My Struggle and New Found Motivation

I hate to say this but I don't know how I got to be at the weight I'm at...

I mean I never had weight problems growing up. I would love to look like I did maybe a year before I had my son. I had gained some weight since finishing college but I was at my highest confidence wise. I was probably even over-confident (is that possible?) anyway, I was happy with myself. But that was many years ago, a marriage ago, and a baby ago.

So now I embark on a new chapter of my life. Being happy with the way I look, my size, my hair, my personality, my everything.

It mostly has to do with regaining my confidence about ME! I do so much for everyone else, my family, my parents, my in-laws, my church family. Now it's me time! But I do have to say that I am relying on God to give me the strength I will need to overcome my self-doubt and will power over these foods that have had control over my life for way too long!

My friend came over last week and was telling me how she lost her weight (she's within 9 pounds of her goal!) and that if she could do it I could. Wow, I had never really believed that before! She used Weight Watchers Online and it has taken her almost a year to do it. It's not a quick fix rather slow and steady that wins the race. She inspired me to join. She showed me some of the features and the apps she had on her iPhone that helped her stay on track. I couldn't stop thinking about it after she left. I thought, I might be able to do this! I kept thinking about it all evening. So after church that night (and after some prayer) I talked to my husband (my biggest cheerleader) about joining. I couldn't wait any longer. I said "give me your card, I'm doing this!"

After one week on WW, I have lost 9 pounds and several inches and gained much needed motivation! :)

I will be posting each week about my experience, the ups and the downs!

PS. this post is in no way sponsored by Weight Watchers (although that would be really cool!)

Menu Plan Monday ~ Week of 11/28

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I have so many things to be thankful for this year! I've been meaning to write a post about my month of thankfulness...it will be coming later this week (hopefully) but for now I'm thankful for a hungry family that still loves my cooking (for the most part!).

I'll be linking up this week's menu plan over at orgjunkie.com's Menu Plan Monday. Check out their website for many, many more menus.

Monday: Crockpot Chili with beans

Tuesday: Leftover Turkey Noodles  

Wednesday: Homemade Pizza

Thursday: Chicken Friday Steak

Friday: Mexican Chicken Casserole



Menu Plan Monday - 11/14

I know, I know, I've been slacking on posting my weekly menu plans. 


But I'm going to start back up after a couple weeks off. I didn't realize how much these "plans" impacted my daily life. 


I mean, I'm not good at sticking to what I have planned for that particular day but it does give me an idea of what we could eat. If I have it written down then I am more apt to stick to cooking for that day, even if I switch things around. It's more of a weekly plan instead of black and white meal per day. I am a busy mom, lazy cook, and indecisive, so these plans make it easier for me to actually cook instead of going to eat or getting take out. 

I'm linking my meal plan up at Menu Plan Monday over at Orgjunkie.com. For more menu ideas head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for hundreds of others.


Menu Plan for Week of: Nov. 14, 2011 


Monday: Leftover pork chops 


Tuesday: Pizza 


Wednesday: Taco Soup


Thursday: Chicken Noodle Soup


Friday: Beef Fajitas 


Saturday: Beef Tips in Gravy 


This week will be super easy especially with the help of my slow cooker! I just love that thing! 

Menu Plan Monday ~ 10/24

Ok, so I should be used to busy weeks by now but I still haven't found a lot a easy/quick meals that we like and that aren't junk. But today I found a website with lots of 30 minute meals and they have them divided up by which kind of meat you have on hand! I will be trying some of those over the next few weeks and let you know which ones are my family's favorite. Here's that website if you want to try some of them out yourself.



I'll be linking my menu up at orgjunkie.com, hop over there and see what all everyone else is cooking up this week!

Monday:  Leftovers

Tuesday: Mini Meat Loaf



Photo courtesy of Momswhothink.com



Wednesday: Easy Taco Soup

Thursday:  BBQ Sandwiches with oven fries (made from last week's roast)

Friday:  Homemade Pizza

Wordless Wednesday ~ Fall 2010

I can't believe fall is already here. We have yet to buy a pumpkin this year (with our weather they will get yucky way too fast!) but to get in the Halloween/fall mood I thought I would share some pics from last year!



This is us at the Fall Festival/Pumpkin Patch





Mom doing all the dirty work. Trying to have some fun and gross P man out!
(I sure hope it's just the angle and that I really don't have a chin like that!)



  



Ok, now he is over it and agreed to pose for a pic!
Don't mind my super messy kitchen!
Hubs doesn't know how to take a posed pic that hides all the junk!



Go OSU Cowboys! (Can you tell we're fans!)
Sometime during all the fun P man lost his shirt!



To infinity, and beyond!


*Linking this up over at Wordless Wednesday and 5 Minutes for Mom



Menu Plan Monday ~ 10/17

So I've already started cooking today, read about my accident prone self and my horrible/funny experience here.

I've been doing so good with my menu plans, after about a month of writing them out I have finally got the hang of it! Yay me, I think I deserve a pat on the back!

I'll be linking up my menu with hundreds of others over at Orgjunkie.com. I love to look at what other people are going to have for dinner to get some new ideas! 

Monday: Crockpot Roast with mashed potatoes

Tuesday: Taco Salad

Wednesday: Beef tips with gravy

Thursday: Frozen Pizza (it's soccer practice night so I get to cheat)

Friday: Bacon Hot Sauce burgers

*Go check out all the other menu plans at Menu Plan Monday!

Accident Prone

I just want to start this post out by saying that I do love my Crock Pot and all it's wonderful cooking capabilities!

So I love to cook and for the most part my recipes come out pretty good. I am slightly ADD so it's hard for me to follow recipes closely and therefore sometimes I accidentally leave stuff out or forget until the last second. I've been getting better about thoroughly reading a recipe before I start and following it step by step. I haven't had one of those accidents in quite awhile.

While I enjoy cooking and baking I am accident prone. Meaning, I hurt myself one way or another.

Like the time I thought that the cookie sheet I had just put in the oven wouldn't really be that hot, so I tried turning it with my bare hands. Oh no, it was HOT already! Ugh! Hubs gets nervous when I get around the oven if I am overly busy and have way too much on my mind. Especially since the ADD distracts me and I don't use my head sometimes.

Or the time that I burned my arms opening the crock pot lid, it almost singed my arm hairs off! Hey, it could save you money if you like to wax your arms! No but really crock pots need to come with a warning label! Warning: Wear full arm oven mitts when opening lid and keep face away!

So I haven't done anything dangerous or clumsy in quite awhile. I've been proud of myself! Hubs has been too!

Until today...

I had put a roast in the crock pot frozen so I couldn't tell that it was all bent over itself. It was smelling so good, making me hungry of course. So I went to go take a look at my master piece (because I am the master of making yummy-licious roasts). That's when I saw that it was in the crock pot all weird, half of it was up on the side (not cooking properly) and since this roast was for a church dinner tonight I wanted it to be perfect. That's when I decided to brilliantly move the extremely HOT roast with a fork.

OMG!!!! *Insert naughty words* AHHHHHH!!!

Hubs ran into the kitchen (he thought I had cut off my finger or I was bleeding to death, not unusual in our house) and that's when he saw me hopping around. I had splashed scalding hot roast juice all over my foot, the counter top, the stove top, the floor, and rug! Couldn't believe there was anymore juice still left in the pot! He was all, "what the crap are you doing???" "Have you lost your mind!?!" "Go wash your foot off in the tub before your skin peels off!"

What a sweet loving hubby! After he stopped flipping out he proceeded to clean up my gigantic mess. Then I come back from the bathroom with shorts on now because I had also splashed it on my pants (somehow it missed my new t-shirt I had on). So while he was finishing up cleaning, I told him what I was trying to do. I said, well crap, the roast is still not in there right! I had the bright idea of getting some tongs and thought I could once again move it.

WRONG!!! Splashed even more this time all over my shirt, all the way over to hubs WHITE shirt (thank God only a few drops) and all over the same spots that he had just cleaned up. This time hubs just patiently (with clenched teeth) said for me to go get myself cleaned up and change my clothes and NOT to touch the roast again!

When I came back he had successfully moved the roast into the correct cooking position WITHOUT splashing anything (honestly, I don't think there was anything left to splash).

Moral to this story is DON'T mess with a HOT crock pot. They can be EVIL!!!

***I'm writing this with an ice pack on my foot! Maybe later I should write a letter to the Crock Pot company....