Week 38: Day 5

Good morning!!

Some blogs I follow do a "Three Things Thursday", but I missed out, so I'm doing "Four Fings Friday".

1.  Shrinkvivor:  I gotta say, I'm pretty very disappointed to report I was sent to Exile Island last night.  I'm mostly sad because the other 2 girls left were either up in weight (3 lbs) or down just a tiny amount (.2) and both had less exercise minutes than me.  This leads me to believe one or both put my name down as a "vote" which we had all agreed to NOT do each week.  Whatever.  I realize it is just a game, and compared to all the others I likely would not have made it another week...I hate to lose.  And I have zero motivation to care now!  Exile Island will have it's own "winner", but there are a lotta lotta ladies on the Island (and even some guys, I believe)...


2.  HBBC:  I have joined another online challenge that seems to be a bit more suited to the direction my "journey" has taken me!  It's called the Holiday Bootie Busting Challenge.  Yay!  If you will click on the picture at the top of my blog page on the right - says "HBBC" - that will take you to the web page where you can sign up or just read all about it.  Basically, we (contestants) will track MILES and/or fitness minutes from November 19 through January 6, and each week you will have to fill your points in to a spreadsheet.  Points are given for each mile run, 3 miles biked, 20 minutes of weigh-lifting, 15 minutes of low impact aerobics, 10 minutes of high impact aerobics, and each day you hit 7 servings of fruits and/or vegetables!  There will also be some mini challenges and questions on Facebook to get extra points.  Fun!!

3.  Dieting:  I'm sick of dieting.  Anybody else ever hit that "wall"?  It seems like I will decide on a plan and then get so obsessed and consumed with the allowed foods on that plan, that I "freak out" and just start eating!  Ridiculous.  I'm not even hungry when I'm eating...it's like a part of my brain thinks this food will all go bad.  It really is back to my old mentality.  The exact mentality that kept me from losing the weight earlier!  So...I made it, like, 30+ weeks of doing great, and now I'm right back where I started.  Granted, I'm 50+ pounds lighter, but you know what I mean?  My current "plan" is to only eat when I'm hungry and really, really focus on the veggies.  Fruit is so easy for me to eat, I'm trying to keep more greens around the house and just choose those first.  I also am remembering the "rules" from Jackie Warner's plan and I'm going to really focus on 4 "meals" a day, each one including some protein and nothing with sugars higher than 5 grams.

4.  Kids:  I have 4 kids, for those who are just joining.  Haha.  Conner is doing SO great in kindergarten!!!  He is learning to read!  And, like, REALLY reading!!!  It has made bedtime stories much more entertaining.  The twins, Jack and Henry, will be 4 in eleven days.  Zoe just turned 2.  These three wear me out every day...they are just bundles of uncertain energy!!  I say uncertain because they can't seem to figure out WHAT they want to do...rarely can I get everyone on the same page at the same time.  Including meals.  Here is an actual scenario from yesterday - first, I joined a new Bible study group (LOVE IT!), so we had that from 9-11.  The teacher in the daycare said the three were great and did wonderful.  We headed over to my mom's house for lunch.  She had made pasta and chicken and carrots - yum.  The kids were so excited to see her and be hanging out at her house (where anything goes, as opposed to our house where they have to take shoes off at the front door), they just could not sit still to eat lunch.  So, we packed up their lunch and took it home.  When we got home they wanted to play outside and the weather was perfect, so I let them be in the backyard.  Zoe asked for a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich.  Anyone else?  No.  I make the sandwich, take it to Zoe, and now Jack and Henry want one, too.  I make them each a sandwich, take them outside, clean up Zoe's mess, go back to the kitchen to clean up MY mess, back outside and Jack has finished his sandwich.  Wants another one.  Head back to the kitchen, make another sandwich, take it to Jack...now Henry wants another one.  I sneakily turn the tv on as I head out to give Henry his sandwich so they will see it and maybe come in for "naptime".  It sort of works.  All three gravitate towards the tv, and sit on the couch or chair, I get blankets and full sippy-cups and then they want their pasta from grandma's house!  Seriously?  Okay, bowls of pasta for the twins, string cheese for Zoe, head to the kitchen for a final clean-up and I was all of a sudden so tired I couldn't keep my eyes open!  I just knew, just knew, the three were going to fall asleep...I got excited about having time to take a quick nap before picking Conner up from the bus.  Yeah, no such luck.  No naps, poopy diaper for Zoe, more food requests from the twins...oh, boy, it was an exhausting day.  I thought I would skip my run in favor of a nap when Shaun got home, but I changed my mind at the last minute and went out for my scheduled 30 minute run.  I was super glad I did, but I was also very, very ready for bed after stories last night!! 

I have completely lost track of what I was talking about in the first place.  I met a woman at the park the other day who stays home with her 2 sons, aged 3 & 2, so we have invited them over for today.  I'm excited to make a friend who lives close, and from the little bit of talking we did the other day, I think our husbands will hit it off, too!  Fun!

Sorry for the rambling...here's a picture (found the cord!) of one way I tried to take the kids for a walk the other day.

That is a double stroller AND a single stroller. 
I thought maybe I could use Henry to push Zoe's stroller while I pushed the big one...
we made it to the end of our street and everyone was over it.

I tried a few different variations, but we just ended up running around the front yard together!  Ha!  When I pushed them to the park on Wednesday (1.7 miles), I just loaded the twins up in the back seat and Zoe in the front of the double stroller.  Thankfully, they were all munching on Halloween candy and happy to sit for almost the full 30 minutes it took me to get there.  I say "almost" because the whining started about 7 minutes from the park. 

Have a great day!
xoxo

Week 32: Day 5

O. M. G.  Today is September 23rd (Happy 86th/87th birthday, Grampa!!), and that makes tomorrow September 24th and that means in less than 24 hours I will be RUNNING A HALF MARATHON.

Okay, that out of the way, I actually just wanted to post about this awesome freakin' diet I am so happy with.  I've said it before and I'll say it again - Jackie Warner, you are a genius.  Or something like that.  Ha, ha. 

This morning's weight was 182.  Her "clean eating" plan for the week days just rocks me every single time!  It is easy, I stay full, I lose weight.  What more could I ask for?  It's perfect fuel for my running, too!  I ate kinda crappy for a couple several days and noticed I was getting side stitches when running, which I have never (since I was 10) felt!  I read about it and discovered it can be from running too fast, but it can also be due to a poor diet.  I know I'm not running "too fast" (HA!), so I thought back to those days and what I had chosen to eat.  Damn white bread.  Grrrrr.  I decided to do the "clean eating" for the few days before the half marathon, but I will admit to you I'm allowing myself to eat what I want that day.  A girl has to have something to work for.  :)

I did not run yesterday because I delivered magazines all day and it was sort of like cross training.

Today is rainy (please don't rain tomorrow) and chilly, so we will be hanging at the house and doing some packing.

We're moving, by the way.  I'm not giving any more details just yet.  Sorry!

I don't have much else to share today.  I have read some great accounts by other bloggers about their marathons, like mile by mile...I'm not totally sure I will be able to do all that, but maybe?  Either way, I'll post something tomorrow.  Be praying for me!!!!

xoxo

Week 31: Day 1

One week of Jackie Warners plan = 7 pound loss; One week of Audrey's "plan" = 5 pound gain.  Yeah, I think we can tell who the professional is!! 

I'm not worried about it.  I look good, I feel good...I am back to focused.  I guess I just needed that teenager-stretch (basically trying things myself) and now I will go back to following a PROVEN diet.  Hahaha.

I am also going to try something a little different this week with my running!  I need to log 13 miles between Monday and Thursday, and I am so over getting up before the sun is shining.  I am taking a cue from a few blogs I follow and I'm going to split up my runs to get all the miles in any way I can.  I am about to load the kids up in the double stroller (yep, 3 in a 2-seater) and push them to the park a mile away...running.  Then we will, obviously, have to get back home.  If they are playing outside later and the neighbor "cooperates", I plan to ask him to watch them for 10 minutes while I run around the neighborhood.  Tomorrow and Thursday I have no kids with me during the day, but I do have some meetings and other things planned, so I definitely can get a few miles in each day, but I don't really have a spare hour or so to get lots of miles in.  The only reason I'm not running Friday is that I have a long run of 10 miles on Saturday.  Then we are into the final week before the half marathon!!!  I am so excited!!!  Every time I wake up overnight (to put a child back in their bed, or remove the cat from a child's bed, or change wet sheets, etc.) I have the hardest time going back to sleep while I imagine all the awesome scenarios for the finish line of the half.  Hahaha. 

Food wise I am following Jackie again.  Here's the deal with the Sensa - it definitely works.  I am decidedly FULL and NOT HUNGRY when I remember to sprinkle it on my meal.  However, the problem lies in ME.  I do not have to be hungry to eat.  I can always make room for Jello bread, honey, peanut butter, nuts, bread, fruit.  Even though these things may not singularly throw me WAY off course, combined in excess, they are not good.  No. Bueno.

This week is going to be great!  I am praying that I have a rather big announcement to make soon!  Today's devotional reading involved being with Jesus "quietly", so I am waiting patiently and quietly for His plan for me to happen.  The wheels are definitely churning in an exciting direction, but nothing is set in stone yet.  So, we wait.  And I promise you, I am fine with that.  There is nothing better than knowing your life is in the Hands of someone far more capable than you of doing Good!

Have a great day!
xoxo

Week 30: Day 2

Hey!  I hope you are enjoying this cooler weather!!  The kids all slept GREAT last night, so I would definitely say we are happy about the lower temps in this house. 

Yesterday was so strange to me.  Long weekends always are.  Thinking it's Sunday, but it's really Monday.  I also ke[t wanting to "cheat" and eat poorly because we were all hanging out at the house.  Cold and rainy day...I went grocery shopping and I believe I have already mentioned how having a full pantry just makes me want to snack!  I made it through the day relatively low-cal.  :)

So, this morning I headed out to do 5 miles and 5 min warm up/45 minute run.  Basically, I wanted to complete both goals, so a full 5 miles no matter how long it took and making sure to at least finish the time goal, as well.  I'm a multi-tasker.  Guess what?  I met both goals at the exact same time!  I used a 4 min run:1 min walk interval for the run and I will admit I sprinted the final 10 seconds of my final 1 minute walk, but I made it back to the 5 mile point!  Yay! 

I forgot to mention yesterday, but I ordered some new shoes!!  After the 10K on Saturday I talked to a "shoe guy" and I have been doing a lot of reading about shoes and training...basically, even though I feel fine and my legs feel good and today's run in my OLD tennis shoes went fine, I do see a need for a second pair of shoes for my training runs.  After the half marathon, I need to decide whether I want to RE-train for another half, or train for a FULL (eek!).  I am planning another 10K at the end of October, so I would like to do some speed work over the few weeks between the half and that...so many thoughts!  So many "plans"!  I just know I am enjoying this running and I really am enjoying no injuries, and I want to keep it that way forever.  Got it?

Diet-wise I am hungry today!  I had a bowl of cottage cheese with pineapple and almonds this morning before my run.  Immediately after running I had a huge orange.  Mmmmm.  For lunch I had a veggie burger (they were on sale and I had a coupon, so I figured I would give 'em a shot) on a 100% Whole Grain sandwich thin with some carrots.  Everything I have eaten has been satisfying, but now I'm wasting my final half hour before picking up the kids (yes, ignoring the laundry!) and I just want to snack! 

I forgot to use the Sensa on my 2 meals today.  Oops!  I will remember this afternoon and evening, maybe that will help to curb my hunger. 

I will post a picture of my shoes when they come.  I cannot wait!

Week 30: Day 1

Week 30?!?!?!?  WOW!!  That is so crazy.  At this point, if I were "on track" with the 2 pounds a week for 40 weeks, I should be at 58 pounds down which would be 180.5.  I'm a little sad to report I am higher than that, but I am pleased to report it is only a little higher!  This morning's scale picture? 

Fuzzy, but readable!

184.5!!!  That is 54 pounds down from the beginning, and 7 pounds lost just LAST WEEK!  Oh, yes, Jackie Warner, i love you.  For putting common sense knowledge down in black and white to make it even easier for me to follow, for publishing it in book format, and for helping me get back on track!  Yeeeeehaw!! 

I wasn't going to use the 2 "treat" meals this weekend, but I kind of did.  She allows up to 1500 extra calories each day, and I definitely didn't go there, but I ate the free chicken biscuit after my 10K race Saturday and I indulged in some bites of the kids' foods yesterday.  Nothing major, just nibbles!  I sort of recognized the need for some "treats"...it gets frustrating when you tell yourself NO all the time.  This way, I got to indulge and just reminded myself it was allowed and I moved on.  No big deal.  :)

This morning, the kids ran in their first Fun Run!  A 1K race in downtown Franklin...it was very fun.  At the beginning, the twins were running great, but then another kid darted in front of Henry and he fell pretty hard.  He was crying and Jack started crying because he was so overwhelmed with all the kids running and cheering going on.  Luckily, a friend was there to take the twins from me so I could sprint ahead and catch up with Conner!  He was so fast!!  Unfortunately, that lasted about a block and then he wanted a break.  I told him to walk, but he wanted to sit!  He kept getting spurts of energy and then he would stop again.  A little frustrating, but I realize it was a lot to expect him to run the whole time.  Ha, ha, ha.  When we got to the corner before the finish line, Jack and Henry re-joined us and we all ran across the Finish Line!  It was very fun, but only Jack has expressed an interest in doing it again. 

Conner, Jack, Henry, and Derek (our next door neighbor)

Conner, Derek, and Jack at the Starting Line!

Jack and Conner sprinting to the Finish!

So, I finally got the Sensa in the mail!  I haven't been consistent with putting it on foods just yet.  It's hard to remember!  I am trying to stick with Jackie's plan, too, so I'm not really sure how this Sensa will affect that?  Basically, after reading all the materials, it says it is supposed to make you feel full faster.  I haven't noticed that, but I haven't had a problem with being hungry on this diet.  Also, it does say to not purposely (purposefully?) eat MORE just because of the Sensa.  So, I think it's just a diet and exercise enhancer.  I'm going to go ahead and send the 2nd month back because I cannot afford $90, but I will give the Month 1 supply a good ol' try.  I feel no different yet, but I promise to use it consistently this week while still sticking to my meal plan.  If I have more great loss, then maybe I'll try a week of no diet and just Sensa?  I am so nervous to sabotage myself at this point!!  I cannot even let myself get excited to see 170's, but I am so close!!!! 

This week's running plan is 2 five milers and then 10 miles on Saturday.  After the 10K this past Saturday, I was worn out!!!  It was great, though.  I ran with a very motivating friend and she turned out to be the perfect running partner for me!  Yay!  Yesterday morning I went out with another friend for an easy 3 miles around the neighborhood.  We chatted throughout and walked a couple of times...she is easing back into some training after taking a few months off after her half marathon back in April (or June?), and I was just wanting my legs to stretch a bit because they felt super tight.  Today I had to do a little sprinting with the kids, but I am planning to REST for the remainder of the day.  Thank God for rain.  Not only did we seriously need it to cool the temps, but it should make for some good napping weather later! 

I hope everyone had/has a great Labor Day, and I will be back tomorrow!!

xoxo

Week 29: Day 5

Hey there!

I am pretty bored today...kinda being lazy and hanging on the couch.  I thought I could muster up some cleaning motivation and energy, but it hasn't happened yet.  Now two of the three kids at home are sleeping in my room and the third is hanging out with me.  I just might take a little snooze myself...

Diet still going well.  I am a definite fan.  I saw the lowest weight on the scale that I have seen through this journey, so that has kept me from "cheating" today.  The kids wanted peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, and I didn't even have one little nibble!  Also, I set out some wheat thins and cheese for them to snack on and it was definitely, loudly calling my name.  How awesome is cheese and crackers?!?  Didn't touch a one!  NOT ONE!  I just kept saying to myself - sure, eat one, but you better be ready to see that damn 190 on the scale again!  I didn't eat any. 

I switched up the order I am eating the allotted foods today.  First thing, of course, I had my apple and coffee.  For breakfast, though, I made a sandwich with a 4 ounce piece of chicken, spinach, and salsa on two slices of whole grain bread.  When the kids were enjoying cheese and crackers I ate carrots, then at 11 I had a bowl of cottage cheese with almonds and grapes on top.  That was SOOO yum.  I would have never thought of putting nuts on cottage cheese, but I am SO addicted now.

Last night I made some sweet potato wheels from Slim Katie's blog.  Delicious.  I also made an omelet with green peppers, seasonings, and a little bit of cheese.  Tonight, I'm planning to make more sweet potato wheels and turkey burgers!  I need one more protein for snack this afternoon, but I haven't decided yet what that will be.  It's too bad I don't like hard boiled eggs because those would be SO easy.

Sorry today is a little boring.  I took the kids to Target this morning for new sneakers...did I mention on here that they are all running a 1K race on Monday!?!?  Well, the boys are.  Zoe is still a little young.  So, tomorrow morning is my first 10K (I am totally nervous.  TOTALLY) and then the kiddos will begin their race "careers" at the Franklin Classic on Labor Day.  They are very excited.  Especially now that they have new shoes!  That light up!  It's 99 degrees outside today, so we played a little outdoors, but they got tired of that pretty quickly.

Happy Friday!  I'll post tomorrow after the race.  Wish me luck!

P.S.  Shanita - I haven't gotten the Sensa yet, but I will be sure to let you know as soon as I do!

Week 29: Day 4

Hey!!

Today has been great. Yes, it is a day all the kids go to school, but also I am really a big fan of this diet plan!! I have absolutely NOT been hungry. Today was magazine delivery day, so I got a lot of exercise in, for sure. Not to mention I was driving the van with no air conditioning and it was at least 99 degrees for a majority of my day. Whew. I am pretty sweaty. Nice, right?

I also got up early this morning and ran a cool 3.09 miles. Yeehaw. My knee has been bothering me a little bit....and my shins. It's doesn't really feel like a big deal, but it is a little bit creepy feeling. My knee sort of "knocks" (?). It really only does it for my first, maybe, 6 minutes of running. So, I tried out a new footing technique. Not sure if that is the right wording, but I have been doing some reading on the whole minimalist thing. Also, my good friend runs with the "correct" form for barefoot running. Last night I checked out a few blogs about this and I just decided my pain is coming from poor form. Especially since I bought the minimalist shoes, so I really should be doing it right! Well, Shannon has talked to me about it before, so I tried it out today. Basically, I tried to run on my tippy-toes. This would not be easy, so I didn't accomplish THAT exactly...is this making sense? Since I actually have shoes on and I'm running, my foot automatically lands all the way on the ground, but when I made it a point to point my toes as I ran, I noticed the pain went away! It actually felt really good. I shortened my stride to a 1, 2, 3 pace (thanks, Ericka), and I really enjoyed the last 2/3rds of my run! The only thing I noticed was how hard I had to concentrate to continue doing it right. I wasn't listening to my music that is at the "correct" BPM's, I didn't have anybody else around me to match pace with, and I didn't wear my foot pod, so I wasn't able to monitor my cadence or anything! I was trying to lose myself in the run and just let my mind wander, but I really had to focus to not go too slow and to keep my stride right and my foot just so. It was exhausting both physically AND mentally! Haha.

My sweet friend assured me it will get easier and more natural. Hooray!

This morning I had my apple and coffee before my run, then I made a Whey Protein shake with water and frozen strawberries afterwards. Yum, yum, yum! We got Conner onto the bus, packed everyone's lunch, gathered coupons for a quick grocery adventure, then headed off to the littles' school. I packed myself a 4 ounce piece of chicken, 2 slices of 100% whole grain bread, and a cup of carrots to eat during my deliveries. I thought I would try to wait until noon to eat, but I just couldn't wait. Something about knowing the food was just sitting there in the passenger seat? Crazy, I know. So, I ate it all by 11. My route took until 2 to complete, and then I stopped by the grocery store for a few things. Picked up the kids by 3 and headed home. It is now 4:44 and I just finished my 2nd lunch/afternoon snack of oatmeal with almonds and another 4 ounce piece of chicken. I wanted to make eggs, but just could not find the energy for it.

Dinner tonight will include a sweet potato, but I have no idea how I'm going to cook them yet! I cooked about 4 pounds of chicken last night and then separated what was leftover after dinner into 4 ounce portions. I do guess at this because I don't own a food scale, but I know the whole "palm of your hand" trick. This is where I'm getting all this chicken, haha. I baked them with cooking spray and some barbecue rub. Delish. I might make scrambled eggs for dinner (with sweet potatoes?) because I don't think anyone should have three servings of chicken in one day!

I weighed this morning for the giggles of it and was very happy to see a lower number than I've seen in a while! Wooohooo! I'll wait and share a picture of the scale on Monday. Here's hoping I can continue my good eating trend. Jackie Warner's plan actually calls for you to eat 2 "treat meals" over the weekend, but I'm going to try not to. Saturday morning I am running a 10K with a friend, so if she wants to go somewhere for brunch afterwards, I will join (hint, hint, Kristy! :)), but I really want to have a FULL good eating week before starting the 2 "treat meals".

**I heard from Kristin today, by the way! During her first couple of weeks, I was doing her grocery shopping. Mainly to see how much work it actually would involve if I started taking on clients, but also to make sure she would only have access to appropriate food each day. Well, she did great when I was shopping for her, but she admitted (to my answering machine) that she has not had time to get out and shop, so she's really trying to just eat LESS of what she would normally be eating anyway. I had a couple of thoughts. I might tell her to order the 30-day supply of Sensa to see if it works for her still eating "normal" foods. OR, I have also offered to be her full-time personal shopper. I figure, since I grocery shop at least twice a week, I might as well help someone else out at the same time, right? She has a 6 year old and 2 jobs! Also, she has been running every other day. She said she is at 210, so this is still 12 pounds down from day one and it has been less than a month. I say, Rock ON! :)

Have a great night,
xoxo

Week 29: Day 3

I'm not afraid to admit I'm kinda hungry.  Probably not actually "hungry"...you know what I mean.  I want to munch and crunch!  I want to snack!  I don't want to diet!

Guess what?  You have to diet to lose weight.  Yep.  Just a little something I've learned...feel free to write it down.  Hahaha.  Now, I know some people like to refer to it as a "lifestyle" and that's fine.  However, I enjoy thinking one day I won't have to do this.  One day, maybe?, I will be able to eat whatever I want!  Snack all day long!  Get myself a shake at Sonic when rewarding the kids with a "Wacky Pack"!  Hopefully I won't want to do those things...but it's how I choose to get through the times when I feel I am "depriving" myself.

So, this morning I had my apple and coffee, and a bowl of low fat cottage cheese topped with canteloupe and honeydew.  Oooohhhh....mmmmmm.  It really was delicious.  I then had 20 ounces of water.  We had a bit of struggle getting everyone into the car and on the way to Bible study...just like every morning.  Every day we struggle.  No matter how much of a routine we are in, no matter how many times I explain to everyone what we are doing that day and where and what time.  Ugh.  All morning long today, the kids were all "yes, mom."  "Okay, mom, we will just watch Conner get on the bus, then come inside."  "I promise, mom, no bike riding." 

What do you think happened when we took Conner to the "bus stop" (front yard)?  Jack grabbed his bike and began riding around the yard.  Henry went to the next door neighbor's house and disappeared into their back yard.  I warned them several times that we were going RIGHT back inside when the bus arrived...."OK, MOM!"  Yeah right.  Ugh.  So, we got to fight a little and scream and yell and kick on the way back indoors.  Awesome.  They settled down for the most part inside - I normally would have just let everyone stay outside until time to leave, but I really, really, really needed a shower.  Trust me.  It was time. 

Well, we made it to Bible study and I made a very conscious decision to NOT enter the room with the food.  I saw several cakes and cookies and muffins enter that room...when I did a real and true "gut check" I totally admitted I wasn't even hungry!  I would have been completely happy to stuff my face with any number of the things available, but I definitely didn't NEED any of them to continue my day.  It was nice to have that realization!  On the way home, as I mentioned above, we stopped at Sonic for $1.99 Wacky Packs (yeehaw!), and the smell of that food was killer.  I made it home, though, and I had 2 slices of Whole Wheat Bread with salsa spread over it (I don't know), and the leftover ground chicken meatloaf I made for dinner last night.  I counted that as 1 Grain, 1 Vegetable (carrots and celery in the meatloaf, plus I had 5 baby carrots), and 1 Protein.  Yum, yum!!!  Finished that up with another 20 ounces of water and now I'm hanging out with the kids in the living room!

So, I started Jackie Warner's plan today, by the way.  Basically, each day I get 4 Protein servings, 3 Vegetables, 2 Fruits, 2 Grains, and 1 Fat.  I have a dry erase calendar on the fridge and I've broken these up on each day to cross off as I eat them.  I am planning to have scrambled eggs (1 whole, 2 whites) with oatmeal topped with almonds for "2nd lunch".  Then, for dinner, I will have a Protein and 2 veggies left.  I have a bunch of chicken to cook up and some spinach leaves.  Tomorrow is my magazine delivery day AND I am running in the morning.  Fun!  I will hit up the grocery store after my route is finished (hopefully) and stock up on some more goodies...I have gone back to my "menus".  I can't remember where I first posted about the menus, but basically I have given the kids 5 choices for breakfast, 3 choices of snacks, and 7 options on a lunch menu.  It helps me with grocery shopping and the words are printed below pictures of their options (helping them to read!) and it cuts down on the randomness of their "orders" at times.  I ask the kids what they want for breakfast every morning and sometimes they just say, "Uhmmmmm, uhhhhh.  Hmmmm.  Uhhhhhh."  I realized they have no idea how to limit their own choices.  If I say the various options they have it seems to overwhelm them.  I found the last time I did these menus, they responded very well to being able to SEE the items. 

Well, that was sort of a random tangent?  I had to save and come back (a few hours later!), and I have no idea where I was going with that last bit.  Sorry!!

Ha, ha, ha.  I am SO full today!  I had my 2nd lunch, but wasn't able to eat it until about 4, so it's now 5:45 and I'm putting off dinner because I am still full, full, full!  Love that, right?  Oatmeal with almonds.  Oh my goodness, yum.  Dinner is chicken and salad which smells and looks delicious (the family is already eating), but I really don't even want any just yet.  I could probably not eat again tonight, truly, and be fine.  I am running in the morning, though, so I kinda want to make sure I'm "fully stocked". 

Have a great evening!
xoxo