My Current Downfall

Friends, we have a serious problem in my house.  I'm reaching out here because I know we are not alone.  I feel confident that I can find support in my community, and perhaps some resources to help us make it through this season.

It's Girl Scout Cookie time.

Girl Scout GIF from Girlscout GIFs

I know pretty much everyone has a weakness for Girl Scout cookies.  They see those sweet little girls at their table outside the Walmart and stock up on Thin Mints to put in the freezer and eat by the sleeve.

I used to be one of those people.  And aside from the Thin Mints, I was also in love with the Peanut Butter Sandwiches.  Side note: back in my day, we called them Do-Si-Dos, and that is what they forever will be known as in my heart.

Then one year I decided I didn't need any cookies.  I was going to stay strong and resist the temptation.  Of course, this meant not answering the door for the entire month of February and practically wearing a blindfold whilst walking in and out of every store in town.  Because, you know, once I make eye contact I become incapable of saying no.

And then the Thanks-a-Lots came into existence.  Damn it.

I happened to be pregnant that year, and I blame that sweet baby Charlotte and the cravings that she caused for this current issue in my home.

At first glance, these cookies aren't too troublesome.  It's just a simple shortbread, after all- with a heavenly chocolate coating on the bottom.  The real trouble came about when I had the idea to dip the cookie into my coffee one morning.  (Yes, I said morning.  I was pregnant.  I could eat cookies for breakfast if I wanted.)  It was all downhill from there.

J was immediately on board.  There are few things in life he loves more than dippable cookies.  I can't remember exactly how many boxes we went through that first year.  I can tell you it was definitely more than one would consider "healthy."  We would open a package, split it down the middle, and breakfast was served.  (I think that's probably how I grew the sweetest baby on the block that year.)

Since then, we've made progress.  And by progress, I mean that now we have a third adult in the house, so we split the package into three servings instead of two.

I may need an intervention.

   

 

Exceptional Eats: Taco Soup

I love it when I try out a new recipe, and it's not only easy, but delicious.

This recipe popped up in my life at such a good time.  I've been struggling to cook meals while tied to these crutches, so we've been relying on easy meals and carry out.  Any recipe that is easy enough for J to handle is a winner in my book!

Plus, tacos.  Who doesn't love tacos?  Only these are tacos in soup form.  Which is perfect on these cold winter nights.

And did I mention how easy this is to make?  Seriously, guys.  It's a matter of opening cans and jars and dumping them into a pot of deliciousness.

This one's a winner!  Thanks, Pinterest, for throwing this into my life.  Check out the recipe here.

Fiber

Yep, I needs it.

Since having a baby, things just don't work the same as they did before.  My insides got all scrunched up, and then unscrunched themselves in such a way that more fiber is now required in order for them to work.

Such is life.

I've written about the Benefiber in my morning coffee.  Good stuff.

But the other day I discovered these:

Let me just say, the commercials do not lie.  Cardboard?  No.  Delicious?  Yes.  I mean, really, really good stuff.

So for my other oldster friends who are in need of a little more fiber in your diets?  Go out and buy these immediately.  You won't regret it.

30 Day Challenge | Day 10: My Favorite Restaurant

This is a toughie for me.  I like to eat out just about as much as I like to cook!  My favorite place to go depends on the mood.  So I'm going to cheat, and pick two places.

Here's the first:

Not much to look at on the outside, but on the inside, well...this is the real reason we go to Tyler's:

Beer!  Lots and lots of beer!

We also go for this:

The Beer Cheese Queso is the most amazing dip evah.....

If we're feeling a little fancier, or maybe like we'd like a dining experience, we go here:

Because who wouldn't love this?

And now I'm hungry.

We're Going to the FAIR!

Yes, I know there is very little for a pregnant lady to do there.  I can't ride any of the rides, and there is a more than decent chance that the smells of the animals will make me want to hurl.

But what CAN I do?  EAT.  And I'm pretty excited about it.

For those readers who are not local, the State Fair is a BIG deal here in North Carolina.  In fact, when I started teaching in this great state, the powers that be in the school district always scheduled a teacher work day on the opening day of the fair, since so many kids would miss school that day to attend the festivities. 

There is no longer a teacher work day (silly laws), but lots of kids will be at the fair, nonetheless.  I tell my students that it's okay for them to miss my class to attend the fair, as long as they bring me back a caramel apple with no nuts.  (It works, too.  I got 4 or 5 last year.)  But this year, I'll be getting my own appley treat!

Shockingly, although this is the 8th fair to come around since my big move south, it will be my first time attending!

On the agenda:

• Funnel cake
• Corn on the cob
• Cotton candy
• French fries
• Deep fried something-or-other
• Funnel cake (I know this one is already on the list, but I feel that it bears repeating.)
• And of course, a caramel apple

I think I will skip the burger sandwiched between two Krispy Kreme doughnuts, even though I heard this concoction is magically delicious.

Big concerts this year, too!  Remember Danny Gokey from American Idol?  He'll be there!!  (Note the sarcasm here...even though I did love me some Danny while he was a contestant on AI.)

SO, basically, eating and people watching at the fair is my big upcoming excitement.  And I'm sure that the people watching will be fantastic.  People come down out of the hills for this major annual event...I live in the south, remember?

Ooh, and J says there are pig races!  Racing pigs!!

And before your lectures, I fully expect to be swollen and full of regret on Monday.  But what other time in life is it okay for someone to go to the fair and indulge this way?

Hey, I'm eating for two.

Would you?

According to a new poll published in this article, half of women would give up sex for the entire summer rather than gain 10 pounds.

Although this may or may not be surprising to you, I have to imagine that this one will come as a shocker: a quarter of men said the same thing!  This was a much higher percentage than I would have guessed!

Consider this, dear readers.  What would you give up this summer rather than gain a little weight?  The television?  Your iPhone? (Which apparently leads to having more sexual partners than ownership of other smart phones, but that's another story.)  Shopping?  Showering?  (I realize that this last one is weird, but 6% of those polled said they would do just that.)

I realize that I am not a good candidate to answer this question this particular summer.  One does not get pregnant in the hopes of keeping off the pounds.  But how about you?  What would you give up?

In my opinion, if you really want to avoid gaining those ten pounds...giving up cookies for the summer might be a good place to start.

I've been a bad blogger...

So sorry about the lack of posts this week, dear readers!  I'll try to make up for it with one big, all-encompassing post.  Go ahead and get a snack...I'll wait.

Okay, Here's what I've been up to:

1. EOG's.

For those of you non North-Carolinians (or those of you who DO live here, but under a rock), these are the big, dreaded, standardized tests that come at the end of the school year (or End Of Grade).  Now these tests are only for students in grades 3-8.

"But I thought you taught students in grades K-1?" you might ask.  And you'd be correct.  But I have managed to be involved in the EOG mania nonetheless.

Firstly, my side job is tutor extraordinaire.  I work with three kids, grades 6, 8, and 9, on math.  I know, weird combo that I teach reading to the little ones during the morning and math to the older ones in the afternoons.  But it works for me!

Two of my kiddos are in the throes of EOG.  One took the test this past Wednesday and Thursday, the other takes his exam this upcoming Thursday.  I have been clocking A LOT of tutoring hours recently!  (It's okay, though.  Good for the ole' bank account!)

Aside from tutoring, I got to take part in EOG joy at my own school.  This week, students on tracks 1 and 2 took the big tests.  And because I'm so lucky (i.e. I'm a warm body and my classes are apparently expendable and easily canceled for the week) I got to be a proctor!

Let me tell you a little bit about proctoring the EOGs.  In a word- BORING.  Basically, I got to sit and stare at a classroom of fifth graders for hours at a time.  Every fifteen minutes or so, I would circulate around the room, looking over shoulders to make sure that the kids were bubbling in the same number on their answer sheet as the question they were on in the test booklet.  But come on...these kids are in fifth grade.  They've bubbled in test sheets a time or two before.

Once kids finished the tests, I had to make sure they were sitting silently.  Once or twice a kid sneaked a book out of their desk and tried to hide it, and I had to tell them to put the book away until the test session was over.  That was the peak of excitement of the whole experience.

OH, and I ALSO got to take parades of kids to the bathroom, and make sure they went in one at a time, and didn't talk about the test in any way.  That was also TONS of fun!

The experience was uber-miserable.  I found myself wishing that I was taking the test, because I thought it would be more fun.

I can't wait to do this again when the other half of the students in my school take the tests in two weeks.


2.  Entering the HGTV Green Home 2010 Giveaway on a daily basis.

I mean, how fabulous is this house?  (Of course, it doesn't really matter how fabulous the house is, because if I actually did win it, I'd sell it.  Because let's be real here...I am SO not moving back to the north.  I WOULD keep the SUV and the $100 grand, though.)

I'm almost tempted to leave this part of the post out, lest you start entering daily, too, and decrease my odds of winning.  But I like you.  So I guess I'll allow it.


3. Dieting and ellipticalling.  (Yes, I know that's not a word, but I like it...so there.)

My stomach has mostly gotten used to liquids for breakfast and lunch, and I'm not hungry and crabby at every moment.  Just some moments, like when J says he's hungry, and I explode a little, lashing out about the fact that he got to have food for breakfast and lunch.  But he's a trooper, and he forgives me.

I may be missing beer more than food, as I am depriving myself of it on the weeknights.  But even that is getting easier.

Yesterday afternoon, I decided to skip the elliptical, because I was feeling a little lazy.  Later in the day, I felt guilty for skipping out, so I ended up not only ellipticaling, but going a few minutes over my normal 30.

Now THAT'S progress, no?

AND, I've lost 6 pounds.  Yay me!


Also, (and you thought I'd forgotten!)...today is

And here's what makes me feel good this Friday (aside from the aforementioned 6 pounds).

The first bloom of the season on my magnolia tree.  After I moved south and saw these trees everywhere, I knew that someday, I MUST have one.  Thanks to the coolest mom on the block (mine), I have one.  She bought this for me on one of her visits, and I love, love, love looking out my kitchen window and seeing it blooming all spring and summer.


So that's all, folks!  Have an excellent weekend!

My new plan...

Look what J and I bought this weekend!

 So, I'm using it every day.  (Thank God for my good friend Justin Timberlake, who helps me through.)


I'm also having this for breakfast and lunch every day.  (A pink bendy straw makes it a little better somehow.)

And I'm making sure to drink at least 8 of these every day.  (I've never peed so much.)

Our beach vacation is less than two months away!  I figured I should get on this diet thing immediately.  Wish me luck!