Our Christmas Day

You know the anticipation of a perfect Christmas that we all seem to have?

Yeah, well, here's a running recap of our Christmas morning:

8:15 am

Techy and I have been up since 7 am fully expecting the 2-year-old-soon-to-be-3-year-old to be up and ready to see what Santa brought him.  Alas, today was the first morning in MONTHS that the kid slept past 8 am.  So we wait....

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

8:45 am

"A Christmas Story" is now blaring on the tv, my 2-year-old-soon-to-be-3-year-old is beating people with a wrapping paper tube and my 11 month old is chewing on the side of her pack n play, as I sit, snuggled on the couch with Techy, typing on my new laptop.

Santa was good this year.  Really, really good.  As evidenced by this:

Techy got new running shoes and a Garmin GPS watch.  I'm impressed.

Momma got a laptop and a Roku thingy so I can finally watch Netflix or Hulu in my bedroom.

PEOPLE.  I.HAVE.BEEN.WAITING.SO.LONG.

Little Man got a cardboard rocket ship and a dump truck.  He thinks he won the lottery.

And Baby Girl got her first baby stroller...for whenever she decides to walk and push something in front of her.

So far today, my meals have consisted of 4 Pioneer Woman Orange Marmalade Rolls and about half a dozen cookies.  I'm planning to get up and load up on some Mashed Potatoes and Mac n Cheese soon, but for now, the cookies are in my reach, so why move?

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

10 am

Did you know that you could actually break a sweat putting together a cardboard box?  We got tired of hearing Little Man scream about wanting to play in his cardboard "WOCKET SHIPPPPPP" so Techy and I just spent the better part of 45 minutes screaming at each other while trying to make all the pieces fit.  I think this proves to be a bad omen for the bike years.

But seeing this face makes it all worth it.

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

12:15 pm

Just put the kids down for a nap, drank half a bottle of sparkling cider and attempted to watch Christmas Vacation with the Techmeister.  (Who {sidenote} just beat Angry Bird Seasons and is delighted to be playing the bonus round.  NERD)

We survived Christmas morning.

And here we sit.  Still in our pj's, not even the slightest thought of getting up and getting dressed crossing our minds.  BEST CHRISTMAS EVERRRRRR.

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

1:30 pm

I just took the first nap I've had since Baby Girl was 2 days old.

That was like 10 months ago.

This was so overdue.

I think I'll eat another cookie...or 2...or 5.

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

2:15 pm

In case you wondered.

Pioneer Woman's mashed potatoes are even better the second time around.

Even if all you have to pair them with is chicken nuggets and leftover mac n cheese.

YUMMMMMMMM.

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

4 pm

Everyone's up from nap.

Watching Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas for the 15 bazillionth time this season.

Techy is reading a book.  He hasn't moved from his spot on the couch for the last 4 hours.

I should probably be concerned.

But I am catching up on blog reading and to check on him, I would have to get up, and I don't plan on doing that until I have to fix dinner.

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

7:30 pm

The kids are finally in bed and I am finally getting ready to relax.

(Get this, yesterday, I had a panic attack over whether I should try to diet through Christmas.
Diet?  What diet????)

I just ate 6 more sugar cookies and downed the rest of my sparkling cider while reading a book in my bathtub.

Who needs a diet when fat floats this well???

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

In conclusion...

BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!

Hope yours was just as fabulous.

A Day In The Life

ONE OF THE MANY REASONS WHY I HAVEN'T BLOGGED IN AGES

My day started with the words:

"WE DO NOT GO PEE-PEE OFF OUR BED"

I should have known I was in for a ride.

I, however, just assumed today would be a normal day.

I think I daily underestimate this kid.

This week has been a bit...EXCITING.

Heck, this YEAR has been a bit EXCITING.

Or exhausting.

Depending on who you are talking to and what day of the week it is.

To bring things full circle, I just finished off my day by screaming, "WE NEVER, EVER, EVER, GO POO-POO IN THE FLOOR."

A day in the life, people, a day in the life.

Let's just say that by the time I got to Facebook and saw this little gem, I could do nothing but SOB.

Guilt is just what I needed after cleaning up that mess.

Source

Pray for me.

I am not entirely sure I am doing this mommy thing right!

Weekly Weigh-In: Week 21

Three weeks.

Three very busy, very exhausting, very fun weeks.

That's how long it's been since I posted my last weigh in post.

And while I would like to tell you that in the past 3 weeks, I have made some amazing progress on the scale, that would be a lie.

Week 19 was actually pretty good to me.

I at least partially successful with an almost 1 lb. loss.

And considering my family was visiting AND my septic tank backed up into my house the night before this pic, I would consider -.8 of a pound as a HUGE success.

I mean, seriously.

If anyone has EVER needed chocolate it is when their septic tank is now their basement and their entire family shows up with no where to pee. (or do anything else)

Thank GOD I live in the woods.

But then the family left and we syphoned the sewer back out to where it belongs.

Our back yard.

And I moved on with my life.

And left for a fun filled weekend in Maryland/Delaware on Thursday of week 20.

Have I ever told you that my mother in law is like a Maryland Paula Deen?

No, seriously.

We had crab cakes, and spaghetti and the best chicken tenderloin roast thing (I didn't even know there was such a thing!!!) that you could ever dream of.

And she always serves desserts when she has guests over.

SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGH.

Needless to say, I didn't even bother weighing myself at the end of week 20.

But that just brought me to week 21.

Without any awareness of how much weight I had gained on my foodfest weekend.

So I just did what came next.

Working out.

Doing my thing.

Eating healthy.

And at the end of week, this is what I have to show for it.

In case you aren't really paying attention, that number is actually HIGHER than the number I posted the last time I actually posted.

To attempt to make myself feel better, I did my side by side pics....

And then ran out the door to the Techmeister's company picnic.

Thinking, "Wow, I look goooooooooooooo-ood"

And I pranced around at the picnic the entire afternoon thinking the same thing.

Only to come home last night as see this little gem on Facebook.

Clearly the camera adds 10 lbs.

Clearly, this was just a bad angle.

I wonder if this is how Honey Boo-Boo's momma says when she sees herself on tv?

Clearly, I've got alot of work left.

Clearly, I don't look as good as I think I do from EVERY ANGLE.

And this week is dedicated to that.

Here's to never having another Honey Boo-Boo Momma moment EVER AGAIN.

Helpful How-To: My Fall Burlap Wreath

I've made my share of burlap wreaths.

And just for the sake of fairness, I did it again.

How Britney Spears of me, huh?

Oops.

In my defense, this year I whipped up {quite possibly} the simplest one ever.

It's gorgeous, right?

Ruffles and burlap and crinkly ribbon.

Hanging on my front door.

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.

It's like a recipe for long term decor affection, right?

And for the sake of my Helpful How-To's {that have fallen by the way side}, I thought I'd share it with you.

Because I'm supremely generous like that.

And I LOVE to see people copy me.

It's almost like being popular.

Almost.

But I digress.

Step 1:  Loosely follow this tutorial.

But rather than using two layers of burlap, used one.

Super easy.

(If you are el cheapo like me, you can pick up a simple wicker wreath at the dollar tree for - get this - A DOLLAR.  Shocking right???)

Step 2: Create crinkly ribbon.

Don't you love the word "crinkly"?

I do.

But probably only because it reminds me of french fries.

Which reminds me of how much I want french fries.

And then I remember that I live 7 minutes from McDonald's and they have a drive thru - no unloading the TWO children I have.

And then I remember that I'm trying to lose weight.

And now I'm in a bad mood.

So, lets recap.

Crinkly is a fun word until it reminds me of food I can't eat and now I hate the word crinkly.

Welcome to the inner workings, people.

INNER WORKINGS.

What was I talking about?

Oh yeah.  Crinkly {GRRRRRR} ribbon ring.

So, yeah.  To make that very imperfect center ring, I picked up a spool of 1/2" ribbon and gathered it using the same method as the burlap (loose stitches along one edge of the ribbon).

The end result is the crinkly ribbon you see in the center.

Now glue it on.*

Step 3.  Make a bow and glue it on top.

Same theory as tying your shoes.

Make a bow.

Hot glue it on.*

Step 4:  Hang on your door.

Preferably with a hook.

Although, my front door is weird, and I can't really hang a hook OVER it, I am pretty sure that those 3M hooks would do it.  For a while, anyway.

However, I cheated and just took advantage of my weird window bars.

Try not to be too jealous of my weird door.

Or my awesome wreath.

Just go make your own.

And thank me for bestowing this wealth of information on you.

I'm kind like that.

*(Warning: This can be VERY TRICKY.  Despite the fact that hot glue guns are tiny, I burn myself on the thing everytime I get it out.  Am I the only one here?  I can't really be the only one, here right???  AM I RIGHT????  HELLO????)

Christmas Came a Little Early

DUDE.

I heart Living Social Deals when they actually apply to me.

And this one actually does.

A $10 Starbucks card for $5.

That means that I just snagged a perfectly acceptable Christmas gift for a perfectly unacceptable price.

You want one???

Here ya go!!!

You can thank me later!

Helpful How-To: Baby Girl's Grub

If you could sit in on almost any conversation among me and my fellow mommy friends these days, you would hear a snippet about making your own baby food.

I know.  I know.

Right now, my sister is rolling her eyes at me so.freaking.hard.*

But it's true.

We also talk about things like knitting and the latest book on Oprah's book club list.

And minivans.

And soccer.

We are the EPITOME of stay at home mom's.

Or not.

But we do actually talk about making our own baby food.

Because it's so stinking cheap.

I discovered this about 2 months ago, when I started making Baby Girl's food.

And today, I will share my secrets with you.  

Stop rolling your eyes at me.

You may one day be interested in this stuff.

Really, I'm being generous.  

Plus, it's really hard to read this life changing stuff if you are rolling your eyes...

Anyway, soooooo yeah.

Last week, I bought a bag of dried split peas.

For $1.08.  (No, I did not buy organic.  According to all the research I read, peas are super resistant to pesticides due to the pods.)

When I got them home, I rinsed them, put them in the crockpot and covered them with filtered water.

4-5 hours later, they were ready.

If you have ever cooked split peas, you probably know that once cooked, there is little to no "water" left in the pot, it all turns into "pea soup".

And then, it's just a matter of dumping the gooey goop into the blender and blending until smooth.

10 minutes later, you have over 40 ounces of baby food on your hands.  

I know, I know.

So what do I do with all that baby food.  

I mean, girlfriend can eat, but 40 ounces is a bit much, even for her.

Enter: my favorite mommy contraption.  EVER

Credit

These ice cube trays are the best thing since sliced bread.

(Unless it's my sliced bread, which is perhaps the nastiest thing I have eaten since the apple curry incident in college - but that's a story for another day.)

Seriously.  They have silicone bottoms to help you pop the ice cubes out.

They have lids.

And each ice cube is 1 ounce.

EASY PEASY.

Freeze it.  Bag it.  Label it.

And MOVE ON.

Which is exactly what I did.

Next up, was my butternut squash.  

(Go ahead.  Say it.  Slightly phallic.  SLIGHTLY.  I know.  I noticed.  As did my husband.  I won't tell you what he said, but if you have a man in your life, you probably know.)

Also non-organic.  Also not necessary.

Bake at 350 for one hour then chop it up and throw it in the food processor with some water.

And 20 minutes later, you have 60 ounces of baby food.

Freeze it.  Bag it.  Label it.  

Now sit down, prop your feet up, and enjoy the knowledge that you just turned $6.50 worth of vegetables into 25+ jars of baby food.  

You can thank me later.

I Just Don't Get It

Tell me.

Have you seen this life changing video?



If not, I can give you a minute.

Or 3:36, if you're the technical type.

Go ahead.

Watch it.

Did you?

Ready to talk?

You're rewatching it, aren't you?

Fine.

Go ahead.

I won't tell anyone.

But before you watch it for a 3rd time, let me remind you that you just lost 7 minutes of your life.

Now ready to talk?

Because I am.

Or maybe I'm just ready to say....

"What the?????"

Or just...

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm."

And how 'bout,

"Taylor, are those monkeys on your pajama's???"

Or maybe,

"What's with the fairy tale rave you have going on in your sweater-clad apartment?"

And even,

"I thought you were better than that, Taylor."

But most especially,

And most importantly,

"I'm pretty sure he's happy about it, after seeing this video."

(Personally, I think this video is way cooler:)

Craftmania

I don't know if I have mentioned it or not, but in this house, I am lucky enough to have a craft room.

As in the previous owner was an artist and her studio became my craft room.

It is a HAVEN.

You know, when I have time to partake.

Or when I MAKE time to partake.

Last weekend was one of those weekends.

The twitch wasn't quite gone yet.

And my head was starting to spin around on the top of my head Carrie-style due to not having crafted in so long.

I was waking up in the middle of the night DREAMING of crafting.

It's pretty clear that I have unhealthy tendencies.

Sleep-crafting is merely scratching the surface.

But last week, I had had enough of the dry spell and I had to find a way to get the twitch out of my eye and the itch out of my finger tips.

So I pulled Baby Girl's bouncer into the room while Little Man was still napping and I went at it.

A little of this...

And a little of that...

And within an hour or so, I had a stack of these....

Thankfully, since about half of every one I know is pregnant, I should be able to find a home for these pretty quickly.

Of course, some people aren't finding out what their having so they'll be getting pink AND blue ones.

For the record, I expect you to use both, SOME PEOPLE....

At the end of the day, it's been more than a week since my short-lived craftathon.

And I still haven't cleaned that mess up.

Because just walking in there makes me smile.

Mess and all.

Crafting may be messy, but man oh man, it does something good for the soul!

Weekly Weigh-In: Week 18

It has officially been 2 weeks since my last weigh-in.

And I know that all 4 of you have been dying for an update!

And since I hate nothing more than disappointing people, here goes nothing.

It's been an exciting 2 weeks.

Since I broke the 20 pound mark, I have had a nervous twitch in my right eye just waiting for the week that I leveled off.

Didn't lose anything.

Hit that plateau.

Yada yada.

So, it was with a sigh of relief that I greeted last week's weigh in.

Because last week, it finally happened.

Despite my best efforts, I didn't even lose 1/10 of a pound.

I know, in your head you're asking, "SIGH OF RELIEF???  LEAH?  ARE YOU OK?"

But seriously.  I have been worried about this for weeks now.

And it finally happened.

And it wasn't a gain.

And the twitch finally went away.

So yeah.

Sigh of relief.

Oh, but this helped:

Another size 8.

17 weeks and 21.4 lbs and I'm already in my 2nd size 8.

That sparked a giddy moment where I decided to do a quick snapshot of "Shrinking Leah."*

Then the giddy got slap-happy.

So I carted myself off to bed and started my week with a renewed dedication to get past the plateau as quickly as possible.

I changed my exercise routine.

I took my weight watcher point count down by 2 per day.

And then, I worked it out.

And yesterday, at the end of week 18, here's where the numbers shook out:

That's a 3.4 lb. weight loss in one week!

Bringing my total weight loss down to 24.8.

To be honest, I don't think there is much of a visual change this week, but I took a picture all the same:

What you don't see in this picture is that although the jeans I'm wearing are a size 10, the top is a size 6.

DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE.

I feel like a surfer who just caught his first wave.

(You should know, though, that had it not been for the generous hemline of the shirt, you'd have seen a muffintop to rival anything you would see on People of Walmart.)

But it's worth it.

Size 6, duuuuuuuuuude.

That, my friends is SUCCESS!

*think of it like Flat Stanley.  You can (read: should) totally print off a copy of this pic and send me your very own "shrinking you" pics of your weight loss journey next to your very own "Shrinking Leah".**

**This sounds like Instagram GENIUS people!!! My moments of brilliance are rarely beneficial and are minimally noticed, so please, make the most of this one.  MKaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay?

Weekly Weigh In: Week 16

As the weeks tick by, I'm watching myself get closer and closer to my goal.

Only to become more and more petrified of what happens when I eventually step on the scale and it doesn't move.

You know, because I like to worry about things that haven't happened yet.

Like what's going to happen when Prince Harry marries someone I don't approve of.

(Teenage Leah is so shocked at how Grown Up Leah admires the red-head WAY MORE than the other prince.  Also, I may have watched too much London Olympics.  Just saying.)

My point, clearly, is that I don't wanna stop losing weight yet....

Especially since I know that the first 20 is the easiest.

You know, cause I hit 20 last week.

And I am ecstatic about it.

BUT.

I just remember living in agony at how slow it went last time.

So just for kicks and giggles, I did a little digging.

Last time, when I was 16 weeks in, I posted this post.

And the data that I have says that I had only lost about 9 lbs at the end of week 15.

(Yes, data.  As in, it's all in an excel spreadsheet with charts and everything.  I think we know how much of a nerd I can be, right???)

Anyway, that would put me way ahead of the curve this time.

But I'm pretty sure it had alot to do with this.

And since I have been routinely monitored for my thyroid issues, I haven't had to fight that losing battle this time.

But that doesn't mean I'm not going to hit a plateau.

I mean, anytime you are losing more than a couple of pounds a plateau is almost sure to happen.

So I am on red alert.

To be honest, I really expected this to be the week.

However, that didn't end up being the case....

That's another 1.2 lbs. down from last week!

And as far as how that affects my size....

This week, I was able to squeeze myself into not one, but TWO size 8 dresses.

Now, OBVIOUSLY, dresses are MUCH more forgiving than jeans or shorts will ever be.

And as you can see below, my lower half is still much larger than my top half.

As always.  I've never had the greatest legs (or butt, for that matter).

But that's nothing a little (read: ALOT) of running won't take care of.

If only I had a treadmill.

Or a husband with a more predictable schedule.

Or a double jogger.

Siiiiigh.

But that doesn't mean I'm making excuses.

I will make it happen.

Some how, some way.

After all, all those size 8's and 6's in my closet are begging to be worn!!!

Weekly Weigh-In Week 15

So, I've been at this for almost 4 months, now.

Allow me a moment of stark honesty.

I am experiencing far more insecurity this time around than I experienced last time.

I am pretty sure it has a heck of alot to do with the fact that I am at home this time around.

And maybe the fact that I put on makeup approximately 2 days a week.

And shower maybe 3 days.

I know.

It's sad.

But back to the insecurity.

Even though I have done fairly well with my weight loss this time, I still feel so dissatisfied with where I'm at.

However, where I'm at is actually a pretty awesome place to be.

Since my last WWI post, only 3 weeks ago, I have gone from a size 12 - that I was just barely able to squeeze into - to a size 10 - that I can just barely squeeze into.

In reality - when I'm not letting my insecurity rock the house - that's pretty freaking awesome.

I mean size 10 is the last bastion before single digit sizes!

I should really be high kicking for joy right about now!

Something must be wrong with me.

Since I don't have time to do a complete recap, (seriously, you need to follow me on insta.gram, people: leahmpeck)

Here's where we're sitting at today.

Um.  Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.

I don't know if you remember where I started at....

But I do.

And this number is exactly 20.2 pounds lower than the original one.

That's TWENTY pounds, people!

IN FOUR MONTHS!

I'm a little excited.

As for the before and afters, it's been a few weeks since I could get the pics up, but as of week 13, this what the weight loss looked like:

Despite the fact that there is still a whole lot of insecurity going on, I can tell you that the pictures have been a HUGE encouragement this time around.

(I know I have said it before, but if you are planning to start a weight loss journey, seriously, don't drop the ball on the before and after pics.  It has been the only thing to keep me going some weeks when the scale wasn't moving!)

I encourage you to try it!

Long story short, I am pretty excited about hitting the 20 pound mark, and pretty terrified of hitting the plateau that I know is waiting for me any day now!

I just have to continue to remind myself that this is not a quick journey.

Slow and steady will get me there.  One pound at a time.

The Inner Monologue of a Bladder Abused Mommy

I really need to drink my water today.

I think I'll stop and grab one of those Goliath sized McDonalds cups.

Maybe I shouldn't.

Nah, I'll be fine.

I'll be home in plenty of time.

*SLURP*

**SLUUUUUUURP**

Chug, chug, chug, chug.

Little Man: Mommy, I gotta go potty.

Hmmm, me too.

It's ok, just a few more errands.

I can make it.

Hmmmmmmmm

Oooooooooooooooo.

Uh.oh.

Wiggle wiggle wiggle. No.

My bladder is really to weak for this.

Do I have any diapers with me?

Why am I soooooooo far away from home?

If I were wearing a diaper would I actually be willing to go in it?

What is wrong with me?!

Oh, right, 2 babies....

Speaking of babies, did I bring any diapers?

How desperate would you have to be to pee in a diaper?

Ugggggh.

Bounce.

Bounce.

Bounce.

Why did I think it was a good idea to run errands today?

I would stop somewhere, but I'd probably never make it with trying to get my kids out of the car...

Stupid McDonalds.

I'm too young to buy poise pads right?

Waaaaah.

How far are we from home?

2 miles?

Can I make it 2 miles?

This is just sad.

I should know better than this.

I'm so thirsty.

...

Finally. Home.

Why is my driveway so bumpy?

Soooooooo close...

Run!

-People. This happens far too often for my comfort.

Hungry for a day, for a cause

I know what you're thinking.

I'm a diet diva, and as such, I go hungry every day.

But today I'm doing it with purpose.

A purpose that is not an itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikini.

Allow me to introduce you to H4AD.

An excellent organization that partners with groups fighting hunger and need.

This month, they have partnered with Wellspring Living, who just happens to be headquartered in our own backyard here in the metro Atlanta area.

Wellspring Living provides rehabilitation to girls who have suffered sexual abuse and exploitation.

H4AD's goal this month is to help Wellspring provide grocery expenses for 12 girls for one month. The average cost of grocery expenses is $40 power week per girl.

And if you're a math wiz like me, you know that adds up to $480 per week and $1920 for a 4 week period.

I know you're thinking, so how does this affect me?

I'm getting there, I promise.

Hungry for a Day's mission is not to get you to give $1920, or $480, or even $40, but to have you add up the approximate amount of money out would cost you to eat on the average day, and give that.

No amount is too small and they make it easy for you to get involved.

Just head over to H4AD

and click on the "Go hungry" tab. I'm proud of the work that both of these organizations are doing, I'm so happy to go Hungry 4 A Day!

My Weight Loss Explained

A few weeks ago, after I posted one of my weekly weigh in pics on Instagram, one of my friends commented with the ever notorious, "How are you doing that?" comment.

Which, I'll totally admit, is loaded with all kinds of awesome flattery-ness in the way I read it.

In my head, I read it full of incredulity.

Like I'm magical and using fairy dust as my secret weapon.

Believe me, people, if I had magic weight loss fairy dust, I'd be selling it on the streets of Miami faster than any cocaine bearing drug-lord. EVER.

In reality, my weight loss "success", if you would actually call it that, is related to a healthy dose of self control, a little bit of Jillian Michaels, and yes - technology.

1.  The Self Control.

I know I have said it before.  Probably multiple times, even.

But I am a firm believer in the power of Weight Watchers.

Not really current day, Weight Watchers, though.

I'm not a fan of Points Plus.

I follow the old program.

The one I started using 10 years ago in college.

The one that helped me lose 40 lbs. over my senior year.

HOWEVER...and here's the catch.

I only diet 5 days a week.

EVER.

I figure, I am much less tempted by a brownie on Tuesday, when I know that if I make it to Saturday, I can eat one.

It sounds stupid, but it works.

And it has worked for the past 10 years, both to get my weight off and to keep my weight off.

BUT.

That isn't all I do.

2.  The Jillian Factor.

I workout.

At least 5 hours a week.  With at least 3 of those hours being cardio and 2 hours being strengthening/toning.

In a typical week, I run, bike or use my elliptical on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and on Tuesday and Thursday, I do a combination of 30 Day Shred (30 minutes) and Pilates or Yoga (30 minutes).

Yes, this time around, I am a stay at home mommy who gets nap times to get my workout in.

But that's not to say that you can't workout if you work.

Because I totally did it last time.

And still I managed to train for a half marathon, while still working and being mommy to Little Man.

I just made it a priority.

I would workout for 30 minutes at lunch time and then 30 minutes after dinner.

Or first thing in the morning and then as soon as got home....

You have to be flexible, but you have to make it happen.

3.  Technology.

A little over a year ago, my sister started raving about this weight loss app where she could look up any food ever and log her calories for the day.

I just rolled my eyes at her.

Because I don't count calories.

I count points.

Like I would need that.

BUT.

PEOPLE.

It changed my life.

If you have a smartphone, and you are attempting to lose weight, go to your app store and look up my fitness pal.

It turns out, I was eating way too few calories to lose weight doing the workouts I was doing.

I was netting about 200 calories a day.

No wonder I wasn't losing!

This app keeps me on target with my calories as well as my workouts.

It gives me a much more accurate account of how much I am actually burning during a workout.

Versus how many calories are in the foods I eat.

And I get to be friends with my sister and watch her (she - after 3 kids - just found herself wearing a size 6 again) get down with her bad self.

We root each other on.

However, if you don't have a smart phone, you aren't uninvited to the part.

Oh, no, you don't get out that easily.

You can still log in online and log your foods, workouts, etc.

And if you do, be sure to friend me.

There are so many other things that could be said, but this post doesn't need to drag on forever.

So, please, if you have questions, ask them.

If you need a cheerleader, call me.

If you need a running buddy, I'll make it happen.

If you just wanna see a change, start somewhere.

It's slow, and it's painful, but change doesn't happen without discomfort and you are probably going to need someone to talk you through it.

To help you not give up.

To keep you motivated.

I do.

That's why I am so transparent with my weight.

I want to be accountable to all of you.

I want you to cheer me through my goal.

But I would love nothing more than the opportunity to help cheer you through yours.

So, let's be friends, mkay?

Weekly weigh in: Week 12

I'm so lazy when it comes to blogging these days.

It's actually been 3 weeks since I have said anything about my weight on here.

Which is seriously lame.

But, in the past 12 weeks, I have lost 16.8 lbs.

Some weeks were big.

Some weeks like this last one, were not. 

But all in all, they have gotten me here - smaller, lighter, and well on my way.

I am spitting distance from the halfway mark and if that doesn't get a momma moving, nothing will.

I've had a lot of people ask me what I'm doing to get the weight off, and I promise to post a general post soon about how I'm losing this weight, but for now, here's a check in since my last weigh in post.

Week 9, brought me to my first size 12 jeans of the year.

They were tight and uncomfortable, but they were size 12's that would zip, so SUCCESS!

Week 10 took me down .8 to 165.6

And in week 10, I saw a tremendous reduction in MASS, overall.

As in, woah!  Forreals, people.

Then came week 11.

Week 11 was a HUGE week on the scale.

Huge is obviously a relative term considering that I haven't lost more than 2 pounds a week since I started this go around.

During week 11, I dropped 2.8 lbs!!!

That's a new record for this momma!  

I was stoked.

I was just sure I had hit my stride.  

That new and exciting weight loss weeks were going to be in my future from here on out.

That I would be in the 150's by the end of week 12.

But, alas.

Week 12 brought with it the meager .6 lb loss.

And that was after I stepped on the scale a good 5 times and removed every stitch of anything that could possibly add weight to my body.

To say I was disappointed, would be somewhat of an understatement.

But then, just for kicks and giggles, I did my before and after pic.

People.

If you are on a weight loss journey and you aren't doing before and after shots or side by sides, stop what you are doing this very second and take a before shot.  

Then proceed with afters.

Talk about an encouragement.

The change is real.

It is evident.

Even when it doesn't show on the scale.

It shows.

Obviously, my new goal for the upcoming week is to kick myself into high gear and hit the 150's.

Alas, since I will be without access to my scale until next Monday, I won't be posting a weigh in post this week.

So my goal for next week is to hit the 20 lb. mark.  I want to be half way there, already!  

I want to be down to 157 before week 15.  

I know I can do it, I believe I can do it, and I relish the humiliation that awaits me if I don't!

Wish me luck!!

From 30,000 Feet

I'm currently sitting on a plane.

Flying home from Texas.

Funny, we weren't planning to go to Texas.

We were planning to go to Delaware.

But then our flight got canceled and with 2 hours to spare, we decided on Friday that we would go visit Techy's sister.

In Texas.

W fly by the seat of our pants.

Most literally.

What a weekend!

Pretty sure I gained 10 lbs with all the eating.

And lounging.

But now, here I sit, with a poorly behaving 2 year old next to me, a tired and cranky Techy next to him and a very curious (read: nosy) baby girl on my lap.

We've been up since 3:30.

A.M.

We drove an hour and a half to the air port, with about 30 minutes till take off.

Then we stood in the security line for 30 minutes, until a random airport employee came and pulled us out of line and ran us to our flight.

I was literally the.last.person.on.the.plane.

And now, I'm sitting in front of crude cat lady listening to her recount tales of her crazy cats sprinkling in as many expletives as possible.

People.

It was soooooooo worth it.

Well, I'm always runnin, always runnin behind...

It's time.

Time for me to admit.

I am just too busy for my blog.

We (read: I) offered my house as host house for a baby shower in a few weeks.

And need I remind you how much work my house needs???

Um, seriously???

But it serves the purpose of forcing us to settle.  Fast.

Techy hates me right now.

But in 3 weeks, when he can go out on the back porch and sit in his new-to-him lawn furniture while he's grilling his Ball Park, he'll be saying my name with a sigh....

And a thank you.

And while I'm fantasizing, with a palm leaf and a bowl of grapes while he's massaging my feet and telling me that I am the ultimate wife, mother, housekeeper.

And then, and only then, will I post pics of all my progress.

hahahahahahahahhahahahahahah

Not really, I am storing up boatloads of posts for the three of you who still care about what's going on here.

For the record, all this work is really doing things for my dairy-air.  (read: butt, aka. junk in the trunk, aka. booty, aka. derriere {and you thought I couldn't spell, right})

But if you reallly wanna know what's going on, here's a little glimpse:

A makeover of Techy's office, you can't tell much from these pics, but it went from brick red to light grey.  Talk about a "cool" change.

Alot of sweating.  I moved to GEORGIA, ya'll!!!  It's hot down here!

The inevitable Braves game.  In which I was way more interested in the food than the game.  Shhhhhh!  Don't tell, these people are REALLLY into their sports teams.

What you are seeing here, people, is Techy's wildest dreams coming true.  He's passing the torch, so to speak.  I think he almost cried, ya'll.  It was a big 4th of July.

Family date night at Truett's (sit down Chick-fil-a, be jealous.  I understand...)

And the pinnacle - Techy's lawn furniture.  (Estate sale, ya'll!  A grill, 2 6 seat outdoor dining sets WITH umbrella's and a wrought iron bench for less than $200, he's a happy boy!)


Anyway, I miss you, bloggy friends. 


Hopefully, you can love me despite my lapses.

Because I love you!!!

Weekly Weigh-In: Week 9

Well peeps.

It's been 9 weeks.

9 weeks of exercise,

9 weeks of dieting,

9 weeks of yada yada yada.

But I'm proud to say that after 9 weeks, I've lost 12.6 lbs.

Nothing amazing.

But it's better than nothing.

And considering that I'm pretty sure I have a stress fracture in my foot and I haven't been able to run in 3 weeks, I'll take it.

And if you're really only here for the pictures and the numbers, then here you go:

Business and a Bum Foot

Sorry it's been so long.

Not that any of you noticed.

Things here have been a little (read: ALOT) crazy.

I've been doing things like painting.

And laundry.

And unpacking from vacation.

(Yes, it does take a good week and a half when you have 2 little ones. AT LEAST)

But I thought I would explain (read: whine) why there wasn't even a weigh in post for the last two weeks.

Two weeks ago I was on vacation with no scale.

And last week, despite my best efforts, I only lost .2 lbs.

Like Woah.

Forreal.

I cried, I'll admit it.

As of Saturday, I've been at this for 7 weeks (not including vacation week) and I've lost 8.2 lbs.

Depressing much?

Wait. It gets worse.

Apparently, last week in my efforts to PUSH myself, I hurt my foot.

And the pain is indicative of a minor stress fracture.

Which might not be a big deal, if I didn't have such a difficult time losing weight.

And if my primary forms of exercise didn't put a ton of pressure on my feet.

So now we improvise.

I started pilates on Monday.

But that burns all of 150 calories per hour.

I'm pretty sure that sneezing burns more calories than pilates....

So I borrowed a bike to try to get in some extra cardio.

And for the last two days, I've been painting.

Which is seriously way more of a workout than I remember.

All that to say, it's been a rough couple of weeks.

And in case you are interested in seeing the beginnings if baby girl's nursery...

In case you ever wondered...

What 8 lbs looks like...

Weekly Weigh In: Week 6

Let me ask you something...

Are holidays hard for you?

Cause they rock my little world.

Especially when I spend them with my mother in law who puts Paula Deen to shame.

Or my friend Kathy, who seriously makes me gain weight just by looking at her food.

But that's no excuse.

Despite the fact that I am dedicated to this goal, I still skipped a workout on Monday.

And I did enjoy a little too much guacamole...

So, at the end of the week, I should be glad to see any weight loss right?

But I'm discouraged....

At the end of week 6, I'm only down .8

And I'm on my way to the beach for a week....

Which obviously implies nothing but ice cream and cookie dough, right?

Or is that just me?

I could seriously use some encouragement this week!

Who's up for the challenge?

In the meantime, for those of you who only care about the bottom line...

6 weeks and 8 lbs.

How Bad Do You Want It?

I'm Fat.

Or chubby.

Or round, if you will...

Basically, I have extra layers where I am not supposed to.

And basically, I want it gone...

You know that by now, right???

And for the record, I want to see this number on my scale

But last time I checked, this was the number I was seeing.

That's a good 35 lbs apart...

I want to be able to wear shorts without having to worry about the overhang...on top and bottom.

But how badly do I want it?

Let me just tell you...

I want it bad enough to make a date with Jillian twice a week.

I want it bad enough to go running on vacation.

I want it bad enough to skip the temptations that await me in my freezer.

I want it bad enough to shame myself by posting my weight - my ACTUAL weight - on Facebook every week.

And I want it bad enough to ruin my pedicure by shoving my feet into sneakers 5 days a week.

How bad do you want it???

Groupie

Not sure if I mentioned it, but we made a quick trip home this weekend.

Home, as in Delaware home.

Not to be confused with Virginia home or Georgia home.

And surprisingly enough, considering what a quick trip this was, we got to see a heck of alot of people.

One of which is my most loyal blog reader.

Bless her heart.

All the boring blogging I'm doing these days and she still reads.

So here's a shout out to my groupie.

You are my hero in more ways than you know!

Thanks for sticking by me when everyone else forgets!

Weekly Weigh-In: Week 4

Technically, this is my 5th weigh in. But it's OFFICIALLY the end of my 4th week of dieting.

 And let me tell you something, a month has brought me a LOOOOONG way. Admittedly, the first week was a struggle.

 But then again, I went from eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted it

(breastfeeding turns me into Animal from the Muppet Babies)

To eating a reasonable amount of HEALTHY food every day.

 That would be a shock to anyone's system.

 And I've upped my game on the exercise scene. 

Jillian has once again entered into my life with all her talky-talkiness and butt-busting moves.

And little by little, I'm seeing change. Improvement. Strength.

Even if my midsection has more wobble than Granny's pineapple jello mold.

As a general recap, this is how I started out.

Weighing in at 179.

And today, at the end of week 4, this is where we are at:

Weighing in at:

That's 5.6 lbs in 4 weeks.

Nothing amazing, but still an average of 1.4 lbs per week.

I'm not down a dress size yet, but soon.

I can feel it.

I believe it.

According to one of my nursing friends, I should start to notice it pick up soon as it takes a good month for your body to adjust to the new regimen before it will start shedding the pounds.

I know.

Laugh.

But you can't blame a girl for hoping.

It's a journey, I know that by now.

No one ever gets there if they don't start SOMEWHERE.

This isn't the Biggest Loser gym.

 This is my living room.

With 2 babies.

But I refuse to get discouraged.

Because 1.4 lbs a week will still get me there.

After all, "it's not a race, it's a marathon"

Enough

I don't know if you have picked up on it or not, but I am experiencing a strange phenomena called...ready for it???

LONELINESS.

Some would say it's my own fault, some would say it's merely a matter of circumstances.

But I would say it's the season that God has for me right now.

I have experienced it before....

A long, long time ago.

When I was a newlywed.

With a husband who was being put through the ringer for a job he hated.

I had just moved to Delaware, and my only friend was a Junior in her nursing program and worked full time to pay her tuition.

This time, I have just moved to Georgia.

This time, I just had a baby.

This time, I am potty training a 2 year old.

And this time, I am a stay at home mommy to two amazing, albeit, exhausting babies, which I love.

However, the words themselves imply loneliness - STAY AT HOME mommy.

To add to it, my amazing hubby works VERY hard to make this possible, but the working very hard means he leaves early and gets home late.

(Here's where I say, I have no idea how military wives DO it. Tell me, girls, is xanax your friend? Because it would totally be my BFF)

I have learned a few things about how God works in these seasons....

The first time I experienced this, I felt sorry for myself for a really long time.

And then one day I was driving down the road when this song came on the radio:



If you know me at all, you know that I cried like a baby.

If you know me at all, you know that listening to that song while posting the video just now, tore me up.

If there is one thing I have learned about these lonely seasons of life, it's that God uses them, every.single.time.

He is there.

He is enough.

And he has, at his fingertips, the power to bring us through the lonely days.

And remind us that Enough, is more than enough.

I Wore Black

Allow me to paint a picture...

In said picture, I've been up since 5:30 am and it's raining so my naturally curly hair is especially Dolly Parton-ish.

Baby girl is on my lap in a pretty little blue dress and wearing a ginormous blue bow on her head.  The kind of bow that Madonna was always looking for when styling her videos in the 80's.

Big. And bold.

Next to me sits Techy.

Who stayed up too late last night because police chase video shows are clearly as addictive as Lay's potato chips.

On his lap is a very hyper Little Man.

Apparently, the rain affects him the same way that eating after midnight affects gremlins.

Full on craziness ensues.

And we're in church.

Early.

Waiting for baby dedication Sunday to start.

All of us parents/babies are ushered into a special holding room prior to the big event.

Initially, it's just us and one other couple.

Then, the babies start pouring in.

Err, I should say families...Families start pouring in. 

Apparently at this church there is a no child left behind policy when it comes to baby dedication.

Sure Little Man is with us now, but there is absolutely no way we are taking that child on stage with us to shout, "I go pee pee in da potty, mommy" to the whole church!

He's only here until the nursery worker for his room shows.

Anyway, back to the families...

While families start rolling through the door, I begin to notice a distinct pattern.

They are all in white.

As in christening dress white.

Which would have been a nice idea, I guess, since this is as close as we Baptists get to a christening....

But for some reason it never occurred to me.

And as if that isn't bad enough, many families color coordinated.

As in siblings were also in white.

And, yes, even a couple moms.

The moment of realization was like a cold slap in the face.

In a few moments, we're going on stage in front of 1,000 people and my baby is one of the only ones not in white.

And Techy and I are both dressed in black.

Don't it just figure?

Weekly Weigh-In: Week 3

I should really sub-label this as "travel edition" since we spent the week in Virginia with my family.

Does any one else struggle with diet and exercise when you are out of town? 

No? Just me?

Well, I do.

It's sad, really.

Travel-Leah had the will power of Oprah sitting next to a box of chocolates...it's weak, very weak.

But I tried really hard.

I worked out 3 days.

I actually ran my first mile this time around!

And then was so sore I could hardly move for the next 3 days...

But I tried to eat healthy.

And my results?

Down .2 lbs.

If you're keeping track, that's a whopping 3.6 lbs since I started this journey a month ago.

And for those of you who just want to see a number...at the end of week 3, I'm weighing in at...

Weekly Weigh In: Week 2

So I have a half written post for last week...

But then I ran out of time to post it.

So this is a recap.

I'm dieting.

Weight Watchers-ing to be exact.

And working out.

Elliptical and 30 Day Shred style.

Running is scheduled to commence next week hopefully.

But for now, I am 2 weeks into this thing.

And so far, I'm down 4 lbs.

That's 1/10 of my goal, people!

At this rate, in another 4.5 months, I could be skinny again!

Not that you (or I, for that matter) think that could actually happen.

But to quote myself, progress is progress!

And I weigh less than my hubby again, so really, I can breathe easier.

So now, without further adieu, the number you've all been waiting for...