Blizzard

 february 1-2, 2011

 13 inches of snow

 drifts up to my waist

lots of scooping

Sears was sold out of snowblowers

neighbor kids were out of school for 3 days 

many businesses closed

I did not bake cookies

or cupcakes 

or brownies

I was proud. 

I scooped snow for 90 minutes 

in old snow shoes that were too small

I fear irreversible damage to my feet

I was not prepared to dig out of this storm

my only pair of boots have a 5 inch heel

that's a disaster waiting to happen

in 13 inches of snow.
my husband finished the rest

i made three cheese lasagna with homemade sauce

scrumptious 

So so thankful we didn't lose power.

the snow being whipped around by the merciless wind

the next day, our front porch

Sarah

Avocado Tuna Salad (4)

 Moving beyond guacamole, I added avocado to my tuna salad today, almost, in lieu of mayo. And, a new recipe was born. For years I've tweaked my tuna salad recipe and if you ask my mother, it's the best. We ate many a lunch of  tuna salad on the screened in front porch.

I used to enjoy it on crackers, or whole wheat toast. But when I said goodbye to gluten, my tuna salad became tuna salad on salad. I've also been known to serve it in carved out tomatoes. I really haven't found a gluten free cracker that I like with my tuna. Today, my produce was limited.  I opted in the end to put it over  a serving of the baked fries my family was having for lunch. High in potassium and about the same calories, fat, carbs, protein and fiber. What is the (4)? That is the weight watchers point value. Note, the 4 is only for the salad, not the salad and fries!

Again I used exact measurements on whatever I'd have to "count" so the rest is just to taste.

12 oz tuna packed in water, drained
1 Tbsp light mayo
1/2 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated finely
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 avacado (I just mashed it in)
celery seed
garlic salt
ground black pepper

Drain tuna. Add in avocado and mash together. Add rest of ingredients. Serve.


Sarah

puzzles

Audrey loves puzzles. She always has. I'd say that's probably her favorite quiet time activity. She has a few 100 piece ones now. She almost always asks Daddy to do a puzzle with her when he gets home. And that's on top of the two or three she's put together earlier that day. She gets such a huge sense of accomplishment when she finishes one all by herself.

weight loss, take two

I joined Weight Watchers for the first time last April, and quit two months later because it was too hard to calculate points and gluten together with no sleep. Since then I was unsuccessful at losing more than ten pounds and keeping it off, even though I tried. So, the husband and I decided it was time to finally shed some of our unwanted fat.  We did this together back in 2008, I lost the remaining 20 pounds of baby weight and he lost, 30. What happened? We lost a baby, ate too many M&M's, sold our house, moved into another house, and had a baby who didn't sleep. And the biggest of all, we stopped working out.

I didn't workout during my pregnancy with Allie as I was too worried after the miscarriage. Allie's tumultuous first year of sleeping left me very tired, all the time. When I'm tired I eat. And usually not bananas and apples.

 I did lose eight pounds with WW last year but when I quit, gained it all right back. I walked with the girls (power walking pushing a double stroller) last summer and we walked as a family in the fall, and right before Audrey's birthday in November I was the lowest I'd been since my six week check-up after Allie. I'm a big measurement taker, because sometimes that scale just down right lies! By Allie's birthday, six weeks later, I'd gained ten pounds and my measurements proved it. Seriously irritated and mocked by my DDC on December 23, I was determined to figure out what was happening. I worked out the first nine  days of December and gained eight pounds. If I missed a day, I worked out twice the next day. I told him this. He checked my thyroid levels, again. They were fine. He checked my gluten levels. They were fine. So, to conclude, I ate too much fudge. Calories in have to be less than calories out. Apparently, it's that simple.

Enough excuses, right? If you are interested in how I became overweight you can jump back to last year when I wrote about my journey here.

So what are we changing?

Exercising more, eating less.

I told myself I would give it three weeks in January before I went back to counting calories. If I hadn't lost any weight, back to WW I would go. I worked out hard. I was partying (and by that I mean sweating buckets and gasping for air) with Turbo Jam six days a week and strength training some too. At the end of three weeks, I hadn't gained any weight, but hadn't lost any either. Discouraged, I  signed up again for WW online. I figured, it did help me lose eight pounds last summer and I'll just make my original goal 10 pounds. That will get me started. I have never in my life had such a problem losing weight.

The first 48 hours I was reminded why I quit: looking up my foods online, desperately trying to add my own GF recipes in the system to find out how many points were in the leftovers I was having for lunch while my kids pulled at my leg for attention. Calculating how many points a piece of dark chocolate would cost me and how many points I get back for working out Turbo Jam style. (a rockin' 10! woo hoo!) I will say, I am loving that most fruits and veggies are free, zero points this time around, and that they got smart and added a few gluten free recipes to the main website. I'm still in the first week, and it's still time consuming, but I figure, if I was keeping a food journal or counting calories on my own, it would be a lot of work too. (and a lot more math)

I'm doing cardio 30-50 minutes five to six times a week, and strength training three. I love those endorphins! And I love that Audrey goes with me to the basement to work out. I'll put in a video and she'll jump on her trampoline or walk on her balance beam when she's not trying to do the moves with me. The other day I had to negotiate my resistance bands back from her so I could use them. She picks up the heaviest toys she has and calls those her weights. Love it.

Jeremy joined a gym and goes everyday after the market closes. So far, that's working out well. He's lost eight pounds! He's been taking his lunch more and eating breakfast.

Fitness, exercise and nutrition aren't new to either of us, we're just trying to eat cleaner, healthier and stay away from M&M's.

Other healthy ideas we're incorporating besides portion control and exercise:

Power Foods. Trying to eat more of them.

I'm still on a quest to give up sugar. I've moved to strictly dark chocolate: 70% cacao, at least.

Trying hard not to eat after dinner. (Inspired by my dear cousin who at college lost 12 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas break and in part because she didn't snack after she ate dinner. Way to go Abby!).

Watching our sodium. Holy cow! It's amazing the amount once you stop to read the amount of salt in the food we eat. I'm really conscious of that now. I've always read labels. In the 90's it was fat and calories. In 2006 it became gluten. In 2008 it was gluten and the nutrition information. I never paid salt too much attention, although after my nutrition class in college I gave up Ramen noodles. Now, it's just another thing I look at when scanning the label. I didn't realize how much salt was in cheese, or taco sauce.

And on that note, we've switched to sea salt, vs. regular salt.

That's really it for now. I've got my eye on a new workout program because as much as I'd love to go to the gym, it's so cold right now to drag the girls out. I've always worked out at home. I don't mind it, and then, I don't feel like I have to dress for the gym.

So, any recipes that I post will probably have the WW point value included!

January recap

The snow has long lost it's novelty here, And we're projected to get a lot more tonight. The frigid temperatures have me hibernating in my 72 degrees two story unless I absolutely have to get out. I'm ready for spring. I'm glad January is over. Here is a recap. (Most of which has not been blogged about yet)

On Jan 1, we celebrated the fact our house didn't burn down on New Year Eve.

Jeremy joined the gym

Jeremy and I had our first night out of 2011. It was a spontaneous one hour date, but nonetheless, we did it. We're trying to be more intentional about investing in our marriage this year. Since then, we've had two more--each longer than just an hour.

Jan 19--made homemade orange juice after our play-date with Avery.

Jan 22--Took Allie to Peoria to see a plastic surgeon for her hemangioma. He wants to watch it for six more months. If it stops growing, we'll watch it for another six months.  If it grows, they may consider surgery before age two or three. It's not harmful to her at all.

Jan 23--Celebrated Grandma S.'s birthday at our house after everyone went out for brunch. I made Turtle Cake, and found out that you can't  use GF cake mixes as a short-cut. It tasted ok, but didn't look very pretty. I originally made it for Jeremy's 30th birthday party in 2007. It is sinfully yummy. Layers of chocolate cake filled with caramel and topped with chocolate ganache.

Jan 26-Audrey had a play date with Maya and we got to meet her little brother, Jude. The girls hadn't played together in close to a year. They had so much fun dressing up like princesses and jumping on the trampoline.

Jan 31--started a new semester of Kindermusik with both girls. Since Grandmother is still working full-time we're happy to have Grandma S. go with us. Audrey continues in Our Time, Allie in Village.  Audrey expressed nonverbally how she wanted to say hello today. Talking to her teacher in front of the class, (even if it's not actually speaking) is huge for Audrey.

We are ready to play outside. We are so thankful for a large basement that the girls can run and jump, play grocery store and "bake" cupcakes to break up the monotony of playing inside all day.

Audrey putting the candles in Grandma's birthday cake

The original Turtle Cake I made at Jeremy's party

The Turtle Cake I experimented with. Never again

Audrey and Maya

Preparing for the Storm

When you grow up in the country, where the power lines aren't buried and you're more than walking distance from everything, when a big winter storm is coming, you stock up. And you should. On everything from toilet paper to candles. You could spend days without electricity and no one wants to pee in the dark. And if you live in Alabama and you even hear the word snow, you better go buy bread, before they run out. (True story and they got, maybe a dusting of snow.) I sometimes forget that I live in town now, and in a town that's prepared to handle heavy snowfall and ice. And, I could walk to the store, if I needed to. But, since I have no desire to walk to the store in a blizzard, I did pick up a few last minute items at Target today; toilet paper, soap, and dark chocolate. (I actually didn't buy any chocolate, but wish I had!) I overheard the manager saying that whatever they sell today will be it, as they don't plan to sell anything the next two days.

I'll be curious to see if we get the 12-20 inches they are calling for. I guess the kids will have a snow day regardless since they've already canceled classes in every district I know of and did by 6 pm tonight.  I'm hoping I can hold out and not bake anything. I love to bake when it snows, and when it's a snow storm, it's almost sinful to not make up a batch of chocolate chip cookies, mac and cheese or warm cinnamon pumpkin bars. Comfort food. Who wants a smoothie when it's negative six? And then, even more terrifying than running out of dark chocolate. What if we lose electricity? I have no idea what I'd do without my computer or phone. No where to read the headlines (ok, facebook) and nowhere to write. No where to edit photos or upload them for safekeeping. Nowhere to track my WW points. And then I thought....how will I work out? No treadmill. No Turbo Jam? Eek. I might actually have to go play in the snow. I am certainly not prepared for that. Oh let us not lose electricity!

It's nice to have warning, and not just wake up with a foot of snow on your front lawn. It's nice to be prepared. But like my sister in law said, "I just stocked up on junk food for the winter storm. Now we'll probably get an inch and I'll gain 10 pounds."







Sarah

Stalling

There she stood in her underpants and her magenta tunic top (I have no idea what happened to her pants), holding up her index finger, that happened to be housing an emerald green play ring that looks magestic on her. She whispers, in her most matter-of-fact voice, while holding up her finger, "I'm going to be quiet." I say, "Audrey, what do you need?" She says, " I just want to come and give you a hug." I was rocking Allie, as she's going through a phase where she needs to be rocked for naps and bedtime. I'm currently trying to break it. Audrey comes over and gives me the longest most affectionate hug I can remember from her. I tell her I'll come in after I lay Allie down. A few minutes later, she comes back. Whispering, she comes in the room, "I want you to read Tangled." (heavy sigh on my part) I tell her, "I'll be in in a minute." And she leaves.

When I finally get to her room, I know if I read the book she'll go to sleep. She was already laying on her bed, half covered in her princess blanket. I don't even get half way through. Woo hoo, both girls asleep at the same time? That never happens anymore.

Tonight, when it's bedtime I realize why it's not such a great idea for Audrey to have an afternoon nap. She's still wide awake at 9:30. Again, I'm rocking Allie and she comes in (after her father has already done her bedtime routine and after she trekked back downstairs to tell him she heard a noise. I tell her when Allie is asleep, I'll come tuck her in. She looks at me, walks around to see her sisters face and says, "her eyes are asleep Mom." I explain that I have to wait until she is really asleep, but that I will come and see her. When I walk into Audrey's room she's no where to be seen. I thought I heard her breathe, but I couldn't see her. I say her name out-loud and am almost out the door when I hear, "Mom!" She was under the bed. She's never done that, ever. I bend down, lifting up her pink tulle bedskirt and ask her what she's doing. With a big smile on her face she says, " I don't know." I said, "Are you hiding from me?" I suppose that's what she was doing but then she started talking about a lost shoe of Bitty's.....

I read her a short book and tuck her in.

She's getting very good at stalling when she doesn't want to do something.




Sarah

Babies

It warms my heart when my girls play with their babies and they act like little mommies; changing diapers, feeding them a bottle, rocking them, changing their clothes, etc. Today for the first time I saw Allie reach for a diaper (a size 6) and want to put it on her baby. I saw from a distance she tried and then there she came towards me, holding out the diaper and the baby saying, "ugh, ugh, ugh." She has always liked babies, but this was the first motherly act, besides carrying them around, that she's exhibited. She calls them "Da da da" which confuses her father sometimes. It warms my heart when my girls play with their babies and they act like little mommies; changing diapers, feeding them a bottle, rocking them, changing their clothes, etc.

Allie is 13 months. Looking back  I found a picture of Audrey "changing" her baby's diaper, and it was also the January after she turned one. She was around 14 months. Love my little mommies!

Sarah