So I'm doing this thing...

Can You Imagine THIS BOD with Nursing Boobs?!?!?
Um, that is what I call HOT!

Hi friends -

So I am involved in my sister's "Chubbie Club" for the next 7 1/2 weeks. It's this amazing online community/competition for weight loss. I'm not "DIEting", but I am using it as an opportunity for accountability and to reconnect in a positive way to food.

As part of my 'plan' (*would like to drop 10 pounds or so) I am food journaling for the first two weeks of the competition. (And following a 'challenge' from my sister: this week it's not eating after 7, which I've been successful with). Maybe I'll get a little cray-cray and cut out desserts or bread the last two weeks of the competition.

But guess where I'm now going to be food-journaling? Yep, here! I was doing on the Chubbie Club website, but I feel like my posts are too long, and it would be easier to just link to this page if any of the participants (there's just under 40 of us),

Besides, I know from the google-stats that this thing isn't getting a lot of page-views; so I'm not to worried about it.


YESTERDAY's LOG:

9:30 One cup mint tea (recovering from Saturday evening's madness - date night with Holden)

12:30 "green" smoothie -- which actually turned out to be more of a magenta because in addition to spinach it had 2 carrots, a dollop of greek yogurt, an orange and some frozen organic berries (blackberries and raspberries) Not my favorite but figured I better stick to whole foods for a bit.

Contemplating the vegan tomato soup for later...

By 1:30 I had only had a cup (literally 1 C) of the awful smoothie (some green smoothies are good, some are awful... this was not good). And with the boys now home from church I started into the left-overes in the fridge for an official meal:

noshing on bites of yesterday's mashed potatoes and a spoon full of guacamole as I heated up a bowl of tomato soup and shredded a little cheese on it and my potatoes. The entire meal took me about an hour to eat because Z needed attention and I kept trying to nurse her and get her to sleep sporadically.

Danny had got the chips out of the cupboard to make nachos and I was proud of myself for not stealing one bite -- or sneaking a taste of Holden's Mac-N-Cheese. (I believe that was the last box, so we won't be having it for a while.)

Dinner about 5:30 - at my in-laws

Loads and loads of roasted root veggies. FOUR cinnamon rolls that tastes like spun cotton candy...a regular roll. About 3 ounces of pork with a little 57 sauce and some gravy. Oh and for dessert she had made (from scratch) brownies. I asked for a very small one, about 3 bites (which was really about 5) with a little ice cream.

No eating after 7 pm. I did it!

*I've technically got 3 or 4 pounds of my baby-weight to lose, but I'd like to be back at prime "post-marathon" weight. I've kind of come to the realization I will never be skinny - but I can be fit. And love it!

Love-handles for Lent and other musings

Totally got a kick out of this Lent word-cloud

I found at theblueroomblog.org

Yesterday I tweeted that I was giving up my love handles for Lent. Obviously it was a joke... but the more I thought about it, the more I figured I was kind of serious. Much like with Holden, with Zoë I lost a bunch of weight fast apres delivery... then I hit a plateau. And that plateau happened to be about 8 lbs more than I weighed before I got pregnant (the difference with Zoë is that I started about 10 lbs lighter than I did with Holden). If I were a superhero, I would've been called "Super-Chubs."

Anyway, my point is, I've got some lovely love-handles... top grade. Just squishy enough for excellent muffin-topping; yet giggle-tastic so it's hours of fun for the whole family. Act now, and you can receive my front-bum at no extra charge!

I don't want to be obsessive about losing weight. I know I have plenty of milk for Zoe; so I really dont think that's going to be a problem if I ease up a bit on my caloric intake... (for some reason, there is a direct correlation to milk-prduction and my int-ake of cupcakes and cinnamon rolls. it was the same with Holden... it's like I start lactating and my internal GPS starts playing the role of Siri "I have found 12 dozen cupcakes within a 5 mile radius." Only in my case, it's a 2 foot radius because I keep baking the friggin' things.

I need an overhaul.

I'm not a horrible eater. I bake most of the "junk-food" I consume...and ironically, it's made with organic cane sugar. Ha! But I recognize that doesn't make it healthy.

I read this Louise L. Hay article about heel spurs (mine has reappeared and is ever so annoying). She advocated taking in more protein and green veggies. (Makes sense. I've been waking up lately craving green smoothies, but then end up eating... yes, cinnamon rolls, instead.)

Ms. Hay says that "metaphysically, feet symbolize direction as well as our understanding of ourselves. The heels are 'shock absorbers' for the family, both within and without. The spurs can be a deep-seated fear of the unknown and a sense of total vulnerability."

And then asks "Do you feel out of step with everyone around you?"

I wouldn't say I feel out of step with everyone around me; but I am having a bit of a time trying to figure out what/where I should be stepping. I have questions about how I'm raising Holden... the right choice for pre-school and schooling in general. I wonder if Zoë is getting the full attention she needs, and I know that Danny is constantly at the short end of that stick.

I miss working out, going for a run, and my yoga practice is definitely suffering.

Perhaps I am living the oxygen-mask analogy...neglecting myself, and thus everyone else around me suffers. The irony is that I'm not playing the martyr. I am not putting everyone else ahead of me out of selflessness. I'm just making poor eating choices and struggling with time-management.

That said, I am turning over a new leaf for Lent.

I think I'll give up desserts and processed sugar. That is one of the healthiest things I can do for myself... there by choosing into my best self, and thus being better for all those around me.

On a separate but similar note, I'm sure my husband just wishes I'd spend more time...well, I don;t really need to say it do I? I mean, my father-in-law reads this, you know.

Day 5: March Madness

The bullet points to kick off Day 5 of my week-long Vegan Raw Food challenge.

• Scale says 138.5 Is this a detox or a crash diet? That's a pound a day.
• Omar's again last night: For dessert I indulged in a raw lemon pie with strawberries. it felt sinful but it wasn't cheating.
• I have spent way too much money on food this week (like the equivalent of a month's worth; including our 'eating out' indulgence money.) It's a good thing we don't budget or I'd really be battling some guilt issues.
• My skin feels really soft.
• I just have the weekend to make it through.
• I feel pretty good - though I'm awaiting some kind of 'awakening' that I'm doubtful is going to happen: lets call it being cautiously optimist.

My favorite quotes from Danny about the challenge:

1. "No wonder deer spend their entire lives trying to find food."
2. [After eating 1/4 of a 'pizza' from Omar's and some almond hummus]: "My mouth is full--not my stomach."

In other cleansing & vibrance news:

Danny joined me for his first hot-yoga Bikram class yesterday evening. He did great for the entire 90 minutes. I was so proud of him. In eagle pose he even got his arms underneath one another, and the instructor said: "Danny you're really flexible." Which is not something my husband is used to hearing about himself at yoga classes.

The truth is I get pretty giddy and fall even more in love when him when he practices wiht me, because yoga is such a hugh part of my life. And it may be the heart-expanding raw-food talking, but isn't it awesome when we get to share the things we love with the people we love?

Adventures in Raw Foodie-ness (Chapter 1)

So it's on! Today starts my week long experiment as a vegan raw foodie. What this basically means is that I will ONLY be eating plant food that's not processed (I think the technical temperature is below 110 degrees or so.)

So here's how it's going so far:

• Had a genius idea to hit up Whole Foods and Costco (even though I do not heart Whole Foods one single bit). The 'make your own Peanut Butter machine ended up exploding all over me; and it wasn't until I got home that I realized the peanuts are probably pre-roasted (so I can't have it anyway). But at least my black sweater smelled like organic Skippy....
• I don't really want to think about how much money I've spent on produce today (a mixture of organic and conventional. If we're only eating plants I don't want to limit myself to apples, carrots and spinach!). But anyway, it makes me mad the government subsides corn and soybeans for fillers in tomato sauce and everything else... why aren't they subsidizing whole foods like apples and carrots? But I maintain, the question is NOT "Why does a organic produce cost so much more?" but why is all of that other 'food' so cheap?" I mean seriously, do you stop to think about the personal and environmental devastation that comes from eating cheap food in mass quantities? Ugh! (Oh and if not, just rent "Food, Inc" and then you'll catch a glimpse of what I'm saying.)
• Also, special thanks to my mother-in-law for lending me her juicer a year ago when I wanted to make Holden his own organic juice. I still have it and today made a batch of apple juice today. FAB-U-LOUS... and so sweet!

You may be wondering why I'm doing this?

Well, the answer is kind of three part:

1. Even though I'm not a fan of 'dieting' per se, I feel like my body needs a little 'spring cleaning.' Whereas DETOX, can come with a host of negative associations, this little experiment is a great kick-start to refocus my healthy eating choices (I have been engaging a little too much in trysts with white flour.) This is just a little kick-start to get back focused on minimally processed whole food focused lifestyle.
2. I've got a few friends that are doing it. See, there's these girls from highschool that I get together with a couple of times a month (maybe?), and a few months ago we came up with the ridiculous idea of having sex every day for 30 days straight. And so when we're together we just decide to do things like that... so thus, the raw food idea. (Though I think Danny is a little bummed the Raw-Food Challenge is not accompanied by anything directly affecting his libido.)
3. Why not?

Today's menu items included:

Breakfast:

Green Fruit Smoothie with Avocado, spinach, melon, pineapple, OJ, blueberries and a hand-full of almonds that had been soaked in water overnight (I'm going to make my own almond milk).

Lunch:

Carrots dipped in Guacomole (avocado, tomatoes, white onion and line juice); fresh mango slices, a hand-full of almonds and some apple juice.

Dinner:

We actually kicked off the raw food week with a little get together at my house. We fed the kiddos whole wheat organic pasta with parmesean and then let them entertain themselves whilst the adults indulged in raw food concoctions like "live almond hummus, with cabbage, lettuce, onions, tomatoes and parsley"; tabouli (parsley, tomatoes, red onion, mint, etc); loads of fresh veggie 'bites"; fresh guacamole; and a spiced curried seaweed roll with macadamia nut rice, avocado, tomatoes, zucchini, onions and alfafa sprouts. (The sweet curried almond sauce was AMAZING!) For dessert we noshed on a raw date, coconut and cacao "brownie" served with chilled strawberry citrus "soup."

Pictures hopefully tomorrow....

Oh and today I am weighing in at 143. I am excited for a little 'cleanse.' (HCG can suck-it.) This is way cooler.

For the Record

Saturday was my birthday (you may have already seen this on fb?), and here's what I did:

• Ran 8 miles with my husband down Millcreek Canyon; and then proceeded to chalk up another 14 after for a total of 22 FREAKING MILES! (If I am not ready for the marathon in 2 weeks, I will never be ready. So the taper begins)
• Drank a Red Bull - the second one in a week... (prior to this it had been about 8 years.)
• Ate cupcakes... seriously, way too many of them.
• Taught Holden how to sign "Beautiful flowers" because he kept admiring the ones Danny got me in honor of my big day
• Went to Salt Lake Running with Danny & Little Bits to purchase *this beauty with gift certificates from Danny's family and my grandmother in love
• Went to the swanky Metroplitan restaurant for my bday dinner and ate truffle potatoes with red wine sauce in a potato cylinder and EVERYTHING ON THIS MENU between me and Mr. Mangum
• Ate another cupcake before bed
• Went to sleep realizing I am the candidate most likely to be kicked off "The Biggest Loser" competition I enrolled in two weeks ago.

What a Perfect Day.

*Thanks to Wikky & TJ for letting me use their Garmins at Red Rock Relay last week. I am a believer!!!

Braggart

Just wanted to throw out there that tonight I made stuffed peppers for dinner and the Chile sauce included an Anaheim chili from our garden.

We also pulled beets from the garden, roasted the roots and cooked the beet greens like Swiss chard. I felt kind of cool....

And just to keep the yin in this yang, etc etc...

I ought to confess I have managed to gain back a bit of the weight I lost earlier this year. I blame summer's obligatory home made ice cream; and I keep making that damn keylime pie (I keep trying to perfect a graham cracker crust from scratch), oh and I continue my love affair with chocolate chip cookies (there's probably a few other things I ought to mention too.)

You'd think I'd be looking 'fit' as I'm training for a marathon and all, but apparently I'm not at the point where I get to eat whatever I want... I feel like that guy from Biggest Loser that gained two pounds training for the marathon last season. Jillian would be going all psychoanalysis on me trying to figure out what happened to make me hold onto this resentment (aka fat cells), and such like...



Maybe I can blame it on my father. :)

Last word - Speaking of my father...

Maybe I shared this before, but the other day my Dad told me he got online to look at my blog and thought 'Why would anyone be interested in this?'

That's a question you'll have to answer for yourself.

Hits and Misses (Another Edition)

So what's going on with the Mangums?

Hit: New door! I am normally not a fan of storm doors (they can be seriously so tacky)...

Exhibit A:
My Grandparent's storm door from 40-plus years ago,
you may be able to see that the screen has completely ripped out,
and it is far from being functional.

...but I think until we our in our dream home with knotty alder cabinets & doors, granite counter tops and bamboo flooring that this is a nice upgrade.

Plus I love the extra light we get from it (the storm door), Holden loves the view and when the main door is open, it's like one more window. If only my entire house were made of windows. I think once we paint the house dark grey I'd like a black door, or a red door - very feng shui (or so I hear).

This inside view is much improved as well. From this:

To this!
(It's even better with the door open,
I should've taken one of those shots too.)

Double Miss: In this week's episode of Misadventures in Parenting: Holden ate dirt this morning from one of my mom's potting plants; so I called poison control to make sure the phosphates and whatever junk is in potting soil didn't kill him. It appears he shall live through the day. In other culinary disasters, yesterday at the park I was watching him from 8 feet away (trying to not hover and let the child explore), when he picked up what I though was one of those bean pod dried leaves from a tree... he put it in his mouth before I realized it was 1/2 a peanut butter sandwich some kid had left on the playground! I gagged, panicked and gagged again. But Good News: my son does not seem to have a peanut allergy!

Hit: I weighed in again today and am officially below the 150 lb barrier.

Miss: I am excited about being below the 150 lb barrier. I know it seems a bit odd, to be celebrating at 149.5 lbs. But in my defense (and as I have mentioned numerous times before), I was about 155 when Danny and I started dating (thank goodness I have a man who likes THICK women)... and on my wedding day -- starved and dehydrated -- I was 143. So what is a dire situation for some, is a celebration for moi. (And yes, it's taken years of therapy to be so open about my weight.)

Hit: I feel like we ate fancy food yesterday. We are normally whole-wheat-pasta people in this house, but yesterday I attempted tortellini (from scratch) for the first time. So yes, I used white flour for the noodles...I thought the leftover butternut squash soup would make a great base for a sauce, and it turned out to be quite tasty. Danny was bummed I gave the leftovers to my sister. To complement our fancy feast (not in the cat food sense of the word), but I took the leftover green beans (chilled), added a little feta cheese, crushed almonds and a quick garlic balsamic dressing for our salad and just cooked up some spinich. I did spend a little longer on dinner than I normally would, but it was worth it. Too lazy to download the pictures right now, but I'll post eventually.

Kinda Seriously Bummed (or not)

8:30 am
So, the scale was not my friend this morning... it said I had gained 1/2 a pound. (Heavy Sigh.) Sometimes that happens. But I was actually kind of excited to 'weigh in' because I sneaked-a-peak mid-week and the scale said 152. So I was pretty confident I had lost a couple of pounds. Oh well...over all, I'm still feeling ok about this journey.

I feel healthier, happier.
The planet is reaping the rewards, right?
My clothes fit better.
Danny says I'm 'wasting away' ... bless his soul, I married a good man.
And even my brother-in-law mentioned I looked like I had lost weight.

But the most important thing is that how I shop, cook and approach food overall is changing... and so I have to remind myself that is more important than 1/2 a pound.

(Reminding myself, reminding myself... hope it soaks in.)

12-something pm
Stupid dumb OCD-like tendencies. Had to weigh myself again...(just in case.) And HUZZAH! The scale said 152.5. Apparently water weight really does make a difference.

And yet few hours later...
I give up! I was convinced it would say 154 again, nope... dropped another pound. 151.5?!?? Maybe my scale's is protesting because I am bothering it too much. Aren't you supposed to be heavier in the afternoon than the morning? This is exactly the type of behavior I was trying to avoid. (Heavier sigh.)

Moving On
In other news, I tried barefoot running today (as part of my workout). Just a mile, that's all...on a treadmill. No shoes. Just socks. Cassandra thought I was crazy. But I think it might be the answer to the bone spur in my left heel AND my arthritic knee (at only 32! So sad!)

To get me inspired for my barefoot running adventures, I also tried to check out this book from the Library:
Must be a pretty great book. There's a 4-week wait at County library system, AND the City Library has 20 copies, but expects about the same wait time too.

Anyone checked it out? (Sure, pun intended.)

Spencer D. is right: I need a Kindle.


Phblog
Small bowl oatmeal with strawberries and whole milk. Apple, cheese, baked sweet potato, handful black olives, avocado, blanched carrots & broccoli, tapenade (I made from black olive, artichokes, EVOO dash of salt & ground pepper, about a tablespoon of onion in the food processor for deliciousness!) Home made Cheese (old standard) and Greek pizzas (new creation for us) for dinner. The Greek variety I made with Whole wheat (home made) crust - my tapenade, feta cheese, diced fresh tomatoes, grilled onions and fresh spinach.
I shouldn't have done this, but at 9 pm the cale says 152. I think I'm safe in saying I lost a couple of pounds this week.

Sameness is the New Black

Before we get started, a couple of pictures from the St. George Trip:




OK...

The SCALE, weighs the WHALE, and it's HEL....(ping)
So I weighed in this morning... still 154. I say staying the same is a blessing/miracle(?) considering the road trip, and the 'food-like' products I ate at the Coral Canyon cafe Sunday. Forget the cupcakes...That 'turkey' wouldn't have even made the Oscar Mayer cut, and the veggies tasted like they had been shipped from the other side of the world...

When is a tomato not actually a tomato, you know?

Just Say No To Eating Things with a Face (unless it 'swims')
So the more I think about it, the more I am excited about my meat-free extravaganza (giving up things that walk for Lent). My friend Mel suggested I just stick to fish on the Maui trip, but I think I'll tweak my 'under the sea' clause to be more about eating sustainable and eco friendly varieties of the water dwellers.

Which leads me to another point -- there seems to be a little confusion out there about my foodstuff 'tweaks.' Remember how I said I am NOT on a DIET? Seriously. I am not at all interested in low-fat, low-calorie, calorie counting or processed wonder foods. I am eating for the sustainability of the planet...
(imagine me standing on a soap box now, with real patriotic music playing in the background so you get all emotional and moved)....
...To reduce my carbon footprint! To offer reverence to God's creation and the bounty of the land! To teach my child healthy eating habits and keep HFCS and chicken 'nuggets' out of his system for as long as possible!

Though yes, I'm thrilled that I'm able to lose weight and find some semblance of my former body in the process. Obviously I need to lose weight. But if I make that the focus, it won't be a lifestyle change/d... it will just help me get into a swimsuit (fabulous, yes. Noble? Not so much.)

Besides, I am much better about doing things for a cause, than just because I'll end up looking hotter: After Dub-ya declared war on/in Iraq, I started biking to work a few times a week. Not because I suddenly developed the much coveted 'exercise addiction' disease, but because I was worried about the political implications of oil, etc and my role by driving my car too much. (At the time I was convinced the Iraqi invasion was about oil, instead of say "W" getting back at Saddam for George Sr's sake and/or just the fact that Cheney's a psychopathic war-lord.)

PS. Just asked my husband if it was an understatement to say that about Cheney... he laughed. I don't know if that's a yes or a no?

The Dish on the Fish
So back to the whole fish thing: It is not exactly something I crave... "I'm a social salmon eater" mostly. It smells... well, fishy, you know?

Like at a wedding dinner, if the choice is steak or fish, I'll have the salmon. If the choice is steak or halibut, I'll stick to the baked potato. Really, I don't even like it that much, but the health benefits cannot be denied so yes, my guideline for eating the water dwellers is going to be environmental impact: the Monterey Bay Aquarium has great info (I used to carry their pocket guide in my purse as a quick reference guide in case of a surprise trip to Market Street.)

Maybe I'll partake in Hawaii...maybe not. But it looks like I'll be ok with Clam Chowder Fridays because pretty much all varieties are either marked "Best Choice" or "Good Alternative" by the aquarium. Phew. ;)

Seriously, we are going to save so much money NOT buying animals this month! (I'm sure Danny will load up at lunch and when we eat at our parents.) Just another little green money saving tip in case you're interested.

The Evening's Fare
We're off to a great start, tonight's dinner:

• More spinach salad: this one with apples, almonds, avocado, tomato, strawberries and a sprinkle of Parmesan with my red wine vinaigrette
• More stuffed peppers: Danny likes onions and peppers, and peppers can be stuffed with just about anything, so I enjoy making them. Tonight's fare included yellow and orange bell peppers filled with carrots, onions, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes and an organic Harvest Medley of whole grain rice (CalMati Brown rice, Wild Rice, Sweet Brown Rice, Heirloom Red Rice). Picked up the rice medley at Costco for a steal!
• Some "easy" rosemary whole grain flatbread from Bittman's "Food Matters" that did not turn out how I thought it was going to... so much for 'easy' right? I will keep practicing this one. The flavor was fine, but the presentation left a little to be desired.

I know we eat a lot of spinach...I'm stoked about growing my own in our garden this summer. In the meantime, we pick up the organic variety in bulk from Costco (not that organic is everything. I have been chastised by Bittman and Pollan about this point... hopefully more on that another day.) But the spinach thing...it's like the wonder food. Bittman says that Spinach has more than twice as much protein per calorie as a cheesburger?

Breakfast: Whole grain oatmeal and a few slices of grapefruit. Fresh squeezed OJ
Lunch: small (lame) salad that was left over from Papa Johns in Saint George - a few olives, wilted lettuce, tomatoes and some moz cheese...but my homemade red wine vinegar dressing made it palatable
Snack: 4 delicious bites of homemade mint brownie; noshed on veggies as I made stuffed peppers for dinner, clementines to share with Holden, and more popcorn with a drizzle of olive oil and kosher salt.
Dinner: I already told you about it up there. Sheesh!

Holden's been tagged?!?! (Food, etc)

OK, not really, but at his party on Monday night the 'game' we played was to fill out a questionnaire and the winners got this:

I gave away all of our copies, but if you'd like to try your hand at Holden knowledge you can play along at home (or email me ssuitemangum@gmail.com) and I will add your creative replies to the collection (I'm saving the answers because some of the responses are downright cheeky.)

• How much did Holden weigh at birth?
  
• What is Holden’s favorite Hindu God/Goddess?
• What is Holden’s favorite Sesame Street character?
• What is the color of Holden’s favorite lovey?
• Holden pushes a lot of things around the house, but what is his favorite thing to “walk” with?
• What was Holden’s first word?
• What else can Holden say?
• How old was Holden the first time he rolled over?
• How old was Holden when he started using the potty?
• According to the Mangum scale, how much does Holden currently weigh?
• Where was the first destination that Holden flew to?
• How old was he the first time he flew?
• What other cities has Holden traveled to via airplane?
• Holden spends plenty of time in his parent’s bed, but where does he sleep most of the time?
• What does Holden like to do at Discovery Gateway (the Children’s Museum?)
• Every night before bed, Holden hears two books – what are they?
• Holden is a great little yogi. What are some of the poses he can do?
• What are some of Holden’s favorite foods?
• What color is Holden’s favorite toothbrush?
• What is your favorite ‘trick’ that Holden can do?

Oh, and I'll post the real answers later.

In other news... I feel like I've been hungry since Monday morning:

"I feel like such a heifer--I had two bowls of Special K, three pieces of turkey bacon, a handful of popcorn, five peanut butter M&M's, and like three pieces of licorice."
-Cher form Cluless

OK, it's not that drastic. I really think I'd rather be hungry than over-full; which is how I usually am. I think it's just from not really eating treats yesterday...a lack of processed sugar can be such a downer.

As part of my experiment, I thought I would post a before picture.

Also, have you ever thought about how difficult it is to eat at the table when you're a mom? I mean, I didn't do it much single.. (well, I ate out at least once a day so I don't really think that counts.) But it is really hard not to just stand and grab a snack here, or nibble there...

But one of Michael Pollan's rules for eating is to 'eat at the table.' So I'm working on it... also, what's up with my trading one obsession for the next...first it was natural birthing, then breastfeedig, then pumping (down to once a day!)... NOW it's food? Oh brother, where is the balance, the sense of moderation?

Well, I guess I'll have to work on it... (just like everything else in my life.)

But while this is my focus, I might as well share... I mean, nobody's making you read this, eh?

So my friend Amy (I've mentioned her before)... I swear we're on the same wave-length or something, because I wanted to post the 'rules' Pollan outlines from "In Defense of Food"... but Mizz Naptime Nostalgia shared the 64 points from his "Food Rules." (Clicking on the link should get you to the posts fairly easily.) She's outlined in three sections, and honestly, it's worth a read if you haven't checked out Pollan's stuff before...There's a reason he has a cult-like following that's growing more mainstream every day.

PS. Anyone else perturbed with Biggest Loser endorsing Yoplait Smoothies? I came home from yoga last night to find Bob telling contestants it was a good idea?!?!? Last time I checked the ingredients included High Fructose Corn Syrup. Really? I mean, I know General Mills is a sponsor, but come on!

In other news, I totally H.E.A.R.T. Yoplait yogurt...We've been buying Nancy's Organic for Holden, and I miss the good stuff... bad stuff? You know what I mean.

I'm going to go make a smoothie for an afternoon snack...with Nancy's sans HFCS.





My Food Log (updated 9:35 pm)
Wondering why I keep posting this?

Breakfast:
Potatoes & onions with chili sauce (there is a lot of sugar in chili sauce. Maybe I should've had the cheese instead.)

Snack/s:
A carrot, a few orange slices, an apple, a few slices of cheese and a few olives

Lunch at Mama Suites:
(Here we go) 2 flaxseed/apple muffins, 1/2 an avocado, a few bites of carrots and potatoes from the stew Holden was eating (mmm, stew.) 2 pieces "special occasion" sourdough bread... too bad it wasn't a special occasion, eh?

What sounded good:

• those friggin' sugar cookies
• about 5 more muffins
• Yoplait yogurt...obviously.

Dinner at Spaghetti Factory with the ladies...
Not my best effort - dinner salad with croutons, ranch and Italian dressing, spinich tortellini with marinara and WAAAAAY to much white bread with butter. OK yes, there are a LOT of simple sugars/carbs in this meal... but I really think my biggest problem was my portion size. I should've done as Pollan says and 'listen to (my) gut."

Oh well, at least I made it another day with out a treat.

And I ought to mention my little sister pointed out yesterday I didn;t mention any snacks and was that because I was lying about them... I didn;t really have any snacks (I recalled I took a lick of Holden's applesauce yesterday and started eating that wheat pizza at his doctors appt and then finished up lunch here with salad... so thank you for keeping me honest Cicely.

Your Day (and my caloric intake)

Happy Birthday Bud,
I hope you enjoyed yourself today (and tonight). We're tried to make it special for you (pictures to come later).

Just wanted to reflect a little on where we were a year ago... We had been through a long 24 hours together (well, actually 10 months...but you know what I mean.)

And looking at the clock, by this time at night we were finally together...I held you, and tried to get you to nurse (you weren't real interested.) You drifted in and out of sleep; and so finally Daddy and I tried to get some sleep too.

It was ridiculous.

Your father would jump up every time you'd make ANY baby noise. So by the time I would finally drift off..after listening to you and helping you settle down... your dad would wake me up every time you made a sound. (He was not invited to room in with us the next night, eh?)

Just a few notes on your milestones this past month, and then we'll call it a day:

• You started playing the drums
• You can help put the blocks away after we play the knock them over game
• You have eaten pizza (home made with wheat crust, etc...but pizza, nonetheless)
• You sit in the bath tub and then lean to the most juicy forward fold AND try and drink the water from the tub
• Yes, you have walked... form the living to the kitchen just yesterday (but you prefer crawling or pushing things to make your way around)
• You are an excellent communicator -- especially when it comes to 'pointing' to what you want
• Potty time is still going well
• And you push your toilet EVERYWHERE
• You can say Mama, Dada, Yeah, Obama, Oh and OM...
• You've slept through the night a few times (10 hrs or more!), but you still crawl out of your big boy bed around 6 am to come and join Mommy and Daddy in our room and our family bed.
  

A few pictures added to the Facebook collection. Check out the updates here.

Love you Little Bits... sleep tight.

****

And the moment you've all been waiting for (just kidding). But I did write down everything I ate today... and if today's 'menu' is a precursor to what the rest of moth will be like, I could stand to do very well (I'm just so friggin' embarrassed about telling you what I eat!)

Here's what I wanted to eat:

• Banana pancakes with butter and whipped cream for breakfast
• Cake samples at Granite Bakery when I picked up the sugar cookies (party favors for Holden's soiree)
  
• Sugar cookies
• Cupcakes... and cream cheese frosting
  
• Chicken sandwich and some fries from crown burgers
• Papa John's pizza from Holden's bday party
• Sugar cookies
• Suagr cookies
• More Sugar cookies
• Some salad
• CHocolate chip cookies
• A cupcake with a side of sugar cookie
• 5 more slices of pizza

But like I said, I was too embarrassed about telling you all (and too lazy to write it down). So my day went more like this:

• clementine for breakfast
• 5 'tastes' of frosting because I forgot I would have to write it down while I was frosting the cupcakes
• (turned down the cake samples at granite and picked up the sugar cookies... did not indulge all day long!)
• banana (shared with Holden)
• another clementine (don't you just love those 'cuties?')
  
• some crisp red peppers & tomato as I was making a salad for the party
  
• The other half of Holden's corn bread muffin
• 2 glasses of milk
• Salad w/ blueberries, walnuts, feta, apples, grapes and poppy seed dressing
• a sugar cookie (finally!)

Considering my house was filled with baked treats ALL day (and most of them I made), I'm actually feeling pretty good about things. If I could apply the 'just one cookie' rule, instead of eating 3 (or more!) every time I'm around sweets, I would be a new woman. Thanks for beginning the journey with me.

Oh, and I know I said I was just posting work-outs at the end of the week, but Holden and I did the Jillan Michaels 30-day shred today (good call Shaunts & Katie). Yogi's like work-out videos too. ;)

My teeth hurt I'm so tired. G'nite.

Low Carb = Low Energy (and other confessions)

Hey world, nice to see you again.  I'm going to have to go ahead and throw out there that this post is not going to edited until later because I am so friggin tired if I have to copy and paste this info from a word doc, those few seconds might lead to me falling asleep on this couch... and despite that my husband was snoring pretty bad last night (first time in weeks, actually)... well, I really do love sharing a bed with that man.

OK, so time for some confession, because I'm an edgy Mormon, not a catholic... so instead of confessing my sins to a priest, I just post them out to cyberspace.  (That is the nice thing about being LDS, you really only have to trouble clergy with the big things.) 

Here's my truths:

• I am on day five of eating no bread - no desserts (somewhat low-carb, because I only eat pasta if it's a whole grain wheat variety... thank you Cassandra).  I thought I'd be thinner. Like I went shopping at Anthropologie (sp?) this afternoon for a dress for my date tomorrow night, and I seriously thought that the size-10 dresses I was trying on should've been entirely baggy... they weren't.  In fact, they fit fine. (PS. I still maintain I AM NOT DIETING.  This is more like a detox... I totally swore of diets for 2008. Maybe I should get back on "the secret"... I lost like 5 lbs doing that thing.)

• One time I paid Village CLeaners $65 to do our washing... not our dry cleaning, just like 8 loads of laundry... they wash and fold it and charge you by the pound.  I have to be honest, it was one of the most bloody brilliant decisions I've ever made.  Like, if I'm ever in a crunch like that again (which I really shouldn't be since there are 2 washing machines and two dryers at our place), well, I will totally use them again... Great trick moms!!!

• Also, I am at a portly 160 pounds.  Why do I share this?  Because at a 5'5' (ok, 5'6" if I round up to the nearest half inch), someone ought to hold me responsible for the fact that if I get into swimsuit in this condition when we head to Hawaii this summer, I can just see the mermen yelling"harpoon it!"  I don't need a plastic surgeon for a tummy tuck, I need a Flenser.

• Speaking of fat chicks making out....Danny and I have "date night" scheduled for tomorrow... we're headed to Upstate Utah  for dinner and then we're staying at MooseHollow Condos.  Uber fab... While we haven't officially removed the protection from the goalie, I imagine we'll do some practicing for "procreate in 2008." I know we're already well into 1Q, but I think we've got plenty of time. 

Well, the darling husband has already made his way to bed, so I think I will join him.  I'm taking a "comp" day from work tomorrow -- you know since I worked a Saturday and all... so tomorrow is a glorious day of yoga, and then hair and makeup at the salon... tres chic... 

I am going to have them get me all dolled up like a mormon variety of Kim Kardasian (with shorter hair, and smaller boobs)... though I think we share a similar back side. ;)

Hopefully Danny and I will have some pics to post.

g'nite.

ssm

Wed Night...might as well.

I look so happy! This is from the engagment days... So, enough reflecting on the good ole days...I am officially “overweight.” My doctor said that normal BMI is like 20-25 or something… I’m 26.2 or something. She said it’s nothing to lose sleep over; but let’s face it, it’s definitely something to lose BLUBBER over!

My friend Ashley Anderson (she has a new last name, but I can’t remember it,); anyway, she used to call people “Fat Heads.” Well, I’m not so much worried about my head as I am my front-bum.

But operation, “Dumbo-drop-the-fat-ace” is now in full effect… Seriously, I had to buy designer fat-jeans from Smith’s Marketplace because I was muffin-topping so bad in both pairs of my True Religions that I feared my oxygen levels were seriously depleted, and I didn’t want my blood test to come back all freakish from lack of O2 to my brain… let’s be honest, I lose any more…well, I just really can’t afford to lose anymore (brain cells, obviously... I can afford to lose fat cells).

**I interrupt this post to bring you the Featured pictures of the night**

More from our "engagement pics back in '06"

**We return you to your regularly scheduled blog**

Some things I’m thinking about tonight from my grandma’s basement:

· I smelled the inside of one of my grandpa’s old “Kipling” hardback books. It smelled like the inside of the Eastwood Elementary school library. Beautiful.

· I remember when Mona, the Swedish foreign exchange student who lived with us in 1981 or so... well, I remember when we all lived in this house. She lived in the room Danny and I now call home. My grandparents were serving a mission in Crow Agency in Montana. Apparently my mom taught her to shave her armpits. Man, a little service goes a long way.

· My husband made fajitas tonight for dinner. They were good, but more importantly, how cool that I have a husband that will cook dinner, eh?

· Yes, I say I bought designer “fat jeans” from Smith’s. The thing is, they’re not really designer… I mean, they were “designed” by someone; but not anyone that would warrant disclosure to the masses.

See, I’ve tried on pretty much every brand of designer jeans you think of… Lindsay Elizabeth Morgan can attest to this… We were shopping at Nordies a few years ago, and the darling (size 2)sales lady had me try on 15-20 pairs of designer jeans… I finally bought a pair, but I have to say that they didn’t make my back side look any different than these $32.99 pair of “Delux” jeans complements of the Marketplace on 33rd south… And I can breathe in these; which is actually a concept I have not yet found in couture.

· I miss my grandma… I really hope we get to buy this place. I love it here. I love the area. I love being close to family.

Good night and good luck.

I'll end with a couple of videos of the Cinci trip...
ssm


This one is Tatum on her bike in her Cinci Apt.

Maxiburger at the Aquarium

This is pretty bad...

OK, so remember before I cut my hair and I told you I was going to post the footage from "the night before the cut?"

Well, I've got it... I finally found a way to load it. And man, it makes me nervous watching it.

#1 Because I am a freak

#2 Because I've got a freakish amount of hair (no wonder Danny wanted me to cut it)

#3 BEcause I'm a freak with freakishly long hair

The good news is, now apparently, I'm just a freak with a bob, so that's the good news.

No but seriously, this is the video we took before we chopped it all off and gave it to locks of love. I was sitting on our bed, no make up, in a knock-off Juicy Couture jump Suit (sooo 4 years ago, I know)... anyway, our house was a disaster (what's new?), and I suddenly felt the urge to whip my hair around like some sort of Victoria's Secret model (except this footage makes me look more like a plus size model for JC Penny or something... a freaky JC Penny's model.)

Self deprecation is so hot right now. Cheers! ssm

PS. I saw Juno for the 4th time in theaters tonight. It's pretty much my favourite movie from any of the Y2k varieties (except maybe Garden State.) It's like Gilmore Girls has suddenly returned, but instead Alexis Bledel is suddenly a 16 yr old Ellen Page... charmed I'm sure.

I've officially gained 20 lbs since my wedding day... Does this blog make my butt look bigger?

And can anyone answer this question that is out in the blogosphere: when someone posts a comment on my blog, where is the appropriate place to respond to them... I mean, is it in the comments? Is it on their blog? Is it on my blog in an entry? I mean, where's the "Roberts Rules of Order" or whatever the L it's called for proper blog chatting?

And don't even get me started on facebook... I can't keep up with that to save my life...

Tuesdays with Sabrena -- Part II; Because I couldn't think of a catchier title

Picture of the Day. . . me and my Tatum at the reflection pond at El Tempo. Just as a side note, when I asked her and her little brother Max what they liked better. . . the temple or Costco? Good News, they both responded the temple. :)

Random Thoughts I probably shouldn't share with the masses:

* My feet have smelled a lot like apple cidear vinegar lately

* I really enjoy my job (that's a weird thing to say, right?) Seriously, I kicked-ace and took names at my meeting today. . . I shouldn't brag, but it felt great to be so prepared!

* Sometimes I wonder if I'm a figment of someone else's imagination

* I've already started listening to Christmas Music in my car (and I sang Christmas Carols to Danny Sunday night in bed)

* There's this girl in my Monday yoga class that I "compete" with in my head. Like who has the lowest Warrior I or who does the most chatarunga (I know I spelled that wrong). Anyway, that COMPLETELY defeats the purpose of yoga . . . I need to "stay on my mat"

*I taped the number "135" on my scale in the bathroom, because I was tired of seeing 150+ pounds on the scale (this has actually done wonders for my self esteem too!)

Have an uber fabulous Tuesday.
For Halloween I think I'll dress up as someone who's mentally sound... costume ideas?

P.S. And a special hello to my friends in cyber-space from Parsons...I'm sending you fabulous little law ladies an extra dose of Suite-Chi. ;) Danny says you're out there, but there's no way to really know . . .