Stuff You Should Know About...And Then Again Maybe Not

1. I just finished a FANTASTIC Bible study with my gal pals. It was Beth Moore's "A Woman's Heart". I'm not exactly sure why it is called that. It is a study of the Old Testament Tabernacle and how it relates to us today. How everything in the Bible, everything in that Tabernacle represented Christ and where the Tabernacle is today. When it was first introduced to me I thought, snooze fest. But it was actually one of the greatest and most intensely satisfying studies I have ever journeyed through. And I hope to do it again with Dan since I think it applies to both men and women.

2. On a lighter note, Weight Watchers just came out with a new ice cream treat. It comes in a package of two little containers of ice cream that are 2 points each. And they are MONEY! I like the mint chip flavor. The cup looks small at first, but they pack quite a bit in there and I feel satisfied when I am done. Other flavors are Chocolate Brownie and Cookie Dough. The cookie dough is pretty good, but I wasn't a fan of the Brownie. The texture of the brownie in it was a little "off" for me. But my neighbor, Dez, loves it. Give it a whirl, all my fellow chubby gals. It's worth a try.

3. I am on Day 1 of the Arbonne 7 Day Body Cleanse. It is part of their new SeaSource Detox Spa line. So far today I feel pretty sluggish. I feel tired and have a bit if a headache. But no running to the bathroom. I have always wanted to do a cleanse but was scared of a lot of the products out there. But after some research I have learned that it can really help with fatigue, weight gain, depression, body aches, sleeplessness and lots more. All of which I have experienced in the last several months. So since Arbonne came out with this product, and it much gentler than alot of the extreme cleanses out there I am giving it a whirl. I'm going to attempt to give a day to day progress report for anyone interested. The products comes in 7 little vials. Each day you mix one vial with 32 oz of water and sip it SLOWLY throughout the day for 7 days. So far I have heard day 1 and 2 are a bit rough, day 3-6 you start to feel a difference and by day 7 you sleep like a baby. I'm going to tell you what I really think and try not to hype it up. No real earth shattering news yet for you. I'll keep ya posted.
4. An finally - Sorry to mom if you are reading this - but I recently heard about an online "intimacy enhancer" store called Book22. Book 22 refers to Songs of Soloman, the 22nd book of the Bible. It has all kinds of games, toys etc. The owners remove pornographic and inappropriate packaging and focus on products that the couple can use together. I found the idea amusing and intriguing. Check it out and have fun!

Frustrations

Ok, I have been back on my Weight Watchers journey for going on 5 weeks now. The first 2 weeks I did great. Lost about 9 lbs. Most of it water, yes, I know that. But Her it is 5 weeks later and I have not lost ANY more weight. I am feeling very frustrated. I have been a saint this week. Never going over on points, and never DARING to dip into those floating points. I have been active, keeping busy. What else can I do??

I don't want to give up. I really want to look nice for when we go to Hawaii so that I don't embarrass myself in a swim suit. Last week I set my goal. 7 more weeks until Hawaii. I want to lose 10lbs. It is looking bleak.

My desire to gorge and spread my whole body with a tub of chocolate icing is overwhelming. And yet I have refrained.

I am really mad at myself that I let the weight come back. If only I had just made myself weigh in a month earlier. If only....If only....

Uh-oh....the Easter candy is calling my name....Gingers mom....Gingers mom.... I better go hide.

Fatty Crossing

I hate chocolate. (I shouldn't have typed that...I didn't really mean it my sweet love....nothing makes my heart go a flutter the way it does at one mere nibble of you). But, without chocolate I would not be back on my weekly treks to the fat meetings. AKA Weight Watchers. That chocolate is so seductive, I cannot keep my wits about me when it charms with its chocolaty wiles.

I have a new cool reason to want to shed these pounds...again. Dan and I are planning a trip to Hawaii in May. It has been hanging in the balance for a while now and it looks like it might actually happen. And if I am going to wear a swimsuit I had better get a bit of a tan and get rid of the mama chub (can you call it mama chub if your youngest child is 2 years old?) so as not to scare all of the tourists away. Beware of the great white!!! Eeeek!

At least I have some motivation. And a vacation...without the small tyrants...sounds heavenly. I don't even know anymore, what do grown ups do on vacation without small kids? Whatever the hell I want I suppose!

Aloha!

A New Year Challenge

A new year is upon us all and I hope this year is one that is full of joy, health and happiness for you. I don't know about you but after the holidays I have found all my pants fitting a lot more snug than they used to. And I have found myself pouting about my expanding figure while munching down cheesecake way to often.

So when I heard about the Arbonne Figure 8 Challenge I was intrigued. I have put feelers out to everyone I know to see who's with me? My goal is to lose 12 lbs before the end of February. I am looking for 10 people to join my "team".

Starting TODAY you can go to www.gofigure8.com and register for the Figure 8 Week Weight Loss Challenge. There are prizes for individuals and teams.

I am joining the weight loss challenge and incorporating Arbonne's newest weight loss products to my diet to help me get there. If we have at least 10 people interested we can make a team and go full speed ahead on this challenge. You have until the end of January to register, but the sooner you register the better our chances of winning! Let me know if you are interested and we can form a team. I will have a prize for the winning member on my team.


Arbonne's products are healthy and safe and encourage a change in lifestyle not just a quick weight loss gimmick. I already have tried the Protein Shakes and Fiber shakes and have been very impressed with the taste. I have also personally tried the Detox tea as well as the Chocolate Mint chew which taste delicious, just like candy with no "diet" chalky taste.

But now they have some great new products that you can see at www.kristincain.myarbonne.com. Which include a fizzing water tablet to boost metabolism and a water relief treatment serum. I can't wait to get my hands on them!

To a happy and THINNER New Year!!

My husband has been scolding me for not tooting my own horn lately. So I promised to announce on my blog that I have not only made my Weight Watchers goal, but I acutally have maintained it for 6 weeks and have earned the highly coveted honor of Lifetime Member. Da da da da!!! I lost a total of about 20 lbs. Actually 30lbs since this time last year. I even got my nifty little keychain and the super cool goal star and Lifetime key. I know you are jealous. I know you are sitting there in your computer chair wishing you knew where I live so you could sneak in and steal my little treasures. But alas, they are mine. I worked my ass of for them...literally. Now I only have one ass instead of 2.

I don't know why I feel weird about announcing my success. I guess it has to do with the fact that I still look in the mirror and see so much I wish I could change. Is any woman ever completely satisfied with her body? I could work out non stop and eat nothing but salad and still be stuck with my post-partum sharpei (as my dear fellow blogger Oh the Joys has so eloquently named it) jiggling over my bikini underwear. I've had 3 babies and those jiggles are here to stay.

I do plan on taking a decent picture of myself and do a before and after picture just to see if we can all tell the difference. Sometimes I don't know if I really see one. My husband doesn't GROAN when I sit on his lap anymore though. I guess that is a good sign.

A Weird Celebration

I had a fantastic weekend. There were a few unexpected twists and turns, like a vomiting 2 year old, but other than that, the holiday was great.

I had the perfect day planned on Friday. I dropped my 2 oldest off at preschool then went to the dreaded Weight Watchers meeting. DUM DUM DUM!!!! I was so incredibly bloated and full of terrible things that I shouldn't have eaten. I begrudgingly got on the scale. And the scale was kind. I think it kind of lied for me. I was down 2.8 lbs and had finally made GOAL!! Relief washed over me and as the meeting took place I started fantasizing...yearning...for a Bavarian cream donut at Winchell's next door. I was about to sneak out of the meeting early and get me some of that when they called my name. "Gingers Mom has a celebration today. A big celebration, she has made goal today!" Much clapping. I stand up convinced that I must have a scarlet D for donut on my chest as I stood up and bragged about how I am champion of all WW and I know it all now. Little do they know that I am itching to run away from the dieting people and drown myself in a delectable chocolate glaze....

They handed me my little gold star to hang on my 10% weight loss key chain, that I actually DO carry proudly. Guilt set in. In sat down in my chair grumpily. Screw you Weight Watchers. Foiled by you again.

Next on my list was to meet my mom at Coffee Bean so we could exchange my littlest beast and try their new Mocha Lite. It is a mocha that is made with nonfat milk and sugar free chocolate. Sound gross? MMMMM....you're wrong. Maybe I have been deprived of my beloved mocha too long, but it is DELICIOUS. (and only 2 WW pts compared to 9 for a regular mocha at Starbucks).

We had a wonderful visit and then ran away like a mad woman in my mom's convertible playing music loudly, wind in my hair and forgetting that I had kids at all. I was off for part 2 of my wonderful day. The FACIAL.

I have had this facial planned for months. I ran home to pick up the forgotten gift card only to find a heart breaking message from the spa saying they had to cancel. Much pouting followed.

So I decided to go shopping. And then...on a whim...I drove over to a nearby tattoo parlor. And looked around. I have been talking for years about getting one, but always chicken out. I was standing there for about 15 minutes while the tattoo artists helped everyone else around me. Finally, one guy ventured over with and "Are you lost?" pittying look on his face. "Can I help you?"

"Sure! I wanna get a tattoo today."

All eyes on silly little Gingers Mom in her pink flowered skirt and white sandals.

I hear chuckling.

Hey, can't a 30 year old mom get a tattoo and not get mocked around here??

We go over designs. They start setting up.

A really nice guy in the corner, covered in tattoos starts giving me pointers on where to put it, how much it hurts etc.

They keep asking me if I am nervous.

Finally I replied "I've had 3 kids. I'm not scared." The mocking guys shut up now.

It stung a little, but was a FRACTION of what it is made out to be. And I LOVE my tattoo. It's in the middle between my back and my right hip. So here is to being the wife of one good man, the mom of 3 great kids, to being DONE with kids, and to losing all the weight they managed to pack on me in the meantime.....

Is that my butt?

I reached a milestone this week. At my chubby person meeting I weighed in and I finally achieved my 10% weight loss goal. I now only need to lose 1 more lb before I have reached my official goal. (Which truly is about 5 lbs more than what I want to be but once you reach your goal at WW you become a lifetime member and get to stop paying...) So I went shopping this week.

I actually went shopping for a swimsuit. And I bought one. I didn't burst into tears even once. There was some cringing and deep, heavy sighs, but I left the fitting room with (most) of my dignity in tact and a swim suit in hand.

The real challenge is whether or not I will actually wear said suit in public. That remains to be seen.

I also went out and bought some sexy dresses.

Me.

In a sexy dress....

Who could imagine?

I haven't owned anything "sexy" in a long time. Unless you count a button up shirt that barely stretches over my massive lactating breasts, sexy.

I decided I have been frumpy mom too long.

And since I have lost weight and my boobs, for the time being, are still in good shape I better get out there and show off my new improved behind.

Now I just gotta figure out how to FEEL sexy. That is the key, right?

A whole lotta crap

Good news: My diet is going well and I am now down 11.2 lbs! I am more than half way to my goal. This WW thing has been working really well for me. I had high hopes that it would have been much faster, but I am happy with the results none the less. I also thought I would have seen a difference in my body by now, but it seems the same. How much weight do you have to lose to look in the mirror and feel and look different? I have never stuck to a diet longer than 2 weeks, so I am impressed with myself for hanging in there.

Bad news: I've been bogged down with sick children for I don't know how long. We went from colds to stomach flu to tonsilitis. Dan and I have not slept a good night in weeks. Vincent was up LITERALLY all night having a tantrum in his room. Engaging him escalates the tantrum, so we have learned to ignore him. He won't listen to me at all, but will obey Dan. I am not sure what to do about that. I'm not a softie...I don't allow disrespectful behavior. I wish I knew what I was doing wrong. If I don't get some sleep, pretty soon I am going to start halucinating...I just know it. Oh...excuse me...I gotta go catch that life size twinkie running around my house and eat it....

Hello??

I have realized over the last few months how lonely I am. Which seems silly since I have 3 kids and wonderful husband and family all around me. But I am. And, much unlike my character, I have decided to do something about it. I have a few close friends that I spend time with. But other than that, I am pretty lonely during the day.

On a few occasions I have ventured to the park looking for other moms and even walked over to strike up a conversation. Normally, this is my worst nightmare. And to be honest, it really isn't "a walk in the park" for me...but something I have to FORCE myself to do. So far, no luck making any friends...

I've tried making plans with old friends too, but busy schedules always get in the way. I guess the loneliness of being a stay at home mom didn't really hit me until recently. And it is especially prevalent when Dan is away. I spend all my time lurking around my parents' house. So by the time Dan does get home they are exhausted and happy to see him. LOL.

Today I went to my Weight Watchers meeting instead of my usual Monday. And there was actually some young moms there with their kids. I think I am going to switch to Wednesdays now so maybe I can meet some people. (BTW - I am down 8.6 lb!!)

Why is making friends as an adult SO much harder than when you were kids? Why was it so easy back then to walk up to a stranger and say, Wanna be my friend? If you do that to some random woman at the park she'd smile timidly and quickly walk away.

So I am putting myself out there. Which I am finding incredibly painful. But I am determined to find some new friends to spend time with. If Dan is going to stay in the Navy, I am just gonna have to learn to make new friends. So here goes...

Mrs. Chubs Weighs In

I went to my Weight Watchers meeting today. It has been a whole week. And I lost FIVE pounds this week. YEAH!! That was what I really wanted. I know that the first week is usually fairly drastic compared to the following weeks, so I wanted to get a good jump start. I have about 15 more to go before I am really happy. Maybe by summer time, I will be able to wear a swim suit without frightening my children....if only I could do something about my shockingly WHITE legs.

I think this diet is going to work for me. Putting out the money for it certainly is a motivating factor. And it is a diet that allows me to still eat sweets...occasionally. Anything less would not work for me.

And I have found some really interesting recipes. One that I want to try this coming week is Bailey's Mousse. Check it out....looks yummy. Sweets and alcohol. Killing 2 birds with one stone.

I hope you all had a great weekend. I am off to do Tai Bo. (While I am motivated because Lord knows it won't last long...)