Aloha, Friday!

I think I am delirious.  Being stuck in the house because of the snow has gotten the best of me!  Caylee stepped outside one morning and announced, "I wish we were in Hawaii right now."  (that's my girl!) Granted, we got out on Wednesday and Thursday but there is something about the fact that we were out of our routine that had us coo-coo-for-coco-puffs!  Granted, I do love spending the time with the kids but I like for them to spend time with their teachers at school too! ;)

I hope the snow is over!  I wanted one good snow then I want spring.  We got slammed with three good snows in the last week and a half.

Here's what swirling around my head right now:

O-N-E
Thank you for your comments of support on my Wednesday post.  I am excited but a little nervous about lifetime.  Excited in the fact that I reached my goal but nervous about being able to keep it off.  I have come to the fact that I will have to watch what I eat for the rest of my life.  I am enjoying the fact that I can increase my number of daily points.

T-W-O
I am starting season five of Parenthood.  I am DYING to know when they will put season 6 on Netflix.  I am already thinking about what to watch next.  Our sitter says Grey's and I would like to watch that but I am also thinking of Scandal.  I know once baseball starts, my TV watching will be nonexistent.  ;)

via

T-H-R-E-E
I LOVE this post from Shay earlier this week.  I want to try the Rose Salve.  I am a sucker for lip gloss.  When I read that she uses it on her cuticles, I immediately decided I needed some.  It is a great price too.

F-O-U-R

I can't wait to get my hands on this purse.   Yes, I sell purses but I do love me some Vera too.  I go through stages with Vera.  I will carry her for a while, then I will decide to carry something else.  Maybe it was being stuck at home all week and need some spring- but I bid on this and won it.  Very Berry Paisley is my favorite pattern.  I needed a new cross body- I am very picky about my purses. 

F-I-V-E
Chad and I are going car shopping this weekend.  To make an EXTREMELY long story short, our Jeep Grand Cherokee is a lemon- not by law- but it basically is.  Since we purchased the vehicle (eighteen months ago), it has had 8 recalls on it, we have replaced the radiator, and there is currently another leak coming from who knows where.  The icing on the cake is that the 4WD and cruise control doesn't work either.  We have had all of these issues since the first of the year and we are at our wits end.  Jeep is telling me that they are having to MAKE THE PART to fix my 4WD and cruise control and they have no clue when it will be shipped to the dealer.  The part was requested on February 12th.  I have driven my car six of the last 28 days; it has been sitting at the dealership the rest of the days.  I am not driving my jeep right now because the 4WD doesn't work and we still have ice and snow.  We have filed a formal complaint with jeep but have gotten nowhere.  I love, or thought I loved, my jeep.  I like the amenities on it but it is nothing if I can't drive it.  The thoughts of a car payment stretched out longer because of trading doesn't sit well with me but the thought of continuing to drive a piece of crap that may or may not continue to have problems makes me sick to my stomach too.

What I would love to have is a minivan but Chad wouldn't be caught dead in it.  I loved my Tahoe and wouldn't mind having another one.  Chad likes the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Ford Explorer.  I don't know what we will end up doing.  I hate car shopping!

Hope you have a great weekend!

Linking up with awesome ladies!

Weight Watchers Wednesday: HELLO LIFETIME!

Even with four new inches of snow on the ground, I ventured out last night to weigh in.  Our morning meeting wasn't officially cancelled but I called my leader and he said no on had shown up.  We chatted a few minutes and he urged me to try to weigh in this week (if I could get out) even if it wasn't at my regular meeting.

They had a meeting later yesterday afternoon, so I stopped by to weigh in and get the WW Weekly but didn't stay for the meeting (I had Caylee with me).  I got on the scales and saw....

-3 LBS.

This means that I made lifetime and that I lost weight even with being snowed in last week and wanting to eat everything in sight!  WILLPOWER!!!!!!

I got home and emailed my leader because I was so excited.  He told me to go celebrate with a quarter of a Dunkin Donuts blueberry donut (he knows that is my favorite and that I divide it into fourths so that I can enjoy it for four days and not consume the points in one day! ).

So what now?

• Gary told me that I needed to adjust my points per day so that I don't keep losing weight.  CHECK.
• Continue to track food daily.  I didn't track my breakfast....  oops...
• Wait for a phone call from WW to set up a face to face interview for employment.  I am looking forward to this!
• Get to the gym to build muscle.  
• Shop for a new swimsuit.
• Shop for summer clothes.

It feels so awesomely amazing to reach this goal.  I DID IT!!!!!!

I'll close with more snow pictures.  The kids went to school Monday but haven't been since.  We are expecting MORE SNOW tonight.  UGH.  I am done with it!

Friday High Fives!

It doesn't seem like a Friday- heck, this whole week has felt like a  Friday with the kids out of school.  They went back today on a two hour delay.  I almost drove by city hall to see if there was a march on the steps.  There were some peeved parents voicing their displeasures over on Facebook.  Some of them made sense, others, well- not so much.  The reason everyone was mad was that we have 7 inches of snow plus ice and the temps were frigid.  In the past, they have closed school for cold temps and no snow; however, they opened school today with snow and below zero temps.  As for us, we were indifferent about going or staying home.

Let's get the weekend kicked off with some Friday Five!

O-N-E

This was the ACTUAL temperature when I got up this morning- not the "feels like" temperature.  Now you can see why parents were upset.  We were the ONLY system in East Tennessee in school today.  Our system's motto is "Journey to World Class".  Our journey to a world class education started with getting out of the icy driveway this morning!

T-W-O
I have started this thing of wanting coffee in the afternoons.  On occasion, I will stop at Starbucks before or after kid pick up and grab a cup of Pike's Place Roast but I recently discovered this:

So yummy!  It is also decaf so I can sleep at night.  I am drinking a cup right now!

T-H-R-E-E
I have heard several people talk about how much they love Snackeez.  Chad and I thought they were a joke but then I realized that they would be great for traveling.  I snagged two at Target today to put in the kids' Easter baskets.  Heck, I sort of hope the Easter bunny leaves me one!

F-O-U-R
I went to the gym today for the first time in a while {cough, cough}.  I am super nervous about my weigh in next week because I feel like I have been a big couch potato this week.  I have tried to limit foods that I know will hurt my chances at lifetime but it has been hard.  I only did cardio this morning because I don't want to lift until I reach lifetime.  It sounds completely ridiculous but I don't want the muscle to cause the least amount of weight gain.  Any who, I did weigh in on their scales.  I am actually a pound UNDER what I should be.  I hope by Tuesday everything will even out and I will be within my four pound window (two under, two over my goal weight).  Maintenance has been HARD, especially with 7 inches of snow!

F-I-V-E
I put on makeup and did my hair for the first time since Sunday!  We have been stuck at home in our pajamas or fleece pants. I figure there is no use in wasting makeup and hair products if we aren't leaving the house!  I

I'll close with some pics I snapped this week:

Elmer has been coming into the house since it is bitter cold.  It has taken all week to train him to be calm.  Basically he is ok as long as we are sitting down and doing nothing.  Otherwise, he wanders.  I just love this picture of him.  He matches our furniture!

Caylee working on her model pose.  

This was taken yesterday.  We were stir crazy by Thursday!

Happy Weekend!  We are expecting more bad weather this weekend.  Yee-Haw!  #not

Brought to You by the Letter S: Snow, Sick, and Sadness

No Weight Watchers Wednesday update today....  I didn't get to weigh in yesterday for my lifetime membership.  Our meeting was cancelled due to the six inches of SNOW on top of the thick layer of ice.  SADNESS.

I am really struggling.  We haven't left the house since Sunday.  All I want to do is bake and eat.  I know that if I fall off the wagon, there is a chance I could gain the two pounds I am not supposed to and I will have to start maintenance all over again.  I am sticking to plan; however, there are valentine cookies in the house and I have allowed myself to have one per day.  If those are the reason I don't make lifetime, I will be so upset!!!!!!!   The only activity I've had this week are the trips up and down the steps in our house and the sledding yesterday with the kiddos.  I was hoping to get out of the house today and go to the gym and run a couple of errands but we have a setback.... the other S....

SICKNESS.

Caylee woke up this morning with the stomach bug.  I mean, seriously???  This poor child is cursed! Lice last week; stomach bug this week.  Thank God we haven't been in school this week so she isn't missing anything.  I am still not sure how she caught the bug since we haven't left the house since Sunday!!!  I am praying that no one else gets it.  On a brighter note, Chad isn't traveling this week so I guess there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I am so glad we got to go out yesterday and play in the snow.  I caught a couple of good pictures.  I wish I got more but my iPhone battery died due to the cold.

Elmer LOVES to eat snow.  There is no telling how much that dog ate yesterday!

Caylee likes snow too!

WIPEOUT!

I have a feeling we will not be in school all week.  Check out the temps this week.  Yowza!

Hope y'all are staying warm!

Show and Tell Tuesday: My "Arranged" Marriage

Hey folks!  I am so excited to share my story of how I met my husband.  It is a story I love to tell because I LOVE the reactions!!!  I am excited to link up with Andrea.
Please note that there will not be any pictures- we didn't have iPhones or digital cameras back in the "old days".  What pictures I do have I can't get on my computer because my stupid scanner will not cooperate!

Picture it: Knoxville.  September 1999. {Go back and read that in your Sophia from the Golden Girls tone of voice.}

I had just moved to Knoxville to begin graduate school- as in, I graduate from UTC one day and move into an apartment in Knoxville the next.  I lived with a girl whose aunt was a mutual friend of my mom's.  School began and I immersed myself into my studies.  I was sort of dating a guy back home but looking back, we were over before I realized it.  I think he cheated on me, but can't prove it and don't really care about that now.

The week of the first Vols football game arrived and my Daddy asked me if I was going to the game.  I told him I had gotten my ticket but wasn't sure I would go because I didn't want to go alone.  I hadn't really made enough friends by that point to want to hang out with them; besides, I wasn't a college partier so going to a tailgate and getting hammered wasn't my definition of fun.

My daddy suggested that HIS BOSS, Chad, come down and show my roommate ,Christy, and I where to park for the game.  My dad was an inspector for TDOT, and Chad was his boss.  Chad and his parents had season tickets to the games.  Once Christy and I decided to go to the game, we told Daddy that it would be ok for Chad to meet us at our apartment and show us where to park.  That Saturday, September 4, 1999, Chad knocked on our door for the first time.  Now, let me point out that neither one of us- Christy or I- had ever laid eyes on this person- for all we know, he could have been a complete goon.  We loaded up into his red Jeep Cherokee and went to the game.  We sat in the student section (I think Chad may have sat with us).  I don't remember much about that day other than the fact that I ended up setting Chad and Christy up on a DATE!!!

Chad and Christy went out maybe once or twice while I was still trying to hang onto the relationship with the guy back home.  Chad nor Christy didn't feel sparks with one another but a friendship was formed between the three of us.  Chad would come to Knoxville for both football and basketball games and we would end up hanging out together.  Looking back during that time, I realized that Chad was making an effort to spend time with us- something said boyfriend back home wasn't even doing.  Things officially ended between me and said boyfriend at some point during football season- I don't remember exactly when because it was basically over anyway.  Chad and I starting spending time together at the games, going on hikes, and going to eat.  He made an effort to get to know me.  Oh, I failed to mention that Chad was living here in our current hometown, two hours from Knoxville.  He kept coming around.  Now, by this point, I was still doing my single girl thing- my guilty pleasure of going line dancing at the Cotton Eyed Joe in Knoxville EVERY.SINGLE.WEEKEND.  I never drank because I wanted to stay in control but man, I burnt a lot of calories on that dance floor!!!!!!!!!

Chad and I started dating officially in March 2000.  One of our first dates was to Atlanta for the SEC basketball tournament.  We rode down with his parents and stayed at his brother's house.  Talk about a  nervous wreck!  I had been seeing this guy no time and I was going out of town with him??!!  Keep in mind that Chad is still my Daddy's boss.  My dad was completely cool with me seeing Chad because he knew he was a man of good character.  I am not sure how Chad felt about the situation but I did know that he didn't want to work for TDOT forever, so he began the job search in Knoxville.  He moved to Knoxville that summer and I realized that things were getting real.  I was busy with school and my job at a long term care pharmacy and Chad landed a job in Oak Ridge.  We managed to see each other quite a bit.

Fast forward time to August 31, 2001.  Chad and I had gone out to eat.  He asked if I wanted to ride up to the Vol Navy and walk along Volunteer Landing.  This was the night before Tennessee's home opener versus Syracuse.  We stopped at the top of this tower like thing at Volunteer landing and he asked me to be his wife.  I don't remember the exact words but I remember he was a nervous wreck and I was so happy.  We had discussed marriage but I had no idea a proposal was coming so quickly.  We told our families we wanted an October wedding.  They thought we meant October 2002; however, we had other plans.  We were married on October 7, 2001.  NO, I wasn't pregnant!  I was a teaching intern at a school that was on a year round calendar and we had two weeks off.  We honeymooned in Hawaii the first week and I moved into his house the second!

My dad probably had no idea I would marry Chad.  On our wedding day, as the door opened for me to walk down the aisle, my daddy said, "Let's go!"  I still think he likes Chad better than me!  And I wouldn't have it any other way!  ;)

I am going to link up and start reading everyone else's stories!!!!!!!

Valentine Weekend Recap

Greetings from Casa Mac!

We are expected to get between 4-9 inches of snow later today.

#snowpocalypse2K15

It is supposed to get so bad that they called off the kids' school LAST NIGHT AT 8PM.  For those of you new to my blog and don't live where we do, our kids attend a city school system.  The system is known for NEVER calling off school- some blame it on the fact that we live in the Eastman bubble.  Eastman is a large chemical plant in our area and the chemicals cover the area with a warm blanket.  Any who, there is a new superintendent now and he is much more conservative in calling off school.  He would rather air on the side of caution and safety as opposed to having school then dismissing early.  That happened the first year he was on the job and you thought the whole town was ready to march on city hall!  Anyway, this was the scene last night as we received the phone call:

Lots of screaming and jumping up and down.  #atleastonekidhasonmatchingpajamas

Let's back up to Valentine's weekend.....

My Valentine's weekend started Thursday morning.  As you may have read, last week was one heck of a week for me.  Thursday morning, I volunteered at the school like always and then went to Target.  Before walking into the store, I checked my email and saw this:

A truly sweet internet friend send me a little card and a cup of coffee.   Jenna was a little piece of Heaven right there in the Target parking lot.   When I left the house that morning, I was very concerned about Tank, our black lab.  He is very old and was having trouble getting up.  Chad and I both know that our time with him is short yet we aren't ready to say goodbye to him.  That worry plus everything else of the week had worn me down.  I was mentally and physically exhausted and to see that sweet email gave me the boost I needed.  When I returned home, Tank seemed back to his normal self.  Chad thinks it was just a fluke and he may have laid down on his leg wrong and it went to sleep.  Everything was fine, just as her card said.  ;)  

I treated Carson to a Starbie's cake pop that afternoon.  Confession: I had a salted caramel and it was divine!  Carson wants me to learn how to make them.  Carson and I will have a Starbie's date once a month on Thursdays while Caylee is at dance but we were able to have another date thanks to Jenna! I am pretty sure Carson thinks Jenna is the coolest now!  

Friday, Chad and I went on an early Valentine date.  We went to Macado's and to the grocery store.  Nothing says I love you like a trip to the grocery store!  I honestly wasn't feeling all lovey- earlier in the day I dealt with an issue with both kids (I'll spare details) that just made me mad.  By the time Friday night rolled around, I seriously just wanted to be alone.  I would not admit that to Chad and it was nice to just hang with him but I felt like I had nothing left.  I had no gas in the tank.  I was simply exhausted but it was nice to simply hang with Chad without the kids.  I feel like I dealt with the gamut of parenting woes this past week- and I handled it all by myself while Chad was out of town.  

Saturday morning, I received the best Valentine's gift a boy mom could get- Carson learned how to clean toilets!!!!!!  He has no aim and two of the toilets in our house get pretty nasty pretty quickly.  We decided it was time Carson learned how to clean up after himself.  When he realized how nasty the toilet was, he asked Chad, "who made this mess?"  Chad's response, "that would be you, son."  The day ended with a trip to Dick's Sporting Goods and to Barberito's.

My Valentine's before heading out.  Notice Caylee's straight hair.  She loves it!

Catching snowflakes at Barb's.

My two favorite boys

Sunday morning, Chad and I started taking a parenting class at our church.  I think it will be  a good class.  What I realized yesterday is that I need to be a better model for Carson and Caylee.  It is so simple and I knew that but I don't practice it.  It is something that I plan to work on.  We spent the rest of the day prepping for the snow.  I went to the grocery store and did some little projects here at home.  We ended the night by allowing Elmer to come inside for the first time.  That was an experience.  Wild puppy, cold night, wild kids excited for no school, and a 14 year old black lab. WHEW!  

This is Tank doing what he does best: sleeping

Elmer finally calmed down.  We brought up the other bed from the basement and he finally realized how nice it is!

Well, that is about it for me!  My little brain is already working overtime on what I can do to keep the kiddos occupied today!  First up, cleaning up the playroom!!!!  

Happy Monday!

Five On Friday: Love Edition!

THANK GOD IT IS FRIDAY.

I was talking to my Mama this morning and she said Karma has been really mean to me this week.  She says it blows HER mind that every time Chad leaves town, something happens.  Sometimes, it is minor and we laugh about it; other times, I end up in tears.  If you didn't read my previous post- you need to read it and you will have a better idea of what I am talking about.

Since it is Valentine's Weekend, I thought I would share five things that I love.  Personally, I think Valentine's Day is overrated.  I am not the kind of girl that needs roses, balloons, and chocolate.  I would rather Chad do something for me completely out of the blue.  He isn't a romantic type anyway. What I would love for Valentine's Day is a super clean house, laundry caught up, and a nice dinner that I don't have to cook or clean up!  Can I get an AMEN?

ONE
I LOVE waking up in the morning before the kids.  I will get up an hour before they do and drink my coffee, catch up on blogs, email, and scroll through social media.  I love sitting in a dark, quiet house (with the fireplace on in the winter) sipping my coffee and reading.

TWO
I LOVE sitting in front of the fireplace.  There is something peaceful about a fire.  Yesterday, I sat down for about thirty minutes and did absolutely nothing and it was glorious!  Don't make fun of my socks.  They were purchased during girls' weekend with Chad's family.  That is another story for another day and it always brings a smile to my face.

THREE
I LOVE the moment when I cross the finish line at a half marathon.  I love the feeling of the volunteer putting the medal around my neck.    I love that sense of accomplishment.  I always tear up as I cross the finish line.  I love that my body is sore and tired.  It is a good feeling!

FOUR
I LOVE the beach.  If I had the money, I would buy a place on the beach and live there in the summers.  I love early morning coffee on the porch looking out at the ocean.  I love walks on the beach at night.  I love watching the kids play in ocean.  I love the food at the beach.  I love the sights and smells of the beach.  I love a beach tan.

Post run coffee break at Emerald Isle

FIVE

I LOVE my people.

Hope you all have a fabulous Valentine's weekend!

Linking up with April, Erika, and the Farmer's Wife!

XOXO

5:15 AM Update

Last night, I hit my breaking point.

I called Chad (he is traveling this week but will be home tonight) and ugly cried over this:

With the craziness of this week, I had completely forgot about Caylee addressing Valentines.  When we went to Wal Mart on Monday, she wanted to get Goldfish instead of paper Valentines for her class.  I told her we would look on Pinterest for a cute label with a cute saying and we would fix up a cute little valentine for her classmates.  Fast forward to Wednesday night.  I had little ink in the printer, no labels, and no patience.  We didn't get home until 8:30 from baseball.  She stayed with my MIL and when I came home, I found her working on her Valentines.  I felt like my heart hit my kitchen floor.  I've let her down.  I so wanted her Valentines to be "pinterest worthy" but simple but given the Hell I have been living in this week, it didn't happen.  I felt like a failure.

I called Chad and lost it as soon as he said hello.  I told him that I was so mad about Caylee getting lice again; so mad that I am doing everything humanly possible to get rid of the darn things yet I still found two nits in her head at bedtime (he thinks they are left over and dead since I flat iron her hair every morning); so mad that my days have spent covered in laundry and I can't get everything else done; so mad that I had to take the jeep in AGAIN for the same problem; so mad that something always happens when he is out of town.

When I regained my composure, I apologized for losing it and reminded myself out loud that I am a blessed woman and that this has knocked me down but I am not out (yet).  Caylee doesn't have cancer, we have another car to drive, and I don't have the added stress of going to a job outside of our home on top of dealing with all of this.

When I discovered the lice the first time she got it last fall, my friend told me to wash all bedding daily until we are certain they are gone.  I have been washing sheets, blankets, and mattress pads for Carson and Caylee's beds (I treated Carson as a preventative) EVERY DAY plus we are switching towels out daily and I am washing everything that comes in their contact (jackets, clothes, etc).  It is wearing me down.  I don't know how much longer I can do this.  I have to treat Caylee again at the end of the week but I am going to call her doctor later this morning to see if I can go ahead and do another one.

Once I calmed down and said goodbye to Chad, I turned to my guilty pleasure: Parenthood on Netflix.  I had another ugly cry because of what happened in one of the episodes!  I made it through that episode and had to turn it off.  I finally closed my eyes at 11:30PM but tossed and turned.  I have no idea what time I fell asleep but I know what time I woke up.

Elmer woke me up barking.  Thanks.  Thanks a lot.

I got up and let him out and fed him and laid back down but tossed and turned again.  I finally got up for good at 4AM and I am already on my second cup of coffee.  I was still very upset over the Valentines so I went to the Avery  site and downloaded a template for labels.  Even though I was out of labels, I cut the paper as if it were a label and taped it to the bag.  I don't want to hurt Caylee's feelings and throw away the post it notes so I left them.  This was my "pinterest mom" project at 4:30AM.

I don't know why the picture is sideways and I don't have the mental stability to try to change it.  Caylee hasn't seen my addition yet; let's hope she forgives me.  

Speaking of Valentine's Day, I was hoping that we could go tubing as a family but Elmer may have other plans for us.  Last fall, he chewed through some wiring on my jeep.  We paid to get it fixed but the jeep is presenting other problems and after five trips to the dealer for service, the problem isn't fixed and they are telling us it is because "a rodent is nibbling on the wires".  After the first time Elmer chewed, we rerouted the fence so that he can't get to my jeep so we aren't convinced that is the problem.  I picked the car up yesterday and as soon as we got onto the road, the warning lights came back on (4WD and cruise control will not work).  On top of all this, my high beams weren't working and my bluetooth went out.  I sat out in the jeep late last night trying to figure out what was going on and finally did.  They reset some settings and it threw everything out of whack.  Thanks. Thanks a lot Jeep dudes.

I just finished my second cup of coffee and load number 2 for the day is ready to go into the dryer.  My plans for the day are to take the jeep back to dealer, volunteer at the kids' school, more laundry, then afternoon pickup and dance.  Chad comes home late tonight.  Let's hope I can stay awake to greet him.  

If anyone has a white flag, I am ready to wave it.  

Weight Watchers Wednesday

It's time for WWW!!!

I wish I could report that I had another week of weight loss; actually I don't wish that because I would have gone too far under my goal and would have had to start again.  I am not happy to report that I gained....

1.5 pounds....

WOMP WOMP.....

What makes me so mad at myself is that I know what does it every time- the days I don't track; the days I am not accountable for what I eat.  Granted, I don't eat terrible things but there were days I didn't track everything in my mouth.  I still stayed on plan on what to eat (for the most part) but this is further justification that tracking is one major key to success.   I know a  pound and a half is not much but I really want to see the two pounds below of my goal weight again.  I was there before and I want to see that number again.  

Since I substituted last week, I spent a large portion of the day sitting.  Our building is pretty small and I would get up to deliver a message instead of calling the classroom and I would make it a point to get up about every thirty minutes.  I also packed my lunch one of the days and made sure I carried snacks and fruit in my awesome new Thirty One lunch tote. 

In our  meeting this week, we talked about how to stay on plan when eating out.  For me, this was right up my alley.  We are in the stage of life where we simply eat out at least two nights per week.  This week, a few key points hit home with me (one of which I already do and I offered this tip to the group):

•  Know what you are ordering before you get there.  We have our routine places we eat at and I basically know what I can order at those establishments.  If we go someone different and it is a chain restaurant, I look on my WW app to see what is appropriate.  If it isn't a chain, I search for similar foods and try to do the best I can.  We don't eat at non chain restaurants often so it really isn't an issue for me.
• Ask for a box when the meal is brought to your table.  Before you begin to eat, go ahead and divide up half of the meal and put it in the box.  Just don't leave the box sitting on the table!  That way, there is no way to overindulge!
• Plan for dining out.   There is one of my favorite words again- PLAN.  If you know you are eating out for dinner and you know that your meal will be 10 PP Values, you may want to opt for a lower point lunch and load up on 0 PPV fruits and veggies beforehand.  I don't know what Weight Watchers thinks about "banking" points but I think if you know ahead of time what you will be eating, you can plan on eating your activity points, your bonus points, or simply adjusting your points target per meal.
• Step outside of the box.  I really like this one- suggested by the only male in our group, John.  He said if you go to a restaurant and you always order a pasta dish, try a different, healthier  option.  Since most restaurants have  a light menu now or note the calories in the dish, it is easier to make decisions on what to eat.  

For us, our go to restaurants are Barbaritos, Chick Fila, Panera Bread, and Which Wich.  Granted, some of those are higher point places but I have been able to eat out and still lose weight.  I think one key is to not be afraid to go out- it can be done.  I love going out to dinner, even if it is CFA!  Besides, if you fall off track, the next meal is always a new meal and is a time to regroup!

Next week is MY WEEK.  If I maintain this week, I will become a Lifetime Member!!!!!!!  I sent in my application to work for Weight Watchers yesterday.  Fingers crossed that God will open a door!

Happy Wednesday!

Random Catch Up

Greetings!  You are warned- This post is all over the place.  I thought I would do an update on the comings and goings of our life.  Last week was pretty crazy and this week has already shaped up to be the same!

Last week, I had the pleasure of going back to work.  I subbed at my old job.  I filled in for the receptionist at the preschool where my office was housed.  I have forgotten what it is like to being a working mom.  It was a busy time with kid activities, school, and working all day.  My mama duties took a backseat and I am paying for it this week.  What I love about preschool is the innocence of young children.  One day while I was there, it was PINK day.  All the students wore pink and made pink cookies.  Even though it wasn't in my eating plan for the day, I couldn't not eat the cupcake and break the four year olds'  hearts!

Over the weekend, I took Caylee to a modeling "audition".  I use the word audition loosely because it was basically a sign up and picture taking event.  CASA is hosting an American Girl Fashion Show and they were looking for models.  Caylee was all about it.  She will wear typical AG clothes that match a doll.  We don't know details yet but I think it will be good for her- something different than dance.

Saturday afternoon, we hit the batting cages.  The weather was beautiful so it was only fitting that we hit the cages.  I have a feeling that since we have had NO SNOW, we will be shoveling snow off the baselines in April.

Please notice Carson's shoes- I mean- how could you not?  I give the boys one assignment on Saturday morning and that was to go buy new tennis shoes and baseball cleats.  That's what they came home with.  Oh, and the baseball cleats are red and black to match his team colors!  ;)

Also Saturday afternoon, we discovered we have a new painter in the house- ELMER.

As I was headed out the door to a funeral (the person I was filling in for- her sister passed away), I heard Chad yell Carson's name at the top of his lungs from the basement.  I knew something was wrong but I kept getting ready.  As I was walking out the door, Caylee informed me that Elmer had knocked over a paint can with approximately 2 cups of paint all over the basement.  What had Chad in a tizzy was that it was right next to his company vehicle.  Luckily, no paint splattered on the vehicle.  Where was Carson in all this?  He's the one that let Elmer in the basement unsupervised.  You can't leave a two year old lab puppy unsupervised.  Elmer has white spots (very small) on his back, his nails are now white, and he has white paint on his chin.  He is still cute as a button and wild as a buck.

Monday morning, I discovered what looked to be like nits in Caylee's hair.  I know this is completely gross but this is the third time she has had lice this school year.  WE ARE CLEAN PEOPLE.  HOW IS IT THAT SHE KEEPS GETTING THEM?  It is so embarrassing and I debated on not even mentioning it but if this blog is about my life, this is my life right now.  I have officially declared myself insane over this.  I text Chad yesterday and told him that I wanted to get really drunk so that I can forget about the darn things.  I was halfway kidding.  ;)

I freaked out the first two times and I freaked out this time.  Luckily, our wonderful school nurse said she thinks we caught them early.  I had a prescription shampoo left over from last time so I treated Caylee yesterday.  I am still covered in Mount Saint Laundry because I have had to wash almost everything in this house.  There is no telling when my laundry will be caught up.  I treated myself last time as a precaution but never got it.  I am thinking I may end up treating myself this time just to be on the safe side but I am concerned about it ruining my hair color.  The school nurse checked me this morning and told me not to treat myself unless I am symptomatic.

Caylee is back in school today nit free but I do have to retreat her on Friday just to make sure they are gone.  If your child has never had nits/lice, count your blessings and pray they don't get it.  It is a nuisance!

Hope your week is better than mine!  Come back tomorrow for my Weight Watchers Wednesday post.  It is going to be a good one!