It's the most wonderful time of the year!

We had a wonderful holiday! Christmas Eve we had dinner at our house with my family & Haley's friend Eric. It was a nice relaxing dinner followed by a fun game of Scene It Squabble. The girls won, by the way! ;o)

Christmas morning was so much fun! I was most excited about the train table that we got for Jonathan. I knew he'd love it, and I was right. We waited to show it to him until after we'd opened all other gifts. I knew if he saw it first we wouldn't be able to pull him away from it to open anything else. His face was priceless.




We were all very blessed this year. My mom made me a gorgeous ring & necklace. I'll have to take some pictures & post them. She did a great job! She also made Haley a ring & a pair of earrings. She also made all of us ornaments with a reindeer made with Jonathan's thumbprint. So precious! I know that ornament will be one of our most prized in the years to come. Haley got me the 20th anniversary edition of Monster Squad. We loved this movie growing up; I can't wait to watch it! I could list all the other gifts we got, but that could take awhile.

After gifts we made breakfast & just chilled out. Once Jonathan got up from his nap we headed over to Chris' parents for lunch & gifts. Picasa will only let me do 4 pics at a time, so I'm going to do a separate post about our Christmas over there.... stay tuned!

Merry Christmas!

"That was crazy!"

Jonathan has a new favorite phrase; "That was crazy!" Where he picked that up I have no idea. He says it a lot when we "shoot hoops" with the basketball goal he got for his birthday. Today one of us missed a shot and he says, "Almost! That was crazy! Shoot!" It was hysterical. He speaks in "complete" sentences most of the time now and we can pretty much understand what he's saying all of the time.

Yesterday we braved the mall to get pictures taken with Santa. I use the phrase "braved the mall" very loosely as there were not very many people there & no lines for Santa! Amazing! Last year Jonathan was anything but pleased to sit in the big man's lap. I made a point this time to talk about where we were going & who we were going to see. I kept asking him if he was going to sit in Santa's lap & get his picture taken. He was very excited about it. Until we got there. He didn't cry or anything, which is an improvement, but once we got up there & I asked if he wanted to sit in Santa's lap he just shook his head no. Once he found out that he got a candy cane his opinion changed slightly. LOL He still wasn't thrilled with the idea, as you can tell, but no tears, so that's good. We wound up seeing two Santa's. Expecting a big line we parked outside Bass Pro Shops knowing that Santa was just outside the store within the mall. Little did I know they had their very own Santa. After we saw him we went out into the mall & I noticed there wasn't a line for the other Santa either! Why not visit two? I knew I could use my own camera at the other one so we headed over there too. Again, all Jonathan cared about was the candy, but he did good. He's so funny when he get's nervous; he just kind of freezes & sits very still. It was all Santa could do to get Jonathan to look at him. ;o)



Every year of Jonathan's life (all two of them) I've taken a picture of him with a Santa hat on & made a Christmas ornament. I hadn't been able to get a very good picture yet this year. Mostly due to the "cheese face" I usually get when the camera comes out. Today I decided to try a little photo shoot to see what I could get. I thought this one turned out pretty good. Unfortunately we ran out of tri-color ink so the pictures aren't printing right. Sadly the ornaments probably won't get done until after Christmas this year.


Is there anything better than licking the beater when making cookies? I didn't think so. I've been on some sort of cookie making mission this year. The holidays have just put me in the mood I guess. I found a recipe for sugar cookies on Weight Watchers' website that I'd been wanting to try. Let me just say... they're not very good. ;o/ Jonathan seems to like them though, so he can have them. After that disappointing run I decided to make Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookies (minus the nuts). Of course I had to lick the beaters when I was done, and Jonathan got in on the fun! This was his first time so of course I had to take some pictures. I think they'll make a really cute scrapbook page. ;o)


Speaking of Weight Watchers. Ack. Oprah had a great quote in a recent issue of People magazine where she talked about her contiuing struggles with her weight. She said (I'm paraphrasing), "I didn't just fall off the wagon, I let the wagon fall on me." That's totally where I'm at right now. I've made jokes about having been off the wagon so long I didn't know where it was. I've said that every time I get a foot back on the wagon it slips out from under me. But Oprah's quote really sums it up. I need to do some real soul searching & figure out what to do. I know I can't let myself just get back into my old way of life, though it seems like that's where I may be headed. I KNOW what I need to do, it's just DOING it that seems to be the problem right now. I have to come out of this on the other side; healthier, more confident, with more energy... this valley just seems to be really wide right now.

Okay, that turned into kind of a bummer post. Sorry about that. ;o)

A big day!!!

What's the point in apologizing for being a crappy blogger when I don't seem to do anything about it? I'm sure I'll have lots to talk about in the coming week though with Christmas right around the corner.

Something big happened tonight (12.18.08 for documentations sake) at our house... Jonathan went pee pee on the potty for the first time!!! My boy is growing up so fast! At bathtime we've been putting him on the potty while we fill the tub. Mostly because he's peed on the floor a time or two. Everytime I tell him, "go pee pee on the potty", but he didn't ever seem to grasp what I was saying. I'm still not 100% convinced he really knew what he was doing tonight... but after the fuss we put up about it maybe he'll put two & two together. I don't know that we're quite ready to jump into potty training with both feet, but I figure this is a step in the right direction. I may try putting him on there again tomorrow & seeing what happens.

Oh! And a photo I can torture him with when he's 16! ;o) (What do you think of the bow? LOL)


Well, I'm off to bed. I'm planning to take Jonathan to the mall tomorrow to have his picture taken with Santa. I'll be sure & post pics soon!

Run to Me

Saw this over on Major Bedhead & didn't have anything else to post... so here goes:

1. Put your iTunes or MP3 player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer

YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY? You Got it All – The Jets
WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY? Sun and Moon – Miss Saigon Soundtrack
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? Old Toy Trains – Roger Miller
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE? The Way – Clay Aiken
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? What Are You Doing New Years Eve – Clay Aiken
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? Again, Again – Lady GaGa
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? The Weight of Lies – The Avett Brothers
WHAT IS 2+2? Dangerous – Michael Jackson
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? Danger Zone – Top Gun Soundtrack
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Grace of God – Clay Aiken
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY? Hard Candy Christmas – Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? Cover Girl – New Kids on the Block
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? I Still Believe in Santa Claus – New Kids on the Block
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? Ten Little Indians – Children’s Favorite Songs
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? Sleigh Ride – Clay Aiken
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? Bella’s Lullaby – Carter Burwell
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST? Coventry Carol – Cambridge King’s Chorus
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? Bad – Michael Jackson (LOL)
WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN? Everything I Don’t Need – Clay Aiken
HOW WILL YOU DIE? The Way You Make Me Feel – Michael Jackson
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET? You Are My Joy – David Crowder Band
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH? Just the Girl – The Click Five
WHAT MAKES YOU CRY? Rock With You – Michael Jackson
WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED? ABC – Jackson 5
WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST? Back to School Again – The Four Tops
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE? Hangin’ Tough – New Kids on the Block
WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW? Blessed Be Your Name – Passion Worship Band
WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS? Run to Me – Clay Aiken

sorry for the quality

of these pics, but what can you expect from a camera phone? Nearly every time I pull out my phone Jonathan starts saying "Cheese!" & wants me to take his picture. So, here are a couple from the last few days.




Enjoy!

"It surprised me when he chuckled under his breath."

I saw this on Rebecca's blog & decided to play along...

Grab the closest book (not your favorite book, just whichever one is closest). Go to page 56. Find the 5th sentence. Use it as your blog title or Facebook or MySpace status line. Copy these directions as a comment so others can play along.

Those who know me will not be surprised to learn that it's a line from Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. I just finished re-reading it a few minutes ago. ;o)

If you play too, post in my comments so I make sure & see it!

Go Elf Yourself

Oh my goodness this is hysterical!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

remember when...

I was going to post every day in November.... obviously, not so much. So, what's happened in the last two weeks?

* I got a double ear infection - not fun. I have a whole new appreciation for little ones who get them.
* I saw Twilight .... twice in 24 hours (and I'm going again tomorrow night!) loved it!
* Had a pretty serious health scare with my grandfather, but he seems to be doing much better
* Spent a wonderful day at Rebecca's on Saturday making Christmas cards & watching some of our favorite Christmas movies: White Christmas, Christmas Vacation and The Holiday - it was so nice spending time just the two of us. I think it had been like 3 years since we'd done that... but we decided to make it a yearly event.

Now we begin the preparations for Thanksgiving. I can't believe it's here already. I was hoping to get the house decorated for Christmas before Thursday as everyone is coming over here, but I don't think its going to happen. Maybe I'll try again to get everyone to have a "tree trimming" party Thursday evening.

What are your plans for Thanksgiving?

wow

It's amazing (and quite sad) how little I have to say lately. I got nothin' again today, so how about a couple of shots of the boy from last year. I can't believe how much he's changed & grown.


Poor bug seems to have gotten a cold, and was kind enough to share it with Mommy. Thanks, Bubby! Hopefully it won't morph into anything too major & we can just tough it out by sticking around the house & watching Cars once or a hundred times. Whatever it takes.

apparently I stink...

at this whole "post a day" thing. I missed yesterday. Could be because there was nothing going on, therefore, nothing to post. It was a pretty lazy day around here, and that's just fine by me.

Today was fun. Jonathan & I met some friends at Discover Mills to walk, eat & play at the train table in Books A Million. We made 3 laps around the mall before we started shopping, which equals a little over 3 miles! It felt good to get out & do something active. We have plans to get together Monday morning at a nearby park & walk again.

Unfortunately I think I'm getting a cold. ;o/ I can feel it in the back of my throat. I think Jonathan may have a little something too. He's had a runny nose for a few days, but I was attributing it to his molars coming in. Now he seems to have a little cough too. I hope we don't get anything too major. Time to start downing the OJ I guess.

Okay, I'm going to watch the end of Top Chef, then I'm off to bed.

counting down...

The holidays are fast approaching. Are you ready? I'm starting to feel the urge to put up decorations (don't worry, I won't do it til the week of Thanksgiving) and listen to Christmas music. This is one of my favorite times of the year.

I have several things that I want to make this year so I thought I'd list them out. Gotta blog something, right?

* Christmas cards (really need to get on this soon)
* Alter letters J O Y to decorate the mantle (have the supplies, just need to do it)
* Christmas gifts for, well, everyone (I already have one made)
* Put up tree & decorations

It's all a bit overwhelming, but I know that once I get started it will be okay. What all do you have to do for the holidays?

zip, zilch, nada

That's what I've got for today. Sorry. ;o)

do you want to see...

my happy dance? Well, thankfully I'm not going to subject you to that torture, but I'll tell you why I'm doing it... I lost 4.6 pounds this week! Yay me! It just really drives home the point that when I'm follwing the plan, I lose weight. Pretty simple.

here's hoping

Well, tomorrow is weigh in day. I've been good all week, so I'm really hoping for a good outcome. I've used my points each day & haven't even used all of my 35 "extra" points for the week. That's unusual for me. Generally on Saturday & Sunday I don't pay as much attention to what I eat & just consider that using my "extra" points; then the rest of the week I just meet my daily points allowance. Keep your fingers crossed that I have good news tomorrow!

Jonathan is getting one of his two year molars & boy is it working him over. Throughout the day he seems okay, but once it's time for bed he kind of falls apart. He also feels like he's running a bit of a fever so we've been giving him Tylenol before bed. I hope this one pops through soon & that the other one is a little gentler on him. Poor thing.

Until tomorrow!

today

Not much to post, so how about a few bullets...

* paid $1.95 for gas today!!! Over the top excited about that!
* went shopping at Archiver's, Family Dollar, JoAnn, Hobby Lobby and KMart
* found everything I was looking for
* my feet hurt
* feeling a little overwhelmed by all of the Christmas gift projects I have/want to do

That's all I've got for now.

yeah, so much for NaBloPoMo

I already missed a day. How sad is that? I guess that's what I get for waiting until the end of the day to post. Before you know it it's after midnight & you've missed your chance.

I was up late watching Real Housewives of Atlanta, and oh yeah, the election coverage. I'm not one to talk politics, mostly because I don't really understand most of it. The candidate that I voted for didn't win, but I'm still proud of our country and the fact that so many people turned out to vote. This was no doubt a historical election and I was glad to be a part of it; no matter the outcome.

Last week I posted about my recent struggles on my weight loss journey. Well, I went back to Weight Watchers on Saturday to weigh in. The verdict? Up 12 pounds! Blech. I was completely expecting it, but it's still not something you want to hear. I'm proud to say that I've stayed on plan all week & have every intention of continuing to do so. I'm anxious to see what the scale says this week.

Well, I'm off for now...

I felt 14 all over again

Last week, Haley, her friend Brandi and I went to see New Kids on the Block in concert. Back in the day I was a HUGE fan of theirs. We're talking posters plastered all over my room, sheets & pillowcases with their pictures, obsession! Sadly, I was never able to see them in concert back then & always said that if they ever did a reunion tour I was going. Well, you can only imagine how thrilled I was when they announced earlier this year that they were doing just that! I was able to buy tickets during a pre-sale for AmEx holders & we got pretty good seats. It said on the ticket "No cameras or recording devices" and, being the rule follower that I am, I didn't bring my camera. I'm so kicking myself now because there were people with cameras all over the place. I snapped some pics with my camera phone, but they're pretty crappy.

Anyhoo.... the concert was AMAZING!!! I can't even begin to put into words how good it was. By far the best show I've ever been to. And, as we know, I've been to several (Clay Aiken 7 times, Garth Brooks twice and many more!). I have never been in a place that loud before in my life! I could barely hear when it was all said & done.

They definitely put on a great show! Of course they did a lot of old stuff, but they did a lot of new stuff too & it was really good! When they first came out... the energy in the arena was crazy! Everyone (myself included of course) was screaming and jumping up & down; I honestly don't even remember what song they opened with I was so excited. I swear I felt like I was 14 again!

By the end of the night my throat was sore from all of the screaming & singing. If I'd had the money, I would've totally driven to Charlotte to see them perform the next night.

At some point they mentioned their new found love for Waffle House & announced that they planned to go to one after the show. Soooo, Haley, Brandi & I waited around outside looking for their bus for about 45 minutes, until their former bodyguard, "Bubba", came out and said that they'd already left. So, what did we do next? Yep, we drove around to a few Waffle Houses looking for them! Yes, I'm 32 years old & I was driving around at 1:00 in the morning looking for New Kids on the Block. Sadly, we didn't find them. We drove to 3 WH's to no avail. What's worse is that the next day I went on their message board & found out that we'd only been a few exits away from where they were. ;o/ AND... Haley & Brandi drove right by it on their way home. Oh well, I guess it just wasn't meant to be. ;o)

If they go on tour again, I'll definitely be there. And I'll be more diligent in stalking them after the show!!! LOL

Here are some of my (crappy) cell phone pics:

The view of the stage from our seats:

The boys

Joe McIntyre (on the JumboTron)

Jordan with his shirt open (on the JumboTron)


I also got some video, but I haven't uploaded them on YouTube yet. Haley doesn't want me to post a couple of them because you can hear her singing. Hmmm, we'll see what happens. She got some better pictures with her phone, so hopefully she'll send them to me soon & I'll post them.

Well, I'd better get to bed. Jonathan & I have a play date tomorrow morning.

Choo Choo!

It was somewhat of a challenge deciding what Jonathan was going to be for Halloween this year. Originally I thought about attempting to make a Lightning McQueen costume, but that idea was axed pretty early on. I have no real skills when it comes to things like that. Then, we talked about mom making him a Peter Pan costume, but we had issues finding inexpensive materials that looked decent. So, while perusing the shelves at K-Mart we came across this adorable Thomas the Train costume. Jonathan is a big fan of Thomas & his friends, so it worked out perfectly. We didn't do trick-or-treating this year as our church had a festival of sorts. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed in it. Besides being rather disorganized, there just wasn't a whole lot for kids his age. We'll see what happens next year, but we may just stick with trick-or-treating. Speaking of trick-or-treating... isn't there some sort of unspoken rule that if your porch light is off that means you don't have candy? Chris unfortunately had to do some work at home that evening while we were gone & he said that the doorbell kept ringing. We had turned off the porch light & all the other lights in the house, so there was no reason for people to even think anyone was home. (Chris was back in the bedroom working.) Anyhoo, I just thought it was kind of weird.


I had kind of forgotten about it, but November is National Blog Posting Month (aka NaBloPoMo). Basically it's just a "challenge" to post every single day for an entire month. I missed yesterday, but I'm going to try and keep up with it again this year. I certainly won't promise that every day will be something interesting... but I'll do my best! Since I missed yesterday I'll post twice today... lucky you! Stay tuned!

Have you seen my wagon?

I made a statement the other day that I've gotten so far off the Weight Watchers wagon, that I don't even know where the wagon is anymore. I can't really explain what happened; I don't know if I just got bored, complacent or what, but it can't go on. I haven't weighed in since 9.20, that's 6 weeks tomorrow. Unacceptable. But, I'm going in tomorrow no matter the outcome. I'm fully expecting to have gained about 15 pounds. Hopefully it won't be that bad, but I certainly won't be surprised if it is. It seems that when I'm off plan I start looking for things to eat that are "bad". It's like, "well, I've already screwed up, I might as well really go for it." Not the right mentality to have at all.

So, tomorrow is a brand new day. The first day on the next leg of my journey. Now, if my driver could bring my wagon 'round & have it waiting for me in the morning... that would be great!

ps.... I have Halloween pics that I hope to post tomorrow.

family pics from missouri

I'm such a slacker. We got back from Missouri last Friday & I'm just getting around to posting some pictures from our trip. It was kind of a spur of the moment trip, and only my Aunt Brenda knew that Jonathan & I were coming. It was a lot of fun surprising everyone. The last time we were there Jonathan was only 8 months old, so he's obviously changed ALOT! Everyone was quite taken with him; he's a charmer!

I didn't take very many pictures at all, and somehow managed to be there a week & not take a single picture of Jonathan with my grandmother or my aunt. How did that happen? We were with them most of the time. Grrr. Anyhoo...

Grandpa Cole (my mom's dad) & Jonathan

Grandpa, Jonathan, me & Mom

Grandpa, Wanda (Grandpa's wife), Jonathan, Mom & me


I have some more pictures but they'll have to be in a separate post as Picasa will only let me upload 4 at a time. ;o/

I'll sign off for now, but I'll be back soon with another post. I have to tell y'all about the New Kids on the Block concert that Haley, Brandi & I went to last night. AMAZING!!!

family pics from missouri... pt. 2

Grandpa Porter (my dad's dad) & Jonathan


Dad, Grandpa, Jonathan & Uncle David

Grandpa, Jonathan & Me

Pun'kin patch

Ahhh, fall. My favorite season. I love when the weather starts turning cool again. Time to start thinking about Halloween costumes, Thanksgiving get-togethers and dare I say it.... Christmas!!! (69 days left!) Are you ready?

This past Monday was Columbus Day and, since Chris had the day off, we decided to head to the pumpkin patch at Washington Farms. Jonathan had a great time in the petting zoo and watching the pig races. The weather was great and I managed to get a few good pictures.
I still can't believe my baby is 2 years old. He had his 2 year well baby visit on Tuesday and he's as healthy as a horse. He weighed in at 27.5 pounds (50%) and he's 36" tall (90%), so he's tall and skinny. Which was no surprise to me as it's very difficult to find pants to fit the little stinker. He's right on target developmentally, which I'm thrilled about. I swear this kid never stops moving or talking. It's no wonder he sleeps an average of 13 hours a day (11 hrs/night & 2/hr nap). I'd be tired after all that too. One of these days I need to get some video of him talking & post it on here.

Anyhoo, here are a couple of pics from the pumpkin patch...




My parents are taking a trip up to Missouri this weekend to visit family and Jonathan & I decided to go with them. We haven't been up there since he was 8 months old and I know everyone will enjoy seeing him & how he's changed. We're going to be in the car for 12 hours (!!!) each way, so I'm trying to make sure I have some things to keep him occupied on the journey.

Well, I have a lot to do today to get ready for our trip. I need to have pretty much everything done today as I'm scrapping with the girls tomorrow. I'm hoping I can be at least a little productive. The last few times we've been I just haven't had much mojo. ;o/

Where has the time gone?

Today we had a party to celebrate Jonathan's 2nd birthday. Tomorrow is his actual birthday, but it still begs the question: "Where has the time gone?" It seems just yesterday he was a teeny little baby and we were bringing him home from the hospital. Somehow two years have passed and every day I feel so blessed to be his mother.

Right now he's totally into Monster Trucks, and generally anything with wheels. So, we decided to kind of theme his party around that. A couple of weeks ago my mom & I were checking out the bakery department at Wal-Mart & came across a "cupcake cake" that was decorated with toy cars & a monster truck. Well, that was all we needed to see & we decided to make a cake like that one. I have to say I was a bit intimidated by the whole idea; I had never decorated a cake before. Well, anything beyond icing & "Happy Birthday so & so". But, I think it turned out pretty cute. What do you think? I can tell you that I won't be starting a cake decorating business anytime ever in the near future. It's way too stressful for me. I'm very much a perfectionist when it comes to things like this & I was so afraid I was going to mess it up. In the end I was pleased with it though.




Jonathan really seemed to enjoy everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to him. He certainly loves to be the center of attention. ;o)



There are skads & skads of pictures to go through from today. Thank you, Laurel, for being today's designated photographer. I'm so grateful for my friends who are always willing to step in & take pictures so that I can really enjoy the day. Rebecca often fills that position, but, sadly, she's sickly this weekend & wasn't able to come today. You were missed! I hope you're feeling better!

Well, I'm done for now. I'll try and post some more pics over the next couple of days. Stay tuned!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Happy Birthday honey! I hope you have a great day!

A night out!

Tonight Chris and I are going out on a triple date with the Clavells and the Thompsons. We're going to the Fox Theatre to see Les Miserables. I'm so excited! We saw it a few years ago and it's amazing! I'm really looking forward to a night out with our friends too. It's been too long since we've done anything without the kids.

Until next time~

Good friends/family don't say "I told you so"

A few minutes ago my father called me into the other room to show me something he'd found online. It's something he knew that I'd care to see, even if it broke my heart a little. (okay, a lot)

Clay Aiken has confirmed that he's gay.

I'm not really sure what to say.

Hello Fall...

I've missed you so.

It's 69 degrees outside & I love it! I can't remember when it was this cool outside. Most days it's still pretty hot in the afternoon, but you can feel the cooler weather coming. It's in the air. I can't wait to start wearing jeans & sweaters again. With this cooler weather comes the neccesity of clothes shopping. Especially for a small red-headed boy who lives here. He has no pants in his size, so we need to remedy that soon. We already bought him a pair of sneakers for fall, and next come the clothes.

Tonight is the season premiere of The Biggest Loser on NBC. I really like this show; it's very motivating, which I could use right now.

Well, we're going to be starting dinner soon, so I'd best get busy....

I'm doing it again

Several months ago I posted about how for some reason on this weight loss journey I tend to sabotage myself. I seem to be in that same boat again. A couple of weeks ago I hit a big milestone at Weight Watchers, 51 pounds! Ever since then I've been completely off track and I don't quite know what to do about it. I can't let myself get so far off track that I can get back on, so I need some real accountabilty. Daily accountability. I need someone I can call up in the evening when I'm on the verge of grabbing the bag of (insert snack food) and eating until I'm feeling both full and guilty. Even as I sit & eat unneccesarily I'm aware that I'm sabotaging myself, but I can't seem to stop. What am I getting out of it? Are untold amounts of Baked Cheetos worth how awful I feel afterwards? Definitely not. So why can't I stop myself? I really need to do some soul searching and try to determine why I do this to myself. I know I can reach my goal if I just keep on keepin' on, but it's hard to not get discouraged when you feel like you're failing.

Dr. Phil has a new segment this season, The Ultimate Weight Loss Race. Think Biggest Loser meets The Amazing Race. His main trainer said something that I found very profound: "Everyone is looking for a magic bullet. Commitment is the magic bullet." I've been really thinking about that for the last couple of days. I am committed to this weight loss journey, so I just have to get my head back on straight.

This turned out to be quite the rambling post, sorry about that. I guess I just needed to get my thoughts out there. Thanks for "listening". Any thoughts, suggestions, advice you have I would love to hear.

before i get in trouble...

I'd better post something... anything! I know, I've been a terrible blogger over the last little bit. I promise, I'll work my way out of this blogging funk.

In the meantime, here are some pics from last weekend. We went to a birthday party for Emily at Monkey Joe's. It's a place with a bunch of inflateable things for the kids to jump in & slide on. Jonathan had a blast! And, as you can tell from the last picture, completely wore himself out. Poor thing!