Friend Makin' Monday - 2013

OMG, I forgot it was Monday! We left Saturday 12/22 to drive to Arkansas to spend Christmas with the Mom-In-Law (details posted here: part 1 and part 2 ) and just got home yesterday. Home Sweet Home!

I made a serious attempt to be careful about what I ate and halfway succeeded in tracking everything. But I had 2 saboteurs (cough, cough, Randy & his mom, cough) who insisted on making it impossible. We did go grocery shopping so there was plenty of fruit and reasonable choices available, much to their dismay. I bought whole wheat bread & they asked if I was trying to kill them. WTF?!?! Seriously. They kept talking about going to this pizza place and getting a huge pizza called the Razorbaccio, which has basically 5 or 6 kinds of meat on it. Um, no. Pizza is one of my least favorite foods anyway. We went to a catfish place for dinner one night & I was good and ordered mine grilled with a side salad. I should have gotten the fried catfish, since mine came out swimming in a pond of butter. At least the fried variety wasn't dripping on the plate. And don't get me started on the Chinese buffet. My fingers were so swollen from the sodium, I couldn't get my rings off! Anyway, I feel gross.

Ugh.



If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section over at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

2013

1. Share one thing that you plan to do for yourself in 2013. I really need to get back on the WW bandwagon.  I felt so good after losing the first 60 lbs, but then I gained 15 back and now I'm back to feeling blah and gross.  I hate that feeling!

2. Share a good habit that you will continue doing into the new year.  Drinking my water.  I can really tell when I don't drink enough - like on this road trip we just finished.  I sort of did it on purpose, so we didn't have to stop every 100 miles so I could use the bathroom.  And I regretted it.

3. Do you make new year’s make resolutions? If so, do you typically stick to them?  Nope.  No particular reason why, we just don't. 

4. Do you have any health goals for the new year?  I'll shoot low.  I want to be in Onederland.  So a 24 lbs loss.  Totally do-able.

5. Share one thing that you plan to do in January.  Go watch the Monster trucks at Ford Field. We go every year.  It's fun.  Randy takes his radio and listens in on the production frequencies and Angel & I have a friendly rivalry over who we want to win the racing and freestyle.  She's got her favorites and I have mine.

6. Do you have any travel plans for the coming year?  Nothing as of yet.  We always take a week off work right before Miss Angela goes back to school in the fall and do something.  This past year it was Hell to Paradise.

7. What are your plans for New Year’s Eve?  Sitting at home in front of the TV, watching New Year's Rockin' Eve.  We are such party animals!

8. What are your resolutions for 2013?  Get moving more!

9. What are you looking forward to most over the next 12 months?  Hmm, I don't really know.  Just living each day to the fullest with the people that I love!

10. Share something unique that you hope to do in 2013.  I can't think of anything health related, but I do plan to add some cool stuff to my Halloween display.

Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions! Don’t forget to come back and link up in the comments, and say hi to someone new! Happy New Year!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas!!

Have a wonderful day!

We survived!

Anyhoooo, I'm sitting here posting from a hotel room in Mt. Vernon, IL.  We are over halfway to Arkansas!  

So I went to my first weekday morning WW meeting yesterday. BTW, I was down 1.4 lbs!  Woohoo!  It was nice - not too many people.  I got the impression people are playing hooky already. Anyway. That leader is one of the more inspiring ones.  She gave some good ideas for surviving the holidays. She suggested if we couldn't track right away to take a picture of our plate so we'd remember what we had. Brilliant!  that worked, too.  So I have challenged myself to track every single thing I eat during this trip.  

Today was scary.  I used 57 WW P+.  Breakfast at Tim Horton's (a 12 grain bagel BELT, Boston Cream Donut and iced coffee) Lunch at Cracker barrel (grilled chicken tenders, corn, tomato/cucumber/onion salad and 2 small biscuits that were too good to put down) and finally dinner at Denny's (veggies & a veggie burger) and also a couple 2 PP bars.  I could have made better choices at Timmy's but the 12 grain bagels are amazing.  

I totally didn't drink enough water, since I was trying to avoid making potty breaks every 12 miles. So I've been making up for it since we stopped.

But anyway, tomorrow is another day.  We'll be having breakfast here at the hotel and should be to Mom-In-Law's house by dark.  But anyway, the fam is already in their respective beds, watching SNL, so I better sign off now.  

Don't forget - next week the first 13 in 13 emails will be coming out - click over and check it out!

Later!

Friend Makin' Monday - 12 in 2012

I don't know if I'll get a chance to do FMM next week. I'll be at my MIL's house and I'm not sure of her wi-fi abilities to use my laptop - GASP! I hope I don't have to suffer the unthinkable - no computer for over a week?

 ***searches Google maps for the Hot Springs public library, just in case!****

Anyway, Friday night we picked up Miss Angela's bff and went to downtown Rochester to see the lights - I don't have the pics off the camera yet, but HERE is the link to last year's walk. It was hilarious with Taylor along, since they would scurry ahead and be posing for a picture when Randy & I caught up to them. At one point some people in front of us stopped and asked them if they were getting their pictures taken, and I, coming up from behind, was like" in a minute they will be!" They had a good laugh.

Saturday was a lot of last minute shopping. Sunday afternoon we went over to my sister's house for the family Christmas. It was nice. My lovely sisters thought it would be funny to get me this giant inflatable for my yard....

Neat. 

7.5 feet tall

Anyhooooo, oh, I did go to my WW meeting Saturday, but I chose the option of not getting on the scale. Between looming TOM which caused me to and eat every flippin' thing I laid eyes on....it wasn't gonna be pretty. I really hate when customers send boxes of cookies or popcorn or ~my downfall~ pieces of dark chocolate molded into little trucks (I work for a trucking company).

How do you feel about 2012? Let’s discuss it, shall we?

Now…If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section over at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

Twelve in 2012

(reading over these, I see this is going to be a tough one!! I am glad that I have my other blogs to help me remember!)

1. What was your greatest personal accomplishment in 2012?   I don't really know. Probably at Halloween hearing a teenage boy slap his friend's chest and say that this was the house he told him about. Along with a lot of other favorable comments made me feel that I am getting a reputation as The Halloween House.  Health related?  I maintained.  Which is good because it is NOT a gain!

2. What’s the best thing your did for your health?  Even though I stayed pretty much the same in pounds, I still fairly regularly attended my WW meetings.

3. Share one thing that caused a significant change in your life this year.  We went to the Humane Society and got adopted by Miss Maddie - literally, she chose us.  Even with some thankfully minor medical issues, she has been a true joy to have in our house.  She's such a character and she gets along with our other cat who also came from the same place, 9.5 years ago!

4. List a few things that you experienced for the first time at some point over the last twelve months. 

*attended my first Def Leppard concert - a truly truly excellent experience!!

*the awkwardness of having my ex show up for Angel's dance recital after not seeing him for 12+ years. 

*the Blogging A-Z Challenge back in April - with 3 blogs!

*my daughter getting suspended from school for fighting (actually - defending herself)

5. What was the coolest place you visited?  Over Labor Day weekend, we went to Hell, Michigan then to da UP to visit Paradise, among some other cool places up there.

6. If you could change one thing about the last year what would it be?  That is would have tried a lot harder with my weight loss / getting fit goals.

7. What is the best meal you ate this year?   Probably just my regular order from Texas Roadhouse - the 6 oz sirloin with grilled shrimp and steamed veggies.  On nom nom nom nom.

8. Tell us about a new friend you made. Sadly, I don't think I made any!

9. What did you hope to accomplish this year that you did not?  Just losing a lot more weight and possibly requiring a new wardrobe.

10. Share something you learned in 2012.  Michigan is truly a beautiful state.  I knew it before, but I got to experience more of it.

11. Share an odd and unexpected thing that you experienced this year.   I think I finally began to feel my 39 years.  I was OK around my own birthday but when my daughter turned 15, I got to thinking that I didn't feel old enough to be the mom of a 15 year old kid in high school.  That and the first time a boy came around because of her.

12. How do you think 2013 will differ from 2012?  Gosh.  I'm not really sure. But I'm looking forward to finding out!

Friend Makin' Monday - Christmas Questions

Happy Monday!

I am so excited that I finally guilted the hubby into fixing not one, but TWO, leaks in our house this weekend. Leak #1 I have no idea when it started, probably before we moved in, but all it took was the threat of epoxy sealing every single thing under the bathroom sink to get him to move. We now have new feed lines and a shiny new faucet!!! The wood under the sink is still rotted & warped and don't get me started on the state of the drywall ....but (thanks to 2 straight days of the ceiling vent and an oscillating fan running) it is mostly dry now and stench is almost gone. Leak #2 only required a couple gaskets to be replaced to stop the continuous stream of water in the shower. Words cannot describe my delight right now!

I chose the wrong day to attend my WW meeting to find out about the new WW 360 program. I went Saturday morning, but I wasn't able to stick around afterward. I had to go pick Miss Angela up from her dance studio after the annual "Lock In". They basically have a sleepover at the studio, if you can get 20+ girls ranging from age 7-16 to actually sleep! They watched a dance movie (of course) and had some guest dancers in from a local high school. Then they performed a couple of dances for each other that they're learning in their respective classes.

I haven't had a chance to read up on the new 360 program, other than what they talked about at the meeting. I have a few thoughts running thru my mind about it, but I need to sit down and read. My first thoughts about routines compared it to FlyLady. That's a good thing!  And I noticed they haven't updated the iPhone app yet.  Get on it, peeps!

Anyway....onto this week's FMM topic!

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section over at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

Christmas Questions

1. How will you celebrate the holidays this year? We alternate years between staying home and being subjected to my crazy family and going to Arkansas to spend it with Randy's mom.  This is an Arkansas year!  All in all, it's a good thing.  My MIL is a sweet lady.  I love Arkansas (at least in the winter, since both Angel and I have northern girl constitutions and Arkansas summer heat kills us) and I can't wait to visit the Buckstaff Bathhouse!  I blogged about that wonderful place HERE.  So Christmas will be very low-key and relaxing.  I want to visit the Hot Springs Wax Museum while we're there, too.

2. What’s the weather currently like where you live?  It's been weird so far this year. I live in SE Michigan and we've had snow exactly once and only got about 1/2 inch.  It's been slightly warmer than average, according to the Nat'l Weather Service.  Which is fine with me, since that means no shovelling!  We did have some freezing rain last night but it warmed up before I had to leave for work.  That blanket of ice on my car was UGLY!

3. Do you decorate your home for the holidays? If so, share a picture please!  I haven't taken many inside pics yet, but the tree is up & decorated; the battalion of nutcrackers have invaded; the nativity is prominently displayed...

Nutcrackers

Maddie, being part of the Kitty Nativity.  This is not my "real" nativity scene.

My blowmold collection outside. 

edited to add links, since images aren't showing!

4. What is your favorite Christmas movie?  Hmm.  We always watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Year Without a Santa Claus (with the Miser brothers) and The Christmas Story with Ralphie & his BB gun.

5. What is your favorite Christmas songs?   I like....
Bruce Springsteen's version of Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Go Tell it on the Mountain (not a traditional one, I know)
Do You Hear What I Hear?
***and most the spoofs...***
Walking 'Round in Women's Underwear
The 12 Redneck Days of Christmas - Jeff Foxworthy
Leroy the Redneck Reindeer - Joe Diffie
Merry Christmas from the Family - Montgomery Gentry - my absolute FAVE!!

6. Do you have an advent calendar? No.  Just a stuffed snowman with 24 numbered loops on his scarf that you put a candy cane in the correct loop.

7. Do you prefer color lights or white lights? Colors!  White is very elegant, but the colors are so happy!

8. What is your favorite food to eat over the holidays?   Oh man.  MIL will be roasting up a turkey breast and all the usual fixin's for Christmas dinner, but I'm looking forward to going to a place that is well known in the Hot Springs area for their fried catfish & hushpuppies.  It's the only time I ever have it.

9. Do you display a live tree, or do you prefer fake trees?  Ours is fake.  On the plus side...since our living room is small, we are able to leave off a couple branches on the lower back and it fits closer to the wall.  I love the smell of real ones, tho. Pine scented sprays & candles don't cut it.  I think I'm allergic to those.  Watery eyes, sneezing, etc.

10. What would you need to make your holiday perfect this year?  I think it already will be.  We have a multitude of blessings.  I'll be with my hubby & kid.  We all are getting nice gifts.  My MIL will be thrilled since we're staying at her condo and we don't get to see her enough.