3 Weeks In.

I mentioned 3 weeks ago that I’ve started a diet, and that I’m using My Fitness Pal. I have to admit: I really, really like it so far. In terms of choosing a weight-loss mechanism, I mean. I don’t really, really like it as much as, say, Downton Abbey.

Here’s how it works: you input your profile info, and it tells you how many calories to eat a day based on your weight loss goal (1-1.5 lbs/week). When you eat something, you add it to your daily log, and when you exercise, you input that, too, and earn more calories for that day.

I can’t stress enough how easy it is to use…you can scan virtually any food with a bar code, or search for fresh fruits and vegetables (or any food, really) by name.

For me, and how I eat and live, this is perfect. It’s almost a game for me: what do I need to eat to not feel hungry all the time, what does a portion look like, and is there room for a small glass of wine at the end of the day?

3 weeks in, and I’ve lost a few pounds watching what I eat and doing the Shred 3-4x/week, and walking outside when the weather allows. Much better than that, I’m totally motivated to keep working at this, which is monumental for me: generally, by this many weeks in, I’m done. Also totally key in making this work? Having a friend and my sister doing this with me.

However, here are the random diet-related thoughts rolling around my head the past 3 weeks:

*if all of my Pinterest friends could kindly stop pinning pictures of fantastic-looking, fatty food, that would be awesome.
*on the flip side of that, amazing healthy food pins? Keep ‘em coming.
*The mall needs to not smell like Auntie Anne’s pretzels.
*I think about food A LOT.
*I no longer dislike broccoli. Major accomplishment.
*Eating restaurant food is definitely more difficult than it used to be, but it’s not that hard to choose something that will work.
*I found some really delicious soup at McAlister’s that only has 60 CALORIES a cup. Even better, I bought the larger-sized bowl of it, split it in half, and ate a 45-calorie bowl of soup for lunch for 2 days (combined with other foods, of course).
*Also approximately 45 calories, sadly? Four, yes four, of these amazing croutons. Bought at Walmart pre-diet.
*I love Veggie Straws! I do really like how they taste, but I also really like that 39 of them are considered a serving. So I can pull out a dozen of them and have only eaten 1/3 of a serving. Yay.

—–

Totally not-diet-related information: I need The Office to stop being too real. I like my TV either a)hilariously irreverent or b)scandalous (Nashville, anyone?). I don’t like when it’s too real-life, and Jim and Pam the last few episodes are scaring me with all of this real relationship stuff they’re addressing. Couldn’t they just let them be deliriously happy this last season as they ride off into the sunset? I really hope last night was a turning point.

Ode to a Table

Ok, this isn’t really an ode. I don’t write poetry. But “Tribute to a Table” doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it? Forgive me. The only rhyming that may happen here is purely coincidental.

Today, I sold a piece of my boys’ childhood on Craigslist. It was only last night when I listed it, and I honestly thought I’d have a little more time to be sad about it leaving our house. Instead, the bandaid was ripped off quickly, which is almost always better anyway, right?

The little wooden table and chairs set that Matt and I bought for Luke for (I think) Christmas when he was 1 now has a new home, with 3 other little boys who will love it and climb on and learn at it. We were given a (smallish, but adult-sized) table and chairs from some friends, and I’ll be refinishing them in the near future for use in the playroom.

It’s weird to me, and I’m sure I’ve commented about it before on here, how some things hit me hard when it’s time to move on. I mean, we all understand that taking the crib down for the last time is traumatic. And putting the potty chair in the trash after the last one is potty trained is cause for much celebration. But watching the boys simply outgrow something that was really meaningful is hard.

All of the boys learned how to draw shapes, write their names, and how to use scissors at that little table. They drew pictures, made cards for friends and family, made some fantastic Thanksgiving decorations and Luke went through his crazy tape obsession (oh my gosh, I forgot how adorable his homemade Christmas lights were) there.

here’s the table with luke on the day he decided to change his skin color.

something to stand on and freak out their mom when they were toddlers

as it often looked.

quick pic today before it was picked up

Sigh. It’s just a table.

Not Happening.

Tonight at dinner, out of nowhere, Jack Henry mentioned that he’d like to have another brother, and then changed it to sister.

“Just to have someone to play with who’s not as crazy as the brothers,” he said.

Bennett, sitting next to me, the girl counting calories and eating a plate full of vegetables, looks down at my belly and says, laughing, “Look! I can see my baby sister now, right there!”

{GROAN. Please, Bennett. I’m already working on that. And by the way? Currently not my favorite child for pointing out the food baby/leftover baby weight/area that I’m storing up Dr. Pepper.}

I tell him, “Buddy, I will not be having more babies. Pretty sure of that.”

To which he wisely responds, “How do you know that for sure? I mean, Sarah had a baby when she was 99!”

He speaks truth. However, I’m fairly certain that Abraham did not use the surgical means we’ve employed to prevent the baby from coming before his wife was a centenarian. So without going into any details, I assured him again that I was finished bearing children (barring a miracle, clearly, that would defy the medical odds) and changed the conversation.

Family dinner. Always a good thing.

A Recap

Event causing the most stress: Luke’s science fair project. And what’s crazy is, he’s doing most of it at school, and it’s a really simple concept, so it shouldn’t be stressful! However, I think just me not having a good grasp of how it’s going combined with his general lack of being organized (but working hard at this) is resulting in him being a bit more snippy and emotional when I ask questions about it. Can’t wait until this is done.

Most potential to be life-changing: I downloaded the My Fitness Pal app. I know several people who have used it with a lot of success, so I’m excited to be getting started with it! In a lot of ways it doesn’t feel like a diet…just tracking what I do so I know where to make changes, if that makes sense. It’s really easy to use, and eye-opening in regards to how few calories I need to be taking in to lose weight.

Thing that goes with My Fitness Pal: 4/5 of our small group is doing the Color Run on April 27th. This will be so fun! (Well, as fun as running will ever be for me. Remember when I did that 5K a few years ago? Yeah. I’m not a runner.)

Sweetest kid comment: I was at a store with Jack Henry, looking at necklaces. I said, “Do you see anything pretty?” and without missing a beat, he said, “Yes” and smiled sheepishly. I asked what it was, and he pointed to me, grinning. Seriously. This kid is smooth.

Number of kid pedometers I pulled out of the hamper, accidentally deposited in there with dirty clothes: 3. Yes, each child did that once this week.

Most fun grown-up evening: Trivia Night to benefit our boys’ baseball league. Oh my goodness, I LOVED IT. I’ve said for so many years that my head is full of useless knowledge, and I’m not saying I was a superstar by any stretch of the imagination, but it was fun when I knew something someone else at the table didn’t know! And, the parents on B’s team, who we sat with, are fun people.

Best change made to the house: the long-awaited light fixture change happened yesterday! I’ll save the new fixture in the playroom for a different post, but here are the other three before and afters:

before

after. my very favorite change!

before. (these are for sale if you’re interested, btw)

after. LOVE! only problem is that we bought bulbs that are burn-your-retinas bright, so we have to get new ones tomorrow to fix that issue.

only an after for here…just changed out a boring builder’s-grade-ish light fixture for something more interesting. this was matt’s choice, and it’s actually an outdoor fixture!

Things My Mom Did That I Thought Were Weird, But Now I Do, Too.

No hot dog bun, and your kiddo really wanted a (uncured turkey, no nitrates or nitrites added) hot dog on a bun instead of bread? No problem.

Love Note.

Right out of college, Matt lived in this tiny town in northern IL, south of what’s considered the suburbs, in an efficiency apartment. Lemme tell ya, it was special. Month-to-month rent meant the clientele was also, ahem, a little special, but he made do since it was what he could afford, and really, he grew to love his little place.

So much so that I remember him one time mentioning, after we were engaged, that maybe we could live there together for a while if we needed to after we were married. I remember laughing my head off at him…this place was like 350 square feet max with 1 closet and a nasty bathroom (though, truthfully, that was pretty much Matt’s fault). I was like, “We don’t need anything fancy, but it has to be bigger than this.”

The kitchen was also gross, primarily because my beloved didn’t really cook, except to occasionally boil some water for mac and cheese or spaghetti. If he did this, though, he’d leave the dishes in the sink forever, until they got so bad I can’t even talk about it without wanting to throw up. I’ll put it this way: I went up to see him one weekend, and I got in town before he was done with work, so I got his key and went to his place to clean it. I saw how bad it was and told him I’d still do it, but that he’d have to pay me, and that I would be throwing out any dishes I deemed not salvageable.

BREAK: Matt Diehl, you’ve come a long way, baby.

All of that to say: we did not eat meals in that apartment very often. And because we were poor college/right-out-of-college kids, we ate fast food with some regularity.

Sometimes, I didn’t really want a whole serving of fries, but just wanted a couple. And my sweet boyfriend/fiance? DID NOT LIKE TO SHARE.

Somewhere along the lines, he came to terms with the fact that he was in love with and marrying a girl who does, indeed, like to swipe a fry or two from the bag if she’s not getting her own. He’s ok with it now.

So when I saw this card yesterday at Kohl’s, right by where I was killing a little bit of time while I waited to return something, I stifled an out-loud laugh. It would’ve been the perfect card for Matt to give me 15 years ago or so.

the inside says: all yours.

Thanks for chillin’ out about the fries, dude.

PSA: Removing Cover Art in iTunes

Luke got a new-to-him iPod for Christmas that he was really anxious to fill with music (I mean, who wouldn’t be?).

I’ve been pretty careful about lyrics since I knew Luke could repeat things at 18 months or so. It’s gotten to the point that if Ke$ha or the like comes on the radio, Jack Henry will immediately tell me to change the station!

Sidenote: I am married to someone who pays little attention to lyrics, but likes a good beat. Source of contention.

However, an iPod and music in Luke’s ear is new territory for us. I told him when he said he wanted one that I had veto power over all song selection, and he readily agreed to that.

What I didn’t think about, though, is the cover art on albums. I’ve rarely paid any attention to it. Until now. I don’t think my 10-year-old needs to see the cover of Maroon 5′s Hands All Over album. But, there are a few songs on the album that I would let him have.

So I googled how to remove cover art in iTunes, and guess what? It’s super easy. The instructions are here on e-how. I found that it only worked on individual songs and not the whole album, so it was a repetitive little job but really quick.

And worth it to me.

A friend with teenagers recently told me that one way she helps guide good choices in music/movies for her kids is to remind them that everything they see/hear goes into their brain and stays there forever…there’s no way to unsee it. So, you should choose carefully what you put in there!

I told her I was filing that wisdom away for a couple of years, and then already used it with Luke this week. I’m so not ready to have a teenager…

One of Our Best Purchases Ever: The Ikea Chairs Story

Let’s take a little trip back in time, to mid-2002. You should be hearing Nelly songs in your head right now, and picture me driving a white Chevy Malibu.

We looked like this (I’m a 6-months-pregnant bridesmaid, but that dress hid my belly pretty well):

About 5 weeks later, though, in the spirit of full disclosure, I looked like this before an Illini game:

Clearly, not a flattering angle for a pregnant lady, but still…that is a whole lotta belly.

Anyway. In our snug little home of a little over a year, I was several months pregnant and nesting. I LOVED this house – it’s probably still my favorite of the 3 we’ve owned – but the layout of the 50+-year-old ranch was a little strange. Right as you walked in the front door, you were in a good-sized, open room that was to function as both a living room and dining room (because there was no room in the kitchen for a table). The real living room was in the finished basement, so that entry room had only a dining room table in it for 2 reasons:
1. We didn’t already own any furniture that fit in the small space.
2. We were poor.

However, with a baby on the way, I just hated the idea that there was nowhere comfortable to sit in our entire main floor of our house. I pictured friends coming over to see the baby, and having to sit at the dining room table or on a barstool in the kitchen didn’t sound OK to me.

So I begged and pleaded with Matt, and after doing some shopping, we settled on the super-cheapest furniture we could find and actually liked the look of: 2 Ikea Poang chairs (at $49.99 each, I think) and a Lack side table (the table was $9.99 10 years ago, too, but back then it was made of real wood, not plastic and fiberboard). In addition to being in our tight budget, it also fit in the small space we had to fill.

We joked about how inexpensive they were, and had the mindset that we’d just keep them as long as we had that house, and then if there was a place for them in the next house, fine, and if not, we’d just sell them at a garage sale. I did love having them there, especially that first Christmas with our newborn Luke, when I’d sit in one of those chairs and feed him by the light of the Christmas tree in the middle of the night.

Well, at the next house, they fit perfectly in front of the window in the office. And they stayed there for 6+ years. Despite being off-white, and having 3 baby boys, 2 who spit up profusely, they still looked pretty good. We only washed the slipcovers once at that house (due to marker on a cushion) which was enough – getting the covers back ON those chairs is a 2-person, involves-some-cussing-type task.

When we moved to this house almost 3 years ago, the Poangs and Lack came with us again, though a bit begrudgingly by now. Matt and I were both kind of sick of looking at them, but again, they fit in the corner of the office just fine. Plans and budget to buy other furniture for that spot were not in place, so it just seemed best to keep using them for a while.

So here we are 3 years later. No plans to replace those chairs right now, so when I took down the Christmas tree and put the room back together, I noticed how hideously dirty the covers were. Several marker marks, a really dirty spot from a shoe, and an pencil mark mysteriously in the shape of an x; I decided to wash them. I reminded Matt how horrible it was to get the covers back on, and I told him I’d likely need some help when they were clean and dry.

It took him doing most of the work to wrestle those covers back on, and then we decided to tighten up the screws on the chairs, which hadn’t been done in 10 years, so they were a little wobbly.

After all of that, I’m thinking they aren’t going anywhere for a few more years. In fact, I joked about sending them off to college with Luke when he has his first apartment. Which will probably actually happen, since we’ve kept them this long already…

Into the Memory Box

We’ve spent part of our Christmas break moving some toys downstairs from our main floor playroom, as a big transformation is going to happen in there soon. We’ve also cleaned out some toys the boys no longer play with, and have donated or sold those.

As we were going through some things, I came across Luke’s old yo-yo. Remember it, from 3+ years ago?

Though we’d replaced the string a couple of times due to how much it was played with, it was without a string, and hadn’t been played with in months. Luke said I could throw it away, and I said that was fine.

And then I grabbed it from the trash and remembered what a cool parenting experience it had been with him, and I stuck it in his memory box. I should probably print a copy of the story, too, so when he finds it someday he knows why I saved it.

I know I’m a sap, but I love when things come full circle.

Cookie Day!

I have a confession that makes me sound like a horrible mother, but here it is:

I don’t really like baking with my kids. Shhhh…

I SO WISH my mom was still here (for a multitude of reasons, of course) so I could ask her if she actually liked baking with me and my siblings when we were little. Because it was, from my perspective, always fun. So either she really liked it, or she did a darn good job of faking it.

Anyway, for the first time this year, I let the boys help with cutting out the sugar cookies in addition to icing some (as always, I only let them frost the ones they get to eat; if they’re going to neighbors or for me to eat, I take care of that ). The cutting out part was a little stressful, but overall, much more fun than I’d envisioned.

Plus, we cut them out one day, I baked them the next, and they frosted them the next. Spacing it out made it much better, too!

Figuring it out…

JH: “This is just like playdoh!”

tempting…