Before weight: 137.5

Technically this isn’t a 100% “before” photo as it was taken at the end of my first day. And how did it go? Well, thanks for asking. It went really well, so far, so good. I know, I know, it was only one day. But even one day on track was a huge boost to my confidence and well-being. I got really hungry around 11ish so I started making my lunch. The lunch consisted of 1/2 sweet potato with 3/5 cup pinto beans, some low-fat cheese, a few spears of broccoli and a bit of sour cream. I don’t really love sour cream (Wren does, but once she threw a small side of sour cream at me in a restaurant so I have some bad associations…) so I substituted a bit of cottage cheese. I finished eating my lunch at around 2:30 (!) after reheating it three different times inbetween taking care of the birdies.

It’s no wonder I usually grab something I can easily eat with one hand that’s calorically dense: nuts, trail mix, a piece of cheese, some cookies, a container of yogurt, another cup of coffee with cream, maybe some chocolate or banana, the remains of Wren’s macaroni, you get the idea. So that was the first thing that occurred to me. Lovelies, I made it through the day without any junk, yessssss. And day two has been going well too, although it called for an open-faced BLT type meal, but I couldn’t get behind eating mustard at 6:30 a.m., so I ate the foods a bit differently. Still satisfied. Off to drink more water like it’s my job, as Melissa shared. Great tip, girl, great tip!

Thanks for all your encouragement, lovelies! A girl needs it.

Wren is tickled that I’m trying to learn something new. Knitting! This photo is deceiving because I really only completed a few rows myself and my patient sister-in-law completed the rest for me, but it’s the most knitting I’ve ever done. I’ve attempted knitting at least three times over the last ten years and threw in the (wool) towel when things got too messed up and I didn’t know how to fix it or even cast on to start over. This time I’m going to complete this scarf, even if it will be too warm to wear it when I’m done…

Isn’t this “glazed carrot” yarn beautiful? It’s from Wool & Honey and it makes me smile. And feel cozy.

Learning anything new this year?

Most people begin a diet at the beginning of the year, but this year I decided that the best time would be after Fat Tuesday (or Paczki Day or Mardi Gras) ON Ash Wednesday, which is tomorrow! OK, it’s not really named after me, but still, don’t you think that seems just right? So today I fattened up with a paczki of the Traverse City variety, which is not nearly as delicious as the real Hamtramck variety, but I digress. Did I just say that I fattened up? Well, I was already too fat before I even bit into the paczki. I could say it was “baby weight,” but really I shed the true “baby weight,” and now I’m left with the I-ate-too-much-when-I-was-pregnant-and-didn’t-exercise-enough weight. Oof. After Wren was born, I shed the weight pretty easily because I was walking and then running a lot. A beautiful summer and fall stretched out ahead of me and it was really easy to get out with just a baby and really easy to eat healthy, fresh food. Now given how difficult I find it to grocery shop with the two, getting out to exercise has been difficult. And eating really healthy during November and December involved a lot more will power than I was willing to muster so I said, sure pass me another Christmas cookie… So here I am in February and I just feel chubby and yucky. It could be that I’m still struggling with how to shower every day too… ahem. So, here I am.

I didn’t need to share this with you, but I thought that it would help me to stick with my plan if I shared my struggles and successes along the way. First I wanted to make a list of all the diets I’ve tried in the past 20+ years. That’s right, I think I’ve tried one diet or another since I was an early teenager. Maybe earlier actually. Here goes the list, but I think there are more, but I can’t remember them right now.

• Weight Watchers (three or four times?)
• Jenny Craig (twice?)
• Nutrisystem
• South Beach Diet (three times?)
• train for a marathon approach to losing weight (twice)
• Ayurvedic approach
• Eat nothing white
• vegan and vegetarian eating for weight loss
• Body for Life
• Skinny Bitch
• French Women Don’t Get Fat
• Body Sculpting Bible diet
• low carb
• eat NO junk food ever again approach
• Jillian Michaels
• Spark
• counting calories
• counting fat
• low fat
• Biggest Loser diet
• paleolithic
• the I’ll diet tomorrow approach (almost every day)

And I’m sure there are more, oh my. And almost all the approaches worked and I lost a bit of weight, but I would get bored (or hungry!) and stop. I feel a bit queasy and distraught when I think about all the time I’ve wasted thinking about my weight and body image over the years. If I had put that energy and thought into something else, I bet I could have found the cure to some disease or come up with a million dollar idea. Best not to regret they say, but I do.

I never have been into fashion or make-up or caring too much about how I looked when I left the house, but recently I realized it was because nothing ever really looked good on me since I was short and stout. Skinny jeans, are you kidding me?! More on this topic in a future post…

Speaking of short and stout, most of the time I don’t realize that I’m only 5’1″ tall. Seriously, I just don’t think about it and it has never really bothered me to be short. But when I picked up The Petite Advantage Diet: Achieve That Long, Lean Look. The Specialized Plan for Women 5’4″ and Under, it was like being hit on the head. Duh! You can’t eat like your husband who is A FOOT taller than you and expect to lose weight, or expect to not gain weight. Or eat like most of the people I eat with because I’m usually the smallest one. Duh! again. Why had the reality of this never really occurred to me?! I suppose it was hidden in many of the approaches to slimming down that I tried, but it was never out there, loud-and-proud.

The diet isn’t brain surgery, lovelies; it involves eating small portions of protein-rich, satisfying whole foods with lots of veggies and fruit. I hate “diet” foods so I’m thankful that the diet really only calls for consuming actual foods and not strange, man-made concoctions with lots of ingredients I can’t pronounce. The books lays out a three week meal plan to follow, which is nice because I don’t have to do any calorie-counting or overthink what to eat (should I eat a salad with poached chicken or should I have a vegan burrito with some kind of healthy “cheese?” Hell, I’ll just have a few cookies and another cup of coffee…) It also involves caloric cycling with some days a bit higher in calories than others. As far as exercise, it calls for a simple gravity band routine that I can do at home, or really anywhere there is a door. This was also appealing to me because I’m not going to commit to finding (and paying for) childcare on a regular basis so I can drive to a gym and workout.

The one aspect of the book I can’t really get entirely behind is that the author, Jim Karas, seems to be anti-cardio exercise. Cardio just makes me feel so much better and this emotional boost goes a long way to making healthy choices and having a good attitude toward life. I’m not going to give it up, but since it’s only playing a very small part in my life right now, it’s not much to worry about anyway. There’s really not time to overdo it since I sometimes can’t find time to take a shower or clean yesterday’s dishes…

I also contacted the author to find out if I needed to adjust the calories since I was nursing. He said I could safely add about 200 calories, which I decided could be a couple extra pieces of fruit or something more satisfying like a small handful or almonds or some low-fat, natural cheese.

Are you still reading this post? Man, I realize this is probably getting boring and somewhat embarrassing for me , but I just wanted to get it all out there. Tomorrow I will post one of those awful “before” photos and some numbers (yikes!) so wish me luck! Please and thank you.

Now for you, lovelies. Any tips or tricks you’d like to share? PLEASE send them my way. Pleeeeeaaaase! xo

p.s. Happy Fat Tuesday! Any amazing indulgences you’d like to share? Giving up anything for Lent? Good luck to YOU!

My Mom reminded me that I should be writing all the funny things Wren says down in a notebook. Notebook?! Well, I don’t have a notebook for said (written?) purpose, but did I mention that I have a blog? So I will keep this post updated with a running list of funny things from the mouths of my birdies. Here goes…

During lunch on Tuesday, Wren sits down and says, “well, what should we talk about today?” Can I just interrupt this original train of thought by sharing that she really says that and I just think it’s the cat’s meow? OK. So I say, “let’s talk about what you did in school this morning.” Wren says, “no, let’s talk about baby Jesus.” Me: “um, OK.” So we start to talk about how baby Jesus grew up into a little boy and then a young man and he did lots of wonderful things and was REALLY good at sharing. I tried to keep it simple and describe things in a way she could relate to. So fast forward to dinner that night and I tell Chris about our interaction during lunch. So he asks Wren, “what do you know about baby Jesus?” She says, “baby Jesus turned into a beautiful man.” Chris: “what made him beautiful?” Wren, without missing a beat, “glitter.”

“Mama, when I grow up, I’m NOT going to be a hedgehog, I’m going to be a squirrel that lives up in the trees with rabbits.” And then she laughs, “just joking, Mama. I’m going to be a Cheeto when I grow up.”

Wakes up in the morning and FIRST thing she says is, “I was thinking that we could go get some gelato.”

“When I grow up, Phoebe can nurse on my boobies.”

Wren at the gym after running around non-stop for an hour. Feels chest/pumping heart… “wow, my heart is really pumping my blood around today!”

“Wren, please go upstairs and get some new dry pants on.” Wren: “penis? What?! You said penis. Why did you say penis?”

Santa: “What would you like for Christmas this year?” Wren: “frozen pig.”

Around Christmas… me: “Wren, come and wash your hands NOW!” Wren: “I can’t, I’m going to Bethlehem, Mama!”

Also around Christmas… “Wren what do you want to give Phoebe for Christmas?” So serious, “Cheetos.”

Last weekend I celebrated my 35th (!) birthday. One of my favorite surprises came in the form of a birthday letter written on three postcards that were transformed into a puzzle. Such a thoughtful gift with a fun activity for Wren and me. Bonus: the pieces were hidden in all the pockets of a funky orange bag, yesssssss. Why didn’t I think of this clever idea!? Because that’s what clever friends (thanks, Beth) are for, lovelies. Yes, indeed I will be stealing this idea and passing it on to other friends. You?

p.s. I have so much to share with you soon, lovelies. First dentist appointment, first ski, books read, resolutions progressed, a birthday celebrated… more soon, but for now the birdies are calling!

Because sometimes your kids are just so darn cute it makes your cheeks hurt. This was an especially sweet moment this morning. Phoebe just loves her sister’s attention, including most of her wild antics. I’m not so hot on the antics, but I can see why a certain toddler just can’t help but squeeze her baby sister a little too hard…

First things first, our paperwhites are in full bloom!

Have any fun plans for the weekend, lovelies? I’m hoping for a crafty one with Wren (with Phoebe tucked in one arm). Valentine’s Day is coming up! Anyone else flip the calendar to February this week and think, “hey wait a minute, how did THAT happen?” Yikes. Hey, 2012, slow down already. If you’ve got some time to lazily click around ye old Internet this weekend, start with these click-worthy corners of Cyberspace. Enjoy!

• Yes, I just took our porch Christmas lights down (!) and things are looking especially bare around here. Some crafty heart window bling might be in order to obscure the melting yuck outside.
• a Mondrian-inspired sandwich and other low-commitment projects. Yes! First spotted on You Are My Fave.
• a photo of potted crocus has me thinking spring via Posie Gets Cozy.
• free, printable Valentine’s Card Creatures. Cool, funky ones. Really.
• more V-day fun. Decorate a plate with edible paint. Yum.
• Last year I said I would make this ice garland. Well, THIS is the year! If winter comes back…
• We made fox cookies last year for Valentine’s Day and we’ll probably have some fun with butter this weekend too. Any fun cookie ideas you can send my way?

Happy weekend!

• takes really long showers
• sleeps in on school days
• says (or said), “go away! I don’t like you.” sniff, sniff
• likes PopRocks and Cheetos
• excels at negotiation
• exhibits wild mood swings
• enjoys talking about (and smelling) farts
• likes talking on the phone
• listens to loud music
• laughs at her parents
• stays up too late
• fights for her right to party
• hits boys and then kisses them
• pesters her sister
• loves passionately
• thinks and acts independently
• walks away without looking back

That’s right, Wren. Two going on fourteen. Many people (including strangers who interact with us for less than two minutes in the grocery store) have said to us, “wow, you’re in for it.” I’m not sure exactly what that means, but we’re hoping that she’s just getting some of her teenage behavior out of the way now. Hey you, I can hear you laughing at me. Stop that! Oof. Ahem.

Does this ring true for your two year old girl too? Thoughts, anyone? Are we really “in for it?”