not overeat. and when new foods are introduced, i just take the extra time to figure out exactly how many calories are in the meal.

counting calories has always been the easiest way for me to lose weight. it is basic science to me. but i am sure these menu items can be easily translated to the point system on weight watchers.

Marci, great question and thank you for asking!!

Weigh In Wednesday

the new number is 178.2... that is a 1.6 pound loss. for a grand total of 14.8 pounds in four weeks! i'll take it!!

next weigh in: Wednesday, February 6th.

How did you do this week??

a tuna recipe.

those who have been reading my blog for a while know that i am a "BIG" fan of tuna fish from a can. tuna fish is my "go to" on most days. i either make it on toast... or a bagel thin... a salad... or a most recent addition has been the english muffin. 

a favorite blog i have been following since september had a new way to prepare tuna and it intrigued me so much that i had to know the recipe. she was kind of enough to actually write up the recipe in one of her blog posts!

i put the three ingredients on my grocery list and was excited to try this new tuna creation... Cucumber Tuna Cups!!

tuna is pretty awesome, but i was probably the MOST excited about the cheese... the packaging of the cheese was adorable... my own personal wrapped cheese wedge (although it took me forever to unwrap it... little pieces of foil were all over my counter...i'll have to work on the unwrapping part.)

these tuna cups were great! i added a little hot sauce to mine to give it a little kick! oh. and silly me. i read the recipe wrong and added a WHOLE can of tuna ( I just can't get enough of that stuff). 

What's the difference between a fish and a piano?

You can't tuna fish!.... hehehehe.

Weekly Calorie Intake

i thought i would post my calorie graph every sunday to hold me a little accountable throughout the week. this week was a good one. i ate a TON of veggies! also, tim did a great job of cooking dinners every night this week... including friday and saturday night!! 

i really love using this app... i heard the analogy that this app is like a checkbook for calories. very true.

what weight losing method works best for you?

change of plans.

last night, tim and i planned to have a date night in town. my parents were going to keep landon over night so we could sleep in a little this morning. i was looking forward to it ALL week. but then... it snowed. i hate snow. i think it ruins everything. i hate driving in snow. yes, i am that super slow person in the right lane that is PETRIFIED of losing control of my car and smacking into someone else.  my hands are gripped so tightly on the wheel that my knuckles turn white. so, as to not cause accidents and put other drivers at risk, i try to stay off the road the best i can during any chance of a snow storm.

i told tim i didn't want to take landon out in the weather. and even though i know tim doesn't mind driving in the snow, i heard traffic was a bear. so our date night changed from an evening out to an evening at home.

tim stopped at the grocery store on his way home last night and picked up a pork tenderloin and two red potatoes. he put the pork and potatoes together with some carrots and garlic and baked it for about an hour. it was perfect for a cold, snowy evening. it was so warm and flavorful. it was delicious (well, except for the cooked carrots).

and of course, landon had the leftovers for lunch today... thank goodness he loves cooked carrots...:)

what meals do you eat feel warm and cozy on a cold evening? 

meal time.

meal time has changed a bit in our household over the past month. we have hit another mile stone...landon has decided he is no longer interested in purees and me feeding him... so he is officially on table food. he eats anything we eat!  i miss spoon feeding him, but  i do get a chance to do it every once in a while when apple sauce, oatmeal, or another soft solid is being offered on the menu.

today for lunch, landon ate shredded chicken with avocados. he really only eats about a third of the avocado (if that) and i hate to see the rest go to waste. so i "created" a delicious salad to make sure the avocado was put to use. i scrounged around the kitchen for anything "tacoish" that i could add to my bowl. let's call it the vegetarian taco salad.

i combined avocado, tomato, and onion into a bowl. i then add a tablespoon of sour cream and two tablespoons of salsa. to top it off, i splashed some hot sauce and lime juice on top and grind some pepper. it was absolutely delicious. the whole meal ended up being around 300 calories and is so filling!

excuse the picture... obviously this wasn't a tim creation. he likes to jazz up his plate and get it ready for a picture. where i usually eat it first, and then realize i forgot to take a picture.

last night's dinner was a simple one. we decided to make it easy since i was loaded down with school work and tim has been working long hours with his company since they are in the middle of moving to a new location. we made pizzas on english muffins. believe it not, i throughly enjoyed them!! we (as in tim) whipped them up with the leftover sauce and cheese in our fridge. delicious.

have you ever created meals with whatever you have in the house? how did they turn out?

10 pound reward!

i was super excited to see my weight loss this week... and i had hit the 10 pound mark! yesterday, before class, i ran to get my ten pound reward... an eyebrow wax!

i am guilty of not going as often as i should to get my eyebrows waxed... but for a VERY good reason. IT HURTS! tears streamed down my face as the sweet asian lady ripped the hair off my face. i kept thinking "why did i make this a reward... what was i thinking!" but i knew what i was thinking when i made an eyebrow wax a reward. since i had landon, i have definitely put myself on the back burner. every reward is a way for me to take care of myself. and to feel better about myself.

so, here are my eyebrows... and an up close picture of my little guy too!!

next reward is when i reach the fifteen pound loss... buying a favorite item at ULTA!! Click HERE to visit the whole list!! :)

Did you put yourself on the back burner after having a baby? 

Weigh-In Wednesday

i couldn't believe the number this morning... so i took a picture... i had to keep stepping on the scale just to make sure it was correct. on the scale. off the scale. on the scale. off the scale. 179.8... that is a 3.8 pound loss from last week and a total of 13.2 pounds total since the beginning of the year! and i am already in the 170's! who would think i would be SO EXCITED to be in the 170's!! 

How did you do this week?!

Next weigh-in: Wednesday, January 30th.