A Fun New Venture

Well, this seems to be the week for trying new things at our house!

Last night, I made my first ever quiche for dinner. It was great - and SOOOOOO easy! I'm not sure why I haven't made one before. Maybe I just assumed that it was loaded with horrible things for you or too hard to make. Neither of which are true, especially when you pair it with a big old salad, like we did. All of the boys loved it, too, which is always a bonus when you try a new recipe.

We managed to get our hands on a Wii Fit this week - a store actually had them in stock, AND I had our Christmas gift card for said store with me. It was like the planets aligned and the Wii Fit went into our shopping cart. I'm a little nervous about trying it out - but that'll be my next duty after this blog.

Weigh-in was today, and I'm proud to say that I'm exactly where I was last Saturday. Considering last Saturday was the day that my insides were coming outside and I hadn't eaten or kept anything down for 2 days prior to my weigh-in, I'm really happy with my weight today. I'm assuming that I gained some of that weight back during the week (since I wasn't sick anymore), so that I truly have lost those 4 pounds that I claimed last week. I'm really happy with the weight loss so far - 16 pounds is huge in three weeks!! I'm back into pants that I haven't worn since last summer because they didn't fit. I'm a happy girl!!

I managed to keep my eating in check this week, even with the bonus of consistent working out. This is HUGE for me, as well - I think my new way of eating and thinking about the foods before I shove them in my mouth is truly starting to take hold in my mind. Sure, there are hard moments (and I did have a small bowl of ice cream last night!), but I'm hanging in there and doing my best - and NOT getting discouraged. I'm taking care of myself, body, mind, and spirit. :)

On to a few new things:

1) I was offered a job yesterday (YAY!)
2) I turned down the job yesterday (Boo!) It just wouldn't work for our family.
3) I got a phone call about a job that I'd applied for about a month ago last night. Interview tonight (Yay!!). This job actually USES my degree and lets me work with high schoolers, which is something I really enjoy. Keep your fingers crossed - it's a work at home job with flexible hours and some traveling (all of which is VERY compatible with Mike's schedule).
4) Ellie and I were asked to start a group on MomsLikeMe.com about this blog (Yay!). The Maine group is up, and the New Jersey one is on it's way. Check us out at:

Maine.MomsLikeMe.com

Things are changing over here, quite a bit. The stress levels are rising as I try to figure out how thing are going to shake out. The glass of wine after the kids go to bed has started appearing......along with the ice cream. I've managed to control myself with both, but it's still a struggle every time, especially for the ice cream.

I'm working on a theory called the "Plexiglass Effect" and need some anecdotes before finishing up the post. If you have a minute, take the time to answer some of these questions (either via email or in the comments section here) - you might find yourself quoted on this blog or on MomsLikeMe.com! :)



So, what is the Plexiglass Effect? In a "Readers Digest" form, it's what we moms do to cope. We put a piece of plexiglass up in front of ourselves - and all of the advice and directions we hear about how to take time for ourselves, or how we should live the "ideal" life as moms just bounces back off of us. It looks like we're listening through the clear glass, but nothing gets through to us.

What words of advice (about parenting, about exercise or healthy living, about anything!!) have you heard but ignored?

How do you feel about that? Guilty? At ease? Proud?

Do you feel like this needs to change? (Either your actions or the advice itself) Why or why not?