Mumbo Jumbo

The toughest part of forcing myself to sit here and hit the keys is where to start. There's so much to cover, hmmmm. I'll start with the most obvious (and easiest)...my EB.

Well we're at the half way mark to hitting "the terrible two's" and I'm unashamedly in the brainstorming phase because there is party in the horizon and well I set the bar pretty high last year so the only way to go is up! I'm actually looking forward to this year just a little bit more because we would have hopefully *fingers crossed* acquired some friends. In my opinion that's what makes a kids party a kids party, the kids (and the adult beverages). I think I know what direction I'm heading it's just a matter of working out the specifics. We're trucking through summer with cute dresses, fun at the pool and cool sunglasses to keep us looking and feeling cool.



I guess I'll give you the condensed version of the past few months:



I found out about an Easter egg drop and although it turned into an all day event we had a blast. I was hoping our second go'round we'd have better luck. The key I learned rather quickly was to get there early. We took a ton of pictures, got a photo with a celebrity (yes, in the south the Chick-fil-a cow counts), had a yummy lunch that took me right back to elementary school (i.e. hot dog and french fries) & eventually just a "few" hours later we were lined up on a high school football field awaiting the go ahead to run onto the field and get us some eggs. It couldn't have been more worth it.



Happy Easter!




My church had a Mother's Day tea and well this is the gang! It was worth missing a few hours of work to spend some time with the gals. I even got a very cute mug and flower pot with pictures of lil' beauty and a poem.

We had the pleasure of finally getting our Baby Loves Disco on and although it left plenty to be desired, the old testament holds true "you get what you pay for" and in our case it was a free event.





"Fun" times at the pool! She really does love the water.



In the words of Oprah, you'd call this a full circle moment in my life. We went to my high school alma mater, the original building was getting knocked down and they invited students old and new to walk the halls one last time as we all remembered it. Eleven years later and I've gone from gawky teenager to sexy single momma!

And they you have it, all caught up! Actually, there's so much more to dish on...

XOXO

I've Fallen & I'm Having a Rather Hard Time Getting Up

My inital thought was "I've fallen & I can't get up" however it's not that I can't get up it's that I truly am having a rather hard time getting up, metaphorically speaking ofcourse.

The whole point of this ("this" being my blog) is to release and share the good, the bad & everything in between in regards to this life of mine. As you've probably put together I've fallen off the grid. I'd have to say that time has really just gotten away from me. Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months and well here we are about two months since my last post. I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel longer and now well I don't really feel that bad. The good news is there is always something going on so although we've missed some there's plenty to look forward to.

Here's to picking up where we left off

XOXO

Bloggy Dare-Caption a funny photo

I've Got A Turtle Head Poking Out Sound Clip and Quote

XOXO

Bloggy Dare-What is the oddest last-minute meal you have put together and served?

This is surprisingly is a tough one for me. Although in the past I've had poor eating habits I can't say they've been odd. The strangest it gets over here is hamburger helper and even then I use ground turkey & don't follow the cooking instructions provided, it taste better cooked separately and then combining everything. I guess in an effort to be health conscious they've got some whole grain versions out although I tried the lemon herb and it was gross, just an FYI.

XOXO

(not) So Fat Girl Friday

Seven days have come and gone and I'm happy to report I lost 2.8lbs. today! WOOOOOO-HOOOOO baby! I really buckled down & stayed on track this week. I even managed to visit LA Fitness twice! I didn't do as well as I wanted to with the writing down what I'm eating but I started out strong and well had a slip here and there. The good news is I'm reading nutritional labels and making what I'd like to call "smart skinny" girl choices rather than the easy (and tastier in some instances) "fat girl" ones. Case in point: I went into Publix hungry and needing a snack. I started out with yogurt covered raisins but ended with the bear trail mix, now it's nothing to swoon over but the cocoa covered almonds are pretty tasty and the granola clusters are growing on me. I've really been wanting cereal and this morning I combed through the cereal aisle on the hunt for a cereal that had a serving size of at least a cup. I hit the jackpot with Kix at a whopping 1 1/4 cup serving size. FYI-the new Trix has the same serving size too.

At my meeting this morning I did take my shoes off, I know don't judge me. But I did splurge and buy the dining out companion which lists the points of food and beverages at popular resturants. It aided me in making healthy choices when I went to Taco Bell, two fresco chicken burritos only cost me eight points. I think carrying it around with me will help me to not only make healthier choices but help me in saying "No, Vanessa you don't need the fries go find a piece of fruit." Oh, and it's kind of heavy too, so here's to a constant reminder of the weight of my decisions (pun intended). Going into this next week I'd have to say I'm most excited about losing fresh pounds and ending the tortous dance the past weeks have been and in an effort to further motivate myself I purchased a goal weight outfit or in my case dress. I've already named it my "Crockett & Tubs" dress since it reminds of Miami Vice and I will be dawning it once I've dropped 20lbs. and celebrating with the girls! Ofcourse I tried it on and I have to say I wasn't disappointed, it zipped without having to say a little prayer, curse myself & hold my breath but it's going to look significantly better on a slimmer me.

"The cardiologist's diet: If it tastes good, spit it out." ~Author Unknown

XOXO

Love is...

If you know me then you know that I love any and every holiday. I buy Elle an outfit, a prop of some sort might be involved and then try and capture the beauties that we are. This is what we end up with...

This free digital greeting customized with Smilebox

We send it to our family and friends and yes, I've got everything we need for St. Patrick's Day all ready to go; okay and I bought bunny ears for Easter, but they were just a dollar & I couldn't pass em' up.

So awhile ago I came upon this article about putting a new spin on Valentine's Day and so this is how I'll be celebrating. But before I dish on the bold move I'll be making today I want to say something about love. The love I've come to know being a mother is like no other. The saying "unlucky in love" is putting it gently. I've made some of the mistakes we all do from giving my heart to the wrong one to well getting pregnant even. All those flubs brought me the best and most unexpected addition to my life and I wouldn't have it any other way. My bubs as I so affectionately call her is the most amazing little big girl. She's got all this personality for such a little bitty person and I've accepted that I'm in trouble when she starts talking. So on a day we all celebrate love, I can say that me and my valentine are happy and doing our part to spread the love.

Today I'll be starting the revamping of Too Cute For Mom Jeans. I'm putting the deposit down and in a few weeks this blog will have a brand new look. I can't wait!

"Love puts the fun in together, the sad in apart, and the joy in a heart."
~Author Unknown

XOXO

(not) So Fat Girl Friday

I've been wanting to start this for weeks now, but Friday comes, goes and well on Saturday I chastise myself and vow to do better next week. Well, I'm here music going in my headphones and feeling pretty damn proud of myself. Side note-it's 12:26am, which means it's "technically" Saturday but you know what I'm okay with that.

My inspiration to start my (not) So Fat Girl Friday came from what you'd call "word of the week alliteration envy", for example there's Wordless Wednesday, I've seen a Work It Girl Wednesday, and even a Thankful Thursday. Here's to hoping it catches like wildfire and there women saying you know what I've got a goal, a plan and yes, I gave into eating that slice of cheesecake!

Around six weeks ago I started Weight Watchers, after being both bombarded and motivated by the Jennifer Hudson commericals & when they waived the registration fee, I decided to go for it. I even found a mommy-and-me meeting, which means Elle can come too. I started January 7th at 161 lbs. and for the past five weeks I've been doing this painful dance with three pounds, allow me to explain. I lost 2.4 lbs, gained 2.2 lbs., lost 2.8 lbs., and today I gained 2.4 lbs. and with that lost my temper mostly with myself but doled a bit out to one of the ladies that works there, again allow me to explain. The first time I did Weight Watcher's which was years ago I was never a fan of taking off every article of clothing to weigh in. You have women taking off there coats and shoes and I find it a bit ridiculous. We walk around with our clothes on and if we wore our skivies and proudly displayed our weight well then maybe I'd feel differently. Today I was asked to take off my jacket, which I found out weighs a pound after I not so politely made the comment "it doesn't weigh 5 lbs." Come to find out it was a gain week so I guess she was attempting to be helpful.

Here's the thing the only person who controls how successful I am at this is me. I get it. I'm not mad at Weight Watchers or there employees at the location I attend meetings. I'm losing weight to look better in my clothes, my 1 lb. jacket included. If I just stick to counting points and not giving into every indulgence I'd be on the right track, it's easier said then done & I guess I'm realizing that even cheating once shows itself come time to weigh in. So no, I can't eat Zaxby's, have two glasses of wine and expect to be losing weight, mind you I did this the day before weigh in, what the hell was I thinking? Clearly I wasn't! In my defense I will say that most days I'm on track I'm having turkey lettuce wraps for lunch and even eating more fruits & veggies but I could certainly be doing better beginning with the food that I buy. I learned the hard way that I can't buy potato chips, I'm in love with the Sweet Heat BBQ Lays, and well after a chip binge I vowed to not buy them again until I've got more will power.

My 5% target is 8 lbs. and I'd like to be minus them in the next four weeks, that means if I'm eating right and exercising a few times a week this should be easy peasy, riiiiight?! RIGHT! My goal this week is write down everything I eat, everything!

In the words of J. Hud: I want to feel like Vanessa but with new arms, new legs and this smile...

XOXO