Remember ME!?!

Feels exhilarating sitting in front of my laptop blogging. I decided to channel my inner Carrie Bradshaw by sitting my busy self down long enough to share my thoughts. Why the Sex and the City (SATC) reference...I recently purchased seasons 2, 3, 4, 5, and the other half of season 6 for $49 bucks at a going out of business sale. So, last week I lulled myself to sleep every night while watching season 4. I puffy heart SATC and I am anxiously awaiting the movie this summer!

Okay, so back to blogging...where do I start? How about a recap of the events distracting me from blogging? As usual I spent some time socializing with my crew from work:

Still keeping my healthy lifestyle in mind, I ate one of everything, maybe two and felt satisfied. On my weight loss quest, I learned I can still attend happy hour and lose weight. I keep a few handy pointers in mind:

1. Watch portion sizes, which is why I only ate one or two of each appetizer purchased.
2. Avoid sugary alcoholic beverages. Instead choose a lighter version of your favorite happy hour elixir.
3. For a planned happy hour, I tend to conserve my WW points and eat lighter throughout the day.

Next...let me update you on the status of my C25K training. I am in the process of completing Week 8, and then I move on to Week 9...the final week. What's next after Week 9 you ask? Well, you will need to come back to my blog and find out.

Let me introduce you to my running partner. Behold...the Polar F6 Fitness Monitor. 

My mom purchased the monitor for me as a reward for losing 50 lbs and I LOVE it! While jogging I keep track of calories burned, as well as my heart rate. I try to keep my heart rate in the maximum fat burning zone. I frequently wear the monitor during the day while at work. After a long exhausting day, I sometimes fall asleep on the couch watching TV while wearing the fitness monitor. The next day I wake up to over 2500 calories burned.

Other blogging distractions include my kid's extracurricular activities. One day out of the blue, my youngest decides he wants to run track. So, once a week we attend his track meets which start at 4:30 PM and end around 8:30 PM. The bus usually returns to campus after 9:00 PM...talk about a long day.

Yes, that's me yelling GO, GO, GO, GO...LOL! I laugh every time I hear it!

Lately it seems as though we also spend most of our time at the dance studio. For the first time in a long time, the boys (whom I refer to as TURBO and OZONE) finally found something they love,  and they BOTH decided to stick with IT. This summer marks their second year with the company. You can find us at the studio 3, sometimes 4 times during the week and on Saturdays.

This past week my oldest performed with the crew on Thursday, Friday, Saturday AND Sunday. The double booked crew performed twice on Friday and Saturday. Needless to say, I look forward to next weekend when I can  hang up my TAXI driver hat, and actually get some rest.

Here's a video of the kids free-stylin at the studio. BB Dom Bomb is the one in the turquoise tee and black sweats. BB Real Lil is the one in the jeans, FLY tee, and red & black Vans:

Well here's to another busy week which includes a birthday celebration from my oldest...he is 16 going on 17 (remember that song from the Sound of Music).

From FAT to PHAT!

Hey y'all...I seem to be hosting a lot of w(H)ine and cheese parties lately on this blog. Well...enough. Let me tell you why. Today I received a message in regards to a tagged pic of me on Facebook...uh oh. Ever since old school week on Facebook, I panic when I receive tagged pic messages. During old school week some thoughtful friends posted AND THEN tagged the following pics of me:

Yeah...me cheer-leading in Jr. College...thanks for posting this Cookie!

And I thank my girl Kisha for posting this gem...

Okay...who remembers Glamor Shots...so 1990's...LOL! 

Anywho, back to my story. So, I received a tagged message blah, blah, blah, blah...I log on to Facebook and BAM I see THIS:

AND THIS...

Long story short, when I saw these pics (from October 2008) I stopped short and just stared. I thought to myself...I NEED TO BE PROUD OF MY PROGRESS MADE THUS FAR; so, NO MORE w(H)ine and cheese parties. NO MORE WHINING...for real this time.

October 2008/March2010...52 lbs removed!

October 2008/March2010

Make no mistake, I know a long road still looms ahead as I continue my weight loss quest. BUT you gotta admit I went from FAT to PHAT...

Pretty Hot And Tempting!

Toot...toot! Of course you can leave a comment about my new hotness (lol), but I also want you to leave a comment tooting your own horn! Toot...toot!

I.O.U.

Here's an I.O.U. I owe you guys a blog post and a challenge wrap up vlog. I ran around last week like a chicken with its head cut off.

And this past Saturday  I worked with my mom to make her dessert buffet a success.  The dessert buffet gig  launched the start of her new event planning business.  Here's a sneak peak...more pics to follow:

After I finished assisting my mom, the boys and I checked out a new Mexican restaurant El Pollo Rey. After dinner we headed to the $ Store to purchase movie treats. We collectively decided to see Percy Jackson and the Olympians The Lightening Thief. Both my kids and I actually learned a little something about mythology while watching the movie. Normally, I prefer not to learn or engage my brain when movie watching...lol.

So...when many days transpire between posts that means I AM struggling or in a FUNK. During my times of distress, I think I prefer not to blog for fear that my post may reflect my unpleasant attitude and appear abrasive. I do however write in my personal journal to work through my feelings of defeat. Some bloggers reveal their deep innermost painful moments of their struggle. I refer to hide behind my mask of  humor. In short,  think...I just hit a wall. Slowly, but surely I will scale the wall and get back on track. In the meantime...I.O.U.

Heads up....giveaway coming soon!

Field Trip: Making Good Choices

Yesterday, my day off, afforded me a field trip to the 99¢ store!

 I consider my trek to the 99¢ store a field trip since I live about 25 minutes away. I love the $ Store and the 99¢ Only Store, but buyer BEWARE...CHECK the EXPIRATION DATES!! Several months ago I popped into this same 99¢ Only and I spied some Sugar Free Jello singles sitting on the shelf. I thought to myself, jello singles would make for a quick and easy dessert. Well I picked up a box and happened  to look at the date...EXPIRED! O well. No Jello for me :-(

Anyway, when I shop at these type of bargain stores I remind myself  to not go overboard by throwing crap (crap=junk food) into the basket. I usually set a limit of $20 bucks. Last night, I found myself losing my mind while walking down aisle #1...the condiment aisle. This particular 99¢ sells lots of Asian and Hispanic condiments. On a previous trip I purchased this White Soy Sauce...I have yet try it. 

Last night I found theses bad boys, which expire at the end of April, so I will be a salad eating fool!

I tried the Hearty Italian flavor today with my grilled chicken wrap. Umm...YUM!

Grilled Chicken Wrap

1 La Banderita tortilla

3 oz grilled chicken

14 oz mozzarella cheese

5 large olives

1 TBSP Hearty Italian Boutiful

1 roma tomato

First, I layered all of the ingredients into this huge 1pt wrap I found at Wal-Mart.  The package read soft taco, but the tortilla was big enough to be used as a wrap.

Initially, I rolled the bulging wrap and shoved it into my Redi Set Go. When I opened my Redi Set Go, the wrap lay there opened swirling in juices, probably from the dressing. so, I decided to scrape the contents from the soggy wrap into another tortilla...pictured below

Next I rolled the wrap...

And then I devoured it...

Back to my shopping excursion...with the good comes the bad. Although I discovered some new healthy food finds, so many unhealthy food choices fill the aisles. And of course I wanted to eat everything I saw. Truth be told, I am guilty of a big no-no. I showed up at the store a little hungry...a big no-no. When you arrive at any place of business hungry, the food starts talking to you.  But last night, I talked back and said, "NO!" Instead of buying this...

I got that (pictured below)...Japanese rice crackers. These crackers taste great on salads, but I like to eat them by themselves too. They satisfy that crunch satisfaction I get from eating chips.

As I wrapped up my trip and paid for my purchases, something caught my eye...

Yes, a 99¢ pregnancy test...lol. Looking at that test made me wonder about the reliability of the results. But trust ME...I DO NOT, I repeat, I DO NOT want to find out...lol.

I mainly visit my local bargain stores to find recipe ingredients at discounted prices. Some recipes I find call for items not used in everyday meals.  For example, I planned to make a dish with rice wine vinegar, but as a single parent spending $3 & $4 bucks on a bottle of vinegar used for one recipe seems like an extravagance. Some of the local $ Stores carry rice wine vinegar as well as other recipe ingredients. 

Well folks...that concludes my field trip post. I would love to take a weekly field trip and post, but every time I write about a new weekly posting idea, the idea usually falls by the wayside...lol. Oh by the way, today's weigh in revealed a loss of 1.2 lbs.

What treasure(s) have you discovered at your local discount store?

I Didn't Forget about the Bunny Challenge...

I realized I failed to post a vlog update last week. Follow this link to your reward buttons! Last chance for bunnydom...the challenge ends Monday April 5, 2009! I plan to post a challenge wrap up blog, so make sure you stop by and brag about your success!