on a mission update

...130.8
woo hoo!  after almost two weeks of what i like to call "being good" (which consists of eating healthier foods and less junk)...along with working out...i am so happy with the update.  i have lost almost 2 pounds and am feeling stronger already.  i am realistic in that i may only lose 1 pound a week...and i am ok with that!  it isn't so much the weight for me (although i'd be lying if i said i wasn't watching it closely) as it is being able to fit into certain clothes.  it can be addicting too..once you see the scale start to decrease in number (even if it is only by 1 or 2 pounds) you get motivated.  i always remind myself that i don't want to gain those 2 pounds back that i worked hard to lose...it usually helps to talk myself out of it.  i apparently am my own trainer...i usually talk to myself why i work out too...like, "you can do it" "come on, don't give up"  mark laughs at me...oh, speaking of...he got the stomach flu and lost almost 10 pounds in about 2 days...well, lucky for him.  he still hasn't put it back on...a big fat WHATEVER!!!!  i am thankful that the flu pretty much skipped me and the girls (thank you, lord).

oh, what am i doing?  is that what you ask??? 
workouts:  about 4 to 5 times a week, consisting of strength training (jillian michaels video) about 3 to 4 times a week and running 1 to 2 times a week.
eating:  typical day of eating for me consists of

• breakfast:  oatmeal, coffee, and water
• snack:  apple (with a bit of cinnamon sprinkled for extra goodness)
• lunch:  yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit, about 5 crackers, carrots/celery, sometimes a fruit
• snack:  granola bar
• dinner:  small portions of whatever i happen to fix for the fam that night (always a veggie)
• snack:  sometimes at night i'll have popcorn and some hot tea

**cheating:  well, i usually allow myself a small treat a day.  this may be a bite size snickers or small cookie or something...sometimes i don't just because i know i've done well that day and don't want to blow it.  other times i just do it and tell myself not to feel bad! :)

love one another

"beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.  he that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love." i john 4:7-8

we are working on LOVE during the month of february.  so each time the girls show some sort of love to each other or to someone else, they get a heart on the chart.  at the end of the day they get candy hearts for them.  workin' like a charm!

THIS =

THIS

valentine's day math for kids

i stumbled upon this fabulous game for toddlers and pre-k kids to play on pinterest (my guilty pleasure).  i believe THIS is a link to the activity if you want to look it up (hers is of course much better...laminated and all).  they get to practice their math...i suppose you could do it with capital and lower case letters too.  that will be next week, perhaps.  not sure the kids even know they are doing "school work."  :)

ON.A.MISSION

so i just finished 2 girls scout thin mints and a bowl full of chips and salsa (that was my lunch)! 
that's a horrible way to start this post....what i really want to say is that i want to be back on track...back on the wagon, whatever it is called...i am committing to being more healthy with eating and exercising (no, i did not make a new year's resolution, otherwise i would have already failed miserably). 

it really all started about a year and a half ago...i joined a "biggest loser" contest at work.  key word: "contest."  if there is a chance to win something, i'm in!  i am a very competitive person.  well, and also, there was a monetary reward involved.  money and the ability to win...err lose, i mean-count me in!  i committed and actually found sweet success (no pun intended).  i lost about 14 pounds (which was a bit more than my goal and a true surprise that i had it in me to do so)...i also built up some serious muscle i didn't know i had (thanks to strength training mixed with cardio).  i felt great, could wear my pre-baby clothes i hadn't worn for about 6 or 7 years.  what more could i want?  well, sometimes good things come to an end.  the weight slowly started back...but just by about 5 pounds, i was still feeling pretty good.  however, i got sick for over a month and then december hit...two terrible things to have back to back.  i think i actually ate my weight in fudge over the month of december (probably ate more than i made).  i kept saying i'll worry about it in january and just enjoy all that the holidays have to offer...well, i enjoyed it about 5 pounds worth, too...argh!!! 

so, here it is february 4th and i am ready to get back to it; tired of pants not fitting as they did.  i thought i'd try to log in with progress at least once a week, in hopes maybe it might give me some accountability.  i know there are probably like only 2 people that read this blog (on a good day), but just the possibility that someone might look at this particular post and wonder how my progress is going will hopefully keep me going.  on those days when i don't want to wake up at 4:50 to work out before i go to work, i'll think of that random blog reader from norway that stumbled upon my blog and wonders if i am really keeping my word...:) 

weight as of this morning...132...goal weight...122-125...7 to 10 pounds!  i am realistic about it though.  if i don't make my goal weight but fit into a few certain pairs of pants comfortably (and don't carry that spare tire around my waist, hanging over those pants-was that TMI????), i'll be satisfied!  the main thing is to feel comfortable in what i wear and know that i am trying to set an example of healthy living for my girls and to look good for my hubby!  it doesn't hurt that he recently stepped on the scale and was unhappy and decided to try and lose a few pounds.  i am sure he'll be at his goal weight (if he even has one) in like 2 weeks...man, i hate the way men can lose weight!  not to mention the fact that he really doesn't need to "lose" weight!   the way i figure it, accountability in the house isn't such a bad thing-unless i really want that girl scout cookie and he "reminds" me of my mission...whatever...not like that has happened or anything...so, raise that cookie (which of course you will be throwing away after this post) to winning...err, losing! 
p.s. did you think you would be seeing a before pic in this post...dream on!  never!  forget about it...

just singin' in the rain

there is nothing like a rainy day here in southern california-we don't get many of them, so we try to enjoy them.  as a kid, my brother and i used to play in the rain all the time-racing homemade sail boats in the gutter down the street (this is before the storm drain was installed at the end of our street and it used to flood anytime we had rain-ah, good times!).  so, trying to follow suit (and rid my girls of some of their incredible energy) i took them for a walk.  unfortunately, it had just stopped raining, but the gutters were full of rain water, so, i let the girls splash around until their little hearts were content.  of course, afterward, i doused them in antibacterial lotion...just kidding, but i did give them a nice warm bath, while i washed their dirty clothes...oh the fun!  rain, rain, don't go away...we still want to walk with our barellas (that's umbrellas in smith kid language).

slow cooker soup

one of the reasons i LOVE costco, trader joe's, and fresh-n-easy is the free samples.  tell me i am not alone in that...anyway, while cruising TJ, the girls were begging me to go see if they had treats.  low and behold, they did, (because they rock and know how how to make a mom's day)!  unfortunately, i don't think the girls were too terribly excited.  it was a soup.  i totally fell for it, hook, line, and sinker...and bought the stuff to make for dinner.  it is delicious and i can't wait...it is slow cookin' as i type!
ingredients:
tomato soup (i had the tomato and roasted red pepper kind)
a bad of chimichanga (i think that was the name of it) rice with vegetables
kilbasa (have no idea how to spell that) sausage (i didn't want to splurge for it, so i threw in some meatballs i found in the freezer this morning)
**to garnish the soup at TJ they cut up some flat bread and topped with the pieces.  i have some home made bread from a friend at work, so i'll try that!

throw all of it in the slow cooker on low until it is hot (all items are precooked)...and enjoy!

whale watching

our neighbors gave us some free tickets to go whale watching from redondo beach.  it was a beautiful, brisk day in january and we were all set to see some whales-this migration season has been phenomenal so far and we had high hopes.  we started off by seeing some sea lions basking in the sun.  we all thought that was cool.  i know these creatures live in the vast ocean, but it is still trippy to actually see them.  we moved around to various parts of the ocean and still saw nothing.  about an hour and a half into the journey we spotted our first whale.  it was amazing to see up close.  then, on the other side of the boat we saw another one.  it was perfect, as if they were taking turns for us.  we watched for about an1/2 hour and then had to return.  on the return ride the captain spotted a bunch of dolphins...they were splashing around...as we got closer we noticed there were about 1,000 of them, at least.  i am NOT kidding!!  we coasted right in the middle of them-i had little boo and mark had miss BIG.  we were ALL amazed.  i was so happy the girls were able to see some of God's creation (and happy i was too)! 

the sea lions basking...

some of richard simmon's friends eating granola bars...just love the hats on the girls!

all the splashing are dolphins playing in the water (you can even see some underneath the water).  this was only a fraction of what we saw.  i was in much amazement and forgot to take the camera out in time. 

carlsbad vacay

mark's parents invited us to join them in carlsbad for a week.  i had to work a few of the days, so we stayed a few days, then i worked for a few and rejoined them for the weekend...what a fun trip.  the girls got to go on their first train ride to old town san diego, we went to lawrence welk resort for a day (gorgeous weather that day).  mark and i got some good R-and-R time, too.  LOVED the gym, the food, all of it!  the place was right across the street from the beach-the most beautiful view from the balcany.  you could even hear the waves crashing from the living room.  one day, while taking a walk at the beach, we even spotted several migrating whales.  way cool!  thanks, g'pa and g'ma smith!

bad pic, but this is the view from our balcany..that is the sun setting over the ocean in the background-beeeeautiful

naptime...the girls shared a twin bed, er matress, on the ground...they were so cute!

 the water slide at lawrence welk!  mark and jill went, but i did not like the very frigid water.  mark tried to get miss BIG to go on it about a million times...she'd walk up to the top, stare at it, and then decide not to go and walk back down the stares.  it was so cute-mark tried to bribe her with ice cream, but still didn't work.  little boo, on the other hand, was so hoping to be tall enough-she wasn't.  she is currently eating vegetables with the sole purpose of growing bigger before we go back next summer.

this is the girls on the train...they were so excited...or so i hear...

i was bringin' home the bacon and missed it!

raising girls

this is one of the reasons mark LOVES having girls

notice miss B-I-G is scratching his leg and little boo is scratching his back...i think he was even watching the lakers.  life is good with girls!  i'm sure i was in the kitchen making a fabulous meal...:)

christmas 2011

what a great day to celebrate the birth of our lord and savior.  started with opening presents, playing in the front yard with mark's the girls' new remote control car (ha ha), breakfast, and then off to church!  so much fun to watch the girls open their presents.

just LOVE the fake long hair...

this is little boo wearing her new jacket from g'ma and g'pa smith, her fake hair (dad picked that one out), and new camera...i just love looking at this picture...it makes me laugh so hard!

playing with the new remote control car...who do you think is having more fun with it?

the new "princess" dress

umm...apparently we do not have any good pics of miss B-I-G...they were all blurry!  sorry, babe!

christmas decorations

christmas is my second favorite time to decorate the house (behind fall).  

the pictures are bad (took them at night-oops), but here is a glimpse into our decorations. 

the nativity scene 

(i heart the wise men sign-found a great one online, but they wanted 

$5 for the pdf file...decided to just make one myself).  i put one of those push lights in the nativity scene, it fell, so it doesn't light up very well..boo hoo)

the wall that i can change out for the seasons.  those are turquoise blue ball ornaments in a glass container on the table.  surrounding it are scrap pieces cut from the bottom of the christmas tree.

 addison's snowman art

 these are just snowflake tree ornaments hung from a frame with no glass in it.

the christmas tree...this is the top of it.  

i went for the silver and light blue look, with mostly ball ornaments and a light blue ribbon woven around.  i also added some starfish in it to give it a beachy feel...

nice little saving tip:  we bought the 5-6 foot tree for $20 and placed it on a stepping stool to raise it about a foot...i put some green burlap and a tree skirt at the bottom and the girls decorated with some of their dolls and stuffed animals.  anyway, it saved us $10 on the tree and it looks great.

the mantle

i wanted to go for the natural look, so i used twig balls, white lights, white candles with twine, and some white/gold/silver sprigs of eucalyptus (plastic ones from michaels). 

and the stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

 to hang the stockings i used the removable hooks from 3M and bought these little frames at michaels last year-put each family member's picture in one.  

sad this year not putting kona's stocking up-RIP :(

 the advent calendar

these are made from envelopes cut in half.  each has a number on it that corresponds to the dates in december.  the envelopes are filled with a couple of verses telling the story of jesus' birth (taken from luke 2), along with an activity for the family (read a story, color a picutre, watch a christmas movie, etc).  i blogged about it last year, but i can't find it right now

merry christmas!

christmas treats

the girls and i were home sick on sunday, so i decided to get some baking in 

(promise i didn't cough onto any of these goodies).  

PEPPERMINT BARK

(unfortunately, i didn't get an after picture before i bagged it up to give away.

it was delicious...though, take my word for it!)

step 1:  melt 2 cups of milk chocolate chips and spread on parchment paper on a flat service (cookie tray works well).  place in the fridge for 20 minutes.

 step 2:  let ladybug daughter lick the spoon before cleaning it

 step 3:  use about 10-12 big size or 24 small size candy canes-place in ziplock bag and hammer to break apart (easy enough for a ladybug to do).

CHOCOLATE FUDGE

 step 1:  grease an 8x8 pan with butter or non-stick cooking spray 

step 2:  melt 2 cups of chocolate chips and 1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk.  stir constantly until melted and smooth.  then add 1 tsp of vanilla and continue to stir until mixed.  spread in the pan and place in the fridge for about an hour (or until it is solid).  potentially makes about 64 small pieces.  yummy!

 PUMPKIN CRANBERRY BREAD

this is a delicious and easy treat.  perfect for the holidays with a cup o' joe!

preset oven to 350 degrees

in a small bowl combine the following by mixing well:

2 cups of sugar

1 cup of pumpkin

1/2 cup of oil

2 slightly beaten eggs

in another bowl combine:

2 1/4 cups of flour

1/2 tsp of salt

1 tsp of pumpkin spice

1 tsp of baking soda

create a well in the dry bowl and pour the wet mix into the dry mix and combine.

add 1 cup of cranberries (cut in half).

pour into 2 loaf pans or 4 mini loaf pans

bake for 1 hour.

**i like to sprinkle a little sugar on top before i put it in the oven