Fat Ass Friday

Wow, 2 weeks in a row! I'm off with a bang! Let's see how this past week went.

I had a goal to drink 4 glasses of water every day and I'm ecstatic to say that I did it! And even better than that, I haven't had any carbonated drinks in a week. Go me!

I hoped to get in 2 workouts in the last week and I accomplished this one as well! Last year, I purchased "The Biggest Loser" Wii game, so I brushed the dust off it and started again. Back to having animated Jillian yell at me. Yay. I did 2 Biggest Loser Wii workouts and they totally kicked my ass. Mostly because I foolishly decided that I could tackle the Intermediate workouts and leave the Beginner workouts in the dust. Heh. I need to have my head examined.

My final goal was to only eat out twice. I blew this one, but I did make better choices when eating out, which is progress.

My goals for this coming week are:

1. Drink at least 5 glasses of water each day

2. Get in at least 3 workouts

3. Reactivate my Sparkpeople account and start tracking my food intake

Starting Weight: 222.7

Current Weight: 222.5

Total Loss: .2 lbs

Oh well, you have to start somewhere...right?

Thanks to Brandy for hosting the weekly link-up! If you want to jump on the bandwagon with us, click on the button at the top.

She Went To Brazil

One of the coolest things about Big A being in Kindergarten is that she's reading now and starting to write her own notes and stories.

One afternoon, she & I had a disagreement about something and she stomped off to her room and slammed the door. (and she's only 6. sheesh.)

When she emerged about 40 minutes later, she had this note in her hand and a very solemn look on her face.

Translation: On Monday I'm leaving and I'm going to Brazil. I'm going to miss you. I love you.

Translation: When I go, keep white baby safe at home. (white baby is her most prized teddy bear that she's had since she was an infant)

And this is the picture of the bus driver taking her to Brazil. (of all the places she could choose, Brazil? really?)

I have to applaud her creativity and I must admit that hubby & I had a good chuckle at what appears to be her first "I'm running away from home" letter.

However, it did make me a little sad that at the tender age of 6, she's already considering leaving us. Oh my, we're in for a long adolescence with this one, I fear!

Spring has Sprung

Recently, I joined forces with Brandy to participate in her Cheer Up Swap so we could all get happy about the impending arrival of Spring. I love swaps because I love to get surprise packages in the mail and I love to make new bloggy friends. I was so excited when I was paired up with Cerise!

I've gotten to know Cerise and I'm here to say that she's way cool! She & I have a lot in common and so I literally squealed with joy when the postman delivered my swap package from her today.

I love opening a box and seeing bright colors!

Look at all of this stuff!

And then I spent 10 minutes unwrapping each item and giggling with delight. I love every single thing that she picked out for me! There were scrapbooking supplies, an adorable embellished magnet, a decoration that I've already put on my living room mantle and some adorable post-it notes adorned with A's. And then there were a few things that were my favorites.

I absolutely love this frame and the quote inside is AWESOME. It says "I've never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful."

And then, I wept with joy when I saw that not only did she send me chocolate treats, but they're (wait for it) from Britain!

My new friend. You are the best!

My many thanks to Brandy for taking on the hosting duties and to Cerise for being such a great partner! And not only did I come out of this swap with a great box of goodies, but 2 brand new friends. What a great way to start Spring!

Random Tuesday Thoughts

It's time for more Tuesday randomness. If you want to play along, go check out The UnMom Blog and link up.

• My youngest, after months of deliberation, has finally decided that she wants to have a skating party for her 5th birthday. This might be the most excited I have ever been about 1 of my kids parties. I'm feeling a little nostalgic, to say the least.

• My oldest has lost 3 teeth in the last 2 weeks. Currently, she looks like an extra from "The Fighter".

• I got very excited last Saturday when our mail arrived. Ticketmaster finally delivered my Bon Jovi concert tickets! My friend Valerie is going with me in May, and to say that we're excited might be the understatement of the decade.

• After looking at my day-runner over the weekend, I realized that I'm going to be spending a lot of time in Atlanta over the next few months. I'm going to a concert, 2 book signings, shopping with some girlfriends and to the birth of my best friend's baby boy. And that's just the stuff that I already have on my calendar!

• And finally, I have found another song to obsess over. It's the Glee version of Robin Thicke's "When I Get You Alone" and it's fabulous. Enjoy.

Monday Morning Eye Candy - It's a Bird, It's a Plane!

I can always count on my issue of Entertainment Weekly to have at least 1 picture that brings a smile to my face. Imagine my extreme happiness, when I opened my mailbox and found Mr. British Dreamboat staring me back in the face.

Last week, it was announced that one of my fave hotties, Henry Cavill, will be the new Superman.

Now that's a super-hero smile that I can get behind.

Oh my. Henry, you're MY kryptonite.

Happy Monday y'all.

Fat Ass Friday - The Inauguration

I hear you guys already. Yes, I'm back on the weight loss bandwagon...again. My new blog friend, Brandy, hosts FAF each week and I'm signing on for some motivation because I like her style.

So, I had an eye opening visit with my Wii this morning. Let's recap.

It told me that my last visit was 372 days ago. Sheesh. And it said it with a snarky tone too. What a jerk.

It then told me that since my last visit, I've gained 8.6 lbs. Wow. I suppose I shouldn't be TOO surprised, seeing as I've been sustaining the payroll at my local Panera Bread for at least a year now. As a matter of fact, I have a lovely Asiago Cheese bagel (or 2) toasting in the oven right now. But I digress...

I've noticed that over the past few months, I've really started becoming an emotional eater. If I'm upset or stressed, I've been turning to food to self-soothe A LOT. Obviously. And unfortunately, I've had a lot to be upset and stressed about, which has given me ample opportunities to stuff my face.

So, today begins a new journey where I'm going to try to figure out new ways to deal with my issues. I have to stop using food as a filler because the only thing it's filling is a larger jean size (very soon if I don't stop now).

Starting Weight: 222.7

Goals for this week:

1. Drink 4 glasses of water each day

2. Get in 2 workouts

3. Only eat out twice

Are you having struggles with weight loss? Head over to Brandy's for some hilarious inspiration and support from others in the same boat!

Cat in the Box

You would think that after being with my hubby for the last 16+ years, that I would know better than to give him a building project assignment.

Assignment: Bring home a box that will adequately contain our 8lb, extremely docile, house cat while we transport her to the vet.

I now present what must fall under the category of "be careful what you wish for".

I should probably build him an Etsy site next. We might as well start making money on his sense of humor.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

It's Tuesday...which means it's time for some random.

• I went to the eye doctor last week. And for the first time, in 27 years of eye doctor appointments, I was told 2 things that are mind-boggling to me. First, my eyesight actually improved in the least year. HUH?!?! And to further creep me out, now both eyes have the same prescription. I think the doctor was high when he read my results because things just don't seem quite right now. Sigh.

• The Dooney & Bourke Disney edition purse that I've been coveting for the last year is on sale...finally. Anyone want to loan me $200 so I can buy it? Anyone? Bueller?

• Did anyone catch the first Arcade Fire performance on the Grammy's last Sunday? I found myself thinking "what the hell was that all about?" I believe that's what my grandfather would've referred to as noise. Wow, am I getting old or what?

• Speaking of the Grammy's, I always delight in seeing who wins the "Best New Artist" category. However, this might be the first time EVER than an artist I've NEVER HEARD OF actually won. Esperanza who?

• So, my contract with my cellular provider just ran out (praise be!) and I'm really having a hard time trying to decide who to switch to. I've been lusting after the iPhone for years, but I'm increasingly wary about it. I'm either going with Verizon or T-Mobile. Does anyone have any feedback on what phones they love and/or hate?

For My Valentine

Valentine,

It's hard to believe that this is our 17th holiday together. There have been many ups and downs, but I can't imagine taking that journey with anyone but you. Thank you for being the incredible person that you are and for loving me just as I am.

One of my favorite songs is by Brandi Carlile and it's called "The Story". Her lyrics express pretty accurately how I feel about you and our adventure.

Love you always and forever,

Me

The Story

by Brandi Carlile

All of these lines across my face

Tell you the story of who I am

So many stories of where I've been

And how I got to where I am

But these stories don't mean anything

When you've got no one to tell them to

It's true, I was made for you

I climbed across the mountaintops

Travel across the ocean blue

I cross over lines and I broke all the rules

And baby I broke them all for you

Oh because even when I was flat broke

You made me feel like a million bucks

You do, I was made for you

You see the smile that's on my mouth

It's hiding the words that don't come out

All of the friends who think that I'm blessed

They don't know I'm in this mess

No they don't know who I really am

And they don't know what I've been through

Like you do and I was made for you

All of these lines across my face

Tell you the story of who I am

So many stories of where I've been

And how I got to where I am

Oh but these stories don't mean anything

When you've got no one to tell them to

It's true, I was made for you

Oh yeah, and it's true that I was made for you

Random Tuesday Thoughts

It's time for some more randomness.

• Was it just me or were the Superbowl commercials this year very underwhelming? There were only a few that I really enjoyed.

• A fifth cupcake bakery opened in my town recently. And it's only 3 minutes from my house. Is this some one's idea of a cruel joke?

• I keep having a recurring dream that I've won the lottery. Now if I could just see those winning numbers in that dream just once!

• Speaking of winning the lottery, I have an idea for a business that I think I would tackle. It's a casual dining cafe that has plenty of outlets for laptops, WiFi, onsite childcare at very reasonable rates and a 1 screen movie theater that shows films during school hours especially.

Book Review: The Actor and the Housewife

I pick most of my books from reviews in some of my favorite magazines (People & Entertainment Weekly) and from friends. My buddy, Kat, told me about this book last year and on my recent trip to DC, I read this whole book on the plane rides. It was THAT good!

The Actor and the Housewife, by Shannon Hale, is the story of a Utah housewife named Becky who writes a screenplay and ends up in L.A. trying to sell her work. She achieves the dreams of many women when she meets her movie star crush in person! That meeting sets off a sequence of events that is a wild ride and will keep you guessing where this relationship is going.

I found the writing to be captivating and the story is a wonderful balance of humor and drama. Any book that can actually make me cry in public is a winner in my mind. And for the record, if this were ever made into a movie, I can totally see Daniel Craig & Rachel Weisz in the lead roles. Check it out!

Let's go to the movies...again

We're in the midst of awards season, which has me ramped up to see as many movies as I can. Here are a few I've seen in the last month.

The Social Network - This is a great flick! As someone who is an avid user of Facebook, I found it extremely interesting to get a glimpse of the personalities behind the story. Jesse Eisenberg did a fantastic job portraying Mark Zuckerburg. And there's a new British cutie that I have my eye on. Hello Andrew Garfield!

Temple Grandin - This one is based on the real life of our title character. I enjoy true stories, especially ones about people overcoming disabilities dealt to them. The story is compelling and Claire Danes proves that she is a phenomenal actress. I give this movie 4 stars!

Planes, Trains & Automobiles - I might be the only person on the planet who had never seen this classic comedy. Hubby was persistent about us watching this the other night and I'm so glad we did. Steve Martin & John Candy were a great comedic duo and any movie that can make me literally cry with laughter gets 2 thumbs up from me.

Clash of the Titans (2010) - The cast list of this movie is full of European stars, which you would hope bodes well for a good film. However, hubby says it just didn't live up to the original. I'll have to take his word for it because I never saw the original and don't plan to. The special effects were pretty cool and Sam Worthington is nice eye candy. Other than that, the film was just ok.

Inception - The cinematography was nausea-inducing. The storyline was incredibly hard to follow. And I am reminded, yet again, that Christopher Nolan is my least favorite director & writer of all time. I didn't care for this one but apparently I'm in the minority.

I'm on the hunt to see as many 2011 Best Picture Oscar nominees as I can before the ceremony on the 27th. So far, of the 10 nominees, I've seen 3. The Social Network, Inception and Toy Story 3.

What's a movie you've seen lately? Or one that you want to see? Are you an Oscar fan?

Random Tuesday Thoughts

I, like my buddy Shannon, have been meaning to do a Random Tuesday Thoughts post for quite a while. Lord knows if I'm anything, it's random.

• The high temp on Sunday was 68. Tomorrow it will be 42. My sinuses are NOT amused.

• I'm catching up on my DVR recordings and I'm currently plodding through Oprah's Australian Adventures. What is it about that woman surprising her ultimate fans that turns me into a blubbering mess? Every...single...time.

• My daughters are heavily focused on foreign languages at the moment. I noticed, not too long ago, that even though I can't speak Spanish fluently, I've been thinking in Spanish, not English. I know a lot of vocabulary but my grammar sucks. So, I'm thinking in Spanglish I guess.

• Now, more than ever, I've been very anxious to hop on a plane and head to England for a holiday. The motherland is calling me. (That one's for you, Angela, LOL!)