lbs down & Bountiful Baskets

This post was suppose to go up Tuesday, but well, I've been lazy. I have almost 500 pictures on my camera from last month and I just haven't got around to burning them to a disc, flash drive or something that might last... what on earth does that have to do with blogging about my first week back on Weight Watchers?

So, about the goals. I did really good with a menu plan, and didn't eat out for dinner once. I did go to lunch with my good friend and I ordered a salad. Which took care of the eat at least one salad during the week. And I exercised three times.

I had a really good week- according to Weight Watcher scales I lost 6.2lbs, according to my scale at home it was more like 5, but we'll go with theirs!

One thing that has made eating better more fun is Bountiful Baskets. My friend Jenn D. first posted about BB a year ago and I gave it a shot. Last week we got a watermelon, bananas, strawberries, apples, oranges, mango's, 2 things of lettuce, 3 things of asparagus, green peppers, zucihni, and green beans in the regular basket. The regular basket costs $16.50. I also ordered a Mexican pack which came with 2 yellow onions, green onions, cilantro,7 limes, 4 ploblano peppers, 4 Hungarian chili peppers, 4 jalapenos, garlic and 2 gray squash. The Mexican pack is $7.50.

In the past I've ordered their bread, and tortillas too, both are excellent! Our favorite part is trying new recipes. I've learned that I really like Swiss Chard & eggplant, I found a way to eat asparagus that is actually tasty while still being good for you.

(I like reading what other people eat, it gives me ideas -so if you don't like it feel free to skip this part, no hard feelings...)
Sunday - stuffed ploblano peepers with chicken, white beans & various peppers. Monday- chicken tacos with BB tortillas, peppers & onions
Tuesday - Roasted chicken, balsamic green beans & sweet potato chips
Wednesday-Pork loin, grilled asparagus & watermelon
Thursday- Low point hot dogs & cauliflower poppers
Friday- Baked zucchini sticks & turkey wraps

The cauliflower and the sweet potato's were left over from previous weeks.

My favorite websites are basket411.blogspot.com and Gina's weight watcher. I use the food network a lot too.

Mostly, we are not afraid to try new things. I still hate squash and Brussels sprouts, no matter how many times I've tried them.

So, just in case you are curious Bountiful Baskets is a volunteer group that started with a couple ladies wanting to feed their families better for less money. Their website is bountifulbaskets.org. You have to order on Monday morning for the following Saturday. They ask everyone to pitch in and help fill baskets by showing up a hour before pick up time every 6 times or so.

My very favorite part is how excited my kids get over picking up our basket every Saturday morning. Grace loves broccoli and celery and is seriously tickled pink every time they are in the basket. My least favorite part is not getting to volunteer as often as I would like, Mike works almost every Saturday morning. The time for our site is 6am to help and I can't find a baby sitter that early and you can't bring little kids (not that I would ever think that I could bring my two and get anything productive done). I actually really enjoyed helping when I got to.

So there's my little plug on a great, inexpensive way to eat better. And here is the reason this post took so long, I knew I'd have to go through all last months pictures to download this new one. Lazy! So, this week I'm still eating, salad, exercising and writing down what I eat. I haven't seen so much come off in the last couple of days, but hopefully by Monday I'll be down a couple more pounds!

Big Fat Motivation

I need some serious motivation.

My family has had several rounds of the Biggest Loser over the past year, I've lost 25lbs, but each time we stop I gain some of it back. I decided I HAVE to be accountable for it again. I have to make it hurt more than $25 bucks a quarter to stick to it, so this afternoon I'll be joining Weight Watchers again.
My family started another round today as well, so hopefully I'll be able to kick their butts so I can use their $$$ to pay for Weight Watchers!

Random thoughts in my heard right now - Motivating - have you seen my sister Cassie? She's lost 70lbs in a year and she looks amazing!

Not so motivating - I love Easter candy, it's my most favorite sweet tooth time of the year. Carmel and chocolate eggs- I just have to keep telling myself that I've had my share this year. (Why do they have to put Easter Candy out in February?) I love to eat, mostly naughty things like chocolate, bread, potato's and pasta, ice cream & brownies. I need a pill that makes those things taste gross. I HATE lettuce. I'm not joking, or lying even a little bit. It takes so much effort for me to eat lettuce and I think it is the most disgusting thing ever.

So, here are my goals- lose 25lbs by my birthday, June 28th.
Make a meal plan every Sunday so I can't use that as an excuse to eat out.
Eat some kind of salad for dinner once a week.
Exercise 30 minutes 4 times per week.
Drink water. I'm not sure I can cut out the Diet Coke, but maybe 1/2 what I'm currently drinking would be doable (pronounced do ab lay).

Thoughts?

Priceless portriats

Here are a few pictures from our most recent attempt at creating memories... No, she didn't say pull the funniest face you can pull - it just happened.

They were actually both really cute during their individual pictures, but together - well they just feed off of each other, and not in a good way. I can't wait to get these back and hang them up in my house! It's been a year since the last pictures and its fun to see how much they have grown in a year.

Funny things G's says & outfits

I took this picture about 10 minutes after I got home, Grace was so tired, but she HAD to change into her Tiana dress! Grace wanted the blond princess hair so bad, I said no. I know, I'm mean, but we bought the dress & the crown, but someone who loves her very much said yes. And heaven forbid she get the brown hair that actually matched hers, nope my girl wants to be blond! (Just like her new BFF Ashley.)

You can see they got a little bit of sun!

Grace is such a ham when she wants to be!

Buzz Lightyear to the rescue! Max loves his costume! One of the first things he says in the morning, "Me Buzz, please?" After his 2nd cup of chocolate milk of course, I mean the kid does have his priorities!

On a totally unrelated topic - today I told Grace we were going up to Hyrum this weekend, she said why and I told her it was Grandpa Guys birthday.

G-"How old is he?"

M- "He's 57."

G- "Wow.........That's like 100.....pounds. I should have known."

I died laughing.

In the store tonight she asked if I grew my feet bigger, because that's what she was doing right then, growing her feet bigger. This lady stopped me and said, she is so smart! Sometimes the way she talks it's easy to forget shes just 4!

Universal Studios

I love Universal Studios- I think seeing how some of TV/Movies are made is really neat. It always amazes me how something so small can be turned into a whole city for a movie. I love the shows and tours ;) Mike & me

Jordan, Cassie, Ashley, Patrick & Max

Right inside Universal Studios was a fountain with bronze statues of a director, camera man and 2 other film people. After a few minutes one of the statues started to wave, he was real. It was fun to see peoples reaction when they figured it out- people watching is always fun on vacation! Our 3 superheros were all there to protect us, just in case an evil villan was there- Patch and Ashley planned it and I had no idea when I dressed Max that day. Grace was sad we we left her Super girl shirt home.

Curious George spent so much time with my kids. They watch him every morning and seriously were in love with him. After pictures he took the kids by the hand and led them back to his park for them to play.

While we were sitting in the play area we kept hearing this shooting noise, I got up and looked through a window and saw this huge room where kids were playing-it had two levels and thousands of little soft balls. You could gather the balls and put them in bins and guns and vacuum them up to shoot people- some you could control and others came out wherever they wanted.

Max loved to shoot the guns and Grace spent most of the time picking up balls and vacuuming them up. Mike said she's just like me and couldn't stand the mess in the room- I can't help it! They really would have stayed there all day, we had to remove them by force!

We watched the Shrek 4D show which we all liked and then headed down to the lower lot. While we were waiting for my family to ride a big kid ride the Mystery Machine drove by- My kids LOVE Scooby Doo, they were in heaven! (The bottom left picture was snapped while Scooby was with Max, I turned around and Shaggy was totally hitting on Daphne! Look what happens when friends not around!)

For the record, I hate Spongebob- I can't imagine a more annoying character. It goes back to my Convergys days and just my luck my kids like him. We rarely watch it my house because I can't stand it so bad!

They had a new Simpson ride, Grace was tall enough and it was one of those virtual roller coaster rides that throws you all over the place, she rode with Ashley and Patch and so she had to be brave- I thought it had some funny commentary, but the ride itself wasn't my favorite.

Mike and I rode the Mummy Return ride and Jurassic Park without the kids and then we all took the hour long tour. What a good day!

Sea World

You know those days that everything is on your nerves, everything goes wrong and no matter what happens the day is just destined to be one with a sour taste? That's pretty much how the day at Sea World was. My kids were up several times during the night, I woke up ornery, I let little things drive me crazy, the drive to San Diego took forever because of an accident, it was hot, my sunglasses broke 3 minutes after we got there, several rides and attractions were closed, including Atlantis, which is what I wanted to ride. My kids were too little to ride the other two rides, and the only ride they were big enough for you had to pay extra to ride it, are you kidding me? We paid how much money to fly to California, more money to go to Sea World, drove 3 hours to get there that morning, paid to park and then you want more money to ride the only ride for little kids. On top of that after I ordered lunch, now mind you I was already almost to the end of my short fuse- seagulls attacked my tray, while I was carrying it and took 1/2 my kids fries. The food was gross, seagulls sat at our table with us waiting to dive at any minute, I think Mike at 3 bites, I had 2 bites, the kids each had a chicken tender and I literally threw everything else away. I might have broke the garbage can as hard as I chucked it. I was pretty pissed, and no, there was not an eat inside option- all the tables were outside.

We ran to the Pets Gone Wild show which my kids really enjoyed and then ran to the Shamu Believe show. I wasn't happy they only had 1 showing of each show, and they stacked them so close together you had to run from one end of the park to the other just to be on time. But, I enjoyed most of the show, that is until the very end when a stupid seagull pooped on my head. No, I'm not kidding. I really did just have a shitty day. I wanted it to end. I decided we wouldn't go with my family to the beach and we drove back to the condo, hot tubbed and grabbed a Little Cesar pizza (next to the liquor store...only a bit scary).

Over all, I was relieved the day ended, and we will never go back to Sea World. (This picture was pretty early in the day)

We learned about Star Fishes in preschool the previous week, so Grace thought it was really cool to hold one!

The bigger kids and our friend got to feed dolphins, my kids got to feed Stingrays. Grace loved it, she even touched the slimy little fish. You could pet them too- all I kept thinking was, wasn't' it a stingray that killed the crocodile hunter?

Snow caves- they really were cold. Patch and Ashley got comfy in one...

Shamu & friends

This guy really was funny, we were waiting for the Seal show and he entertained us for 15 minutes before the show started- he danced to several different songs and had us all laughing.

The seals did short tricks and acts from CSI, Survivor & Dancing with the stars, it was the best thing there.

Walrus's

Sharks

Polar Bears

Penguins

California Adventure

California Adventure has two good rides, in my most humble opinion...Soaring over California and Tower of Terror... but- you have to go when you're there right?

We actually had quite a bit of fun, Grace was tall enough for the Jumping Jellies ride, and she loved it! She rode once with me, once with her dad and wanted to go again. I may sound mean but I loved how she made sure I held on tight to the handle and how she tensed up when it started, but by the end (30 seconds later) she wanted to go again. It makes me remember the first time I was tall enough for the scary rides at Lagoon! My kids met Handy Manny, who they loved.

Goofy and Grace...Grace and Goofy... Lets just say there were about 15 people in the crowd laughing their butts off, she was pulling faces, dancing, chasing him and just being silly... Goofy jumped up on the ledge and she went right after him, he started giving me the crazy sign and I told her she was just to goofy for him!

When we got home she said "Goofy was just goofing around the park"... What a spaz!

My kids liked the cars, but wouldn't pose.

I loved these signs, this was the first time I've rode the Monsters Inc ride, its cute.

Bumper cars ;)

Max loves little green army men, he was fascinated by the big green army men!

They are opening several new rides in the next couple of years, and as a result there were several areas with walls, it felt...um construction zoney. It will be cool to go in a few years and see the new rides and not be so packed in.

We do know where the first aid station is now. I ate lunch in Disneyland and by the time I got to California Adventure I broke out in hives. Soon they were all over my arms, my legs, my back side, my stomach and I could feel them moving up my back. I'm not positive what I'm allergic too, but it might be fennel, I've never had it before and it was on the pizza I ate from lunch. Leave it to me ;)