Our Weekend

 

Hi there! How was your weekend? Is it just me or does anyone else think that time is going by at record pace these days? I can remember when I was a kid (tween?) wishing for time to speed up so that I could get to the fun adult days and now, I’m here and while I don’t feel like much of an adult, the husband, two kids, mortgage and car payment tend to disagree with me (Ha).

Our weekend was a good one. Ben’s Mom called me on Friday morning and asked to pick up John Brooks from school. He loves to go over to Grandma and Grandaddy’s house because he pretty much has free rein of the television, the couch, the juice boxes and the chips. A couple of his big boy (high school age) cousins were going to be at Grandma’s on Friday too so it worked out well for him to go over, visit and “help” get Grandma’s flowers out of the greenhouse.

With our car pick up responsibilities relinquished, Bo and I were free to have a rare, lazy afternoon. It was so refreshing to be able to rest, snuggle and relax at our own pace.

Friday night, Ben and I had an impromptu date night with our new little sidekick. The Gilchrist County Education Foundation hosted their annual “Fishing for Scholarships” Fish Fry. Mrs. Colson offered to keep John Brooks at her house if we would bring them supper after we were finished. At first, I declined the offer because I am crazy and think that John Brooks should be with us so he doesn’t miss out on town fun but then I came to my senses and remembered that 1. We don’t get out much. 2. We don’t get out much with two kids 3. John Brooks doesn’t like fish 4. John Brooks, while fun and exciting, definitely keeps us on our toes…all…the…time. I thought it would be nice for Ben to be able to eat and socialize without the stress of wondering what John Brooks will be into next. So, Ben, Bo and I had a nice leisurely supper of mullet, catfish and fixins’. We enjoyed visiting with several friends and Bo even got to nap on a sweet lady’s shoulder. What is it about “Grandmas” that makes babies feel instantly safe and secure and sleepy?

We picked John Brooks up from Grandma and Grandaddy’s around 7:30 pm. We stayed and visited with Mr. and Mrs. Colson and while we were there, Ben’s sister Amy arrived so we visited with her as well before going home to the usual bath and bedtime routine.

John Brooks and Ben both woke up bright and early on Saturday morning around 6:30 am (when do they start sleeping in again?). John Brooks woke up because that is when John Brooks wakes up and Ben woke up because he got to go fishing on Saturday! Ben’s boss owns a boat and offered to take Ben fishing out in the Gulf of Mexico (best boss ever). They had a great time and caught a bunch of Spanish Mackerel which we enjoyed grilled last night in fish tacos with a makeshift Mango Salsa that I whipped up with onions, green chilis, and cilantro.

While Ben was away catching dinner, Bo, John Brooks and I entertained ourselves at home. We had a nice day of playing, reading, watching tv and eating. My aunt Diane (Di-Di if you are John Brooks) came up to visit with the boys some which broke up the monotony of the day (thank you Di-Di). Both boys were very good! Bo has started (knock on wood) getting a little better at napping in his crib though he still prefers to nap on Mama. Ben came home around 6:00 pm with takeout Chinese. We had decided to wait and cook the fish on Sunday night because we had eaten fish for supper on Friday night and we needed a buffer zone. We tried a new Chinese restaurant that recently opened in our town. It is Delicious! We sampled the Wonton Soup (great broth, big dumplings), vegetable lo-mein (loved this! Lots of veggies!) and the Sweet and Sour Chicken (quite possibly the least Chinese food dish ever but we like the sauce) along with egg rolls and fried cream cheese filled deliciousness that I just realized I probably shouldn’t have eaten and then nursed Bo (poor baby). Oops!

On Sunday, Ben stayed home from church with Bo and John Brooks and I ventured out to Sunday School and church. John Brooks went to Children’s Church where apparently he was “combative” but they didn’t come get me out of church so I am of the belief that he wasn’t that “combative”. It was so refreshing to be able to worship God without the usual (welcome wonderful) distraction of a sweet baby who likes to snuggle and have his bottles warmed before he with scarf them down.

Sunday afternoon was spent, eating Subway, resting, running, eating fish tacos and reading. Before I knew it, the weekend was over and it was time to get ready for a school night again! Speaking of running, I am starting a new fitness challenge today through these super fun, motivating gals! For the next eight weeks I will be trying to complete some fitness “challenges” as well as trying to eat “lean, clean and green” in the hopes of being able to be comfortable in a swim suit this summer. I’m excited that I’ve lost 12 pounds since the middle of February but I still have about 20 pounds to get to my pre-preggo weight. Wish me luck!

Have a great week!

Cheese, I Miss You, Your Friend, P

Around 6 weeks of age we noticed that our newborn Bo would cry pretty much all the time. Part of this was being a newborn and going through what felt like a month long growth spurt but we noticed that his cries were more shrill and painful sounding after he ate. He was also pretty gassy and would arch his back and sometimes spit up. Bo hated to lay flat, would rarely nap unless attached to me and was generally an unpleasant person to be around. Life was fun.
Don’t misunderstand me, I was over the moon ecstatic to have a baby who was eating well and gaining weight and coming out of the barbituate-induced stupor he had lived in for the first 4 weeks of life but at the same time sometimes I needed to take a shower or brush my teeth or use the bathroom. These activities are pretty impossible when someone is screaming THE ENTIRE TIME.
We tried Mylicon drops and Gripe Water which helped but did not eliminate the painful cries until one day, March 5th to be exact (the day before my birthday) I noticed that we had been having a relatively peaceful day. Bo had eaten well and had napped afterward with minimal gas or painful cries. I started to think about what I had eaten recently and it dawned on me that it wasn’t so much what I was eating but what I had not eaten that may have made the difference…dairy.
I am a self-professed cheese addict. I like all the cheese all the time. I could (and did at times) eat cheese at every meal. I also enjoy ice cream, cream in my coffee, butter and chocolate. Well as luck would have it I had not had any of the foods of the milk variety since the afternoon of March 4 and low and behold I had a happy baby on my hands.
So I tested the theory.
On March 6 (my birthday) I indulged (as one does on THEIR BIRTHDAY) with cream in my coffee and butter on my toast. I lived to regret this decision as for my birthday Bo gave me an all day cry fest complete with over-tired painful shrieks and a refusal to nap. Bingo. My baby has a dairy sensitivity. Happy Birthday to ME!
Bo’s pediatrician does not believe that it is a full-blown milk-protein allergy (thank goodness) so he should become better able to handle dairy as his GI system matures. All I know is that when I eat cheese he cries and when I don’t eat cheese he naps so I have decided to not eat the cheese or drink the cream or eat the cream in iced form. I of course have shared my sacrifice with everyone because I crave pity but in all honesty I feel less bloated (sorry TMI) and have lost 4 lbs in 2 weeks which I have never done before in my life so this dairy-hiatus is not all bad.
Plus, I have a happy, healthy, growing, smiling baby and that makes it all worth it in the end.

One more thing...

I forgot to add that I have been attempting to lose this 20 pounds since January. I started out at 135 and i am now at 133.4. I need to push myself.


On a happy note, I am 3 sips away from finishing my second liter of water of the day. :)

Eating my way Thin.

This is going to be an attempt for me to keep track of what I eat and when and how often I exercise. As well as just an opportunity to express my opinion on food, dieting, and life in general. I am trying as always to lose 20 pounds. I am not overtly obese, I am probably within my weight range according to God knows what doctor, however, 90% of the time I feel like a blue whale. It is possibly because, A. most of the people I hang around are walking sticks, B. I am 5'2 and 3/4 inches, but can eat like a 6'5" linebacker, C. I am lazy and I know this about myself D. I lack motivation and E. I am too hard on myself. I want to try and lose weight by eating well and exercising without any medication or quick fix strategies. I am thinking that if I keep track of what I eat, how I feel, when I exercise, what I gain/lose etc., it will help me to stay on track, or at least understand what makes me the size that I am. So here goes nothing....

Breakfast: 1/2 wheat bagel, 2 tblspoons 1/3 less fat cream cheese, 1/2 cup orange juice

Snack: 2 slices cantaloupe, 2 summer rolls

Lunch: Weight Watchers Smart Ones 4 cheese pizza (ick, cardboard and cheese)

Snack: half a bag of honey mustard and onion pretzels (probably not worth the calories)

Dinner: God only knows what because I am going to a Farm Bureau dinner so whatever it is it will probably be covered in salt, butter, and oil. Yum-O!

Tomorrow I weigh in...probably not going to be pretty because my husband and I went to Outback Crab Shack on Sunday and ate our weight in fried seafood. What is willpower again?