Oh that's why I felt so full..oops

I have documented my journey into weight loss many times on my blog and I had to share this story. For those who know me, this is pure Cindy.

On Sunday we had the annual birthday get together with Jim's family. There are 4 nieces and nephews (Matthew included) along with my brother-in-law who have February birthdays so we do one "party" to celebrate. Due to schedules the date was March 1 but that's OK. We usually do a potluck style and everyone is in charge of bringing a dish. We were in charge of desserts. The nice thing about doing the Weight Watchers plan is that it is very flexible and accommodating to real life situations like family get togethers. Knowing that we were going to be eating hot dogs, chili, potato soup and chips along with cake and ice cream made me decide that Sunday would be a perfect day to skip the point counting. This is an event that only comes up a few times a year and I didn't want to offend anyone by not eating the food because I was on a "diet". I also planned on making my homade carrot cake and darn it I wanted to eat at least a piece. Carrot cake is worth 16 points per piece and I have a total of 21 points to use. I lost a point when I hit my 10 pound mark. Rather than stressing about all the points I would use I figured that if I eat sensible and not go overboard I'd be just fine. Hubby has been working on his chocolate lava cake and has it nearly perfected so he decided to make some up to take along. It was also on the please please bring list according to various family members. I do like the cake but it is sooo rich that I can only eat a little bit of it. I think I did a total to two or three bites and Carolyn and Matthew and Andrew had the rest. The carrot cake was oh so wonderful and we managed to give away any leftovers before leaving. I actually saved room for that, and it was so worth it. Now I need to find a lemon cake recipe for the June birthday celebration. Anyway back to the lava cake. The recipe calls for 3 eggs and 3 egg whites. I had forgotten that hubby doubled the recipe and took 12 cakes instead of 6. The leftover egg whites were in a bowl in the fridge. I decided as I was doing lunch for the kids and figuring out which leftovers to use for supper that I'd make myself an egg white omelet and use up the egg whites. Counting points is really a game of numbers and sometimes a food will have more than one point value depending on how much of it is used or if it has been cooked. Eggs are 2 points apiece but 3 egg whites are only 1 point. I happily dumped my egg whites in a bowl, added some low-fat cheese and low fat ham and made up a terrific looking lunch. I noticed that the bowl that the egg whites were in seemed small so I had gotten out a bigger one. (clue #1) I thought that 3 minutes would be enough time in the microwave but after the timer beeped the eggs were still a little runny (clue #2) so I gave them another minute and them dumped them on a plate. I did use a smaller plate but I was surprised at how much omelet there was (clue #3) I happily ate all of my lunch thinking that wow I've got to do the egg white thing more often, this is a really filling lunch. It was so filling that I didn't really need a snack that afternoon although I did eat some avocado with Carolyn who really wanted to try some. When supper time came around I really was not that hungry and ate very little. Later that night as we were driving home from Tae Kwan Do class hubby and I were talking about meals for the week. I mentioned that I had used up the egg whites in the fridge and also told him how 3 egg whites cost less point wise than one egg. It was then that the loving husband reminded me that there were not 3 egg whites in the bowl as I had thought but 6 of them because he had doubled the recipe. Yep, I ate a 6 egg white omelet. I guess that's why I needed a bigger bowl to cook them in and they took so much longer than usual to cook. My big "duh" should have been when I saw how much food was on the plate. Totally clueless here. I think the brain decided to fly south for the winter. Well I went back today and corrected my mistake and gave myself another point for the extra 3 egg whites. I will say that eating that much protein really does help curb the appetite for a very long time. Hubby got a great laugh too.

Kindergarten screening take 2

Well there I was this morning sitting on a very uncomfortable chair while Carolyn participated in Kindergarten screening. It seems like only last year I was doing the same thing with Matthew--oh wait, it was a year ago. Yes, it was that time of the year again. The district had the annual Kindergarten screen and today was the day I had signed Carolyn up. The loving husband agreed to stay home and watch Andrew so I didn't have to spend all my time and energy running after him. I'm sure if the loving hubs knew that all I had to do was sit in a folding chair and wait for an hour then he might have decided not to skip his morning meetings to help out. For those who have not gone through it the process is pretty simple. The school has several different stations set up and the child goes through and attempts a certain task. Parents wait outside of the area away from their child. It is amazing how much things have changed since I was in Kindergarten. My memories are of showing up and meeting the teacher and then a few days later starting school. There was no "pre-test" or screen as they call it. Carolyn had to demonstrate skills in counting, saying (not singing) the alphabet, rhyming, tracing/copying a symbol or letter, write her name, recreating a stack of blocks that had been knocked down, cutting paper, and a bunch of other stuff that I have forgotten. She scored a 69 out of 100 possible. There were several areas in which Carolyn struggled and did not do well at all such as cutting and anything to do with holding a pencil and writing. The stations that she had to know colors, shapes, or position words (under, next to..) she rocked on. She missed two letters on the alphabet but I think that her "m" and "n" probably sounded the same and when she was counting she messed up on numbers 9-12. I also think it was probably due to enunciation since she can count pretty well up to 20. After Carolyn got done with her screen I met briefly with someone from the school to discuss the results. Due to her score and age Carolyn would be eligible for the Jr. Kindergarten program. For those who are going what??? the Jr. Kindergarten is very similar to a regular Kindergarten but the course work is not so intense and emphasis is placed more on social skills and maturity than academics. Most of the kids are on the young side of 5 and would benefit from an extra year of classwork. This is also for those students who would struggle with some of the required academic skills or maybe just aren't quite ready for the demands of Kindergarten. Kids who go the Jr. K route then proceed to Kindergarten the next year. In Carolyn's case she turns 5 in June so she would be a very young 5 at the start of the school year. She also struggles with her social skills and at times does not act her age. She also receives OT, PT, Speech and ABA therapy so she would get an extra year of these services being provided without having to be pulled out of class. Matthew also receives these services through the school so they bus him twice a week in the afternoon for the speech and PT. I take him and Carolyn for the ABA and Matthew misses one recess to do OT. I don't know if Carolyn will be a morning student or and afternoon student. I'll find that out later this year. Either way there will be some part of the day when I only have one kid at home--yeah!!! Sitting there in the chair and looking at all the other parents and children was a strange experience. I have done this before so it was not as if I didn't know what to expect but there is something about having a child start school that really ages a person. I go from mom of a pre-schooler to mom of a kindergartner--totally different. Next year I move up to the mom of a grade schooler level. I guess I'm glad Andrew is still too little for school. I can still call him toddler for a few more months. Time marches on and our children grow up. Wouldn't it be nice if they all stayed little and the biggest worry was whether or not they could pass the using scissors part of a Kindergarten screen?

Snow Job

This is what happens when a 6 year old shovels the driveway. Of course the 6 year old works pretty cheap, I gave him a cup of hot coca and a hug when he finished. I did go out a little later and properly clean off the pavement. By the way, he was the one who wanted to go out and shovel when he got home from school. Thanks Matthew.

Random thoughts and musings

I woke up this morning to the lovely sound of sleet pattering against the house--oh how relaxing. My first thought was to check the TV to make sure there would be school today. Alas, poor Mathew had to go, Brandon did not cancel classes today. At one point I was watching the names scroll across the bottom of the screen and then for some strange reason the network dropped the main picture down and covered the info bar at the bottom. Of course this was just as the list was hitting the "b" schools and "br" was about to appear GAAAH!!! Thankfully there are two other stations that run the cancellation lists. I'm just glad I don't live in the Aberdeen area, they got nailed.(6" and counting) Anyway I got Matthew off to school and Andrew woke up. OK it was because I was trying to move him out of my bed where he had been since about 3 this morning and into his own bed but that is besides the point. He was kind enough to stay in his room for about a half hour before wanting my attention again. Being the good mother I am I picked him up and took him downstairs for some quality TV time--Disney Channel. Yep, I'm that mom. Toddler distracted and pre-schooler still asleep. I headed back to my room to finish this really great dream that I now can't seem to remember what it was about. Some mornings I'm lucky and I get to "sleep in" an extra hour after getting Matthew up and out the door by 7:30. Other mornings are not so good and I either have wide awake kids that are wanting my attention, it's Wednesday and Andrew's speech therapist arrives at 9 and I want to make sure the living room is picked up, I have morning err1ands and or phone calls that need to be made or I have MOPS and need to get ready. There is always something going on around here and it seems that on those days when I do decide to choose the sleep option over the shower option I never get around to finding time for the shower. I can try, but the kids have this amazing ability to know exactly when I shut my bathroom door and then they are right outside wanting me for something or they are using the bed as a trampoline. Andrew is still prone to suffer abandonment issues and if I do shut the door on him then he will spend however long I'm in the bathroom carrying on as if I had dropped him off on the street corner and left him to fend for himself. Yesterday was Ash Wednesday. I was not raised Catholic so some of what Catholics do on this day are still a little unfamiliar to me but I try and do my best. Hubby has been out of town these past few days so the going to Mass option was not gonna happen. I'm not about to take all three kids by myself and do an hour long service. I'm sure God will forgive me someday. One thing I was supposed to do was fast. After asking a few questions I learned that no, I don't have to go all day sans food but I should try to eat as little as possible and of course no tasty treats. This I could do (I hoped). I didn't do too bad. This was also a meatless day so I had to make sure no ham or turkey sandwich. Sounds funny but in years past I have forgotten and eaten a simple sandwich only to realize too late what it was I was trying to avoid. I managed to make it all three meals without snacking or eating something pastry. By supper I was beyond starving so I ate more than I should have. I did not go over my Weight Watchers points but I did give myself a tummy ache. Lent is also the season where one gives up something desirable or pleasurable. This year I was really at a loss as to what to give up. Since I started Weight Watchers I have changed my eating patterns so many of the things that I normally consider for Lent aren't really good options. Coke and Donuts are very high in points so I seldom eat them and same goes for Chocolate. I could forgo them but since I already make the conscious decision to avoid eating them then what is the point? I don't really swear, the kids are very good at asking me the meaning of what I say so if a four letter word does come out of my mouth then I'm already held accountable. It finally came to me yesterday as I was working my hardest to avoid meat and pastry. At one point I was cleaning up the table and there was a small piece of donut Carolyn left. I absentmindedly put it in my mouth and then realized what I had done so I spit it out and then rinsed my mouth out. My desire to not eat anything sweet in honor of Ash Wednesday led me to consider having "sweetless" Wednesdays along with my meat free Fridays. My goal is to go each Wednesday without eating or drinking anything that is either sweetened or sweet. That means no candy, cookies, baked goods as well as juice or chocolate milk. I will not eat sugared cereal, put sugar or honey on or in anything, and no flavored yogurt. Fresh fruit is a grey area since it is nutritious and recommended for a healthy diet but I will avoid eating it as much as possible. I can find other things to eat instead of an apple or orange or banana for a snack. I'm only doing one day a week but I think I can make this work and be meaningful at the same time. Reflecting on the meaning of Lent led me to consider my thoughts and actions concerning people. The other day I was looking for high school classmates on Facebook and came across a site dedicated to those who graduated in 1990. I clicked on and scrolled through. I was amazing to see some of the photos. Some people opted to put a random picture up, some had a photo of a child or pet, but many had a current picture of themself. I know time passes and people get older and no one looks like they did at 18 but for some reason my high school memories of people are frozen in the way we were and not how we look now. Photo after photo showed receding hairlines, facial hair, spouses, children, and strange last names. I'm glad I was alone while doing this because my "oh my gosh, he's bald" or "wow she's aged badly" comments would be hard to explain to a curious child. Memories came flooding back to me as I went from person to person. My mind was going "was I friends with him or her?" "Would they still remember me?" Facebook gives you the option of making a friend request and that got me to thinking "would I want to be friends with them?" "If I make the request, will they want to be friends with me?" Flash back 20 years and it's the same thing only in person and not out in cyberspace--wow some things never do change. As I was going down memory lane it shocked me at how some of my feelings towards certain people stayed the same after all these years. Some photos brought back happy memories and others not so fond thoughts. At my lowest point I was thinking that the only reason I would add this particular classmate to my list was so I could send him/her hate mail (yeah petty and cheap I know). In the end I only made one friend request and that was to someone that I actually have contact with on a semi-regular basis. I am planning on going to my 20 year next summer--if they have one--and I'm looking forward to reconnecting with old friends and classmates. I know that time passes and people change so even though I'm still prone to unkind thoughts and distorted memories I hold out hope that I can move past them and look at the person they are now and move forward.

Spring Fever

This wonderful warm weather we have had these past few days have gotten me wanting Spring in a really bad way. Unfortunately, the forecast calls for freezing rain tonight with up to three inches of snow tomorrow so I'd better enjoy today. My friend Jackie posted a list of seven things she likes about Spring so I thought I'd make a shot at it too.



1. No snow clothes Believe me, getting three kids in and out of snow pants, boots, hats, mittens, and coats on a daily basis is a royal pain in the butt. Spend 30 minutes getting the kids dressed and then they play for another 30 or so and then it's time to undress and put the wet stuff out to dry and then clean up the wet spots on the floor. Matthew has to wear the snow outfit to school ever day otherwise they send a "reminder" note home and he has to stand against the wall during recess.



2. No more shoveling snow Yes, it's great exercise and all that but after a while it gets old and tedious.



3. Roads that are drivable 24/7 I really hate driving in bad weather and when the roads are icy and or snow covered then it really sucks. If it was just me it would not be quite so bad but when I'm responsible for three other innocent lives in the van then the stress is magnified. I also worry when hubby is out and about in the stuff. He does a lot of traveling both by car and by plane so I'm always saying a prayer for his safety.



4. Bare feet I love to go barefoot and do so as much as possible when I'm in the house but when the temps are low and the ground is covered with snow then it's no go on the bare toes. Flip flops and ice don't mix very well either and slippers are OK unless it snowed and I haven't shoveled yet. Kind of makes it difficult to pop across the street for the mail or walk out to meet the bus. Give me dry pavement and temps in the 40's and above and I'm good to go.



5. Color After six months of nothing but brown, white and dirty grey it is nice to see green grass and trees and colorful flowers again. I could also put smell on this list too. I do love the fresh clean smell of spring.



6. Outdoor activities After long months inside it's nice to get back outdoors. The backyard becomes new again and the kids beg to play outside. Family walks become the norm and trips to the park are a weekend must. The bikes come out and Matthew is pedaling up and down the block--usually with Carolyn not too far behind. Andrew refuses to come inside without a fight and the bathtub gets a lot of use. It's not too hot so sitting out on the deck and reading a book is a fun way to spend a few precious minutes of free time.

There you have it, my list. I hope you enjoy reading it.

Favorite places to eat

My friend Jackie posted a list of seven favorite restaurants and asked others to follow up with a list of our favorite places to dine in and around town. I've been thinking it over the past few days and trying to compile a decent list. I will say that Brandon is not known as the hot spot of dining so I have combined Brandon and the greater Sioux Falls metro area to create my list. I'll also add that with three young children hubby and I don't go out for "fancy" diners as a couple too much and when we dine out (date night) it is usually to sit down restaurants that don't work too well with short attention spans or places that serve food the kids don't usually like to eat.

1. Pizza Ranch It's family friendly, good food and the one in Brandon has an arcade attached to it with 25 cent games---Kinda like Chuck-E-Cheese without the chaos. Oh yeah, did I mention the Cactus Bread???

2. Famous Dave's Hubby is a barbecue lover and by lover I mean cut him open and he bleeds BBQ sauce. The atmosphere is fun and the service is quick and the food is oh-so-good. I like the burgers but the rib tips are out of this world. The corn muffins are fabulous and the cole slaw is creamy. You also get 6 different sauces to put on your food and yes, they have ketchup too.

3. Hu Hot Hubby and I became fans of Mongolian BBQ when we lived in Michigan so we were thrilled to find Hu Hot here in SF. The kids totally love going there. They pick out their own meat, veggies and sauce (with help) and can't wait to eat. Watching the staff cook on the big round grill keeps everyone occupied. I really like creating my own personal meal and the fact the food is very healthy (lots of veggie choices) is a big plus in my book. This is also the most point friendly choice for me with Weight Watchers---I can't wait to eat there again.

4. Qdoba I had never eaten there before until this past year when I won a trivia contest on the radio and got free food. I'm now a big fan. What can I say, it's a create your own burrito place. Walk through and tell the friendly staff what you want on it and it's yours. They have meat, no meat, and vegan options. There is a variety of salsas, lite sour cream, cheese, and the queso and guacamole toppings are to die for. They also do tacos and taco salads too.

5. Granite City This is a very nice place to go. The food is pretty good and if you go in the warmer months then there is an outdoor patio with views of a nice duck pond.

6. Johnny Carino's OK, I've only eaten there once but I really love the food. I'll put it up against Olive Garden any day. I totally plan on taking hubby there in the near future. We also have a gift certificate so that will make things easier.

7. Red Lobster This is more of a sentimental favorite than an actually go there on a regular basis place. The seafood pasta is my gotta have and don't get me started on those Cheddar biscuits. I also love the shrimp too. When we are in Rapid City, hubby and I like to ask the Grandparents to watch the kids and we go out for our seafood fix.


Honorable mentions.....These are places where we usually go to eat.

Hy-Vee---yes it's a grocery store but for good salad bar and pretty good Chinese you can't beat the convenience or the price.

Royal Fork Buffet--The kids #1 choice for restaurant. For a buffet it's not too bad. For my Weight Watchers points, it's a pain in the butt.

Taco Johns--Six pack and a pound baby!!! (crispy tacos and potato Ole's)

Dairy Queen--Food is OK but who goes there for the burgers?? Lets talk Blizzards. Make them with chocolate ice cream for even more flavor.

I feel pretty

A few weeks ago our MOPS group had a spa day. One of the options was a Mary Kay demonstration. I like Mary Kay products so I signed up for that session. Last week the lady that put the demonstration called me and asked if I would be interested in having her come over and give me a makeover. Nothing says afternoon fun like having someone come over and give you free samples of things to make you look beautiful. Carolyn is gone from 12-3 and Matthew is out of the house between 1-2 so that left one child here and he usually naps so I told her to come over this afternoon. After a 4 day weekend with the kids I was more than ready for a little "me" time. Of course Andrew decided to be a little turkey and not lay down for nap and instead fuss and cry half the time. Thankfully my person was also a mother of small children so this did not faze her. I had tried most of the products during the spa session but this gave me a chance to ask questons and really get a feel for what it was I was slathering all over my face and neck. I must say I was just as impressed the second time trying the stuff as I was the first. Most of what I tried was skin care with a small amount of make up thrown in for good measure. I ended up buying the microderm abrasion kit and the daily face care kit--oops hubby might be a little peeved--but I'm totally in love with the stuff. Maybe I'm still haunted by the ditzy Wal-Mart clerk who thought I was Andrew's grandma or maybe it's a mini mid-life crisis but I really would like to change the look up a bit from frumpy dumpy housewife and try to achieve the illusive "MILF" status. For those who don't know the term, go rent "American Pie" the movie. On Saturday I hit another milestone in my weight loss goal. I lost another 1 pound which brought my total up to 7 pounds which was 5% of my goal weight so I got another sticker. This one was bigger. I'm hoping that by springtime I'll be able to fit in my shorts and by this summer I'll actually want to be seen in public wearing a swim suit. Actually, I want new clothes for my birthday and need a good excuse to go shopping. On Sunday I had one of those "it can only happen to me" experiences. Hubby and Matthew went to the gun show so I took Andrew and Carolyn to Wal-Mart to buy cheap candy (day before V-Day $$$, day after $) and a few other needed things. As I was getting Andrew into his carseat, Carolyn took my cart and started pushing it away from the van and down the parking lot. In a mad dash attempt to head off certain disaster, I dropped my car keys on Andrew's lap and shut the door. Yes, that's right I shut the door and then ran over to catch the cart. I still have no idea what I was thinking. Well guess what a 2 year old does when given a key with pretty buttons to push. Yep, locked the van in no time flat. I'm so glad it was about 30 or so degrees out so I didn't have to worry about the poor kid baking himself to death. I'm now standing out in the parking lot trying to convince Andrew to hit the other button (unlock) and not the one he was hitting (lock). The lock button made the horn beep so that was the one he really liked. I'm sooo glad he didn't push the pretty red button (panic). A very nice lady walking by noticed my strange conversation with the van door and asked if I needed any help. Thankfully, I had my phone with me and not in the van like I usually do. I said no and then proceeded to call the loving husband who was not very amused with my plight. I don't think he thought it was very funny. Luckily for me Andrew finally hit the right button as I was on the phone so Carolyn and I didn't have to stand in the parking lot and wait for them to drive home and get the spare key (which I had in the pocket of my other jacket) and drive over to give it to me. Note to self, two year olds and van keys do not belong together at the same time.