Back from the beach & ready to get my GREENS on!

I'm back from the beach AGAIN and ready to get my greens on!  I think I've been relying on oatmeal a little too much.  Although I think oatmeal is the perfect palette for a masterpiece, I think I need to change things up a bit.  And what could be better than the alkalinity of a green smoothie & to all the moms out there, kids REALLY do LOVE them.  I don't have a Blentec or a Vitamix & my kids still love them.  I just use my Oster & they come out awesome!  I usually make them with spinach, banana, strawberries, flax seeds (yes this blender will grind them), stevia. Sometimes I add other things too, but that's the base.  Then just add enough water to make it blend & ice to taste.  Sometimes the color is weird, so I put them in a straw cup with a lid & they are none the wiser.  My 4 year old ALWAYS asks for seconds!

Just check out this video.  Really good advice and ideas.




Back to actual weight loss.... Tomorrow is weigh in day.  I'm hoping for at least a 1 pound loss, yes I said hoping.  While at the beach this past week I had more treats than usual, although I tried to manage portion size, and only worked out once. I'll let y'all know the results tomorrow.

In addition to getting the kids back to school in the morning, I have an important business meeting at 11 a.m.  I'd appreciate thoughts and prayers for direction and how to proceed.

Have a great Monday.

Take care,

My Day in Pictures

Mom bought me.  Don't like it as well as the plain I fix myself, but it was good especially with a spoonful of peanut butter.

Then we hit the beach and one of the pools!

I think I'm gonna have to order one of these, poolside. ;)

Picnic lunch

my plate

Alouette on chips...was a little too good.

Me & my babies

Dinner:  roast beef, mushrooms, turnip greens, garden salad. 

For dinner we walked to a nearby cafeteria.  I was proud of myself for sticking with protein and green veggies, especially after passing by the biscuits, rolls, cornbread & desserts.  I haven't eaten any late night snacks either.   Yea!

In the morning before breakfast I'm going to the gym on site.  I have to wait an hour to eat after I take my morning meds, so I thought it would be the perfect time to get out and de-stress.

I've had a good time here, but Mom's irritated me too.  I guess that's true with most Moms.

That being said, I just had a  nice long talk with Mom.  She means well and pointed out some great suggestions for decisions I need to make in the not too distant future. 

I'll leave you with a quote that has brought me peace in the recent weeks:  Psalm 94:19  "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul."

Thanks for the support.  Have a great Friday!

Take care,

Sassy Sites Saturday

While vacation is drawing to a close, we are homeward bound tomorrow.  Yay!  I'm so excited to get back home, unpack, and back to our normal routine for a few days.  We've gotten so far off schedule it's not even funny.   We're not eating dinner until 7:30 or even 8:00 and the kids aren't going to bed till at least 10pm, tonight it was 11:30!  While I love my little net book, I'm so looking forward to getting back to my desk top!  My 8 year old won't even use it...she refers to it as a slow turtle. 

 

Yes I've had this almost everyday for breakfast and today was no exception.  It's super yummy!

 I didn't really eat lunch, well sorta.  My breakfast wasn't until almost noon, so that was my lunch.  I should have planned a substantial snack mid afternoon, so I wouldn't get famished, but I didn't.  I learned my lesson, because at 6pm when dinner was not close to being finished, I devoured about a half of a bag of Boy Scout cheese popcorn.  It's the junk food that gets me everytime and always when I'm too hungry!

Dinner was our traditional fish dinner, caught by my hubby!  I thought fried fish would cause enough damage to my waistline, so I paired it with a garden salad.

I'm starting something new, Sassy Sites Saturday.  Sometimes I just want to share cool websites I encounter during the week, but really never fit them into my daily blog.  I just thought of doing this today, but I did find 2 sites/posts I really like that seemed Sassy worthy!

This Weeks Sassy Sites 

http://www.iconarchive.com/  This site is quickly becoming one of my faves!  No registration required.  No large files to download.  Just right click on the icon you would like to use and save it to your computer.  My little "thumbs up" at the top of this post came from this site. 

http://www.aturtleslifeforme.com/2011/09/facelift-for-my-fridge.html  This is such a cute idea.  I love the "after" refrigerator.  It looks so organized, crisp, and clean.  In our household clutter accumulates quickly even on the frig.  When a family of 4 live in a 1300 square foot house, we run out of room to place things fairly quickly and our refrigerator seems to be the recipiant of lots of clutter.  My life is a constant decluttering battle, but that's a story for another day. 

What was your fave website find this week?  I'd love to hear.

I hope your enjoying your weekend.  Remember to make it a healthy, joyful one.

Take care,

Friday. The wait was worth it!

We were able to go on the beach today!  It was a mix of sun and rain.  We enjoyed the sun and the occasional rain shower.  It wasn't raining too hard, actually refreshing.

Her fave snack.  Fresh cucumber from the garden

 Breakfast:  french toast.  This is a recipe from Candace Cameron Bure's book.  It's so sweet, no need for syrup!

  

crushed pineapple

made with cinnamon raisin bread

lunch: meatballs, romaine, ketchup

kinda cool!  sun setting underneath house.

Yes it's open!  I've been waiting for my hand pattied cheeseburger & ice cream for weeks.

Had my heart set on banana pudding.  They were out.  I said, "NOOOOOO!"  Ended up with strawberry cheesecake.  It was delicious, but nothing compares to banana pudding.

After dinner we walked on one of the piers in the inter-coastal waterway.  We saw a crab swimming in the water.  I had no idea they swam...just thought they crawled.

Then after tucking in the kiddos, I did my Rocky styled workout on the stairs at the beach condo.  I went slowly so I could make it last 30 minutes, then came squats, push ups, abs and stretching.  I did the Britney Spears' workout from this post.  I was super sweaty!  Ever tried a workout on real stairs?  It's tough!

How do you keep up your healthy lifestyle on vacation?  Do you allow yourself extra treats?  Exercise?

I hope you have a great Saturday!  Make it a joyful, healthy one.

Be healthy.  Be strong.

Take care,

Thursday, a snacky kind of day

Somedays on vacation are just blah and have to be written off as such and try for a better day tomorrow. Today was one of those days.  My DH was in a irritated mood, which aggrivated my daughter.  It wasn't long before it started raining and they were inside again.  So all we could do was to sit, sit, sit....sounds like the beginning of The Cat in the Hat.

I had some business and family phone calls to make.  I don't want to go into too many details, just that it was stressful and emotional.  Couple that with small children inside on a rainy beach day and a husband off fishing in the rain and I was ready to crawl in bed and pull the covers over my head! 

I did eat breakfast, my vacation usual, apple peanut butter oatmeal.  The other meals of the day didn't really exist, well except for snack kind of meals:  cheez-its with applesauce (lunch) and popcorn (dinner).  I just gave the kids snacks throughout the day as well. 

Tonight the kids made up a movie theater in their bedroom with ticket sales, lounge chairs, and popcorn (which I made).  The movie playing tonight was Robin Hood . 

Since it was a late movie, all movie goers had to wear pajamas. 

Hoping for a better day tomorrow.

Take care,

Wednesday, Wednesday and super cool GiveAway!

My friend over at Living Lindsay is doing an awesome giveaway Brooks running shoes.  Don't walk.  Run over there to check it out.  Open until Monday, September 26th, 11:59 P.M., 6 ways to enter.


Breakfast on the run



Followed by an afternoon at the Aquarium

a cute pic of my little Nemo friend.  Looks like he's waving at me.

check out the staff feeding the gators.  Not a job I'd want to have.  What about you?

me and my girls

My family eating ice cream again.  Really.  Do they have to do this everyday on vacation?

Then we rode the ferry, which the girls had never done.  It was the highlight of their day!  My hubby said we could have saved a lot of money by not going to the aquarium.

For dinner we went to Riverview Cafe .  Last September we treated my Dad to dinner here.  It was his last beach trip.  I think he thoroughly enjoyed his time here with us.  I'm so thankful we could give him that gift.  Lord knows he's given me more than I deserved.  He died in August from from lung cancer.  So in honor of Dad, we dined here again.  It was a planned treat, not using the word cheat (too negative).  I had hush puppies, broiled shrimp, french fries, coleslaw, and tea sweetened with Sun Crystals.

Remember the "Rocky" styled workout I said I would do on Wednesday?  Well I'm a woman of my word, so I hit the stairs & worked out like a girl!  Seven flights up and seven flights down times five!  I was not breaking any speed records for sure.  I stopped when my knees started feeling weak.  I wasn't about to risk an injury.  Then I came back to our condo and did push ups, squats, abs, and stretching...my regular workout for the week.  When I came back to the condo, my husband said, "Hey Rock, next time I'm gonna have you chasing chickens!"  It gave me a good giggle.  At least I still have my sense of humor.

That was Wednesday.  Hope yours was great!

Be healthy.  Be strong.

Take care,





A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

Today was a rainy day at the beach, which was O.K. with everyone in our family except our 8 year old.  She was pretty bored with whatever could be dreamed up for inside play.  The rest of the week's forecast doesn't look very promising, so tomorrow we're planning to go to the aquarium, which includes a ferry ride!  That will be a first for our kids.  Hopefully they'll love it!





Breakfast:  my favorite oatmeal:  old fashioned oats, peanut butter, apple, Sun Crystals



Lunch: 2 slices of pizza and tea with Sun Crystals

Dessert!:  Luna Pop chocolate fudge brownie

healthy snack time - peaches!

Dinner was leftover meatloaf for me, which I absolutely loved, paired with a garden salad (romaine, red bell pepper, cucumber, grape tomatoes, balsamic vinegar dressing).  The edges of the meatloaf were a little crispy from warming up in the oven...so yum! 

I noticed my pants were feeling too big, so I thought hey I'll just take a picture to document my journey. I may keep using these pants as a reference point.  These pants used to fit me perfectly.  Take a look now...

4 weeks + 1 day = 4 inches lost in the waist

I've worked hard, but have so much further to go, 57 pounds to be exact.  It's a very lofty goal at my age, but I know I can do it.

I haven't worked out as much as I would like this week, but hey I'm on vacation.  My husband had the idea tonight to do a stairs workout.  Tomorrow night it's me verses the stairs!  Pair that with a little body resistance work & I'm good to go.  Rocky workout here I come.  I've had some treats this week, but for the most part I've stuck with my healthy eating plan, which is what I'm going to do for life.  This is a lifestyle change after all, not a fad diet.

Oh, and we watched the best movie tonight, Just Go With It.  I love a good chic flick, but this one was really good and just hilarious!  I think it's the funniest Adam Sandler movie I've seen yet.  Here's the trailer:


I hope everyone has a great Wednesday.

Be healthy.  Be strong.

Take care,