The Tools

Last week I introduced the world to my insecurities about my current weight (yikes!) and the response was overwhelming. You guys sure do know how to make a girl feel amazing!  Now that I have outed myself, I thought I would share with you the tools I am currently using on my weight loss journey to both provide inspiration AND garner up some advice on other tools and methods that may be working for you.

Meal Planning
One of the most important things I learned is that no matter how much I exercise, if my diet is not on point, then there is no chance that I will lose weight.  In order to stay in check, I have to plan and in order to plan, I use a few tools.  The first is a very simple pad that lives on our refrigerator:

Made by the genius minds over at Knock Knock, this guy helps me plan our dinners for each night of the week. When I have a few free minutes, I look through my recipe clippings from magazines, newspapers, etc. and my many, many cookbooks (I seriously have an addiction) and make a plan for the week.  While I'm doing it, I keep a running grocery list in my notebook or on Peapod (aka lifesaver!) so that I have all the necessary ingredients for each meal. Having a plan takes major stress out of weeknight dinners when evenings are already cramped and rushed.

And speaking of recipes, I was just introduced to a website that has literally rocked my world. Go check out www.plantoeat.com.  

Go ahead...I'll wait.  

It is an AMAZING website that organizes your recipes and helps with menu planning.  It even puts together a shopping list when you tell it what you plan to eat for the week!  It really helped me get more organized with the hundreds of recipes that were piling up on my counter:

They have a little tool that you place on your browser - similar to the "Pin It" button for Pinterest.  When you are on a website and want to add a recipe, you click the "Plan To Eat" button and it is loaded to your site. You can also manually enter or do a bulk import.  World ROCKED!  I do have to admit that I am still a loser and write my grocery list down on paper, but otherwise, I have fully embraced this awesome tool.

Exercise
As I mentioned last week I am all about the 21 Day Fix as a nutrition and exercise regiment. I recently finished my 2nd round and once again found success. I have since been introduced to a new exercise program called CIZE: The End of Exercise. It is a danced based program so if you like Zumba or just dancing in general, you will like this.  I'm 1 week into a 4 week program and I am LOVING it!  It does come with an eating program that essentially mirrors that of the 21 Day Fix, so I'm essentially doing the 21 Day Fix nutrition for 30 days with CIZE fitness. #BeachbodyMashUp. Oh and I found a 21 Day Fix app making it that much easier to track my containers. Score!

Now, there may or may not be video of me doing one or more of these CIZE routines, but the chances of them being posted to the world wide web are slim to NEVER GONNA HAPPEN!!! I thought I had rhythm until I saw myself. Uh - can you say AkWaRd?!! And apparently I didn't get the memo on "facials" when dancing.  I should have paid more attention to my Precisionette friends in high school. At least I get my sweat on and have fun doing it.

Shakeology

I like to eat. I like to eat and chew my food. My problem is that I tend to do it too often which is why I am in this mess in the first place!  I have never really been of fan of the meal replacement shakes or the cleanses, but I decided that if I was going to embrace these new Beachbody programs, I would go all in which means adding Shakeology to my daily meal plan.  Touted as the "healthiest meal of the day", this protein shake is packed with all kinds of superfoods that help curb cravings and make you feel energized. My go to flavor is chocolate to which I add a banana and peanut butter and it is my tasty treat of the day.  It's a bonus that this yummy "milkshake" is also good for me!! It's not cheap by any means and with 2 kids in daycare and a mortgage to pay it may not be a part of my daily diet forever, but for now, I am making it work and enjoying every chew-free sip.

Love & Support

This weight loss journey would not be possible without the love and support of the men in my life.  James and Andrew are completely oblivious - as they should be.  I am their Mommy and they don't care what I look like. As long as I am there to kiss their boo boos, sing them their songs before bed and tickle them until they pee in their pants, they are good. Their love is unconditional no matter what my size. I have to remind myself of this fact whenever I get down in the dumps about my body. Their little faces inspire me to keep at it so that I am healthy and here with them for a long, long time.  And let's not forget my Ed.  This man has always been my rock and encourages me every step of the way. Does it kill me that he can eat an entire pint of ice cream and not gain an ounce?  Of course!  But I love him anyway. :) Without my boys, this journey would be a lot, lot harder.

So tell me - what tools do you use to keep on track? I'm always open to new ideas to keep this journey fresh and successful!! 

The Many Faces of Andrew

Since his arrival in this world, Andrew has been a very alert, very expressive baby.  From smiles to cries to looks of interest or confusion, this kid does NOT have a poker face.  He always seems to clue us in on how he is feeling which is much appreciated in our newly crazed life. So here is a journey into the many faces of Andrew.

DREAMY FACE

 SLICKSTER FACE

 GRUMPY PANTS FACE

HOW YOU DOIN' FACE

"NO PICTURES PLEASE!" FACE

CAUGHT IN THE ACT FACE

SILLY FACE

UP TO SOMETHING FACE

SOMETHING SMELLY 

IN MY DIAPER FACE

EDDIE HASKELL FACE

 CRABBY FACE

 AWE-INSPIRED FACE

SCAREDY FACE

 FACE OF ADORATION

All in all, this is the happiest, most content baby out there.  The smiles are endless which warms our hearts.  Keep 'em comin' kid!!

Simple Moments

The other night, after dinner was done and the dishes were clean, I watched this unfold:

It melts my heart when James and Andrew "play" together.  With Andrew being so young, these moments are few and far between. But then the next day, this happened:

Looks like Andrew is ready to get in there and start playing with trains!  Hashtag Happy Mama.

The Struggle

I am not one of those lucky people that can eat whatever I want and not put on weight. I am one of those people that LOOKS at a plate of french fries and gains 3 pounds. This is a fairly recently struggle for me. And when I say recent, I mean in the last 8-10 years. Growing up, I was always an average size. Soccer was a big part of my life so I was pretty active and never really thought about my weight.  I was by no means a stick figure - definitely had my curves - but never felt self conscious about how I looked from a weight aspect.

(a fit, active, teenage me)

In college, I learned that the Freshman 15 is a real thing.  Too many late nights of pizza and beer took it's tole, but once I  added a little bit of exercise, I was able to keep the weight down. 

My 20's were all about happy hour and kickboxing class at the gym with my girlfriends.  The combination seemed to work and I rarely saw too much weight gain.  Thank you 20-something metabolism! 

(happy hour with friends - looking good)

But as I got older - and specifically into my 30's - my weight became a lot harder to control. Pair my age with working from home full time and you have yourself a recipe for disaster.  I found that if I didn't follow a strict diet and get to the gym religiously, I would gain. And I have to tell you, I hate the gym.  Like hate-hate.  I find no joy in running on the treadmill or spending 30 minutes on an elliptical machine.  I do like group classes, but they never seemed to occur at a time that was convenient to my schedule. The only way I was able to get there on a regular basis was when I hired a personal trainer but who has the funds to sustain that?!

(can't believe this is now on the Internet!)

Then I started having babies.  

Having babies does things to your body in ways that you could never have imagined. I only gained about 22 pounds with each pregnancy which is pretty good, but getting the weight off has been a struggle.  After James was born, I found great success with Weight Watchers, losing 20 pounds over the course of 4 months thanks to the support of a great group of ladies (Miriam, Elaine, Lynn - I'm talking' to you!). I managed to maintain the loss (more or less...or more), but then found myself pregnant again.  

(down 20 lbs thanks to WW)

Since Andrew's birth, I have been trying to lose the baby weight using the same tools, but am having a much harder time.  And no matter how many times someone tells me "You created life!" or "It's only been 4 months!", it doesn't change the fact that my once tight, smooth belly is now a saggy mess riddled with stretch marks. 

(who is this person?)

Of course I know the solution. I need to stop putting so much food in my mouth and get off my butt a little more often.  The problem is lack of motivation and good, old plain exhaustion.  It is sooooooo much tastier to eat pizza and cheeseburgers.  And it is sooooooo much easier to sit on the couch and catch up on the new season of Orange is the New Black. Especially when you are averaging 4-5 hours of sleep each night. (I know - excuses, excuses).

Well, that ends now.  Actually, it ended a few weeks ago thanks to something called the 21 Day Fix. I was introduced to this workout program and meal plan by college bud and fraternity brother, Lisa Klein.  I watched Lisa transform her body and change her lifestyle for the better as a Beachbody Coach. After weeks of a constant plateau at Weight Watchers, I knew I had to change things up - and this program was the way to do it.  Now, I'm not going to lie. I was EXTREMELY skeptical at first. I mean, c'mon. This program is featured on a late night infomercial that is flush with almost unbelievable before and after pictures and money back guarantees. But I figured, why not. Doing something is better than doing nothing AND Lisa was staring a Facebook accountability group so it was a the perfect time to get started.

I'm so glad I did.

In the first round of the 21 Day Fix, I incorporated 30 minutes of exercise into my daily routine from the comfort of my own home.  I was also reminded of correct portion controls for meals and snacks using the convenient 21DF containers.  In the first 3 weeks, I lost 5 pounds and several inches off my waist.  I am currently nearing the end of my second round on the program and I can tell you, the scale is moving - in the right direction! More importantly, I feel like I have more energy which is a miracle these days!

I still have a long way to go. And I know that as I age, my weight will be a constant struggle.  But I am taking some steps in the right direction to get things on track to make exercise and healthy eating a lifestyle rather than a nuisance. Oh believe me - there will still be ice cream in my future - but hopefully, between my Weight Watchers knowledge and my new 21 Day Fix tools, I will learn how to incorporate it into my world without gaining 5 pounds in the process. 

Evolution of a Bath

Is there anything cuter than a baby in a bath tub?  Probably not.

I dare you to look at this photo and not smile.

Our little man is a big fan of his bath time these days. And in the 4 short months that Andrew has been in this world, bath time has evolved - as has is love for them.  His first bath was on day 1 in the hospital.  I was still bed-ridden because of the c-section, but had a ring-side seat for this momentous event.  Rather than take him to the nursery like they did with James, our lovely nurse gave Andrew his first bath in our hospital room.  He didn't like it - TOO COLD - he screamed!!  But he survived.

His second bath was in the kitchen and was a simple sponge bath since his belly button nub was still holding on tight.  He took to it pretty well. There were no screams and I even got a content stare as Daddy sponged him down.

At 3 weeks old, he got his first official bath in the tub.  Again, he took to it pretty well, but he did not crack a smile.  His face was mostly concerned the entire time.  Like a "please-don't-let-me-fall-out-of-this-thing" face followed by a "thank-you-for-the-warm-towel" grin.

Recently, we have changed bath time up a bit for our little guy.  Rather than pull out the baby bath every night, we now toss him in the big tub in the bathroom.  I picked up an oversized tub sponge at Buy Buy Baby for a whopping $6.99 and it has made all the difference at bath time.  We now get  giggles and SMILES!!  Andrew can splash and kick and stretch out those long legs of his - way comfier! Plus we can now get rid of the oversized, plastic baby tub that takes up more space than we have (anyone interested???).  

We can't wait for bath time to evolve into the boys taking one together (uh - hello time saver!), but in the mean time, this makes all parties involved pretty stoked. Rub a dub dub!!

Can You Tell Me How To Get...To Sesame Street!

Want to know how to make your chatter box, nutso 3-year old stop acting like a crazy person and shut up for 5 minutes straight?

Introduce him to Elmo.

And the Count.

And Abby Cadabby.

I bet you can guess where we were last weekend.  SESAME PLACE!!!!

I visited this iconic amusement park back when I was 3 years old with my Mom and Dad so we figured this was the perfect year to bring James.  We dropped Andrew off at Grandma and Grandpa's house (thanks again, guys!!), headed up to Langhorne, PA and met up with the Seigal's for a weekend filled with sunny days (and some rain) and plenty of furry friends.  Alyson is my oldest, dearest friend and she, along with her hubby Rob and two adorable kiddos, Mikey & Lexi, braved the heat and the crowds with us making the weekend that much more fun! 

I have to say...I was very impressed with the place.  The park is not overwhelmingly big making it manageable with little ones.  They were celebrating their 35th birthday so there were signs of a birthday party all around from the balloons at the entrance to the 30' inflatable birthday cake when you first walk in.  The kids had a great time seeing the characters and going on all the rides.  I think my favorite part was when the kids were sitting on the famous Sesame Street stoop.  

They even had a neighborhood parade as part of the birthday celebration. Everyone from Big Bird to Oscar to Rosita to Super Grover was there so you know we had some happy kids.  We caught the night time version and I have to say, it was pretty awesome. Disney-level!!!

  

All in all, it was a fantastic trip made even better by the the people we were with.  Alyson and I LOVE that our kiddos got to spend some time together and hope that they remain life-long friends like we have.  Andrew may have been too young to join us, but we made sure that he had some quality time with Super Grover.  Next time, buddy. :)