Christmas Challenge~ Starting Weigh In

My weigh in day is on Wednesday. So even though I started tracking points again yesterday, today is my first official day. I'm up 4lbs total from my lowest weight in August. Hoping I'll see a change next week!

Starting: 265 (Right after having Noah 16 months ago.)
Current: 226
Change: +4 since August 2011.
Total: -39
Left until Christmas Goal: 11
Left until Ultimate Goal: 51

Today's Tracker:

B: 2 Egg White burritos on low carb tortillas- 7pts
Coffee with splenda and Creamer- 1pt

L: Leftover Mummy Dog, Apple- 11pts

S: ??

D: Tuna/Cheese pita, Carrots with FF dip, Apple, SF Jello- 7pts

S: ??

Total: 26/38 so far

Having Trouble This Time...

I've had 3 healthy pregnancies but gained 50-60lbs each time. I also gained 10lbs after the stress of my miscarriage. I started Weight Watchers Online about 8 weeks after I had Hannah. Weight dropped off quickly (probably because my wedding was 8 months away...that's great motivation). I successfully lost all of my pregnancy weight plus another 10lbs...and then got pregnant with Avery. And I gained it back all over again. Went back on WW and lost it all in about 16 months. Then I got pregnant about a year later. Whew. This time the weight hasn't come right off. My motivation and determination SUCK! My last goal was to lose 10lbs between mid-August and Halloween...I lost none.

So I'm starting again. And this time I have to start adding some exercise! A friend of mine just had her first baby this past week and we're going to start going for walks once she recovers. It's tough working in the evenings because I feel like I have no time during the day to relax and still get things done before it's time to go to work. I'm starting to think our tv needs to stay off during the day. Do we seriously need to watch Price is Right every day?

I'm ready for this:


October 2011- 225lbs

To look more like this:


August 2009- 199lbs

My ultimate goal is 175...about where I was before Jason and I started dating over 8 years ago. But for now, I'm setting my Christmas goal, following in the path of my awesome friend, Elizabeth. I would like to lose 10lbs by then. That's just about 1.5lbs a week.

First step, no more fast food. Which means I need to 100% plan my dinners for work. It's so easy to get lazy. And saying no to Tuesday Night pizza that the guys bring in. I'm also going to attempt to cut back on my Starbucks...though the Skinny Peppermint Mochas aren't too high in points. :)

And I'm going to go for a walk tomorrow morning after I take the girls to school. Avery goes 2-3 days a week. So I'm aiming for 3 mornings a week to start.

Wish me luck!

Menu Plan Monday~ 9/12/11

Here is are menu plan for the week. I work evenings M-F so Jason is in charge of dinner. It's hard juggling the 3 kids and cooking so I either plan something really easy (hot dogs/mac & cheese etc) or something I can prep or make ahead for them.



Monday 9/12: Swedish Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
Tuesday 9/13: Crockpot Italian Chicken, Noodles, Rolls

Wednesday 9/14: Chili, Cornbread

Thursday 9/15: Take Out (Back to School Night)

Friday 9/16: Spaghetti, Garlic Bread

Saturday 9/17: Steak, Sauted Mushrooms, Rice Pilaf, Steamed Carrots

Sunday 9/18: Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli

Head over to OrgJunkie for more menu plans!

First Day of School 2011!

Today was the first day of school! I'm am so happy that the girls both love school. They couldn't wait to go!

Hannah is in Kindergarten with Mrs. Cheney. Last year she tested in to Junior Kindergarten because of her social skills. So this is her second year of Kindergarten. She's one of the 2 oldest (a friend of hers was held back) and seems to be ahead of the game. She knows exactly what to do and how to behave. All of the other kids in her class came straight from Preschool. She has a new teacher but already knows her and her teacher aid is her aid from Jr K.

Avery is in her last year of preschool. She has the same teacher Hannah did when she was 4. Her cousin, Hayden, is also going to DCS this year and is in her class. They're both very excited! Right now Avery is only going 2 days a week but I'm hoping to bump her up to 3 days next month.

Fall is almost here and we're ready to get back into the groove! Add in the fact that I had my first Fall Pumpkin Spice Latte this morning and I'm one happy Momma!

Summer Fun

We've tried to do some special things with the kids this summer and thought I'd share some pictures!

We went on our very first (and definately not last) camping trip. We went to a small campsite at the bottom of the Sequoia National Forest. It was perfect for a family with little ones.










Our big trip was a surprise for the kids...Disneyland!! We just got them up in the morning without telling them where we were going. We kicked things off with a stop at Krispy Kreme.











We had a great summer (but hot and exhausting!!) and we're ready for Fall. Apple picking and Pumpkin carving are just around the corner!!!

Making Our House A Home...

We bought our first house almost 2 years ago. It was a new build home so everything was white and we just left it that way. For Mother's Day I decided I really wanted to paint our Master Bedroom. I felt like we hadn't made this into "our" place yet. Our room is always the last thing to be worked on and I thought that should change. We painted it a pale grey-blue and I love it! We haven't been able to buy the accessories and headboard I want yet but it's much more welcoming.

We've started planning how we want to add personal touches to our downstairs great room. I picked a paint color for the 2 main walls.

It's a bit bright but I think it will work with out dark wood furniture. The rest of the walls will get a new coat of white to cover all the finger prints!

We've also been wanting a new (larger) dining table for a long time. Noah will be outgrowing his highchair before we know it and ours only seats 5. A new table isn't exactly in the budget but thanks to my new addiction to Pinterest, I'm feeling creative and crafty. So Jay and I have decided to try building one plus a bench seat (maybe with storage underneath?). We'll buy chairs though...that's a bit out of our ability! Probably unfinished ones though so we can stain them the same color as the table. I'm thinking something like this but stained all a dark brown (no white):

We also plan on pulling up the carpet downstairs and putting in laminate. We learned the hard way that getting the cheapest quality carpet/padding when building a home isn't smart. We cleaned our beige carpet with our carpet cleaner and the blue color from the padding bled through. We now have blue spots everywhere! :(

I'll post photo updates as we get things done! I'm also going to be making some holiday/home decor from ideas I've gotten on Pinterest!

We're Back and Ready for Fall!

Long time no see! My blog was pushed to the back of my mind with all of the changes this past year. Juggling 3 kiddos, working and going to school can be insane...and exhausting! So we're back and with a new name and design!

We're hanging in there. Jason is still out of work but hasn't really been looking. It's so easy having him home to pick the kids up from school and be with the kids while I work from 3p-1130p. His unemployment won't last forever though so his job hunt will start again soon.

The girls start school in less than 2 weeks and are really excited. I'm so glad they enjoy school. I loved elementary school and I hope they continue to! Hannah decided she wants to try gymnastics this year instead of cheer. It seems like it'll definately be more of a workout and will hopefully get rid of some of her extra energy! Avery will be starting her last year of preschool and her cousin, Hayden, will be in her class. She's very excited! I can't believe I'll have 2 kids in elementary school next year...

Noah's such a little man now! He just turned 14 months and is a full-on walker now. Not really talking at all...more of a squealer...but Avery didn't talk until around 18 months so I'm not really concerned. He's such a happy, well-behaved boy! He's extremely tolerant even when his schedule gets messed up.

I'm enjoying my new job but it's tiring working full-time. I have my moments where I wish I could go back to part-time or be a SAHM. But that's not something we can do right now. It'll be hard once the girls are in school because I'll only see Hannah in the mornings before she goes to school and on the weekends. I worry that she'll look back on her childhood and think I was never around. I would definately switch to day shift if the opportunity came up!

I'm also back on Weight Watchers and finally trying to get rid of the last of the baby weight. My hope is that we will be in a better financial situation next summer and I'll have gotten down to my goal weight so we can TTC#4 (and our last!).

I've also become a Pinterest addict as of late and am feeling the urge to get crafty! I plan to post all of my crafts, decor and baking here as I go!