My So Called Low Carb Life

[Sicca]

I've finally decided to start a journal on LCF since I am here stalking way too often, it's time I share my struggles and triumphs!

If any of you have been on the atkins diet bulletin board you may have noticed I have a journal of the same name started not too long ago. I just want to keep it simple, and the name really does apply.....

I am in maintenance. Yay!! Right? Well not really. Sure it's great to be at goal and all that hard work paid off. However the hard work has really just begun. I've learned that I can never really go back to the way I was eating before, at this time I don't want to, but it's something I've had to accept and move on with. I also have to keep up with the workouts......I'm no spring chicken anymore, my body needs to MOVE and I need to motivate myself on a daily basis.....UGH!!!!

No, I really do like to exercise.......

Anyway Maintenance is HARD for me. Which is why I need these journals to keep me straight....It's like therapy! I'll write about my food of course, my thoughts and ideas on new recipes (and twists) on low carb eating, and I'll pepper in a few tid bits about my life in general.

A little background:
in 2006 my then boyfriend proposed to me on the big screen at a Red Sox game in Fenway Park. I said YES. I was at my heaviest...



Roughly 170 lbs, on a short 5'4" frame, I pushed almost 200 lbs after having kids....I know it's just a small amount compared to the many success stories around here, but I was always around 130-135 in High School and most of my 20's, however like with many people after college "adult" sedentary life sort of took over. Ya know quick meals out of a box, beer, ramen noodles....Well after I got engaged I decided to make a change. I went with Atkins and one year later lost almost 40 pounds!

I kept that weight off for a while, but then came the kids. I have two, my son will be 4 later this month, and my daughter is about 2 1/2. Yeah I'm BUSY!! Last year I hopped on the exercise and atkins wagon and got all the baby weight off, YAY Round two worked!!!! (it's technically rounds 3 as I was ALMOST to goal between kids, but got pregnant WAY too quickly, my son was 9 months old when I found out I was preggers again, WOW!).

in 2012 - Atkins plus Insanity workouts:


Before


After

SOOOOO that brings me to here. Learning to love this way of eating, getting my workouts in, and keeping this weight off for good. It's a viscous cycle let me tell ya!!


But when I can have meals like this (dinner last night) :



How can I go wrong?

Please join me for the bumpy but fun roller coaster ride we call "maintenance"


Jess

[Sicca]

Ok now that my "Intro" post is up......What's up with me lately? Well I am in the middle of a Paleo Challenge. I'm a wimp, so I am doing 14 days. I admit it!! However it's been pretty good, a bit of a challenge when it comes to no dairy (which means no coffee, I'm not going to even try and concoct anything, it's easier to go without) and I do miss having that atkins bar as a go to quick snack. However I'm learning a lot about what I can and can't go without....and NEW things I hadn't tried yet while eating LC.

For starters- Coconut Oil.
Why have I never tried cooking with it? I do not know, maybe it's the price? Maybe it's the fear that things will taste coconutty? (is that a word?) Whatever the reason I'm past it now, and I will be using this a lot now!!

Second- Almond Butter
Need I say more.....YUM.

Thirdly - Coconut Milk
I LOVE milk, and since doing atkins years ago I just have transformed myself into never having that big tall glass of creamy white stuff ever again. Well those days are over. Coconut milk is the bomb. I can drink it straight (yes, the unsweetened kind) and I am actually going to try and make a homemade cereal of some sort to have with it soon! Plus it's divine in smoothies!!!!

Most Importantly - foraging and growing.
I am more determined than ever to have a decent garden this year!!! The food industry is scaring me!! I am also super motivated to get out in the wilderness and PICK food to eat. This weekend it's fiddlehead picking, I can't wait!!!



You can bet I'll be trying this recipe:
Fiddlehead Ferns With Bacon, Browned Garlic and Onion, and White Wine Reduction | Mark's Daily Apple


Weight today at 138.6, Up a few pounds from goal. I'm guessing that the extra fruit from eating paleo the past 9 days has by far counter acted any carbs from the dairy that I am missing. Unfortunately my body is super sensitive to ALL sugar. *sigh* Time to limit the fruit (no more MANGO in my paleo smoothies!). Berries it is....

Sunday is the last day of my 14 day Paleo challenge. Overall I feel good, I have plenty energy. I've been creative with my eating, also my weight hasn't changed.....too bad I need to drop a few pounds...at least I know I can maintain on Paleo.

Exercise - I did Insanity fast & furious on Monday, and last night I did a leg routine with 10 lb ankle weights, tonight I am doing a high intensity course on an elliptical. I hope to do Insanity again on Friday....... Happy Hump Day!

[Sicca]

Mmmmm just finished my paleo smoothie. One good thing about this paleo challenge is that I sure do enjoy the extra fruit! I used a very small amount of frozen banana (like 1/4 of banana) plus blueberries, 2 strawberries, spinach, and coconut milk. Add 2 ice cubes and blend away......YUM!



(Kinda pretty before you blend it all together)

I can't wait to get back to just plain low carb eating though. I do miss cheese, a lot. Last night I found myself snacking on salami, it's good but it's just so greasy......cheese doesn't bother me, it's good to know I can handle 2 weeks without but gosh, I am eager to have it back!!!! AND COFFEEEEEEEEEEEE I miss you too!

Scale is getting better, 137.6. A whole pound down from yesterday, that's exciting! I would love to be down another pound going into the weekend.....I always gain on the weekends!!! UGH!!! Maybe this one will be different, my second paleo weekend. I need to be strict with myself. NO CHEATS. Every week I spend losing the couple pounds gained from the weekend. OH! The joys of maintenance.

Going to make a quick chicken salad for lunch (leftover grilled thighs from last night, all natural mayo, 2 diced up apple slices, s&p...ON spinach). Will probably have some cuke slices soaked in o+v for a snack later.

Hubby is going to smoke a pork roast tonight, Mmmmmmmmm and we have lots of fresh veggies to add to it :-) Will probably have brussel sprouts and roasted carrots.

[zipp2play]

Jessica - your story is amazing and you are right....MAINTENANCE is so much harder than losing. The focus needs to e there and yet, not?!?!?

You keep it up and you will maintain well! Loved reading!

[Sicca]

Originally Posted by zipp2play

Jessica - your story is amazing and you are right....MAINTENANCE is so much harder than losing. The focus needs to e there and yet, not?!?!?

You keep it up and you will maintain well! Loved reading!

Thanks for stopping by and for the vote of confidence! Keeping a journal is the best way to keep myself on track......and I intend to be honest too. At least then I can see trends and how far I can go with cheats, etc. Glad you enjoyed reading so far, more to come!


SO it's Friday---Happy to report another loss - down a pound again today, sitting at 136.4 woo-hoo! I could easily be 135 by tomorrow morning now this would be SUPER going into the weekend at my goal weight. I am going to bust my butt this weekend too and try not to go overboard with my eating. It would be great if for once I could have a Monday where I wasn't up 2 lbs+

Monday is my first day back from the Paleo challenge - hello Cheese, ranch, and coffee!!! I miss you guys so much!!!!

Had a great paleo breakfast:
1 avocado
2 boiled eggs
3 pieces of bacon
1 roma tomato

Chop everything and combine in a bowl. squeeze the juice of one good sized lime wedge over it, a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper. Done. SUPER yummy!


A friend of mine shared this new app with me I think I'm going to try out starting today as well, I just got an iphone (I know a little late joining the crowd...LOL) and am pretty stoked about all the things i can do with it!
This app counts and tracks squats. I'm determined to do more squats because I have a super problem area I like to call the "saddlebags". I assume because it's where I gained weight first many moons ago, it's where I'll lose weight last. SQUATS here I come!!!

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/runt...570183002?mt=8

Also going to do Insanity fast & furious on my lunch break - only 23 minutes. Man that workout makes me SWEAT!

Check out this yummy snack I had the other day (that's almond butter - drool)



Here's to a clean weekend.....and my final days of the Paleo challenge. Will definitely be doing this again!!!

[zipp2play]

Your egg bowl looks awesome. Reminds me of what I had yesterday for lunch. We were down to a bunch of NOTHING as our options. I tore the remaining chicken off the bone, put in a 1/4 cup cottage cheese, hand full of cherry tomatoes, handful of snap peas and then a small drizzle of Light Bals dressing! It wasn't as good as what your bowl looks like, but it got LUNCH DONE !!

Here's to a CLEAN WEEKEND INDEED!

[Sicca]

Originally Posted by zipp2play

Your egg bowl looks awesome. Reminds me of what I had yesterday for lunch. We were down to a bunch of NOTHING as our options. I tore the remaining chicken off the bone, put in a 1/4 cup cottage cheese, hand full of cherry tomatoes, handful of snap peas and then a small drizzle of Light Bals dressing! It wasn't as good as what your bowl looks like, but it got LUNCH DONE !!

Here's to a CLEAN WEEKEND INDEED!

Ha haa! Yes Monica I hear ya! I've gotten pretty creative in the past with leftovers and miscellaneous cabinet items. I'm still amazed at some of the yummy concoctions I have come up with!! I hope you had a good weekend!!


I on the other hand didn't have a perfect weekend eating-wise. My paleo challenge was supposed to end today but I failed yesterday. Sitting around with my little ones on a chilly sunday morning just screamed for a cup of coffee....that sweet creamy warm cup was a PERFECT start to my mother's day. oh well. I did pretty good the rest of the day :-)

We made chicken drum stix baked in a mixture of sriracha sauce and mayo. Wow this stuff is my new favorite pepper sauce, HOLY YUM~



Saturday night was a bit of a failure in respect to alcohol...YUP I got hit with the WINE bug and drank waaaaaay too much! That turned into some late night snacking which ALWAYS makes me gain no matter what I eat!!!

Needless to say the scale is up a bit today, GRRRR...139.2, a little better than the 140 I saw early last week. but not the 135 that I want to see EVERY DAY. Now that I'm officially done paleo and am back on the atkins wagon I am going to induction levels this week and knocking out the fruit and nuts for a bit.

Good news: my new workout gloves arrived- tonight I plan to do a Kettlebell workout as I've been somewhat refraining from them because my hands get so sore. Well now my callouses will THANK me :-) I have no excuse!!!

[Sicca]

Wow looking at the huge picture of that sriracha sauce kinda makes me hungry.....and it also makes me wonder I didn't grab any to have with my egg and avocado this morning! That would have been GOOD :-P

Good day yesterday, ate exactly to plan. Worked out last night with my kettlebells:

two circuits and I was sweating:
60 KB swings @ 10lbs
Around the waist - 25 each side @ 10lbs
renegades with one arm lifts - 10 each side @ 10lbs
russian twist - 25 @10lbs
deadlifts - 25 @20lbs
Single lifts (floor to above head) - 25 each side @ 10lbs

My new gloves worked great. My hands were always so sore after using the weights, I can't believe I didn't get gloves sooner.

Scale is nice to me today and down to 137.8 I want to get some exercise in but I just don't think I'll have the time. I probably should take today off anyway and do something tomorrow since I'll have more time.

Breakfast today is 1 egg, 1 avocado, and 1 pc of cheese.....I am so happy to have cheese (after 2 weeks without on Paleo). Got some chicken thighs for dinner tonight, not sure what I'll make with them- I was thinking of maybe a mexican style dish with some salsa and cheese, hmmm.

[melanie09]

Oh I LOVE your journal! Reading through it, I'm seeing so many similarities to what I'm doing or thinking!

I finally splurged on coconut oil becuase of what I've read and I'm fairly hooked.

Almond butter, to die for! Love me some almonds!

I really like the whole paleo/primal way of eating and am thinking it would be great for maintenance.

I'm also looking at improving my garden this year. Planted some strawberries and rhubarb this weekend. At some point I would like to start making my own jams, canning, getting some blueberry bushes and maybe some dwarf fruit trees. Our property is putting up a fight though, since we only have half and acre and it's fairly steep in most areas.

Was recently looking into kettlebell workouts and am very interested!

[lilbeetle]

Thanks for the almond butter/fruit idea. I've just been eating it with apple slices. Tasty, but kind of limiting

I put in a vege garden this year. it did get a little away on me at one stage (more food than I could eat) but so satisfying. Over winter Im growing some stuff in my new conservatory.

I have a 'bitsa' salad I like to make with odds and ends - Steamed brocoli or cauli, diced tomato, chopped boiled egg, chopped avocado, drizzled with EVOO and a generous dash of S&P. The proportions change depending on how much leftovers I have

[Sicca]

Originally Posted by melanie09

Oh I LOVE your journal! Reading through it, I'm seeing so many similarities to what I'm doing or thinking!

I finally splurged on coconut oil becuase of what I've read and I'm fairly hooked.

Almond butter, to die for! Love me some almonds!

I really like the whole paleo/primal way of eating and am thinking it would be great for maintenance.

I'm also looking at improving my garden this year. Planted some strawberries and rhubarb this weekend. At some point I would like to start making my own jams, canning, getting some blueberry bushes and maybe some dwarf fruit trees. Our property is putting up a fight though, since we only have half and acre and it's fairly steep in most areas.

Was recently looking into kettlebell workouts and am very interested!

Hey Melanie thanks for stopping by! Eating Paleo would be a great way to maintain! I see it as something that would be especially good for people who don't do well with dairy or don't mind not having it. That was my big struggle.... I am certainly more aware of my dairy now after the paleo challenge, and I am using less! Last night I didn't even put shredded cheese on my side salad, I used to ALWAYS do that!! But for some reason I didn't feel it needed it and I didn't miss it.

My hubby is putting cherry tomato plants in pots and growing those from our back porch, my mom grows lettuce in a window sill flower planter all summer long. There are some clever ways to grow fresh veggies without needing much land.....good luck!! Mmmmm canning....I would like to do that someday too!!

I'll definitely post more about my Kbell workouts - they are so much fun! I am SO SORE from that workout the other day....I love feeling like this though, it tells me that I worked hard!

Originally Posted by lilbeetle

Thanks for the almond butter/fruit idea. I've just been eating it with apple slices. Tasty, but kind of limiting

I put in a vege garden this year. it did get a little away on me at one stage (more food than I could eat) but so satisfying. Over winter Im growing some stuff in my new conservatory.

I have a 'bitsa' salad I like to make with odds and ends - Steamed brocoli or cauli, diced tomato, chopped boiled egg, chopped avocado, drizzled with EVOO and a generous dash of S&P. The proportions change depending on how much leftovers I have

Hi Lilbeetle! what a cute nickname! The great thing about using berries with the almond butter is that they are little less carby than apples and the color just makes them look so much tastier. Of course I eat them with a spoon too, Mmmmmm!

How cool you have a conservatory! There are some great greenhouses you can buy now in kits that would withstand the Vermont snow and cold, definitely hope to have one someday. That bitsa salad sounds great- so healthy but loaded with color and flavor. Avocado and egg are pretty awesome together!


Did I mention I'm super sore from my Kettlebell workout Monday night? Wowzers!! It was a new circuit of stuff for me, so that's definitely why. I'll be doing it again, and hope to do it 3 times next. I'm feeling "it" in my core, my shoulders, and my backstraps!

Today I'm going to do my short Insanity workout during my lunch break, it's only 23 minutes but it kicks my butt. I'm a bit short on lunch ideas and food so will do my favorite go-to option which is a quickie ham salad:

1 can ham
3 tbs mayo
1 tbs mustard
1 tbs relish

Mash and stir all ingredients together. Eat on lettuce or spinach, sometimes I'll have a tomato slice or some banana peppers on the side.

*Depending on the type of ham and mayo you get (and the relish you use), this entire dish comes out to just 3 or 4 carbs- I eat it all. I love it.

Yesterday we put in the posts for our chicken coop....the chicks will be here in about 2 weeks!!! We also got some plants for the garden that we'll be putting in this weekend - red leaf lettuce, jalapenos, wax peppers, broccoli, and then cherry tomatoes which will be planted in pots. Super excited to have a real salad from my garden this year

[melanie09]

Yum, that ham salad sounds good!

[tobelowcarber]

Hi Jessica! Love your journal and all the pictures. You have done so well on your weight loss journey. You should be really proud of yourself!!!

I have the same weightlifting gloves and really like them! Are you happy with them? I have to get back to weight lifting as I have been slacking on it lately. I can't believe you did insanity. That's a one though workout.
I think I am going to start Jari Love rotation. I like the definition from high rep low weight.
Are going to jump on meat and egg fast?

[Sicca]

Originally Posted by tobelowcarber

Hi Jessica! Love your journal and all the pictures. You have done so well on your weight loss journey. You should be really proud of yourself!!!

I have the same weightlifting gloves and really like them! Are you happy with them? I have to get back to weight lifting as I have been slacking on it lately. I can't believe you did insanity. That's a one though workout.
I think I am going to start Jari Love rotation. I like the definition from high rep low weight.
Are going to jump on meat and egg fast?

Thanks for your visit! The weight-loss was a journey for sure, now that I'm hanging around goal though I feel like the real journey of staying here has just begun!

I DO Like those gloves a lot, sadly I hadn't even used gloves for weights yet. I had no idea what I was missing out on (I know what I WONT miss-- sore palms, rough callouses, and sometimes dropping a K-bell here and there!).

I have the quick Insanity workout, it's called fast & furious and is about 23 minutes long. It's awesome for someone with NO time. When I'm done my face is red for about an hour and I am sweating out of EVERY pore on my body. Its perfect for me and I can do it at my own pace, some days I push really hard and some days I just kinda take it easy through it.


Don't think I'll be doing the meat & egg fast YET, got a lot going on the next couple weeks, including some travel......I DO want to break through this cycle of gaining every weekend and spending all week trying to lose it. I think that could help when the timing is right for me to dive in.

----------------------------------------------

This week has been particularly tough, I'm up again today!!!!!

I'm hoping this is due to all the exercise from yesterday muscles holding water?) and perhaps (TMI ALERT) that I haven't had a BM the past 2 mornings.....need to get me some fiber in!!! After spending the past 2 weeks eating Paleo I had a ton of avocados, that kept things moving along!! Ugh!!! Kinda frustrated..... 139.0 this morning.

I really need to challenge myself to a cheat free weekend. Plain and Simple. I tried last weekend but didn't take it seriously enough I guess.

I just didn't picture maintaining being about gaining and losing the same 5 pounds week after week. Maybe I'm wrong about that?

[tobelowcarber]

Jessica- I can see myself doing the 23 min video and I know my face would also have be bright red

I hope you can find a solution to your weekend eating. Do you eat out a lot? If you cook at home you can perhaps plan ahead of time what will you eat for the day. If you like to plan, of course. I have noticed if I don't decide on my menu before hand it can disastrous. Since I count calories on JUDD I got used to planning ahead of time.

Oh, the TMI issue can definitely skew the number on the scale.

Hope you have a great weekend!

[Sicca]

Originally Posted by tobelowcarber

Jessica- I can see myself doing the 23 min video and I know my face would also have be bright red

I hope you can find a solution to your weekend eating. Do you eat out a lot? If you cook at home you can perhaps plan ahead of time what will you eat for the day. If you like to plan, of course. I have noticed if I don't decide on my menu before hand it can disastrous. Since I count calories on JUDD I got used to planning ahead of time.

Oh, the TMI issue can definitely skew the number on the scale.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Oh yeah that workout is great! I just love that by the time I"m about to die, it's over. LOL

I am really hoping to clean up my weekend eating. We don't eat out much, like not at restaurants, but we do eat on the go and at family and friends houses. The weekends are just so unpredictable for us. I am also exposed to my kids leftovers all day long.....why do animal crackers taste so good now? Ugh!!!

OK I'm taking your advice though and am making a PLAN for this weekend.

today:
BRK - 3 deviled eggs and 3 grape tomatoes
LCH - Garden salad with cheese and ranch
SNK - 3 strawberries and 1/4 cup walnuts
DNR - Double cheeseburger on lettuce with tom & onion (mayo and mustard)
DRK - cf x2

Exercise:
Insanity f&f at lunch

Tomorrow Meals:
BRK - cheese & onion omelet
LCH - Chicken salad on lettuce
SNK - Vegs & ranch (carrot, cauliflower, broc)
DNR - Baked fish with mixed vegs
DRK - cf & wine likely

Exercise:
Tilling, shoveling, and then planting in the garden!

Sunday Meals:
BRK - bacon & strawberries
LCH - Cheeseburgers
SNK - Atkins bar/sausage bites (we're going to the circus Sunday afternoon!! I'm packing my own snacks
DNR - hopefully Pork Loin with sauteed green beans
DRK - cf

Exercise:
K-Bell workout x 20 mins


*scale nicer to me than yesterday, at 138.0 this morning. I drank a lot of wine last night and am feeling it today, I'm surprised I'm DOWN a pound actually as I expected no change. Anyway, with the way I feel I should have no problem getting my water intake (I'm close to 30 oz already and it's not even 10am here).

I got this! I hope....

[Sicca]

Weekend Plan = Failure

Not weighing, because I KNOW i'm up. I stuck to plan through Saturday night, then things fell apart (thanks to the alcohol!!). I did great Sunday up until we got Chinese food. I got the shrimp with lobster sauce, no rice. However I somehow ended up eating a good amount of hubby's lo mien (hand made noodles) and one of the kids crab rangoons. Sigh. My willpower packed up and left. I'm disappointed, but whats done is done.

Back in the saddle again today. Clean day planned with some Insanity at lunch. I'll wait until Wednesday to weigh. That way I will be more likely to not throw the damn scale out the window.


Good news on the garden front.....got a lot done this weekend. Check out our beds!!

This is the old one that we have revived- will likely fill with carrots, peppers, onions, and some lettuce:



Here are the pots for the cherry tomatoes:



Here is the NEW garden bed, made from my old waterbed frame, LOL!! Gonna fill it with more lettuce, broc, cauliflower, and more peppers:



And finally here is the "mound" for cukes, zucchini and yellow squash (the viney stuff):




Something to feel good about.......

[Sicca]

So friggin pissed off at the diet gods right now. I did great yesterday, and last night we were at a friends and they had meat and veggies and cheese all laid out, it was perfect! Then came the bacon wrapped dates. I had 5 of them.....Later I checked and HOLY COW 2 dates net 33 carbs! So I had over 70 carbs in JUST DATES. Who knew??? WTH?!?!?!!?!? Why???????????

So I'm up like four pounds since last Friday, 142.0

I just want to cry, but whatever that's not going to help. Will do my best to stick to plan the rest of this week. Super sad that we're going away this weekend to visit friends and family in Maine. I REALLY wanted to start the weekend at or around my goal weight. It would be so much less stress, but instead I'm heavier now than I have been in over 6 months. It's just not fair.

Maintenance Sucks.

[tobelowcarber]

Jessica- don't worry it is a water weight, it will gone down in no time. Just get back on the plan ASAP and you will be fine. Sometimes carb-up day can revamp the metabolism.
The garden bed looks great. I wish I had better sun exposure to have a little garden. My only option is container garden on my deck.

[Sicca]

Thanks Marika - it's my biggest gain in a long time, just made me freak out a bit. You were right though!! After a VERY low carb eating day yesterday (with no alcohol and lots of water) I am down to 139.2 this morning.

Phew!! I still don't like that number....it's 4 pounds up from goal and too close to 140 for my comfort. BUT I welcome any drop on the scale!!! I hope to repeat another day of very low carb eating! Lots of water! And still no alcohol :-) Then tomorrow I can start to climb back up the carb ladder.

I'm going to pick my greens for lunch from my own backyard this afternoon!!!

We have a ton of dandelion greens and it was an ingredient on Chopped last night (love that show) so I got a few ideas on eating it. Today I will toss it with olive oil and cider vinegar and a little sweet onion and eat it with some chicken salad I made yesterday (chicken, mayo, mustard, and small spoon of relish). YUM!!!!

I will also exercise today, I think I was too depressed yesterday to do anything but Now I'm motivated!!! Insanity at lunch!!

[Garden]

Nice journal ! And you like to get your hands dirty just like me !

[Sicca]

Originally Posted by Garden

Nice journal ! And you like to get your hands dirty just like me !

Yes, I certainly do!! It's been tough the past few years because I've been busy with the kids. The older they get the easier it is to get back to my some of my favorite hobbies :-) Thanks for stopping by!!



Feeling even better about the weekend and bacon wrapped "date" sabotage now. Another pound gone. So glad I was able to be super strict the past couple days. I'm at an even 138.0 and hoping to drop at least ONE more before we leave for Maine Saturday morning.

Visiting friends and family and then taking my son up to see the Hope Elephants. He LOVES elephants!! He turns four tomorrow so this is part of his present, to meet elephants in real life. These aren't just any elephants either, they are retired circus elephants with injuries.....but with amazing hearts and personalities....the non-profit group that cares for them are all amazing. I can't wait to meet them all!! Hope Elephants

Today I'm upping the carbs a bit, but still keeping them under 30 to try and keep up with a loss....Going to try SO HARD to not slip up over the weekend.

Not sure if I will post tomorrow, have the day off to get ready for Maine and a few little things planned for my son's birthday (visiting his pre-k class with fruit and elephant shaped cookies!).

Hoping to get some exercise in tomorrow too.....that should help going into the weekend as well.

[Garden]

I know what you mean about the kids and gardening! I have been sitting for my daughters twins since birth. They will be "3" in September. Some of my flower beds were not touched for the past two years! But things are getting better and they love the flowers - we planted cosmos seeds recently and they insist on watering them everyday.

Have a great weekend and don't fret that small weight gain!