Halloween

On Friday Jonas' school had a Halloween party for the families. We had a lot of fun and got to hang out with Lorie & Joseph. On Halloween we had a chili cook-off and Halloween party. My dad had made a great chili and ended up winning. It was one of the best chilies I had ever eaten. My friend Liz came and joined us in the festivities. We hit up the street by the church for some "real trick-or-treating" as Jonas requested. Then he wanted to know what the other people are called...the ones who are at the homes who pass out the candy. I told him they are called neighbors (I couldn't think of anything better). So, he wanted to go home to be a good neighbor. It was a fun, stress-free, safe and full Halloween filled with friends.

Pumpkin Patch Fun

Missed me?

So have (both of) you noticed I haven't posted lately? One simple reason is that surf controls are back up at work. LOL!! Not joking! And I've been spending less time online in the evenings.

Weight related: I haven't been good with the Weight Watchers stuff. Haven't tracked and have barely weighed in. I'm getting back on track tomorrow. I've travelled a few weekends and had other things throw me off. But... it surprised me to see that I was down. If last week's weigh in was accurate, I'm down a total of 30 pounds. I'm a little sceptical, so we'll see tomorrow morning.

Traveling: I went to Salt Lake City last weekend for General Conference. It was AMAZING and it was the first time I had been there for conference. My favorite moment was singing "We thank the O God for a Prophet" with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir while standing a hundred feet away from President Thomas S. Monson. So precious. We (Sarah, Eileen, and I) were able to stay at my cousin Risa's super cute condo. Big shout out for her hospitality. I met one of Eileen's old friends and one of Sarah's. I totally love these new friends.

Jonas: He is having a hard time in Kindergarten and it isn't because he isn't capable, he is just so strong willed. He has spectacular days, good days, and really bad days. It all depends on his attitude and how much effort he wants to put into his work. His teacher is amazing though. She is working so hard for his benefit. Plus Isaiah has been able to step in and be a part of the positive and negative reinforcement. It seems to be helping. Jonas doesn't care about disappointing me, but he doesn't want to upset his daddy.

Me: I have good days, bad days, and everything in between. I have hope though and am working on making my life better and being a better person. Life is all about growth right now. I'm trying not to stress about the little things and am getting better at the big picture. Life is good.

Scripture 3

1 Nephi 3:7 - And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

I'm still working on last weeks too. This week went too fast.

Scripture 2

This week's scripture brought to you by the New Testiment - Matthew 5: 14-16
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Last week went well. It helps that it was a short one. (Moses 1:39 - For behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man)

Santa Cruz Sept. 2009

Last weekend I went to Santa Cruz for a conference (an excuse to go party). It was beautiful. The boardwalk was fun.

I'm going to go back some day and take the train they have there and do some kayaking. The weather was perfect. Last year we went to San Francisco at the same time of year and I was cold most of the time. We stayed at a resort on the beach in Aptos. It was nice to have a kitchenette even if we didn't do any cooking. This resort even offered beach bon fire services. They'll set up a bon fire, provide the fixings for smores and then clean up for you. Pretty cool. One of the events for this conference was formal. I got to wear the dress I blogged about before.

It was nice to get away, meet new people and the drive back home down Hwy 1 was beautiful even if it was foggy a lot of the time.

Jonas' late birthday post

Catching up is hard work...

I've been meaning to blog about Jonas' birthday party that we had in July, but was overwhelmed by the amount of pictures. I had to figure out how to do the collage first. Much better. Just click on it to enlarge.

We had 2 ponies, carnival games with tickets and prizes, snow cones, corn dogs, corn on the cob, cup cakes in ice cream cones, watermelon, lemonade, a horse pinata and LOTS of FUN!

The Scripture Memorization Challenge

I've been regretful that I didn't take advantage of my time in early morning seminary class (scripture study class) when I was in high school. I went all four years but didn't graduate the program because I stopped participating my senior year. Even then I never memorized the Scripture Mastery scriptures. In hind sight I know I did myself a disservice. So I've been thinking about my disappointment and my lack of knowledge regarding the scriptures. Then this weekend I realized I could be regretful or I could do something about it. Hence the title of the blog: The (self inflicted) Scripture Memorization Challenge!

The challenge: Memorize 1 scripture mastery scripture per week. Blog about success (or lack there of). Invite others to the challenge (even if they only need a refresher). Pray about the challenge as it goes; pray for strength, understanding, and the truthfulness of each scripture.

There are 25 scriptures from the 4 books (Old & New Testament, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants). That is 100 in total. So yeah it might take two years, but if not now, when?! I'll do one from the Old T., New T., BOM, D&C, Old T. ...That way I work on verses from all books each month.

So here I go. I'm starting with: Moses 1:39 (Old T. / Pearl of Great Price) - Behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

I am officially challenging YOU to join the challenge: http://www.ldsscripturemastery.net/scriptures.html

"Search the scriptures — search the revelations which we publish and ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, to manifest the truth unto you, and if you do it with an eye single to His glory nothing doubting, He will answer you by the power of His Holy Spirit. You will then know for yourselves and not for another." — Joseph Smith, Prophet

Progress - end o' week 18

Down 27 lbs in total. I haven't really set any goals about how much I want to loose, but for now I'm aiming for 50 lbs in total. That's only 23 more to go. Totally do-able.

Some things that help me:

1) A two point breakfast that I can do at work: I discovered Apple-Cinnamon herbal tea from Lipton.

It is yummy. I put a tea bag in my cup, fill it up to the top with hot water from the coffee machine, add a pack of Sweet'N Low, wait for the flavor to seep into the water. I enjoy half of the tea and then add a pack of Quaker's High Fiber Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal to the tea.

Then I have a flavorful, high fiber, breakfast right at my desk. Did I mention 10 grams of fiber and only 2 points?!? Anyway, it is my M-F staple, I do it at home sometimes, and it is an easy solution for traveling.

2) Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Chewy Bar. 9 grams of fiber and only 2 points!!! It is yummy like a little Quaker chocolate chip granola bar, but will actually do something to help fight the hunger.

3) Special K Protein Meal Bar. I love the Chocolate Peanut Butter one. 3 points, 5 grams of fiber and more fat then the other items I mentioned, but being able to eat something with peanut butter in it is totally worth it. Plus I've found that this one does fight the hunger and the sweet tooth.

4) Special K crackers. Different flavors which are all tasty. 2 points for 24 crackers. They are crispy like a chip. Satisfies the munchies.

Labor Day Weekend Adventures

On Saturday afternoon we had a baby shower for Heather. Karina and I were in charge of the food and Heather's mom, aunt, and grandma did the rest. It was a beautiful, but hot, day. She got some beautiful blankets and other items to help "feather" the nest.


After the shower we jumped in the pool for a few hours. We had been in the pool the night before and were anxious to get back in the cool water. I had to leave early to go home, shower, and meet up with a group to go to the Hollywood Bowl to see the LA Phil being directed by John Williams and doing only his music. They did scores from Harry Potter, Star Wars, Witches of Eastwick and more. It was a perfect night to be out in the open.

On Monday, Jonas and I slept in and then headed to Long Beach to use our passes to the Aquarium of the Pacific. We love it there and have made good use of our passes. We played for a couple of hours before it was time for lunch. We took the bridge across to the Pike and made it over to California Pizza Kitchen. We shared a pizza and the yummy split pea and barley soup out on the patio. A bus kept stopping right out front on the street every 10 minutes. I saw that it said "free service" and had seen it stop in front of the aquarium before. We decided to check it out. We rode it to Shoreline village (but we didn't get off) and another stop within the Pike. The bus had to stop for service so we got off and walked on the path next to the harbor back to the Aquarium. There are many boats there that offer different trips. Jonas pointed out that I said we'd do a boat cruise one day and why don't we do it now. So we did the 45 minute harbor cruise. It was beautiful and informative. After it was over we headed back to the aquarium for more fun.

Then, because that wasn't enough, we hit the Citadel Outlets (not in Long Beach) for an evening of shopping. We had fun there too and shared a caramel apple that was covered with mini reeses pieces instead of nuts. Yummy! On the way home we took Heather and Eric hot chocolate from Starbucks and checked out the work Eric had done on their shower. It was beautiful.

It was a really good weekend.

Progress - end o' week 17

I don't remember how much the loss was between week 15 and 17, but it was a loss. I'm down over 26 pounds in total. It feels good to loose, even if it is slowly. We're told that the slower you loose, the more likely you will keep it off.

I did horrrribly this last week. I had used all of my points by Thursday and then just stopped counting. That doesn't mean I made horrible decisions the rest of the week; I just wasn't holding myself accountable for them. On the bright side, I made it back to the gym on Friday and did 40 minutes on the elliptical without too much effort. I thought that I'd be dying since I hadn't been in 3 weeks.

I'm still motivated, still counting (at least M-F I am) and excited about my progress no matter how small. Yesterday I bought a dress that I had tried on 26 pounds ago that I didn't buy because I didn't feel comfortable sitting in it. This is NOT me, but this is the dress:

Jonas' first day

So I have so many things to blog about right now, but I'm going to focus on one thing...

My baby is a Kindergartener now!!!

No, his name isn't Austin...Jonas' name is on the other side. He was excited to see his name on a card with the alphabet and numbers to 20.


He doesn't need a backpack and uses this canvas bag to tote his things. His teacher said he had difficulty adjusting. I was surprised about that because he has done so well at pre-k. I bet he did better today. He did look happier and better prepared this morning:

Progress - end o' week 15

No loss, but no gain either. I said I wanted to make it to the gym two times this week. I didn't make it there at all. At the last moment I put Jonas in swim lessons M-TH with his buddy, Joseph. There goes my week day work outs. I didn't have time over the weekend 'cause I was "busy" lounging around the house. Ha ha. Seriously, we were bummin' it this weekend. It felt good to have a real "free" weekend. I asked Jonas if he wanted to go to Adventure City, the Aquarium or go visit his friend Aiden (and my friend Anja). He chose to visit friends, so we went a bummed part of the day with them.

I ate good stuff this week, but I ate a LOT of it. Oh well. I'll do better this week...I promise...**crosses fingers**

Our sleep schedules have been off this weekend. After we came home from Anja and Aiden's, I took a nap. I didn't get up in time for us to catch a movie or really anything else, so we rented Air Bud from Blockbuster. It was after 10 pm when the movie was done. Needless to say, it was a late night. We slept till 10 am on Sunday (11:30 church rocks!!!), and after church and lunch, Jonas fell asleep on Grandpa's chair for almost 2 hours. He never does that anymore and I was enjoying just watching him sleep in front of the fan. It was a beautiful sight (for a mom). I knew he wouldn't be tired at a decent hour so I didn't even try to get him to bed till 10. 10:30. 11. 11:30. At 12 AM I gave the final "mean mom" GO TO BED AND STAY THERE warning. I laid my head down at 12:30 and within a few minutes I heard (and felt) my boy sneaking into my room and crawling into my bed. I ignored it and just hoped he'd sleep.

At 1:30 I was roused because I was hot, opened my eyes and guess what... Jonas was staring back at me! That was slightly disturbing and funny at the same time. I'm pretty sure he still hadn't slept. He then proceeds to talk to me in a normal volume, in full detail, and not in the voice of a tired boy. I can't describe it more. It was a "you had to be there" moment. But it was memorable. I hope he is okay at school today and taking full advantage of nap time.

Progress - end o' week 14

3 pounds down, 10% goal met. It's so exciting especially because I haven't made it to the gym for almost 2 weeks now. I just hope this recent loss wasn't all loss of muscle. Ha ha.

Current goal: Track points more carefully, track on the weekends, get to the gym twice this week, and find something active to do on Saturday with Jonas.

Summer Evenings

I've blogged about this yummy grilled chicken and pineapple before, but it is so good it deserves another go around.

I told someone on Sunday that I never cook. Which is partially true. That made me so sad. I love cooking and so I've made dinner three times already this week. I also wanted to enjoy summer while it is still here. So after I BBQ'd, Jonas and I ate on the grass.

Does he look like a happy kid or what!?! Yummy!

We've been slowly pulling out items he got for his birthday. One was sidewalk paint. The paint has a weird pudding consistency. It was messy and fun.

My contribution:

We've been doing construction on the house. It's been a long time coming. When I was little my dad would spend every evening working outside on projects. It's been nice seeing him investing himself into the house.

On Friday, my dad and Jonas were up in the attic (mostly just a tall crawl space). Jonas would hand him tools that my Mom would hand up the ladder. Dad told Jonas to watch his step. A minute later we heard a yelp, a crashing sound, and saw debris flying in the living room...My dad's foot had created a sky-light. His pride was hurt more than the few scrapes on his leg.

But the best part was that for the next 20 minutes, Jonas talked constantly, "...Grandpa. You fell and your foot went in the living room and now there's a hole. Why is there a hole? 'Cause you fell, huh!? Mommy, Grandpa fell and there's a hole and his foot made a hole...Grandma, ..." NON-STOP for 20 minutes. It was hilarious. Finally my dad told him to stop talking to him...
"Grandma, why doesn't Grandpa want me to talk to him?! ... But why is he sad? About the hole? Because his foot made a hole? Mommy..."

Kids make it real.

The quandry

Instead of writing the same idea in my blog (and not as eloquent), to follow is an exerpt from a friend's blog that I related to. This is what has been on my mind lately too:

"The modern LDS single woman faces quite a quandry, which can at times seem to divide her in half. On one hand, she is passionate and intelligent and productive in pursuing goals that require substantial investments of the heart, mind, and wallet. But on the other hand, she also knows that these pursuits are less important than her goal of eternal marriage, and sensing this will come along at some point (not knowing when, how, or with whom), she also senses that at any point she will be required to give up all that she has worked for and exchange it for a higher calling. Some women do not have a problem doing this, as their dream since infancy has been to wear a wedding band and nurture children and marry young. For other women of the church, it feels like a greater sacrifice when somebody comes along to interrupt and change their course. I feel like perhaps I am a little of both. Men of the church do not suffer this dynamic, nor do they fully appreciate it- I am certain, because they do not, and are not asked or required to prepare simotaniously for two completely different roles in life. In fact, they only have one role, and sadly, some of them have trouble applying themselves to responsibly fill just the one. My best friends are accomplished women who have been blessed by their education and professional pursuits, but have also had the opportunity to marry in the temple and work towards fulfilling their higher calling of motherhood in an eternal marriage. Because they are choosing to be stay at home moms and supportive wives, they are blessed." -Em

I have a son, am a college graduate, have a job that I like but doesn't have much growth opportunity, and I have no idea what my future is going to look like. My future really depends on who else is in it, but I can't wait around for that situation to change. I'm at a stand-still and I am unsure of which way to turn. I want a house, but my current job won't provide that... I also don't want to give up the supportive living situation I am in for the sake of my son. I'm torn.

Progress - end o' week 12

Down 2 more pounds (22 in total). I was good this week, but not as good on the weekend. We had a double cream lemon pie from Marie Calendar's at the house. It's my fav and so I had to have at least 3 pieces (enjoyed throughout the weekend, not all at once).

If I do say so myself, I am very talented at helping dress other people. I'm like a less annoying Stacy London. My friend Anja asked me to help her on Saturday to find some clothes. We did great. I think she got 12 tops and a few pairs of pants. I'm so happy I could help. While we were shopping at Khols, there was a pair of cute gold heels on display next to a mannequin. They were so pretty and looked like they would fit me. I slipped them on and they were beautiful. I wore them throughout the rest of our time there for fun and to see if they were really comfortable. They were. However, I have a problem... I'm addicted to shoes. So, I didn't get them. I could have found a use for them, they were only $27 (normally $70), and I don't have gold shoes....But I was good and didn't indulge. Plus I already bought a HOT pair of black heels from DSW this week. Te he he. (sorry, I couldn't find a picture).

I did however get three pairs of pants. I wasn't going to buy anything till I lost weight, but I've been wearing my current work pants up to my bust line for a few months already. I'm totally impressed with these pants. They are Dockers with a sheen and the model is called "Truly Slimming," which they are. They have a little stretch to them too, which is always nice. Now I'm trying to decide if I should pass my old pants on or get them tailored.

Progress - end o' week 11

20 pounds down!

That was slightly unexpected since I haven't been to the gym for the last two weeks and haven't been great at counting on the weekends. But I'm not complaining. I'll take it. 'Nuf said.

Ward Hoppers

If you aren't LDS you might not get it, but you can still read on...

Becca's dictionary defines Ward Hoppers as: LDS Church members who constantly move from ward to ward (church congregations) usually without any change of address.

There are two kinds of ward hopping: sanctioned, and unsanctioned.
*Sanctioned: membership records make it to the ward the member is attending.
*Unsanctioned: membership records never move while the members go wherever their feet/car/bus/bike/moped/friend's-car can take them.

I've done my share of unsanctioned ward hoping. I've done it to hang out with friends, make new ones, and sometimes just to see what everyone else is doing. However, generally I don't have the highest opinion of this "lifestyle". I think many people ward hop to avoid responsibility (callings), because the grass is always greener on the other side, or because they've been offended by a ward member.

Here comes the dilemma... I'm considering a hop. There are wards in other stakes (regional groups of wards) that cater to the "Mid-single" (non-married, non-young, sometimes with children). I have made friends in one of these groups, have taken my son to the great primary there, and the grass is looking VERY green. Sometimes feel like there isn't a good place for me to fit in within my current ward and Jonas doesn’t really connect in Primary. This may be just a stage, but it’s feeding my feeling to hop. I have been asked multiple times if I want to move my records and have made excuses of why I couldn’t.

It’s just a thought right now, but the thought comes often. Do you have an opinion on ward hopping?

Progress - end o' week 10

I'm down again, even if it is less than a pound. Progress seems to be slowing, but still good. I feel good and know I have better habits. This week's goal is to get to the gym once and do another physical activity. That doesn't sound like a lot, but it will still be a challenge.

5 years of...

JONAS!!!Happy Birthday Baby!!!

Does being single stink?

Last Saturday I had a conversation with a girl and she said, "...yeah, but being single SUCKS!" It really got me thinking. Being single doesn't suck. I'm happier now (in my single status) then I ever was before. I'm TOTALLY single. Not even dating. And I'm really happy. I am provided with so many opportunities to do really fun stuff. Last Saturday I went to the Newport Beach Temple with my other single friends. Later that afternoon I went to a mid-single (27 - 45) activity from church. We went kayaking and then had a corn roast at the beach. I had so much fun AND I didn't have to do all the work. Other weekends I get to do kid friendly stuff too. Jonas and I go to the aquarium, the park, visit other friends, movies... I get some of the best of both worlds.

Don't get me wrong. I don't always want to be single and would like something, but not just anything. It has to be something great. I guess the point is that even though I’m not living the dream, I can have a great time living "Plan B". It's all about the attitude.

Progress – End o’ week 9

So yes, I didn’t post last week, and I’m late for this one. But really that’s a good thing. It means that I’ve been so busy living life that I haven’t had a chance to write about it.

Anyway…on to WW: End of week 6 I had lost 18.2 lbs. Gained 1.4 the next. Gained 2.4 the next week on my trip to Utah. And this week, I lost 2.8 lbs. I’m getting there and expect to continue loosing. Traveling was hard and I didn’t have a plan. I had abandoned all my new great habits and paid for it. Live and learn! I hit the gym twice last week, went kayaking and went for a walk on the beach. I just need to stick with it and continue planning.

Some visible progress has been made because people keep saying that I look good. That’s always nice. I also feel good. I notice the difference in some clothing, and I feel little differences all over.

P.S. Does anyone want to go kayaking before the hot weather is gone? It was fun and the harbor was so beautiful.

Progress - end o' week 7

Ok, so maybe no weight loss progress 'cause I gained a pound, but I'm still motivated. I made it to the gym Friday night; did 40 minutes cardio, 10 minutes stretching on the AWESOME stretching station/seat, and 20 minutes on arm machines. My arms are still sore and that might explain some of the weight gain. So even if I only made it to the gym once, I'm still proud because I did it. I didn't make excuses because I couldn't find anyone to go with. I ended up feeling great afterwards too.

Newest (good) discovery: Jack-in-the-box Chicken Fajita Pita. 6 points and so yummy. Today I got the combo with the fresh fruit cup instead of french fries (not like I eat fries anymore anyway). I was totally impressed with the fruit cup. Each piece was delicious and there were no rotton pieces hidden in the bottom. The country of origin was listed for each type of fruit (honeydew & cantaloupe - US, grapes - Mexico, pineapple - Costa Rica.) So good for only 1 point.

Newest (bad) discovery: Fried jalepeno rings from Del Taco. I like jalepeno poppers and jalepenos in most other things. These were tasty and spicy. Which for me is a positive. However, my body is not reacting well. I don't think I'm used to fried foods anymore and it may have just been too many jalepenos on an empty stomach (hence the bad decision in the first place). Oh well. Live, get sick, and learn.

Progress - end o' week 6

Yes, you are correct…I did skip the end of week 5. But in my defense, this last week was really busy. So on to the results --> At the end of week 5 (the day after I came home from camping) I had gained 1 lbs. I wasn’t that surprised because I didn’t practice portion control or sticking to filling foods when on the trip. I ate grilled cheese, full fat (chicken) hot dogs, and basically anything else that we could eat warm. The trip ended up being cold for 21 hours per day. Seriously crazy June gloom we’ve been having in So. Cal. I’ll post more about camping later – with pictures.

Anyway, today I weighed in and had lost over 6 lbs. WOW! Even I was shocked! That’s 18 lbs in total people. I’m pretty happy to be losing at this rate especially when I had such a hard week last week. I hadn’t planned well and ate out a few times (which always uses up more points). I had used up all my weekly points by Thursday night and I was surviving on activity points. I am proud of myself that I got to the gym twice this week (which adds to the busy-ness of the week).

Have I told everyone that the best time to hit the gym is Friday nights? It’s a good thing I don’t have a life or date… ‘cause it’s like having the gym to myself. Plus I went really late. Tuesday night I went to the gym, took Jonas, and met my friend Lorie, her fiancé and her son Joseph there. Jonas & Joseph played in the kid area together. Having the gym act as a play date alleviates my guilt about abandoning him to work out. I know that he is having fun (he’d rather play with Joseph than me anyway), and he is being active. I’ve been enjoying my work outs lately too. I got an IPod Nano to help with the mundane nature of the elliptical. I’m trying to work on building muscle too. I’ve been blown away at how weak I am now. I’ve had to start with the lowest weight on most machines. At least I’ll be able to see growth.

Off point, but too yummy to not blog about, was my dinner with “my girls” on Thursday night. We went to El Polla Inka in Gardena. This was so tasty, but not low in points. Well it wasn’t the way I did it. LOL! The bread is served with a spicy creamy cilantro sauce/salsa, entrees come with a tasty chicken rice cilantro soup, the entrees are big and full of flavor, and the fried sweet plantains were some of the best I’ve ever had. I’m craving them right now **mouth watering**. The funny thing is that I hate bananas. They actually turn my stomach sometimes. But plantains don’t do that. I’m glad. Dinner was great and the company was better.

Saturday I went to my first drive-in theatre. I went with a group from church and had a blast watching the double feature and trying to stay warm (that darn gloom!). I can’t wait to go again. Maybe I’ll make it a family trip. Sunday we make Korean BBQ, El Pollo Loco flavored chicken, Chinese chicken salad, the best fruit salad, asparagus… It was a great Father’s Day filled with family. It was a great week overall.

Progress - end o' week 4

This morning I thought, “I better do my weekly progress post before my readers (both of you) get upset.” So, I’m down almost five pounds since last week’s weigh in (13 lbs in total). That’s pretty good since I was down to only 8 weekly points left as of Friday afternoon when I stopped counting for the rest of the week. However, I did go to the gym on Saturday (and officially joined) and took a walk on Sunday with my family. I just refused to get de-motivated and acknowledged that I’m eating better then I was before, even if I don’t lose pounds. I feel better and am conscious of my food decisions. (btw, I’m eating sour patch kidz as I write this. Ha ha ha!)
So what’s the plan for this week? Well I’m going camping this weekend and am trying to save all my weekly points to use on SMORES, and maybe a hot dog. I’ve made a menu plan of filling foods and “better” choice items. I wanted to make it to the gym, but we went miniature golfing last night, I have church responsibilities tonight, packing and cooking tomorrow, and we leave Thursday afternoon. I’ll just try hard to find active things to do while camping. I’m excited. Really. (Even though I just read Christina’s blog about her camping experience). I think it will be really good for Jonas and I can’t say I’ve ever really camped. Although technically I don’t know if it is “real” camping if your car is parked right next to your tent. Oh well. I’ll let ya’ll know how it goes (the camping and the weight).

Progress (or not) - end o' week 3

Okay, so I've been officially been harassed for not posting yet. Sorry. But seriously, I've been busy. I'm in an intense training program to become an internal auditor for ISO ******** (I don't know if it is confidential, so I won't say too much right now). It's been really interesting and what I've been needing. I've been craving growth and missing school. The class has reminded me of one of my favorite classes at CSUDH. And the training has been ALL day and I've been trying to get other work done during lunch.

So enough excuses...I didn't do well this week. I stayed within my points, but still gained 2 pounds. I'm not giving up or loosing motivation. I know I'm doing good things and am looking for new ways to improve. I know I do better on weeks when I have lots of fresh produce. I've had many temptations (peanut M&M's for example) and haven't fit in any activity points.

Feedback please - I'm having a difficult time fitting in time to work out. I work full time and usually have a few nights each week that are busy. I don't like the idea of spending time at the gym when I have my son with me. I don't get to see him enough as it is. I've attempted to include him in activity. We've gone to the park to run around, but he's so whiny right now. But that's a different blog. There isn't enough room in my room to do videos and the living room isn't available. I'm not trying to be negative, but to show my obstacles. Suggestions please.

Progress - end o' week 2

This week was more difficult. I was getting bored with all the new 'exciting' food I bought and went out to eat a few times. But I still stayed within my total points and even earned quite a few activity points (Thanks YW car wash!). I also joined the gym (24 hour). Good news though. I lost another 5 pounds (11 lbs total)! I know that I'll have to start working harder to keep seeing these results and that I have a lot more to loose for others to see the difference. I'm still happy and am seeing a difference. It is encouraging.

My new favorite yummy meal: Whole wheat pita warmed, spread with jalepeno cilantro hummus, topped with tabouleh and chicken (optional). I got the hummus and tabouleh from a mediteranian food vendor at the Huntington Beach farmer's market. It is so good and filing.

I was telling my mom tonight that besides slight changes in my body, I actually feel better. I have more energy as if the food is actually fueling my body instead of making it sluggish. I see the difference when I snack on a filling option (like the one above) and when I have a few chocolates. All the chocolate does is make me want more chocolate. Haha.

Pampered Chef Product Review #1

I decided that this might be a good forum for me to review my experience with some of my Pampered Chef products. So here goes my first one.

Tonight we had a BBQ for my mom's b-day and had some yummy food. See picture:

I have been dying to try the new PC Spicy Pineapple Rum Sauce and figured this was a great time to try it. We BBQ'ed some boneless skinless chicken tenderloins after brining them in salt/sugar water for a bit. As soon as they came off the grill I spread on the sauce. They were a hit! The sauce could be used for so many other things too. One suggestion from the bottle is to put it on top of vanilla ice cream. I think that would be good. I'll let you know once I try it. The only dislike about this sauce for spreading on meat is that there were chunks of fruit in it. While those chucks were vary tasty, they made the spreading more difficult.

I give this product 4.5 out of 5 stars.

The next product up for review is the Pineapple Wedger. This product was fairly easy to use and made two perfect half moons/circles of pinapple with using moderate pressure. My brother commented on a little bit of wasted good meat still left on the shell of the pineapple. True. However, the core came out perfectly, which made up for a little bit of waste. There would not be any way to make a one-size-fits-all-pineapples perfect. After having two large sections of the pineapple cut, we put the pieces on the grill for a bit. I then cut each section into slices. It was so good and an easy way to grill pineapple.

I give this tool a 4 out of 5 stars.

Stacy's give away

Check out my crafty friends blog and hopefully I'll win something nice. Seriously, this girl is talented.
http://staceylyndesigns.blogspot.com/2009/05/pay-it-forward.html

Progress

I’ve been with Weight Watchers for less than one week and I’ve lost 6 pounds. YAY!!! It’s good to see that my efforts have been working. I can even see the results. My face looks slightly slimmer and my work pants were a little bit looser this morning. Nothing huge, but still something.

I haven’t found it to be difficult either. It has just taken pre-planning. I was finding food to be boring and that led to bad decisions. Now it’s a fun challenge to see what I can fit into my daily points and I’m eating interesting things. This morning I ate grapefruit. I have mandarin oranges, blueberries, and mango to choose from to snack on. If I want something else I have hummus and crackers. For lunch I have grilled chicken, brown rice and I’ll get fresh pico de gallo and salsa from the lunch truck. See what I mean about exciting!

Before I didn’t plan and so food was a chore. It was a constant battle. It’s interesting to see what foods that I already love are good for me and will keep me full. It’s also interesting to see which ones sabotage my day. At work we always have a candy jar full of chocolate (which I am responsible for filling) and other goodies. I have been so good! I have not had any and haven’t felt any loss. I have snacks that are better and I know that that I can that eat cinnamon roll that is worth 6 points that won’t curb my hunger, or I can eat a huge sandwich for 5.5 points that will last me hours. It’s my choice.

My Newest Journey

I’ve never been one to restrict myself, combine that with a perfectionist personality (afraid of failure) and you get someone who has never dieted, until now. Okay, okay…so diet isn’t the best way to put it, but I’m making a conscious effort to watch what I put in my mouth.
I like myself, have good self esteem, and think I’m attractive (even sexy at times), but I would like to slim down and feel healthier. I know that this is the time to do it. I’m still under 30, only have one child, and don’t have to worry about catering to anyone else’s dietary preferences (I’m single). If I don’t do it now, it will just get worse.

I have been contemplating this for a while, but was too overwhelmed by figuring out how to do anything about it. (Some of you might snicker and think, “Just do it”, but obviously this doesn’t come naturally for me or else I would have “Just done it”). I didn’t want to fail, so I continued doing what I was doing. Then on Tuesday, I went to a monthly meeting at work that always has the same cookies (that I don’t like). I ate one! Why would I eat one?!? Because I didn’t have a plan; that’s why! A friend of mine, a great example, a control freak, and another Rebecca has been doing Weight Watchers and has been very been successful. I decided to do it, NOW! I signed up Tuesday afternoon and have been going strong since. Okay, okay…I know it has only been a couple of days, but I haven’t failed yet and am really excited.

I have been doing well and have found some things that I love to eat are low in points. I just have to make an effort to plan some meals, bring healthy snacks with me, and have healthy back-ups (in case I forget to pack a lunch.) Some of my favorites are:

Turkey Sandwiches – Whole wheat bread, a little light mayo, mustard, tomato, baby spinach, pepperoncinis, and some amazing sliced herbed roasted turkey breast I got from Costco. And of course a side of pickles!

Salmon Burgers – Basically the same as turkey sandwiches, but with toasted bread, onions instead of pepperoncinis, and a seasoned mayo I made (lemon juice, pepper, Cajun seasoning, and grill seasoning). The salmon burger patty is only 2 points, super filling, and easy to cook.
Fruit – Blackberries, apples, blueberries, strawberries, watermelon, mandarin oranges, navel oranges, asian pears,…I could go on, but most of these are filling with very low points.

Edamame – Found at Costco, pre-seasoned and steamed in the freezer section. Microwave for 1 min for a warm slightly salty snack just like you could find in your favorite Japanese restaurant.
Frozen Yogurt – I love this!!! Jonas and I would stop often at our favorite Yogurtland anyway. Now it is better because I have saved a few points for this delicious treat. My favorite is Tart Lychee, but they don’t always have that one. My second, which they always have, is tart blueberry with sliced almonds and Nillla Wafer bits.

I didn’t pack my lunch today, but I already have a plan. I have cups of brown rice that I can just microwave for 30 seconds. I’ll get some grilled chicken, fresh salsa, and pico de gallo (that includes cabbage) from the roach coach (lunch truck) and combine it with my rice for a yummy lunch.

I have a lot of other ideas that I haven’t had a chance to do. I’ll let you know what I discover. Also, did I tell you that Weight Watchers online is so easy. I’m having no problem tracking my daily intake. I actually enter most of the food before I even eat it.

Wobble, Wobble, POP!

On Sunday after church I went to see my friends Loraine & Jim. I had a great time visiting and Jim made some super yummy food. We had beef enchiladas and he made a chicken 'n dumpling stew. I have never liked dumplings that much but his were flavorful and not all gooey. The stew was tasty too!

Then I headed to Carson for a musical fireside. I'm driving up the 405 in the fast lane when I notice that my car is wobbling a bit and is a little hard to control. At first I thought it was wind. I look around and no trees are blowing. I slow a bit and move over one lane (out of the fast lane so I can go the speed limit). Then I hear a noise getting louder. I turn off the radio so I can listen. The sound is getting progressively louder... I decide to get off on Lakewood (next exit and familiar ground). Once I get to the right lane my tire gives out and it was a rough ride till I got to the shoulder. I park, pull out my AAA card, call and wait. Everything turned out fine and I made it to the fireside late. It was still worth it though. Great music, great talent, and a great message. I was extra grateful because I arrived (relatively) safely.

This is what was left of my tire:

There's a nail in the middle of it somewhere...

Spoon House 2 (Post dinner)

So dinner last night was EXCEPTIONAL! ...and the company was even better! We all share our picks. Liz always gets the same thing and since Loraine doesn't like fishy stuff, she has gravitated to the Carbonara. Mine and Liz's came with a slice of bacon and a fried egg on top. I forgot to take the picture before I cut it all up. I also forgot to get one of the three of us. Oh well. Next time... I was enjoying myself too much to think about pictures.

* Do you like my work in Paintbrush? LOL.

Spoon House

I can't wait for tonight. It is girls night out with Liz, Loraine & Me. These are my girls from CSUDH. We were used to seeing each other a couple times a week. Now we are lucky if we can fit in our second Thursday of the month dinner.

I have had some great food with these girls and they love to share different places. Tonight we are headed for Spoon house. We've gone before and are headed back at my request. Spoon house is a Japanese spaghetti restaurant. Weird? Nope! Super Yummy! Just check out the great reviews:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/spoon-house-bakery-and-restaurant-gardena
http://mylifeisyummy.blogspot.com/2008/04/spoon-house.html

Liz always gets the one (I don't remember the name) with a tomato based sauce with bacon and eggs on top. Weird again? Nope! Super Super Yummy! The breakfast topping adds a richness to the dish. I'll let ya'll know how it goes!

25 Random Things About Me

Stolen from Sarah M.S. and from Facebook:


25 Random Things About Me


1. I like baby carrots dipped in A1 sauce
2. I just started using moisturizer on my face
3. I used to be frugal (e.g. 7 years ago I only had 2 pairs of pants)
4. Now I have about 50 pairs of shoes (and that's after giving away a bunch!)
5. I don't mind doing laundry or dishes, but HATE putting them away
6. I'm totally organized at work, but my desk at home is a horror (usually)!!!
7. I love maps
8. I want to be fluent in Spanish badly, but haven't done a whole lot about it
9. I graduated Magna Cum Laude from CSUDH with a B.S. in Business Administration, concentration in Management & Human Resources and with honors in my major (I miss being in school)
10. In college I took AutoCAD classes ‘cause I thought I wanted to be an architect
11. I have a certificate in Event and Meeting Planning
12. I am a Pampered Chef consultant, do cooking shows in peoples’ homes, set up bridal registries and do “Pampered” bridal showers
13. Sometimes I avoid stepping on cracks, or make sure I step the same amount of steps in each square of concrete
14. My new love is Pho: Vietnamese noodle soup (yummy and cheep)
15. I've never dieted
16. I love board games (even the kind that don’t actually have a board)
17. I used to voraciously bite my nails
18. I have a horrible memory
19. I would love to move to Tennessee
20. I wear a shoe size of 9 ½
21. I don’t pay much attention to gas prices (I can’t do anything about it anyway, and I’m not going to stop buying it)
22. I hate taking medicine
23. I need to get my tonsils out
24. When I pick a book up I can't put it down, so I just don't pick up a book that often anymore
25. My favorite perfume is Rockin’ Rose by Valentino

Tervis Tumblers

When I was in Tennessee, Jessie had these air insulated cups called Tervis Tumblers. They were seriously cool, so of course I had to buy some. You can get them personalized, with a special decoration, or plain. I thought I'd pick out a special design for each person in my house. We've tried to do special cups for everyone to reduce wasteful washing. It hasn't been completely successful (mostly cause my dad won't stick to the program).


Well I ordered them while in TN and got them a few days after I got home. I got an orange hibiscus for me, a colorful butterfly for my mom, a mahi mahi for my dad and the Florida Gater mascot/picture for Jonas (his dad loves that team and Jonas knows it. I couldn't find anything that Jonas would like more...so I ate my pride for the happiness of my boy). The cups are really cute and have lids for straws or drinking from directly. But the greatest thing about them is that you can have a cup FULL of ice water and no condensation forms. Great for the car or wooden furniture.

BTW, my dad won't use his...he says it's TOO big. Whatever! I took mine to work...maybe I'll just steal his back and use it around the house.

There were a few sights that sold these cups and they were cheaper to not get them from Tervis directly. You'll have to Google it yourself.

Scriptural Footwear

Last week, Jonas and I were at the mall. We wandered into the Nine West store...mmm....shoes...**drueling** I was trying on a pair of cute little turquoise flats when Jonas said, "Mom, Nephi shoes!!!" They were on the other side of the store and so I hadn't even noticed them. He was so right. What a smart boy. I had to take a picture right then and there. Don't you love camera phones!?!

At least I know that he is picking up something from the BOM DVDs my mom bought. Ha ha.

The many uses of toothpaste...

What is cars toothpaste used for??? Washing your car, of course!!!

What four year old boys do when left to their own devices...

A Tennessee Christmas

On Christmas day, Jonas and I flew to Nashville, TN to see my cousin Jessie, her husband Donald, and their daughter Ellie.

I grew up with Jessie. She lived in Long Beach, but when we were teenagers she moved to TN. Now we are all grown up with kiddies of our own. She’s got a little boy on the way too. This will be my fourth time visiting her there, but this was Jonas’ first. We had a blast! When I think back to what we did it is hard to think of anything that others might think were significant. We enjoyed them though.

This is the first time their family met Jonas. Ellie and Jonas love each other and fought like real family (Just like Jessie and I when we were younger).

We spent time together at home:

And fun times out:

We found some fun places to go with our kids. Here is our group (minus Donald) in Downtown Nashville:
We looked down at the river with LP Field (where the Titans play) on the other side:

We went to see the Christmas Lights at the Opry Land Hotel:

We saw some famous Nashville musical sights (Saw: as in drove by. LOL!):

Some of my other favorite Tennessee sights:

We ate some great food (and made some too):

Jessie asked me to bring some California oranges because she can only get ones from Florida and she swears that they aren’t as good. I thought it was a pregnancy thing…but then we tested it! We had two types of Florida oranges, an organic orange (we don’t know where it came from), and one of the California oranges I brought with me.

OKAY, JESSIE!!! You aren’t crazy. The Florida ones didn’t compare to the Cali one (and it wasn’t even a great one). Does that look like a happy pregnant woman or what?!? Also, did I mention we did the test twice? LOL!

I got to know Jessie’s friends from church on girls’ night. What a great group she has. They are fun, smart women that put Christ first and love their families. I’m so happy that Jessie found them and that they are such a support to her. I know that now I have friends there too! Miss ya’ll!

My favorite thing we did in Tennessee was go to the grocery store. Yup, I said it. But you don’t understand how great Publix is!!! It was clean, huge, had a giant selection of unique foods, and everyone was friendly. Kids can get free cookies at the bakery. They have someone showing how to prepare a recipe there with all the ingredients in the display. They had Monday one cent items. It was like a mix between a huge regular grocery store, a Whole Foods, a Trader Joes, and even had an item that I have to go the the Carniceria to get. Pavilions is nice, but Publix is better. Can you tell I’m impressed? Now how can I get one in California?
I LOVE IT!!!
http://www.publix.com/

I love Tennessee and I love Jessie! I don’t think I can say how much I miss being there. Now our kids love each other too. I promise to see them more than every five years.