so thankful it is Friday

I am so glad it is Friday. I don't know if I could handle anymore this week. My week had some major lows, stress, and self pity.  I know just what you wanted to know. Anyways I have had the worst week and sometimes stress is more than I can handle. I made it through without to much but the diet wasn't all that great at all. I was so bust all week it was a lot of quick and easy between classes and homework. Next week I will be better. Anyways I am just glad I made it through.
So update on Grandpa. He is still in the hospital and it seems like he will be there until Monday. They are looking for a rehabilitation home for him. He can't live by himself anymore but he is to stubborn for a rest home. So he is doing good.
School has been crazy. I have assignments up to my eyeballs and they all take hours. I am taking my first art class since graduating. It is an art ed class so you don't actually make anything but they teach you how to teach kids about art and plan fun art lessons for them. It is great but a lot of work. At least I enjoy it. The other classes I am taking are boring and necessary to teach but boring.
I did have one fun thing this week. Wed. I met up with 4 other girls for breakfast all of whom I went to high school with and 2 who I haven't seen since graduation. It was great to catch up and see everyone. It was a much needed break.
Lets see the other big adventure this week was signing Pj up for preschool. He starts kinder next year and I thought I would help next years teacher out by at least getting him used to sitting in a classroom environment. He will be going 2 days a week for 2 1/2 hours. Just enought time for me to get a pedicure, just kidding.
Well have a great weekend.
Ali

busy as a bee

I am not ignoring you I am just really busy and don't have time to post a lot today. I will post more tomorrow

Well it's Monday which means weigh in day. I lost .2 which I am pleased with after a long and not so good eating weekend. Sat. I had the chance to go with Shawn and all the guys to a U.S. mens soccer game. Before the game we went out to eat and I ate. I walked a bunch on Sat. but Sunday was another rough day of homework ALL day, stress about my grandpa, and life in general. I ate yesterday as well. I am back on plan today and hope that life doesn't throw me any curve balls.
School is so much harder this quarter then it has been in my entire college experience. There are teachers that seem to thing that their class is the only class you are taking and give you a ton of work, reading, and projects. unfortunately I am taking three classes and all three think that their class is my only class. I am up to my eyeballs in thing to do and don't feel like doing any of them. Bad combo! I worked all day yesterday and it looks like I will be spending today and tomorrow in this chair as well. only a year and a half to go.
So my Grandpa is in the hospital still. He is weak and can't do anything for himself. He had an MRI and they found that his brain is shrinking which is normal but it is causing him to lose mobility sometimes in his arms and legs. With the lose of mobility he trips a lot causing all his broken bones ( rib, wrist, and foot) He also has liver problems, among other issues. He is losing a ton of weight and looks fragile. I am having issues because my grandpa has always been the hard ass, tough one, of the family and I can't bring myself to see him fragile and medicated. Ok enough about that.
I did by the way eat like 2 quarts of veggies soup on Friday to stay on diet. I needed something sweet and thank goodness I had pumpkin and spice cake on hand so I made muffins. I'm really trying.
Well have a good Monday.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Ali

I will get through this without a food crutch.

I decided to take the time to post today because I am having a rough morning. I got a call from my Mom this morning that late last night she and my great uncle had to go pick my Grandfather up and bring him to my Mom's house to live until they can find a home for him. In the last few months his Alzheimer and alcoholism have gotten a lot worse. He has been in and out of the hospital for falling and other medical issues. My Mom was dealing with a social worker trying to decide if should be living by himself. I guess yesterday she got a phone call from my grandpa's good friend that said he was in a ton of pain, can't take care of himself, and it was time for him to live with someone or in a home. My Mom went down and packed him up. I have been on and off of the phone all morning with my Mom trying to help the best I can. He is having some medical issues and needs to be in the hospital but he forgets what is going on and keeps asking to be released. My Mom is having a really hard time being the one to plan and figure all of this out. With my past my natural instinct is to protect my Mom. I have been having a rough morning and want to do nothing but eat. I have a pot of veggie soup on the stove cooking and I am determined to get through this without my food crutch. Anyways I had to share what was going on more for myself as a way to keep busy but also so I can look back and remember that I made it past this without the help of food.
Please pray fro my Grandpa's health and my Mom's sanity. (they have kind of a rough past)
Have a good Friday,
Ali

rain, rain go away.

Boy am I ready for the rain to take a LONG break. The darkness outside makes me lazy and makes my house feel dirty. Yesterday I was looking for a recipe for roasted veggies that I knew I had posted on here sometime in the last 3 years. I started to read all of my blog posts from day one in 2007. It was so strange to go back and read it. It gave me a little hope in the diet roller coaster. Anyways I found the recipe and make it for dinner last night. It is whatever veggies you have in the fridge. I did onion. zucchini, bell pepper, mushrooms, tomato, an some other things I am sure. Toss a little olive oil and balsamic on it and throw it in the over for 45 min at 400 degrees. It makes the veggies sweet and yummy.
well I am off to write a paper for class on why I want to be a teacher. Should be interesting and I will post it later for you to see. I am not sure if I will post tomorrow. We have company coming to town to stay with us and I have a lot to do to get ready.
Have a great weekend,
Ali

oops my bad

Well yesterday was a real day of learning. I was busy all day with homework and didn't have time to eat dinner before school. I stopped at Starbucks for my soy sugar free vanilla latte and decided to pick up a little pastry. They have a sugar free, low fat selection so I decided they would be around 5 points and I would check once I got to school. I decided on a no sugar added lower fat banana, choc. chip muffin. As I was eating it I told myself about 10 times to throw it out the window and stop eating it. I thought low fat and no sugar I will be ok. I got to school and pulled out my laptop before class. My little good for me muffin was anything but good for me. According to the Starbucks website it was 11 points. My guess is 11 points is around 600 calories. So needless to say I learned from my mistake and didn't get to eat a healthy dinner because of the stupid muffin. What is even more shocking to me is that my normal before Starbucks stop with coffee and some kind of goodie was probably around 2000 calories. Holy cow. Funny because we wonder how we gain weight like we do and then realize something so simple as an afternoon treat was more calories than I am eating in an entire day now.
Have a great day.
Ali

the drama of dinner

I am so glad that I had good company at dinner yesterday because the food was terrible. We decided to splurge and go to a place called the melting pot for our anniversary. The cost of the place is just over $100 for a couple without any drinks. I thought for the money that it would be awesome. Boy was I wrong. We decided to start out with a beer and they came warm. The place is fondue style so you get stuff to dip in cheese or raw meat to boil in a little pot on your table. It was gross. The only good part was dessert but it was warm chocolate and a tray of yummy stuff to dip in it. I say save you money. I know we won't be going there again. I was bummed because I was the one that planned it and it flopped big time. Oh well.
Other then that our day was great. I am loving my new couches and can't wait until this summer to pan the walls yet again.
Anyways back on diet today. I did great yesterday and ate very small amounts of veggies before dinner so I knew I could eat and not feel bad about it. Luckily we don't have any big outings with food for at least a few weeks so I can lose some of this weight.
Okwell I am off to do a TON of homework that is due tonight.
The pic is of what our new couch looks like.

Sorry I am a little scatter brained today. I have been staring at a computer since 7:30 am and it is now 12:30. My eyes are all out of whack.
Have a good rest of the day and stay dry.
Ali

Happy Anniversary to me!

Happy Monday and Happy Anniversary to My hubby. We have been married for 13 amazing years.
So since it was Monday I had my first weigh in. First let me say that Sat. we took the kids to mongolian bbq and although I am not sure about the calories I ate really well. Sunday we went to a family pizza party. I ate 1 piece of pizza and a ton of salad. So when I weighed in this morning I wasn't sure what to expect but I weighed in at 198.8 down from 203.6 so yay for me.
As for tonight Shawn and I are going out and not counting any points but we are going to have a great time. We are going to a fondue restraunt. I think it is the first place we have ever eaten that you have to make a reservation. A little splurge but hey it's 13 years.
Lastly I am excoted because our new couches got deliver this morning. They are a camel color and I thing they look great. I will need some getting used to time. The best part is they have a 5 year warrently against stains and rips, tears, broken anything, 5 years with my kids is awesome.
Well have a great day.
Ali

Happy birthday Connie

Happy Birthday to my favorite Mother in Law Connie. You are an amazing woman who has showed me a great deal on how to be a mother of 3 boys. You deserve only the best and I hope that you have a wonderful birthday. Can't wait to celebrate with you on Sunday!
With that said on with the daily post.....
I have a headache:( I have that nice feel like poop from dropping my sugar by alot. I have tried coffee, taking a nap, and nothing seems to help. I guess I will just make it through the few days and then know it's just my body getting rid of something I don't need.
So I have awesome news (at least for me it was) my class on Wed. night is being taught by an amazing art educator and because of budget cuts she is teaching the class for free. She was worried about art teachers being unprepared to go into the work field without knowing how to teach art. So the good news is since she is teaching the class for free she has made it only every other Wed. I am so glad that I will have a little less time away from my family than I had expected. I know it seems small but when Pj cried because I had to go to school again it made my heart hurt. I am excited for this class and the chance to really know how to teach art to kids.

As for the diet all is good. I tried something new yesterday that was quite yummy and thought I would share it with you. It is salsa made with corn and it is tomato less. It is sweet and spicy. I love corn and anything with it I am willing to try. I ate it with baked chips but I think it would be great over cream cheese with crackers as well. So if you go to Trader Joe's pick up a jar for around $2.99 and you will be glad you did.
My other favorite is plain Greek yogurt with honey over it. I swear if I eat anymore of it I will be spraying Windex on people and bragging about being Greek.
I wanted to add that I feel so great being back in control of my eating. I have a headache today but it was also the first mornign that I woke up and didn't feel swollen in my stomach from dinner last night. I actually woke up and wanted to eat. I guess this means the no eating in the evening this is going well. Also I do have a little partner in crimem Shawn has been slowly seeing how many calories a day he burns ( thanks to the bodybugg) and trying to eat 500 calories less than that. He has been doing awesome! Now this weekend we have a bday party for a bunch of family members at a pizza place and I bet you money Shawn will not watch what he eats there but he is doing great.
Have a great Thur. Ali

A quickie

Quick post to say school went well last night. Diet is going great. Spirits are high and I am feeling great. More to say tomorrow.
Ali

Day 1

Day one went well. No major craving or issues. Shawn and I sat for about an hour last night discussing w.w. vs. counting calories only. I have decided after much discussion that I am going to be doing w.w. but making high fiber choices, more fruits and veggies, and more willingness to try new things. Yesterday I tried a few new things. First I tried cherry peserves on my sunflower seed butter (just like peanut butter but made of sunflower seeds) sandwhich, I am not a chunk in my food kind of person but it was really yummy. For lunch I tried hummus which I new I liked but haven't eaten in a very long time. With dinner I tried freekah which is like wheat kernals before they are prossesed and you eat it like you would rice, it wasn't bad but I don't think I will be eating it again (texture was weird). Last for dessert I had plain greek yogurt with honey on top and frozen berries mixed into it. I am not a chunk fan as I said before so I normally don't eat chunks in yogurt but this was SOOOO yummy. I will for sure have it again if I have a sweet attack.
Today is my first day back to school after the nice long break. I am a little sad to go back because this quarter I have to go 3 nights a week. The days I have school Shawn and I see each other in the morning and then not again until 10:30 pm. I make sure the kids homework is done and when my evening should be hanging out with my family I am off to another long 4 hour class. I honestly wonder why credential classes arent during the day like normal college classes. So with all that I am sad that I am still in school but I know that my future job will be much more satisfying if I do finish.
Well I am off to get kids to school and life going for the day. Thanks for reading, Have a wonderful day.
Ali
Just a pic pf my favorite flower to make you happy!

I'm BACK!

Well I am officially back! My holiday eating vacation is over today. I went to Trader Joe's and Henry's yesterday and stocked up on my old favorites as well as some new things that I have heard great things about. I look like I live in a home of an organic vegetarian if you look in my pantry. If you look in the fridge you will find lean meats, shrimp, and turkey. So after trying low carb without siccess in the long term I have decided to go with the age old idea of burning more calories then I intake. I will be simply writing down in a journal how many calories I eat each day without going over 1200 but also going no lower than 1000. I will allow myself 1 day a week that I go a little higher maybe around 1500 but I haven't fully decided yet. The dreaded weigh in was 203.6 ouch again as usual!
Last week was an awesome week. There is an auction house that I buy from all the time that as a thank you put everyones name in a drawing that had purchased 10 things in 2009. I got the phone call last week that I had won a $1000 gift card to a local furniture store. We are so excited but we realized that this will be our first piece of furniture that we pick out together. We have it narrowed down to a new dining tabel set or couch but after a week of debating over what to get we still have no idea.

The day after the gift card winning I went to WalMart and an employee who's daughter has childhood arthritis was doing a drawing to help pay for her medical bills. I gave them $10 for their raffle hoping to win a tv but instead won a little gadget called a bodybugg. If you ever watch the biggest loser it is the band they wear on their arm to track calories burned. I have been wearing it for a few days and it is a really cool little tool. I basically senses heart rate and skin temp. to tell you if you are burning more calories than you are consuming. It costs $250 plus a montly fee to use their internet site so I never would have purchased it for myself. So that was my awesome week.

Well I feel ready to start eating healthy and ready to get moving and losing. So check in every once inawhile as I am BACK!

A new year, a new attitude.

Happy 2010!

Well as many of you know I have been dieting off and on since forever. I have decided to start a new lifestyle instead of a diet. I am going to be trying to stop eating "bad" carbs like white flour and white sugar. I know this will be difficult but I see it as a reason to start baking again. I have read a ton of things on the side effects including weight gain from "bad" carbs. I will however still be eating carbs from good sources like fruit, whole wheat, honey, brown rice, corn tortillas, etc. I decided that I would try a new recipe today and  we LOVED it! I am not officially starting my new way of eating until next Monday (had to get the bad stuff out of the house first). Here is my first attemt at the new blog style and to my new way of eating.

Chocolate Chip muffins

1 c. unbleached flour

2/3 c. whole wheat flour

1/3 c. wheat germ

2 T flax seed

Mix all of these in a bowl

In a seperate bowl mix
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 c. vanilla greek style yogurt ( used Honey flavored because it's all I could find)
2 Tbsp. oil
1/2 c. milk
1/3 c. maple syrup
2 tsp. vanilla
mix together with a wisk

mix the flour mixture into the wet mix. Once it is all incorperated add 3/4 c. chocolate chips
put the mix into muffin cups and bake 25 min at 400 degrees
Definitly worth a try in our families mind.