Perty by Thirty Weeks 50 and 51

Ok, I deliberately skipped posting last week for week 50. Mostly because I was ashamed. I had been tempted by the Christmas yummies and I ate, ate, and ate some more! I even skipped going to Weight Watchers for the FIRST TIME because I knew I had gained weight.

This week I sucked it up and went to face the music. I knew it would be bad because skipping last week did nothing to help my motivation. Nothing at all.

Luckily, my gain was not as bad as I anticipated. I mean, I didn't eat an entire cheeseball like I did at Thanksgiving, but I did eat numerous (like closing in on the hundreds) sugary snacks. Even though I begged all my family not to give me ANY Christmas candy and they all followed those strict orders perfectly, I do still have a kid. And he had no idea that he even got those 15 Butterfinger chocolate bells and he will never know because I ate them all. Every last one of them. I even dug back in the candy bowl looking for more. There were none and the Crunch version has NOTHING on the Butterfinger ones!

All that eating, and skipping a weigh-in, cost me 3.4 pounds.

I do have to admit I am a bit ashamed that it dropped me back under the 100 pound mark. The mark I was so thrilled to meet two weeks ago. The mark that led me to be featured in this article that was published in today's local newspaper.

Yikes! Hopefully I can lose that 3.4 pounds this week (as long as my New Year's Eve celebrations don't sabotage me!) and return to the victorious 100 pound club.

I'll be sure to update next week, good or bad, since it will be the 1 year mark. This is all a journey one pound (up or down) at a time.

Perty by Thirty Week 49

100.8! 100.8! 100.8! 100.8! 100.8!

That is my total weight loss so far!

Let's just let that sink in for a few minutes.

In 50 weeks I have lost more than 100 pounds.

It is hard for me to believe that on January 5, 2009 when I walked into Weight Watchers for my first meeting I was 100.8 pounds heavier.

It is hard for me to understand why I waited so long to do this. It is so simple (sometimes!).

I was not able to stay for my WW meeting this week due to prior commitments, but I am going to be celebrating with them next week (as long as I don't gain a pound and no longer be able to wear the title of 100 pounds lost!).

Perty by Thirty Weeks 47 and 48

I did not intend to forego last week's update, but the week quickly got away from me and here we are today.

Last week I gained .8 pound. I knew it would happen as I ate most of the weekend before the weigh-in. I mean, I ate an entire cheeseball over the course of 3 days. Now, in the past I would have eaten the cheeseball in one sitting, at least I split it up this time, but still, an ENTIRE cheeseball? Seriously? So I was actually pleasantly surprised to see only a .8 pound gain. I expected much worse.

I really worked hard last week to follow my points. I counted every bite that went into my mouth until Friday. Friday was our 5 year anniversary and it is hard to count points for a burger and fries from Steak and Shake (our romantic lunch date!); however, I was very busy all weekend putting up Christmas decorations and shopping and making yummy treats (all to give away to others!). I did sample my creations, but did not overdo it. All of that paid off and I lost 4.4 pounds!

I was very surprised by the large number. I didn't expect such a big loss, but I am thrilled. This brings me up to a total loss of 99 pounds! I am extremely motivated to reach the 100 pound goal next week! Let's hope I can keep the motivation around through the week!

Perty by Thirty Week 46

Despite a potluck at work, a baby shower with delectable treats, and a Thanksgiving dinner at church I was able to lose .8 pound. I was a little shocked. I really tried to do well at all the events, but it was difficult and I didn't always do well. I also did not exercise this week, which often causes my loses to be low or non-existent.

Luckily I had a loss and I am motivated to have another, despite the holiday and all the great food I will have at my fingertips. Let's hope I can come back next week and have another loss.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Perty by Thirty total -- 95.8 pounds
BlogapaLOSEa total -- 15.8 pounds

Perty by Thirty Week 45

Well, I knew it was bad when I couldn't stop eating, no matter what was in front of me. Luckily it didn't show up too bad on the scale (yet). I gained .2 pound this week. I really can't complain considering how bad it was. I am trying to get back on track now, but I'm still having trouble with all the yummy food all around! I wrote more about my difficulties this past week here.

Perty by Thirty total: 94.6
BlogapaLOSEa: 14.6

Perty by Thirty Week 44

Sigh.

I really had big hopes for this week's weigh-in. I followed my allotted points, wrote down all the food I ate, and exercised 3 days. All of that equaled a 1.2 pound weight loss.

Yes, it was a loss, but I really had big hopes for something larger. I'm 5.2 pounds away from hitting 100 pounds by Thanksgiving. I'm afraid I am not going to make that goal. I hate not hitting a goal I set for myself.

I'm still determined to try and I want to make the Thanksgiving goal, but if you saw what I ate today you'd think I was trying to gain 100 pounds by Thanksgiving. And, unfortunately my stomach is making sure I don't forget about the bad food I ate. I can't even explain the horrible stomach pains I have been experiencing this evening.

It was a lesson learned and for the next 6 days I am going to dedicate myself to losing and only think about losing. As long as that leftover Halloween candy someone brought in to work disappears before I get to work tomorrow. If not, I may be doomed. Chocolate is my downfall.

Totals:
Perty by Thirty: 94.8 pounds
BlogapaLOSEa: 14.8 pounds

Perty by Thirty Week 43

Forty-three weeks. Wow! Only nine until I hit the one year mark. Today at our Weight Watchers' meeting we discussed our motivation to stay strong through the holidays. Our first step was to set a goal. Where do we want to be in nine weeks after the holidays.

What? Nine weeks? Seriously? Oh my word...these next nine weeks are going to be CRAZY!!! I have so much to do. And I set my goal high. Very high. Probably too high. I said I want to lose 16.4 pounds in these next nine weeks.

I'm not so sure it is do-able, but I'm going to do the best I can to make it do-able. I'm struggling to meet my Thanksgiving goal of hitting the 100 pound mark. After this week's loss of 1.6 pounds, I am at a total of 93.6 pounds lost. That means I need to lose 6.4 pounds in the next three weeks. I can do it and 4 months ago I would have shrugged it off, but now the weight is coming off slower. Much slower.

My plan for this week is to track my points very closely. And to walk at least 4 days. Last week I did neither, so if I can lose 1.6 pounds not doing so, let's hope I can lose at least 3 pounds doing it all.

I will try to remember to take a picture sometime this week. I've been awful about doing that. I definitely will take a picture as soon as I hit 100 pounds lost, but maybe I can get to it earlier than that.

Perty by Thirty total: 93.6
BlogapaLOSEa: 13.6

My new bathroom

Side note: Can you believe I'm blogging something other than my weight loss? Amazing, I know. I am hoping I can pretend like my weigh-in tomorrow won't be half as bad as I think it will be. Darn Halloween candy!

My home is boring. Very boring. Every wall is white and aside from thirty million pictures of my child, there are very few decorations. I have a lot of ideas, but little to no money to make it happen, so I just live with the second hand furniture and add a few items here or there a I can.

One thing that most people probably don't know is that I have a love for antiques and primitive design. Since my home has very little of this my love for these is not very evident. Luckily, I was inspired by a friend's bathroom recently. All it takes for me is a vision or idea and then I start running with it.

My inspiration came only a couple weeks before I went to a craft festival which often has numerous antiques and primitive items. Since I was still feeling inspired and I had a few dollars budgeted, I wandered around the craft fair on a cold, damp morning. I wasn't certain what I wanted specifically. I was hoping for items which would inspire my creativity.

I first fell in love with a primitive wooden american flag. It was at one of the first booths I stopped at. I loved the flag, but decided I wasn't ready to make a purchase yet so I continued on around the fair. As I continued I began to see more and more items which inspired me. After I found a couple stars I instantly decided I had to return and hope the flag was still available.

So I returned to the booth and there is was. I grabbed the flag and away I went, inspired. I found a few more items which I loved and I knew instantly I had all the decor needed for my bathroom.

The bathroom I wanted to "redo" is a small half bathroom off of our living room. When I say small, I mean really, really small. It has a toilet and a sink. That is it. I estimate the bathroom is 2 feet by 8 feet, literally just enough room to turn around. Everything in the bathroom was white. A white toilet, white sink, and white walls. The floors are a fake brown stick-on pretend wood.

I attempted to take before pictures of the room, but it was nearly impossible. I did get a nice shot of the toilet and another of the sink. It was the best I could do. Please note I did not clean the bathroom before I took the pictures. I'm sorry to embarass you with my lack of housekeeping skills, Mom.


I headed to Lowes Friday evening to get some paint. I knew I wanted a dark tan/brown type color. I narrowed it down to two different options and went with the one that had the better name, hot chocolate. Yep, I'm very scientific with my decision methods.

On my way home from Lowes I decided I wanted to immediately start painting as soon as I got home. And that is just what I did. I painted until the wee hours of the morning on Saturday. My painting skills definitely lack the skill part. I, unfortunately, got several streaks, probably should have done a second coat, and in hind sight should have contacted a professional.

Despite that, I think the final product turned out alright. I love all the items together. I actually went to the bathroom today and said aloud, "this is so cozy." Just what you want in a bathroom, coziness, right?

This is the shelf above the toilet. I hung it a bit too high, but it is on the wall and at this point that is what matters.

Here is the inspiration for the room design. Don't ya just heart it?

And this is my favorite purchase. I stumbled upon it as we were making one last look through before we left. It says "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Psalms 33:12."

A blue and red star hung above the light switch.

A look at the toilet and the decorations around the closet, er, I mean room.

My husband found my decorating a bit humorous. Apparently when we were dating I went on a bit of a tyraid about how I didn't like people decorating their homes in a patriotic theme. I don't remember this conversation, but apparently it just goes to show I am one to eat my words.

Hoss seems to like the room. We mentioned that the wall color was like chocolate and he went in and licked the wall. I guess he thought it was really chocolate. Now that would be a dream room! He now calls the bathroom "chocolate milk." Plus, we have been using the new decor as a teaching tool. We are working on the Pledge of Allegiance.

Who knew that some bathroom decorating could be so much fun. And educational!

Perty by Thirty Week 42

This week I am only 8 pounds away from my Thanksgiving goal to hit 100 pounds lost. that only leaves me 4 weeks, so I need to lose 2 pounds each week. With Halloween and all the candy I'm afraid I may be sabatoged! I'm already eating way too much candy the kiddo got from Trunk or Treat this weekend at church. Even if I hide the candy I still remember it is there and go get more!

Hopefully I won't let the candy sabatoge me and I can keep up the losing.

This past week I lost 1.4 pounds, bringing my totals to:

Perty by Thirty -- 92
BlogapaLOSEa -- 12 (I'm off to go check in on my competitors' progress)

Perty by Thirty Week 41

I'm not delaying writing this week!

This week I lost 2.8 pounds!

I'm now up to 90.6 lost!

Only 9.4 pounds left until I hit TRIPLE DIGITS!!!!!!!!!

I may cry the day that happens.

I'm hoping it happens sooner than later!

Perty by Thirty total -- 90.6 pounds
BlogapaLOSEa -- 10.6 pounds

Perty by Thirty Week 40

Well, I didn't mean to put off posting again this week, but I did...accidentally. So, here I am to tell you that I did something this past week in my weight loss journey that I've never done before. I did not lose or gain any weight. I stayed exactly the same! Amazing, right! I thought so.

I do have to admit I was a bit disappointed. Despite the fact that I walked four days last week, I didn't lose any weight. However, I do believe it was my own fault. I have been having a very difficult time with my eating on the weekend. I have been wanting to eat everything I can get my hands on. Due to that I think my weight loss is struggling.

Maybe I will do better this weekend. I will be visiting my parents and hope to be too busy to eat! :) Wish me luck!

Perty by Thirty: 87.8
BlogapaLOSEa: 7.8

Perty by Thirty Weeks 38 and 39

Oops, I never got around to blogging last week. Probably because I didn't want to admit that I had gained 2 pounds! I was very disappointed in myself as I had been doing so well, but over the past few weeks I have been slacking off. Darn it, those Oreos tasted SOOOOOO good. But, not good enough to make it okay that I gained 2 pounds.

So, luckily, I took charge this past week and lost those two pounds, plus some, to the tune of a total of 3.2 pounds this week. I was THRILLED! And honestly a little shocked, especially since I wasn't great over the weekend.

The past week has showed me how absolutely necessary it is for me to have a friend along for the ride with me on this journey. I joined Weight Watchers after seeing a friend's progress she was having. This friend has been my lifeline at times to keep me on track.

We decided we need to have goals to celebrate our milestones. We are currently planning to have pedicures together when the first person hits 100 pounds. I am currently only 12.2 pounds away. Hopefully by Thanksgiving that pedicure will happen. Too bad it won't be sandal weather.

We are also planning to take a long weekend trip to the beach next summer to celebrate both of us reaching our goals. We are certain we will both be to our goals by next summer and are looking forward to celebrating together.

If it wasn't for having someone to hold me accountable on a day to day basis, I may not be as far along on my journey as I am now.

For the BlogapaLOSEa challenge I am supposed to post a picture each week. Well, I don't have one right now. If I waited to take one and get it posted I would probably be waiting for awhile. I'll try to take one this week and get it added soon.

Totals:
Perty by Thirty: 87.8
BlogapaLOSEa: 7.8

Perty by Thirty Week 37

Thankfully I turned the negative last week into a positive this week as I lost 3.6 pounds! Yay! Only 13.4 pounds until I hit 100lbs!!!!!!

This weekend I decided to clean out my closet. I removed the items that are too big and boy, were there a lot. I have an entire 30 gallon tote full and I haven't been able to fasten the lid yet. Now I just have to hit the lottery and go shopping for new clothes, in another size smaller! I'm now down 10 numbers! Yippee! That is all the motivation I need.

I have not been exercising much recently, but I am signed up to walk in a 5K this weekend, so I will definitely get my exercise in on Saturday.


And as for my weekly BlogapaLOSEa info, I actually took a picture this week. Then I realized it was in the same clothing I wore in my last picture 2 weeks ago. Only this week I made my husband stand up when he took the pictures so I don't look like a giant and I didn't pull on my pants and make them look like parachute pants.

So here it is.

 

Total losses:
Perty by Thirty -- 86.6
BlogapaLOSEa -- 6.6

Perty By Thirty Week 36

Yikes! It's Thursday and I'm just now posting this week. I have lots of excuses I'm sure you all have heard before, but ultimately there are two reason I haven't posted this one. One, I gained weight! ACK!!!!! I gained .4 pound. It wasn't much, but it was the first time I gained in 15 weeks. That was a record I wasn't interested in breaking. I was a bit disappointed in myself. And eating all the bad food wasn't even worth it. Dang! But I'm learning my lesson and have been really watching my food intake this week. As of tonight, my scale appears to be going back down. Let's hope I can keep it up for 3 1/2 more days until my next weigh in.

I also have not found a moment or remembered to take my picture for the BlogapaLOSEa contest. So, I'm tired of waiting to do it, so here is my weekly post without a picture. If I get a chance I'll post one soon.

Totals so far:
Perty by Thirty: 83
BlogapaLOSEa: 3

Perty by Thirty Week 35

This week I have met several goals with my weight loss.

First, I have official dropped 13 BMI points! Which is amazing!

Second, I have FINALLY hit the halfway mark. I now have lost 83.4 pounds (3.4 pounds this past week) and have only 80.4 left to hit my goal!

Third, I won a prize at work in the challenge they had back in June and July. It is an organizer/planner type item. I have not received it yet, but I'm excited that my weight loss helped me win something!

Let's just hope it helps me win something else, like the BlogapaLOSEa competition!


Here is my weekly picture for the BlogapaLOSEa challenge. Please don't look too closely. You may see the stain on my shirt and my end of the day frizz fest I call hair.


So far, my totals are as follows:
Perty by Thirty -- 83.4
BlogapaLOSEa -- 3.4

Perty by Thirty Week 34

I got another 5 pound star tonight at Weight Watchers as I reached a total of 80 pounds lost with the 2.2 pounds I went down this week.

This makes 13 weeks in a row that I have lost weight. I'm hoping I won't ruin it over the Labor Day weekend. Since Monday is a holiday, I am planning on finding a Tuesday Weight Watchers meeting to attend next week.

This week marks the start of BlogapaLOSEa. If you are interested in joining, they are allowing people to enter until September 6th, so go sign up. You can check out all the rules and details here. I'm definitely in it to win it. I would love to lose at least 20 pounds to hit the 100 pound mark by Thanksgiving.

Part of the rules of participation for BlogapaLOSEa is to post a weekly picture of yourself. So, here is mine. It is definitely not attractive. Next week I'll try not to spill my dinner on my clothes and take a picture in something other than poorly fitting work out clothes.


See y'all next week!

Perty by Thirty week 33

Wow! Has it really been 33 weeks since I started this journey? I guess it really has been. It still amazes me that I've stuck with it this long. And I am going to keep sticking with it until I reach my goal. What a day that will be!

This week I lost 1.4 pounds bringing my total to 77.8. Not too shabby considering I ate everything I could get my hands on all day Friday. I even ate at IHOP! Seriously, that could have been enough to doom me for good. But then I went to the State Fair on Saturday and even though I really, really wanted a corn dog and a funnel cake I skipped them. If I hadn't rode a Ferris Wheel I may not have remembered I was even at a fair. I did eat some fried potatoes and real! chocolate! ice cream! that I was supposed to share with the kiddo, but, well, I ate about 9/10ths of it. I couldn't let it go to waste and after the headrush the child acquired after bite number 5, he turned his interest back to the popcorn.

I have been considering my motivation to keep going lately and I talked more about that over here yesterday. And, I have found my most recent motivation, contests! I have learned that if I have a short term goal, I am most successful. Once again, I stumbled upon a weight loss contest and I'd love for any of you who are interested to join. It is BlogapaLOSEa. You can check out the info here.

Beginning next Monday I will be posting weekly about my progress in the BlogapaLOSEa contest. I will even be posting a weekly picture of my progress! Yikes! I am setting my goal at 22.2 pounds. That will put me at 100 pounds lost by Thanksgiving! I would really like to lose more than that in this time frame and it may happen, but I need a reasonable, reachable goal, so hitting the 100 pounds total lost by Thanksgiving will be it!

Perty by Thirty Week 32

I went shopping yesterday and was thrilled to purchase 3 new shirts in size 1X. If you only knew how thrilled I was in the dressing room. I did a little happy dance in the tiny room. Since I never could have considered wearing anything other than a 3X for years, I was on top of the world.

Then I went home and stepped on my scale. I've decided my scale is either a) broken, b) old, or c) a motivator. My scale typically always reads at least 3 pounds heavier than the scale at Weight Watchers. And it send me into a frenzy about the fact that I have gained weight. How could that have happened? I followed my points perfectly. I didn't even use very many of my extra points. I even exercised.

Well, luckily my scale is never right. Eventually I'll remember that, but I'm okay with the broken scale. I need all the motivation I can get.

This week I lost 1.2 pounds.

I was reviewing my book that holds all my past weigh-ins and I was pleased to see that I have not gained any weight for 11 weeks.

I'm working toward week 12 now.

I also posted here today about my weight loss journey.

Perty by Thirty Week 31

I have to say I was a bit surprised with today's outcome at the scale. I decided to wear a very light weight dress specifically for my weigh-in. I was afraid it wasn't going to be pretty. I didn't do horrible with my eating this week, but I did not exercise hardly at all. I thought about exercising, but that just didn't get me up and moving. So, when the scale showed I had lost 3.2 pounds, I was thrilled.

I was also very excited about losing enough to push me over the 75 pound mark. I was able to add my 75 pound magnet along side my 25 and 50 pound magnets on my refrigerator. I am sure they will have to create me a 150 pound one when I finally hit that goal sometime next year.

And those clothes I mentioned a couple weeks ago, well, I fit into them now. I actually wore two pairs of the pants this weekend. I also retired some that were extremely baggy and really needed to be put to rest. Soon I will be heading out to start fall shopping. I'm very excited about possibly dropping another size. After all, I am 4 sizes smaller right now. That's 8 numbers.

Did you see that? EIGHT NUMBERS! That's all the motivation I need.

Perty by Thirty Week 30

I figured out the secret for me. I must exercise. I was off work on a staycation last week and I had difficulty finding time to exercise. Hoss was with me throughout the week and we had VBS at church each evening. By the time we got home it was dark outside and I was exhausted, so exercising did not come easily.

The scale showed the lack of movement as it barely moved itself. At least it did go down, by .2 pound. Better than a gain! I am determined to get back into exercising this week and to see a larger loss next week.

I am only 10 pounds away from my halfway point. That is very exciting and I am hoping to get there by mid September. I would actually like to meet that by September 14th, to be exact. No specific reason for that day, but just seems to be a reasonable goal.

Well, I am off to get moving. See ya next week!

Perty by Thirty -- Week 29

Tonight I tried on some clothes a co-worker gave me. I have had the clothes sitting on the floor of my bedroom for two months. I have tried them on three times, but they never fit. Until tonight. I was able to get all but two pairs on and zipped/buttoned. They are tight and are not comfortable yet, but give me 10 more pounds and they should be perfect.

I decided to try these pants on tonight because I had a great and a bit unexpected weight loss this week. In one week, I lost 6.4 pounds! I really tried to stay right at my points values this week. Actually, one day I even had 6 points left over, which is not recommended, but it was 10p.m. when I realized it and I just didn't want to eat something, so I didn't.

My loss this week brings me up to 71.8 pounds lost since January 5th. My goal I have set for myself is to lose 100 pounds by Christmas and meet my goal of 163.8 pounds lost by July 9, 2010 (my 30th birthday. I think I can really do this! Actually, I know I can!

All in a day

So far today has been eventful. I started the day childless (he is hanging out with Gigi and Grandpa for a few days) so I was able to sleep in a little. I had a nice healthy breakfast of a fruit smoothie and nutrigrain bar and headed to work. I arrived at work early and was able to get my thoughts organized before the chaos began.

I had to go to another county for work. I went and did the work stuff and decided to swing by McDonalds. I had a coupon for a free salad and it was not good in the county I live in, but was good in the county I had to travel to. While I was sitting in line at the drive-thru, the truck in front of me backed into my car. Yep, totally put a nice hole in the front bumper of my car. I am fine as was the other driver. We filed a police report, which was surprisingly smooth, and away I went. Well, only after I walked into the McDonalds and got my salad, the purpose of my trip!

My car is driveable and does not have any other damage other than cosmetic, so it was not the end of the world. As long as the other guy's insurance really does fix my car and really does exist (he did not have his information with him, but the police officer spoke to the company on the phone). If not, THEN it might be the end of the world.

I have hope the remainder of the day will improve. I have plans to go to a movie that I won tickets to, "My Sister's Keeper." Plus, I plan to stop by Subway to get free dinner, using a gift card I received for my birthday. We can only hope it gets better, right?

Perty By Thirty -- Week 28

Well, I posted over here yesterday that I was loving me some Farm Town on Facebook. Let's just say the love didn't last too long. I went home yesterday and my computer has a virus, that I researched and learned is from Farm Town. That really has nothing to do with Perty by Thirty, except I wasn't able to post last night and let you all know that I lost 1.6 pounds last week!

If you only knew what a miracle this was! I was completely shocked because I weighed myself at home on Friday and it wasn't looking good. But I tried hard through the weekend. Hoss and I went for a walk to the park a mile and a half from our house. That is one way. We walked for 3 total miles. Well, I walked for 3 miles and Hoss rode in the wagon. My arms are still hurting from pulling a 48 pound child three miles.

So, I guess the walking and my Wii Fit addiction may have ultimately helped my cause. I am hoping to double that number next week. I have slacked off the past few weeks and I can't keep taking 4 weeks to lose 5 pounds. I won't make my goal doing that, so I'm off to walk some more. See ya next week!

Perty by Thirty -- Week 27

I didn't mean to take so long to post this week's weight verdict. I got wrapped up in some other activities last night and didn't get around to posting. Today, I have been rather swamped by work, of all things! Finally, I have got a few minutes and here I am.

If you came over checking for my weekly post, then you really need to get a life. I'm sure no one actually did that, but my weight tracker above was updated yesterday. I did get around to that last night. You may not have noticed because it didn't move very much, only .8. That is, I lost .8 pounds.

I am pretty happy with that because I really thought I had gained weight this week. With my birthday last Thursday, I spent that day and a couple others "celebrating." Which means I ate lots of cake and ice cream and fried foods. I enjoyed all of it! So, considering what i put into my body during the week, a .8 loss is definitely an accomplishment.

This week I am determined to make a difference and get with the program again. So far, so good. I've made it through half a day and I haven't eaten anything "bad." And I even exercised on my lunch break. Let's hope I can stick with it for the rest of the week!

Perty by Thirty Week 26

Despite the week of vacation and the holiday festivities I was still able to squeak out a loss this week.

It was only a .6 pound loss, but it is a lot more than I was expecting. As long as it is a loss I'm going to take it.

This brings me up to 63 pounds lost. Yesterday was the 6 month mark of my weight loss journey. In those 6 months I have surpassed my personal mental goal to lose 50 pounds by my 29th birthday that is coming up this Thursday.

My next goal is to hit 100 pounds by Christmas. Only 37 pounds to go. :)

Our golf vacation

We are currently on a 48 hour family vacation. This is the first vacation that just the three of us have had. We have had a few other vacations, but those have consisted of going with other family members. We have been able to merge our vacations at the same time and are having a great time in Gatlinburg.

We have been talking to Hoss about going to Gatlinburg for about a month now. We got a few fliers for activites, one of which was for a new mini-golf course. This one actually. Hoss has talked about seeing the pigs and playing golf every day.

Naturally one of our first orders of business was to check out the golf course. This was Hoss' first time mini-golfing or golfing at all. He fell in love with the sport. He knows all about golf from playing the Wii with Daddy and was able to show us his skills.

The mini-golf course was cute and fun. We chose the easiest course since we had a newbie with us. A little expensive, but well worth it to see the joy from Hoss. All he has talked about tonight was "playing goff in Gatwinburg."

Here is Hoss with a few of the cows at the first hole.


Daddy and Hoss with some of the horses. All the animals would talk when you hit the ball in certain areas. The horses neighed and moved their heads.


Mommy and Hoss waiting for our turn. It is nearly impossible to get Hoss to look at the camera for pictures.


And a couple shots of Hoss' golf form. I'm not sure if he has decided if he wants to be right or left handed yet. Mommy and Daddy are both lefthanded, so I think he chooses to do things lefthanded at times just because he sees us doing it that way. He mostly chose to golf left handed, but would often stradle the ball and hit it between his legs.




My favorite part of Hoss' golf technique is that he will hit the ball once from the beginning (with his one handed swing), then will pick up the ball, run to the hole, sit the ball down right beside the hole and hit it in. Then he will take the ball out, sit it by the hole again and hit it in. He would repeat this as long as we (and the people behind us) would let him.

I guess we will be hitting up the local mini-golf course when we get home.

Before and Now

I was looking through old pictures last night while I was looking for a "before" weight loss picture. My Weight Watchers leader encouraged me to enter a contest they are having nationwide for the most successful and inspiring weight loss stories.

I honestly doubt I will win. I am not at my weight loss goal. Heck, I have 101.4 pounds to go. But, I thought it was worth a shot. Plus, this way I know what I need to do for next year's competition, right?

In typical Jessica fashion I have waited until the very last minute to get this mailed by the deadline (must be received by Monday). It will go out in the mail today, only after I stop at Walgreens this morning on my way out of town to pick up my before and after pictures and an envelope to mail it all in.

Anyway, I thought I would share my before and after pictures with you all. I know I have lost a good deal of weight, but I am still not pleased with my appearance in my after picture. It just doesn't seem dramatic enough. Oh well, next year it will be amazing. Right?

Here goes.

My before picture (taken in Sept. 08)

My after picture (taken yesterday...I'm a procrastinator remember?)


Ok, that was tough. I hate sharing pictures of myself. UGH!

Perty by Thirty Week 25

My scale at home didn't move much, but the Weight Watcher scale did. And really that's all that matters. Especially when it moves down, like it did this week.

I lost another 3.2 pounds. Bringing me to 62.4 pounds total. My BMI has dropped 10 points! That is making me happy.

I have several challenges this week. We are heading for a short vacation tomorrow. Then 4th of July activites are scheduled. I am really going to have to stay focused, plan ahead, and continue to exercise.

I have been exercising daily for the past three weeks and it has made all the difference. I found that the hotel we are staying in this week has a fitness center. At least this is what their website says. I sure hope they aren't lying because that is my main plan for exercise this week. And possibly my only hope for the scale to move down again next week.

Well that and wearing this lightweight dress again!

10 things I have learned (so far) during my weight loss journey

1. My body is very predictable. Every four weeks I can expect a weight gain (although, I was able to squeak past that dreaded week this past month with exercise!). It’s those darn female hormones that do it! It is such a joy to be a woman.

2. Eating healthier makes me feel better. I don’t feel gassy and my stomach doesn’t roll and yell at me after eating. I don’t feel so full I could throw up, but I do feel full and satisfied. However, if I eat a greasy food, I will pay for it. That’s motivation not to eat it, right?

3. I have a lot more energy. I offer to go outside with Hoss instead of sighing and making up excuses when he asks. That’s what 60 pounds will do for ya!

4. I am a proud person. At least I’m turning into one. I am caring more about what I look like and how I appear in certain clothing a lot more now than ever before. I am aware of the potential for arrogance and I’m trying to keep myself reigned in. However, I really need a spray tan and my teeth whitened. Maybe even some veneers.

5. My skin does not appear as oily. I’ve always had oily skin and recently this seems to be a bit less than normal. Except for when those hormones sneak up on me.

6. Accountability is a requirement for me. If I don’t have people to report to or who are there to motivate me and make me move, I often won’t do it. This is as simple as writing down my exercise for the weight loss incentive program at work. I know I have to document if I did it or not, so that makes me get off my rear and get moving.

7. I don’t have to be deprived of my favorite foods. If I want something I love that is nice and fattening, I can have it, but will have to accommodate for this food throughout the day. I also have found a lot of yummy low point alternatives to my favorite foods. These make me very, very happy.

8. Verbal encouragement is an amazing motivator. At least for me it is. However, I have to be cautious how I respond to the encouragement. Sometimes I slack off on my point counting and start to eat bad things because I know I look good. Other times it makes me want to keep working hard so I can look even better.

9. Weight Watchers is saving my life. Literally. As long as I don’t get hit by a car today (or anytime), I’m going to be living a long and happy life…as a skinny girl!

10. If I am determined, I can do anything. I’m certain that is true for anyone. The trick is finding the determination and motivation. It is only something that you can create. The only person who can change you is you. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but it can change your life. Seriously. It’s changing mine.

Perty by Thirty Week 24

I made up for my small .8 pound weight loss last week with a 4.4 pound loss this week! This brings my total loss to 59.2 pounds.

I believe all of this loss is related to incorporating daily exercise into my life. I have been walking daily for 30 minutes. Well, except this past Saturday when I did a Richard Simmons work out video and went on a bike ride with my sister.

I may have caught the biking bug. I'm considering finding a bike for myself. But I will make sure I get the comfort seat! OUCH!

I'm hoping I can keep up the loss and add to it next week. I'd love to hit the 60 pound mark by my 6 month mark (July 5th).

Wish me luck!

The days of the week...

Sometimes I do things that make me think maybe I have this motherhood thing figured out. And then my child hits me when I tell him that he can not run across the street in front of traffic. Obviously, I will never have the whole motherhood thing down pat, but I try.

I recently had a great idea that made me feel like I had it all figure out. I made a calendar.

I know, it seems so simple and so silly, but it has been so beneficial for Hoss. This summer Hoss' schedule will change a lot as we have a variety of different activities and plans. He has difficulty when his schedule changes often, so I thought I would help him feel prepared as possible.

I made a summer calendar that indicates all of our fun activities we have planned.

Hoss is attending daycare for 6 weeks during the summer and I indicated this with small stars, so he would know which days he would be at his "new school." (I can't tell him he is going to school in the mornings because he always corrects me by saying, "my NEW school."). By the way, he is absolutely loving his new school and is actually doing very well. Much relief for me.

I also noted birthdays through the summer (mine, hubby's, Pap's, and cousin), our scheduled vacations (a short trip to NC -- this past weekend -- and Gatlinburg in a couple weeks. He is really looking forward to Gatlinburg, I think because of the bear sticker I put on the calendar). It also indicates when his regular school starts again and trips to visit grandparents.

We are marking days off every time I remember. Each time I note the next upcoming event and we talk about how many days it will be until that day. I have been very surprised how much Hoss has shown interest in the calendar. This may be something I will have to do year round.

The coolest craft yet

I have a difficult time throwing away items Hoss has made. But, at the same time, you can only have so many colored pictures of Peter walking on water or popcicle stick houses. When I am picking out crafts for the kids I work with at church I try to ask the question, "Will they use this again? Or will it be thrown away?" And while, I understand that some parents have different perceptions of trash or treasure, I try to pick items that are more likely to be considered treasure.

That being said, Hoss did the coolest craft recently at church. It was a homemade chia pet. See.


I am not sure the exact facts about how to make this, but I did do a google search. I'm all about the research over here. I found these instructions.

Our grass guy (as we so affectionately called him) lived for nearly two months. Then I forgot to add water to the cup (an empty yogurt cup in our case) and his hair stopped growing and he died. Even with more water added, he never revived. I guess his name wasn't Lazarus.

Or I just don't have the power to heal.

Economical Exercise

Want to figure out how to exercise for free or cheap?

Yeah, me too.

Maybe these tips will be helpful.

I'm back...back in the CVS groove

Last week I drug myself back to CVS and I did awesome. Remember? 53 cents is all I spent!
This week I decided to tackle ole CVS again. The adrenaline high from the 53 cent deal was still in my blood stream.

I scoured the ad on Sunday while returning from a quick road trip to North Carolina to visit family. You can breathe easier, I wasn't driving. I was glad to have the time to check out the ads and make my lists while searching my coupons. I don't normally get that time much anymore.

I made my list and Monday Hoss and I ran to CVS after work/daycare. (By the way, Hoss is attending a daycare for the summer and is doing really well. He also loves it, which is a relief!).

I did not do as well as I did last week, but I also didn't do bad.

Here is what I purchased:

* 1 Crest Pro-Health mouthwash 250ml $2.99 (yes, I got some last week, a bigger bottle, but we were out before that. I'm always thinking ahead!)
* 1 Schick Quattro razor $7.99 (again, I bought a razor last week, but you can never have too many, right?)
* 1 Purex 3 in 1 laundry sheets $6.99 (I was totally intrigued by these. I haven't used them yet, but I'll let you all know what I think when I do)
* 1 M&M $1 (I had to bribe the three year old, it's what I do best)
Total -- $18.97

Coupons I used:
$4 off Schick razor -- $14.97
$2 off Purex 3 in 1 -- $12.97
$11 in ECBs (from last week's purchase) -- $1.97
Tax -- 48 cents

Total out of pocket -- $2.45

I earned $7 in ECBs to use in the future. Maybe they will have mouthwash on sale again next week. If so, I'm there!

Perty by Thirty, Week 23

This week was my normal 4 week mark when I gain weight. I am proud to say I did not gain this week! I lost .8 pound. While it was a little disappointing to lose so little, I am happy that I did not gain.

This week I added exercise into my weight loss routine. I believe this was the reason I lost weight this week and did not gain. I walked every day each week for at least 30 minutes.

I have been doing my walking during the week with co-workers during our lunch break. My company began a promotion to encourage us to lose weight and get healthy. The promotion is a 50 day challenge to be active with exercise for 30 minutes daily. I am hoping the exercise will prove to be helpful in my weight loss journey.

My Ways to $ave Wednesday posts for the next two weeks at Bluegrass Moms will be about tips I have received at my Weight Watchers' meetings over the past few weeks. Be sure to check out the first one about exercising economically this Wednesday.

It's a party...a pizza party!

I got into the Dominos House Party. If you aren't familiar with house parties, check out their website. Basically, different companies of all different types (restaurants, television shows, juice, tuna, etc.) offer opportunities to host a party to debut new items. These parties are for anyone who is interested in participating. You have to request to be a host and a few weeks before the party date (determined by the website) they will select hosts.

I just recently began to request to be a hostess. I was thrilled to get in on one of my first requests.

On June 20th I will be hosting a house party for Dominos pizza's American Legends pizzas. My house party pack arrived a few days ago. In a pizza box!


The pack included a $75 gift card to purchase one of the new six American Legends pizzas as well as "You Gotta be Kidding," a "Would you Rather" kids version game, coupons for the game, and coupons for free popcorn at AMC movie theaters.


We will be visiting my parents on the 20th and will be hosting the party at their house. All of our extended family has been invited and I'm sure we will have a great time testing the new pizzas!

I will be sure to let you all know what we think. And I hope the party doesn't ruin my weight loss! :)

I'm back in the game!

Tonight I finally ventured out to CVS for this week's deals. I have been slacking recently in deal hunting and even let some of my CVS Extra Care Bucks expire! I know. The horror!

I was able to rack up $9 in ECBs a couple weeks ago and noticed some deals in this week's ad that I wanted to check out. I made my list and gathered my coupons and headed to the store.

And I rocked it!

I got all of the following:

And I only paid 53 CENTS!

This is how I did it.

I purchased
1 Contour glucose monitor -- $14.99
2 Dawn dish soap -- $2
1 Fusion razor -- $7.99
1 Crest Pro 1 liter mouthwash -- $3.99
1 ALS $1 donation -- $1
Total: $29.97

I used these coupons:
$30 off Contour monitor adjusted to $14.99 -- $14.98
50 cent of Dawn dish soap -- $14.48
25 cents off Dawn dish soap -- $14.23
$1 off Crest Pro Health mouthwash -- $13.23
$4 off Fusion razor -- $9.23
$9 in ECBS -- 23 cents
Add tax of 30 cents
My total was 53 cents!

I also earned $11 in ECBs for my next shopping trip.

I'm so excited about my deals. It is rejuvenating and reminded me of the "great deal" adrenaline I love! I hope I can keep it up.

"It's alright cuz we're saved by the bell"

I have to admit that I spent the majority of my pre-teen/adolescent years getting up on Saturday mornings to watch NBC's Saturday morning line up. I specifically looked forward to "Saved by the Bell."

Zack and AC were so dreamy!

I can't tell you how thrilled I was to see Zack Morris made an appearance on the Jimmy Fallon show last night.

If you missed it last night (like I did), check it out here. If you are a child of the last 80s-early 90s you will love it!

Perty by Thirty -- Week 22

I turned it around this week and lost 3.8 pounds! Yippee!

I am up to 54 pounds lost total.

My employer began a fitness initiative this week that they do annually. A group of us at work joined up and we are hoping to lose the largest percentage of weight! Part of the initiative is to do some type of exercise for at least 30 minutes for 50 days. Yesterday we walked for 30 minutes during our lunch break and we have plans to do so again today! Having friends on the same track really helps with the motivation factor.

Next week is the typical 4 week mark in which I gain weight. I am determined not to gain this time. I am going to count my points carefully and exercise every day in hopes a weight loss will be seen at the scale next week.

Plus, my three year old told me that I looked like Big Show (a wrestler) when I was wearing my swim suit on Sunday. Next summer he won't be saying that!

The first school program

Last week Hoss' preschool class had an "end of the year" program. I had few expectations for Hoss. He is not much of a performer. He loves music, the focus of the program, but he does not wish to perform in front of crowds or with others. He's more of an appreciator of music.

I tried to encourage Hoss to participate during the week prior to the program. I wanted him to know it is fun to sing to other people. Despite my excitment for the upcoming program and constant encouragement, Hoss was not much of a performer.

At one point the class doned fun sunglasses and sang "My Girl." Needless to say, it was the cutest thing! And, also needless to say, Hoss did not participate.

First he refused to turn around when the song began.


Well, maybe I'll turn around sideways.


Ok, fine! I'll turn around, but I will NOT participate.


It doesn't matter though. I'm still a heartthrob.


Ok, I guess I'll point to Mommy when they say "My Girl."


These glasses make everything dark.


Now that's better!

Celebrities in your midst

Look! We are celebrities.

(If you click on more pictures you will see pictures of me and Hoss and Hoss by himself. Just don't look at the food I'm eating!).

Perty by Thirty -- Week 21

Good Grief! (Yes, I'm Charlie Brown) I gained weight again. I just can't get two weeks in a row where I loose weight. This week I gained 1.8 pounds. I know it is not the 4 week mark, but I'm going to blame hormones and the lovely female cycle. I retained fluid horribly yesterday. My feet even swelled. I guess the heat and the cycle combined were a bad combination for me.

Let's hope next week will be better. I'm going to do my part to make it better!

Perty by Thirty -- Week 20

Well, it's week 20 and I finally jumped the big hurdle...the 50 pound mark. This week I lost 5.6 pounds bringing me up to a total 52 pounds lost! I have been flirting with the 50 pound mark for several weeks now and I finally overcame it! Yippee!

I received another magnet, this one with a 50! It sits proudly on my refrigerator reminding me to keep it up.

Since yesterday was a holiday my regular Weight Watcher meeting was canceled. A friend and I went to another meeting in town today. I am very glad I did. The weight loss this week helped to motivate me to keep going. I was starting to get a little discouraged at my attempts to hit the 50 pound mark. However, going to the store and purchasing clothing that was 3 sizes smaller was rather motivating as well.

This week moved me to being 1/3rd of the way to my 150 pound loss by my 30th birthday, July 9, 2010. According to the Weight Watchers healthy weights I will need to actually lose 163 pounds to met my lifetime goal (when I can come to WW without paying). In my head, my goal is 163 pounds, but if I even get close I'll be happy!

Now I'm off to enjoy my success and try not to sabotage myself this week!

Perty by Thirty -- Week 19

Well, it was the 4 week mark. That being said, I gained weight. But it was only .8 pound. Not too bad.

I do have to admit I was disappointed. Yes, I anticipate a weight gain every four weeks. It's the pleasure of being a woman. However, I really wanted to do well this week just to prove it wrong. Plus, I gained a huge 4.8 pounds two weeks ago which has nothing to do with hormones, but my desire to eat lots of food that was really bad for me.

I guess I can't complain too much. I have lost 46.4 pounds in 19 weeks. Not too shabby. I just hope I can hit that 50 pound loss soon. I've been flirting with it for 4 weeks now and I can see it taunting me. I just hope this holiday weekend doesn't ruin me.

I don't have a WW meeting next Monday night so I probably won't post my weight loss because I won't know what it is. However, I am going to try to attend a meeting later in the week, so I'll keep you all updated.

Perty by Thirty Week 18

I almost made up for the 4.8 pound weight gain last week by losing 4.4 pounds this week.

This brings me to a 47.2 pound weight loss over the last 18 weeks.

Perty by Thirty -- Week 17

Well, I did it again. I gained weight. A lot of weight. And I have no excuses this time. I just ate bad. A lot.

That being said, I'll confess that I gained 4.8 pounds this week. ACK!!!!! It's horrid.

I am committed to turning it around this week. I got the eating bad out of my system and now it's time to eat good.

Plus, I felt horrible after I over ate. My stomach cramped. I had pains, not like the food not settling pains, but like muscle pulled pains. I think my stomach is not used to the huge amounts of bad food I ate.

So it's time to regroup. Get it back together and lose again.

April grocery budget

Remember when I told you all that I was planning to cut our grocery budget back in April and I said I would keep you all up to date.

And, now it's April 29th and I haven't kept you up to date at all.

Well, check out my blog over here and see how we did!

A hair burning experience

Tonight, I decided to be nice wife and try to have dinner ready by the time my hardworking husband arrived home from work. I got off work a couple hours before him, so this made it possible.

I multi-tasked by marinading the pork chops while I watched Table for 12 I had DVR'd the day before. Since I had multi-tasked I knew I needed a quick way to cook the pork chops.

The weather has finally been warm so I decided it was time to warm up the grill outside. I got everything ready, went outside and turned on the gas. I turned the level to the star and pushed the ignitor once.

Nothing happened.

I pushed it again.

Nothing happened.

I turned up the gas.

Pushed the ignitor.

And nearly fell backwards.

I guess the combination of turning up the gas and pushing the ignitor four times works. Flames flew out of the grill.

When I realized I was okay I looked at my arms and noticed burned hair. Yes, I burned the hair off my arms, specifically my left one.

I put the pork chops on the grill and came inside. At that point I noticed my hair, on my head, was singed slightly on the left side.

Can I tell you how bad burned hair smells like. I have been smelling it for the last 2 hours.

And that is my first encounter with the grill this summer.

Tomorrow, we are having leftovers for dinner. I'm not risking it two days in a row!

Perty by Thirty Week 16

I think the scale was not calibrated correctly today. That or I broke it when I stepped on it.

Either way, I lost 9.4 pounds this week!

Wow! I just hope next week isn't diappointing when the scales are fixed. :)

This 9.4 pound loss brings me up to 47.6 pounds lost in 16 weeks!

The only differences I had last week were keeping close track of anything I put in my mouth and drinking lots of water. Maybe those two things added together works for me. At least it did this week.

Yesterday I pulled out some "old" clothes. I am able to wear them all now, but it has been so long (pre-Hoss, so over 3 1/2 years), that the clothes, which had been hanging in my closet, have dust on them.

I guess my washing machine will be busy.

Although, I will need to get some new clothes soon. After all, I am 20 pounds lighter now than I was at my first OB appointment over 4 years ago.

Perty by Thirty Week 15

Well, it has been 4 weeks since the last weight gain, so I was due for another. I am blaming it all on hormones. I've decided that is why I keep having weight loss "issues" once a month. Sounds like a good excuse to me! I'm using it this week. :)

I gained .8 pounds. So, really, not too shabby. I am currently at 38.2 weight loss in 15 weeks.

I have discovered that I can't take compliments well. I am to the point of my weight loss that it is obvious. My clothing is far to large and I have had to retire some old clothing from my wardrobe. Since it is obvious now, people are commenting about the changes. I put two and two together this week and realized that the weeks people comment more about my weight loss, I eat more. I know it doesn't make since, but it's what I do. Now I'm trying to make a point not to eat everytime I get compliments. Those snacks add up!

And now for excuse three and four.

Maybe the weight gain was just related to the hormonal cravings I had this week. Or the massive amount of Easter candy my son received that just keeps calling my name.

And there are all the excuses I have. Hopefully I won't have to think up new ones next week! :)

Perty by Thirty Week 14

We are on Week 14 and with today's loss of 2.2 pounds I am up to a total of 39 pounds lost. Not too shabby! :)

I won't rant and rave today about potty training. So far we have had 3 successes in the past two days. Maybe we are making progress. Maybe.

Update: Alright, it's official...I can't post about success again. Poop was just cleaned up from the floor of someone's bedroom floor. It wasn't my bedroom floor.

Hope you all have a great week! :)

Forced creativity

I wish I could tell you the potty training was getting better, but I can't. We had another large accident last night. However, I'm trying to find some positive in this. Okay, really, if I don't find some positive in this I will loose my mind.

Since all the toys in our house are under lockdown, Hoss has had to use his imagination more than usual to play. He has also been extremely social with us, more so than usual. I think we may never return all the toys to his possession. I like the changes in him.

His favorite new "toys" are Mommy and Daddy's shoes. Here he is the other night in one of my tennis shoes and a dress shoe.

On this night he was walking around the living room saying, "I am a robot" in a very robot-like voice. I hope I can remember the sound of him saying that for the rest of my life. He was adorable.

He also found one of Daddy's ties tonight and was enjoying wearing this and Mommy's shoes again.

He would not pose for the camera. Something was always more important to look at.

So, even though we have not made any steps toward full potty training, we have learned that toys are over rated!

Perty by Thirty, Week 13

It was a good week in the world of weight loss. I lost 3.4 pounds, bringing my total 13 week weight loss to 36.8 pounds. Not too shabby!

It has not been a good week in the world of potty training. Actually, it has not been a good night in the world of potty training. I am so angry I can barely even think. I knew Hoss had to do #2 and I made him sit on the potty twice to attempt to do so. He refused. He screamed, cried and threw a temper tantrum only a three year old can throw.

I gave him a lecture about going to the potty. We PRAYED about going poo in the potty during bedtime prayers. And then I threatened him (I need to pray about that).

Five minutes later I am cleaning up the worst case of explosive poo possibly ever. I'm running bath water and taking a time out breather so I don't end up in jail.

I'm angry. I have never been this angry at my child. I'm on the verge of tears I'm so angry.

I'm mostly angry because I know he knows better. He knows where to poo. He knows how to do it, he's done it twice. He just.won't.do.it.

So, I resorted to drastic measures. Every toy in our home is currently put away. Every movie, book, wrestling figure, superhero, stuffed animal, and car is out of sight. I even lifted the filled to the brim toy box and put it in the closet. I am considering calling the Easter bunny and telling him not to show up at our house this Sunday.

I'm done playing games. I'm done with the temper tantrums, screaming and yelling. The power struggles are over. If this child thinks he can win a power struggle in this house, he's clearly mistaken.

Maybe I sound harsh. And maybe I am over the top, but at this moment in time, this is the best I can be. When you throw away toys and movies because cleaning them would be pointless and the bedroom carpet is ruined, drastic measures are all you have. That and prayers.

Lots and lots of prayers.

An experiment

If you aren't a follower of my postings at Bluegrass Moms, then you aren't aware of my April experiment. So, I think I'll share.

Oh, I just realized you guys (or gals) don't know that we just purchased a car last week. I was just realizing today that most people are excited about purchasing a new car and I'm, well, just blah about it.

Really I'm disappointed. We had just paid off the old car. But our options were either an extremely expensive transmission and repair for a car which probably just wasn't worth it or we buy a new car. Obviously, we opted for the new car. And now we have car payments for two cars. Again.

It still makes me sick to my stomach.

Then, I came home and opened my freezer and a 5 pound bag of frozen chicken fell out and hit me on my foot.

The beginnings of our April experiment began circling in my mind.

My freezer is full of food and my bank account is about to become a bit smaller. The two together equals a plan. A plan to cut our grocery and eating out budgets in half. Or more than half.

For the next 30 days we will be working on a grocery budget of $75 or less. And an eating out budget of $50 or less.

I have compiled our menu for the next 30 days and I think we can do this. We have nearly the entire month's food covered with only having to purchase a few items. I'm excited about this challenge and hope we can learn a few things from cutting back for the month.

I will be sure to keep you all updated on our progress.

Wish us luck!

The Reward

We finally had success in the potty training world.

Hoss did #2 on the potty.

He has done it once at Grandma's a couple weeks ago, but never at home.

Today, he had success!

We have been talking about his reward for pooing in the potty as going bowling.

Hoss had his first experience bowling a few weeks ago. My camera battery was dead, so no pictures occurred that night. However, last night, when we stopped at the bowling alley for his reward, my camera came along.

Hoss was very excited about going and did very well, considering it was his second time bowling ever.

This is my favorite picture, every time he would roll the ball he would stand with his hands on his hips and watch the ball roll down the lane.


He did have some trouble getting the ball to make it all the way to the end. He just doesn't have the strength quite yet. The poor bowling alley staff had to go get the ball three times. I know they hate us. And I apologized, every time. Not that it made it any better.

I started to feel bad about the ball not making it down the lane so I started trying to give the ball a little push along with Hoss. Hoss did not like that at all.

Everytime he would run to the line to try to roll the ball before I got there. If I made it to the line in time and touched the ball he would yell, "NO! Hoss push da ball! I want Hoss push da ball!"

Yes, he often speaks in third person, but doesn't say Hoss, but his "real" name.

We only had two experiences of tears and screaming, including rolling around on the nasty bowling alley floor. Yuck!

But, all in all, it was a good time.

Hoss did very well taking turns. He would sit in his seat and wait until my turn was over. He always sat very patiently, which is not normal.


Hoss' final score was 33.

Mommy's was 138, which is rare.

Gotta love bumper lanes!

Perty by Thirty Week 12

Well, the scale was in my favor this week, which is good because I'm not sure another week of gaining would have been good for my psyche.

I made up for the horrific 4.4 pound weight gain last week because I lost 5 pounds this week!

I'm pretty sure the scale was messed up last week. Or else I was retaining several gallons of water, which is just odd.

Either way, I'm glad I lost 5 pounds this week.

That brings my total weight loss in 12 weeks to 33.4 pounds. An average of 2.78 pounds lost weekly.

Not too shabby. At this rate I'll meet my goal of 150 pounds lost in 53.95 weeks. So, maybe by early January 2010, my goal will be met. Then I would be Perty by 29 1/2!

Let's hope my Dairy Queen splurge this evening doesn't ruin me.

Perty by Thirty -- Week 11

Well, this week was shocking.

The numbers written on my weight chart was 4.4.

But it was 4.4 pounds GAINED!

ACK!!

I knew last week's 6 pound weight loss was a fluke.

I didn't even know you could gain 4.4 pounds in 7 days.

I guess it may have been the onion rings, hot fudge sundae, chocolate milkshake...oh, you get the drift.

I'm committed to turning this around this week! Wish me luck.

The scary face

Hoss demonstrates the scary face.

Bootcamp for teens

Lately my heart has been saddened by the number of teen pregnancies that are affecting those close to me. I am a believer in abstinence until marriage. I know that others may disagree, but this is my blog and I can say what I want to.

I have been contemplating how I can make a change in our society. What kind of role should I hold in helping to prevent teenagers from having to handle the stresses of a newborn.

Last night I realized the perfect prevention method. Three year old bootcamp.

Let's take a 3 year old boy who becomes hyper when taking cold medicine. This three year old has a runny nose that he likes to wipe with his shirt sleeve. As soon as the three year realizes his shirt is dirty he insists on taking it off. If he can't take it off, a temper tantrum errupts and he falls to the floor screaming and yelling.

We'll add a round of strong antibiotics for this three year old because he was exposed to whooping cough.

Oh, did I mention that this three year old is partially potty trained. He will pee pee in the potty, but definitely will not poo.

The strong antibiotics cause said three year old to have, shall we say, less than solid poo.

The three year old decides to get out of bed, take his night-time pull-up off, and poo, the less than solid version, in seven different areas of his bedroom.

Let's say you check on said three year old and realize that not only has he poo'd on the floor, but he has walked in it, put his hands in it and possibly ate it.

You get the carpet cleaner, run the bath water and try to maintain your cool. You spend the next hour, scrubbing the carpet on your hands and knees, removing bedding, wiping down walls and furniture, bathing the child and washing laundry.

Not to mention throwing away several toys that were contaminated beyond repair.

Said three year old will then not fall asleep until 10:30p.m. You still have at least 2 loads of laundry to complete.

The next morning your alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m. You have to wake the three year old who still has a runny nose, cough and less than solid poo at 6:15 a.m. Remember, the three year old had less than 8 hours of sleep.

You have to maintain your composure, assist with dressing, brushing teeth, eating breakfast, putting on shoes/coat, loading in to the car, driving to school, dropping off at school, then going on to work.

You repeat this for the next four days when the child gets to continue the strong dose of antibiotics.

Let's hope when things heat up between you and your boyfriend, you will remember the horrible nasty smell that occurred when you had to clean up the less than solid poo and the feelings of frustration, inadequacy and exhaustion you felt.

Don't forget, this is just one kid. Imagine if you had more than one.

Jessica's 3 year old bootcamp for teens will be open for business next month.

Perty by Thirty Week Ten

Well, this week I was shocked by the scale.

I believe it was a fluke.

Maybe it was the 2 1/2 inches I got cut off my hair this week.

Or the fact I wore jeans to my weigh-in last week and I did not this week.

Maybe it's the fact that my load at work is making me move a lot more than I typically do.

Whatever, the case, I was thrilled and mystified with my 6 pound weight loss this week.

If I was publishing this in a Weight Watchers magazine there would be an asterik after "6 pound" and a small note stating, "results are not typical."

And they aren't, but I don't care. I'm loving it!

This 6 pounds brings my total 10 week weight loss to 32.8 pounds. Who needs the Biggest Loser when you have Weight Watchers?

Maybe my 6 pound loss this week is related to my new favorite drink.

Oh, the Diet Dr. Pepper with Cherry is wonderful. An addiction. My new love.

Here's a Diet. Dr. Pepper with Cherry toast to another week toward my goal. Only 117.8 pounds left to go!

Kate

What an exciting weekend.

My parents had a guest speaker at their church this past Sunday to kick off a new sermon series called "The Core." Since the speaker is very popular, it as quite a packed crowd. They required pre-registration. It was exciting to see the opportunities their church had to reach out to the community just because a famous television "star" was in their church.

I made the hour and a half trip over to their neck of the woods to visit. I couldn't miss out an opportunity to see Kate Gosselin.

Yes, the Kate Gosselin, from Jon and Kate Plus 8.

I know there are lots of haters of the Gosselin family around the blogosphere and internet world. I am refraining from judging because I know that the editing room brings out the worst in people at times, but also because God tells me not to judge. Plus, if there was a camera in my home, there would be lots of haters of me too.

Anyway, Kate (we are on a first name basis here), spoke to the two church services and later in the afternoon had a book signing.

The book signing is when I was able to stand two feet away from her as she autographed my copy of her book. We were given strict orders that "Kate does not pose for personal pictures, she is not able to converse, and will only sign her name due to time constraints." And boy, was that true. She barely made eye contact with me. But I did note she has nice smelling perfume. And enjoys chewing gum.

I'm sure there are good reasons for these types of regulations. I'm sure she had a plane to catch back to Pennsylvania. But I'm not famous or anything, so what do I know?

I did catch a quick photo-op.

I couldn't get out of there without doing it. What kind of blogger would I be if I just told you I "met" someone famous and didn't have proof?

Just an ordinary, not so famous one, I guess.

Perty by Thirty Week Nine

Look what I got today!

I hit the 25 pound mark!

This week I lost 2.4 pounds, bringing my nine week total to 26.8 pounds.

I had an insightful week as I learned that I AM a stress eater. I never thought I ate when I was stressed, I just thought I ate all the time, regardless of my emotions. One day last week I came back to my office after a stressful meeting at work and I immediately had the desire to shove food in my mouth. Any type of food, I just wanted it.

I consciously realized that I only wanted to eat because I was stressed. I was not hungry in any way. I didn't eat at that time. I knew I didn't need to eat, I just wanted to, so I found some hidden strength in my gut and went on about my day without stress eating.

I can't say I did that well the rest of the week, but I have at least discovered my stress eating habits and am trying not to give in to those desires.