The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

Poor Luc...more medical testing producing more potentially embarrassing pictures.

Is that Lucy?
Or Nick Nolte?

I HATE LUNGES!

I have to admit...Hilda has been around a little longer than just my pregnancy and I've always had trouble doing butt/thigh exercises, probably because there's no muscle there...just gelatinous fat that my upper body teeters on. So...Tony keeps saying..."the only way you're going to get rid of that, is lunges." I hate lunges. I really didn't want to go to the fitness room today and thanks to my friend Stacie, I checked out OnDemand's exercise tv. On there I found this butt and thigh only workout. It was 15 minutes of intense muscle burning butt and thigh work. It was great...and only 15 minutes. So I did Kathy Smith arms, back and abs, and then "Tight Buns & Thighs." It was great, I worked up a good sweat and don't feel too bad that I didn't get to the workout room.

Maintaining

I haven't been able to go exercise as much as I have wanted this week but I have kept my diet in check. I had some tests...Jets and Zach's, but I was able to keep my portions in check and only eat things I have really wanted. I am down a total of 6 pounds and have just been maintaining the last couple days. I guess I'm a little tired. I do have some good news. I have started using my steamer...I forgot how much I love it. I only wish it were a little smaller in diameter because it only fits in my big soup pot and it's more of a pain to wash, but it's a small price to pay for yummy steamed veggies. I've done broccoli, carrots, spinach, and summer squash in it so far and all have turned out great. The spinach I had purchased fresh from Randazzo's and was worried it would go bad before I used it, so I steamed it and took a que from "Deceptively Delicious," and puree'd it. I'm planning on putting it either in Lasagna, Manicotti, or Stuffed Shells, whenever I make them again.

Things I didn't eat:

We had baked potatoes one day...and I LOVE bacon on them, ranch dressing, etc.

This is the bacon I made:

This is the bacon I ate:

My beautiful steamed broccoli:

Book Review

This book was the Pageturners selection for February. It was easy to read but difficult to understand. Honestly, I didn't love it. I didn't hate it either. I like books I can relate to. I am probably a more well-rounded person having read it but I wouldn't pick it as a "fun" read. It's short and can be completed quickly but I would recommend researching some philosophical terms in addition, such as the absurd and existentialism. Even though I didn't LOVE the book we had an excellent discussion. Professor Mark Huston, who chose the book came and had a lot of insight to contribute which I really appreciated. I enjoyed hearing about the book from his perspective. We had about 10 (!) people at the event which was wonderful. I recommend it for a group who want a deep discussion.

We're back

We had kind of a rough weekend that spilled over into a rough Monday, but things are getting better. Lucy and Tony seem to be better. Here are a couple pictures from the last few days.

Lucy and Bear II

Lucy and her baby from Meagan.

Give me a kiss.

Things I didn't eat.

In an ode to Sister Skinny, one of my fave new blogs, I am introducing my own "things I didn't eat," category. Last night was soooo tempting. I had had a rough day and felt like giving in. However...I didn't. Since Valentine's day we have a full candy jar and I have an over-active sweet tooth.

My Cutie Girl

My calm, sweet-tempered, good-natured baby had to have some testing for her kidney today. She was so brave. We spent a lot of time in waiting rooms and I realized I had joined this subculture of parents with sick children. All these sweet little kids with different problems, some apparent on the outside, some not. Like Lucy...she looks perfectly normal...who would know she has a "duplicated system," on her left kidney? Turns out that it's not causing any trouble. All her urine is going the right way so we can stop giving her the antibiotics. I am thankful that all her health problems have turned out to be fine and that she is such a sweet girl. She not only looks just like my husband, she acts like him too. I come from a long line of over-reactors. Tony, like his father, is very diplomatic, calm, and easy-going. I'm worried about the baby coming to us with flapping arms and wringing hands. First they did an ultrasound on her abdomen which she didn't really like but got through it, and then for the bad part the voiding cystourethrogram (vcug). They strapped her naked to this board, with her hands tied up above her head. Then they inserted a tiny catheter. They played some music and she was fine, but then the dr. came in and they started doing the x-rays. They needed to see her bladder empty to make sure none of her urine was going back up into her kidneys. When they moved her, like a little baby rotisserie, she started to scream! And she pretty much didn't stop until they were completely finished and I was able to pick her up. I held her hand and stroked her face. Poor thing. She fell asleep before we checked out and she's been out ever since. I can't wait until she wakes up and we can play.

MOTIVATION!

So today I really didn't want to go workout. Lucy got up early this morning, and I was tired...excuses, excuses...anyway...I went. I went over to the treadmill and started running and what to my horror did I find? The machine that is usually in front of the treadmill was moved a few feet and now my thighs were on perfect display. The line from the top of the treadmill stopped right where my thighs start...it was like they were in a nice little treadmill picture frame. I was slightly disgusted. I was feeling really good about myself for having lost a little bit of weight...ah...back to the challenge.

Green Legs and Ham

Grammi came this weekend, and oh the fun we had!

We ran errands, watched movies, and we made this recipe that was Tony's great-Grandma would make. It involves ham and endive. A lot of endive.

First I had to wash it. All of it.




Lucy got into it.


really into it.

I really didn't think all of it would fit in the pot...but it did.

and the result was yummy!

My new kitchen!

Wendy and I went to Ikea today to find her a new computer desk...and we found one which was perfect. The other thing we found was my new kitchen. We had a great afternoon. Thanks Wendy!

Little successes

I worked out 6 days this week!! Yeah! I'm down to my pre-baby weight. Unfortunately the 8 or 9 months or so before I got pregnant I pretty much stopped caring about what I ate and snacked my little heart out. Sooo...I have some more weight to go but I'm happy about my little victories this week.

Like Father Like Daughter.

I choo choo choose you.

Happy Valentine's Day!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Rock and Roll Over

Funny or not.

Friday night Christopher came over to give Tony a haircut. When I went to do the laundry on Saturday morning I gathered up everything in the bedroom and bathroom...separated into piles...you know they story. As I was done folding the "white" load, I saw all these little tiny hairs in the basket and said to Tony, "why are there all these little tiny hairs in the laundry basket?" "You didn't shake out the towel?"
"What towel?"
"The towel will all the hair in it."
"I didn't know there was a towel with all the hair in it."
Today after my workout, I was all sweaty and put on my hoodie. By the time I got back to the apartment my arms were really itchy. I took a look...now my sweaty body is covered in little tiny hairs. Nice.

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back...

Well, unfortunately I didn't get my long, Saturday workout like I had hoped. :( Although I did make a breakthrough in my eating habits. I used to just eat pretty much anything. I love to snack and consequently eat a lot of junk. I watched Ratatouille this weekend and the following conversation hit me:

Anton Ego: You're a bit slow for someone in the fast lane.
Linguini: And... you're thin for someone who likes food!
[Crowd gasps]
Anton Ego: I don't LIKE food, I LOVE it. If I don't LOVE it, I don't SWALLOW.
courtesy of imdb.com

I realized if I don't like it...I don't have to eat it. I don't have to clean my plate. So...Tony's Mom and Dad were here this weekend and we went to Whole Foods. Which, I decided will be part of my mansion in the Celestial Kingdom. Anyway...they had great samples, one of which was this spinach artichoke spread which was amazing. I had three samples. I searched and searched for a recipe online but only came up with other people looking for the recipe. Anyway...after that we went to Culver's. I love greasy hamburgers and fries so I was a little worried. However, I remembered that I don't really like their french fries. They are just like oven fries. So...I decided to go for the fried chicken. It came with green beans, mashed potatoes (almost as good as fries) and a roll. I thought about the samples I'd already eaten, and realized all I really wanted was the chicken and the mashed potatoes. I bit into the potatoes and they were really subpar...so I decided not to eat them. I ate the chicken, a bit of the green beans and that was it. Then...we went to Cold Stone! Talk about temptation. I decided to order the fat free sweet cream. I knew it wouldn't be as good so I added raspberries. Unfortunately something was wrong with the raspberries and instead of freezing and getting ice-y (you know what I mean) they were plastic-y. Gross. I ate a few bites and called it good. When I start eating healthier it usually takes awhile for junk food to stop looking good and this time, it hasn't taken long at all and I'm feeling great. Today---I worked out, had my best run/walk yet! 2 miles in 23 minutes 24 seconds. YEAH!

Chocolate Silk Pie

I tried the "French Chocolate Silk Pie" recipe on allrecipes.com. It turned out GREAT! The only thing is that it didn't quite fill the shell as high as I would have liked...so if I make it again, which I probably will, I will top it with whipped cream. My favorite part...it was so easy!

You talkin' to me?

Staring Contest

I'm working on it really hard

Wait...this isn't fair...he doesn't have eyelids

Gloating

Workout Music

Can anyone recommend some good, energizing, music to exercise to? My favorite workout song is: Watch Me Shine - Joanna Pacitti. I LOVE IT. It's from the Legally Blonde soundtrack and whenever it's on I crank it and run as fast as I can. My workout plan is still going great after 4 days. I've been able to go to the fitness center when Lucy's been in good moods, I've been able to consistently increase my speed, and best of all, I've been able to combat the night-time munchies. This has been difficult but worth it. I'm looking forward to my Lucy free workout today and am going for 5k in 45 minutes.

Operation: Goodbye Hilda

Well, like I said the other day, I’m ready to attack the last of the baby weight…and then some. Today I went to the fitness center at our apartment complex. It turns out they put in all new equipment which was great. I used my iPod with Nike+ system, which I loved. I walked/jogged for 30 minutes and went for just over a mile and a half. In the fitness center they have mirrors lining the walls…which really just inspired me to work harder. I kept looking in the mirror at my butt and hips thinking, “whose are those?” So, I’ve decided they don’t belong to me and I’m giving them back to Hilda...she is my pregnancy butt-double, and she needs them back. Lucy came with me…she was asleep when we left the apartment but was awake by the time I got walking, luckily she just quietly stared at me the whole time. I had forgotten how good it feels to exercise and how much I hate wearing my glasses when I sweat because they slide all over. I’ve been watching, The Biggest Loser this season and when my workout became difficult I just imagined Jillian yelling at me to work harder…it was good motivation. I came home and did my Kathy Smith weight workout---which really kicked my butt…it was great. Then I did some stretching and on to my homework. I am hoping this motivation I’ve been feeling sticks around for a while, and that maybe by blogging about my progress I’ll feel more accountable. I’m pondering the idea of setting a weekly goal where if I make it to the fitness center Monday through Friday, then Saturday I can reward myself with a Lucy-free longer workout. I know it sounds silly to be rewarding my workouts with another workout but it makes sense to me. I’m not going to put a number goal on here or even a size, because I just don’t want to be accountable to a number…I get too stressed out about it…so I’m going to go for a goal like doing a 5k this summer and doing it faster than I did 3 years ago…which shouldn’t be too hard because it was a sad 34 minutes…but it was my best. Stay tuned.

I say "cool" too much.

Main Entry:	cool
Part of Speech:	adjective 4
Definition:	excellent
Synonyms:	dandy, divine, glorious, groovy, hunky-dory*, keen, marvelous, neat, nifty, sensational, swell
Antonyms:	bad, no good, uncool
Source:	Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1) Copyright © 2008 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved. * = informal or slang

A call to arms...and abs...and glutes...

Okay---I'm ready to start seriously attacking the last of the baby weight...I only have a little bit to go and I really need to start exercising again. I have been making a lot of excuses for myself which is really easy with a new baby...but I know it's important and I can find a way. I am wondering if there is anyone out there in blog world who has had success or knows anyone who has had success with an at-home regimen? I do enjoy running but as I have limited time with my husband home and won't take Lucy out for a cold run, I don't think I'll attempt this until Spring. I do have a little weight workout, courtesy of Kathy Smith, which I really enjoy. I am looking for a good, simple, at-home, cardio workout. Let me be clear, when I say "simple," I mean, a gangling, new-born horse could accomplish the routine because that's what I look like when I do these types of things.

EASY Baked Spaghetti

I made some baked spaghetti tonight for dinner. I read over a few recipes, took a little of this and a little of that, and made my own. It turned out great and was so easy. You could easily make changes to accommodate your own taste.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 T. onion flakes (approx.)
1 lb. thin spaghetti
1 can diced tomatoes (drained)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
6 mushrooms sliced (because that’s what I had)
1 8oz. package Colby jack cheese, shredded (we like things cheesy)

Preheat oven to 350. Cook noodles to al dente. Brown the ground beef with onion flakes. Once the meat is brown, add the mushrooms, and cook until tender. In a large mixing bowl (or in your meat pan, whichever is easier, it was easier for me to use a bowl) mix the tomatoes, sauce, and meat until fairly homogenous. Add the noodles and mix as best you can. Grease the bottom of a casserole dish (I have no idea what the sizes are...I have big, small, and square...I used the small and it was a tight fit) . Put down half of the noodle/meat mixture. Cover with a layer of cheese. Add 2nd half of meat/noodles and the rest of the cheese, or enough to cover. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. This made enough for probably 8 medium sized servings.

It was a great "Italian Casserole." You could very easily feed a large group. Also, I think it would be good with chicken and Alfredo sauce. Also, I used co-jack cheese because that's what I had, but it would have been better with a really good melty cheese, like "melting cheese" or maybe mozzarella since it’s Italian.

I don't let her watch T.V. but...

She loves Lucy.