From Boring to BOLD!!

Just as I love making changes in my appearance by coloring my hair, I absolutely LOVE using color on our walls & changing things up. Recently, I've become bored with our guest bathroom.; the walls are a tan/taupe; a very safe color. I'm not necessarily one who likes to play it safe when it comes to color, so I thought that our bathroom needed a drastic face lift to keep things interesting.

I love the combination of bright green & chocolate brown so I used that as the inspiration for our bathroom makeover. I've never chosen a paint color without Mike's opinion before, so this was a first for me since I hit Home Depot on my way home from work on Friday. Unlike some women, I normally rely on Mike's opinion when it comes to decorating since we have very similar taste & he actually shows interest in how our house is decorated.

Anyway, Mike was a tad surprised when he saw the preview dollop of green on the top of the paint can as I pulled in from Home Depot. Luckily he's easy going & went with my plan!







These are the BEFORE pictures of our bathroom; like I said, very safe & somewhat dull.



And this is the absolutely, positively hideous light fixture I've been living with for years. I despise it & I'm thrilled to see it where it belongs -- in the trash.



And here is our new light fixture! And the very BOLD shade of green I chose!



We also painted the vanity a dark chocolate color & added hardware to freshen things up. This also happens to be the same color we painted our kitchen cabinets about two years ago.





All the accessories were purchased at Target. I had to keep the towel with the monkey on it since Cam loves it. He typically sits in his bath, notices it & starts saying, "ahh, ahh!" which is his interpretation of a monkey.



And that's our new bathroom! I'm sure many won't like the color I chose; I can only imagine what my mom will say. I'm guessing, wow, this is an interesting color.... And by interesting, she'll be thinking, Holy hell, this is hideous!

But, that's okay! We love it & we're the ones who live here, after all!

Are You Kidding Me?

So why is it that Monday through Friday when my alarm goes off, I feel like I would give my right arm to just sleep a little longer, yet this Saturday morning, POOF! I'm up & ready to go at 6:30 a.m. sans alarm?! I was up before my alarm would even be set to go off during the week!

So, I got up, went to the bathroom & told myself, Self, you WILL go back to sleep until Cam wakes up!! But there I laid, wide awake until I surrendered to my brain & just decided to get up. So, as I sit here in the still of the morning, I hear the last sputters of the brewing coffee & the soothing sounds of lullabies. Yep, that little bugger must have just woken up because I started to hear some very faint scuffling over the baby monitor & now I'm hearing the music of his little rain forest machine. So darn cute! I guess I'll mosey on over there to get my big sack of potatoes & get our day started. Although, you never do know with that boy; he may just fall back to sleep** unlike his old ma!

And speaking of getting our day started, we'll be redecorating our guest bathroom today!!! I've been kind of bored with our current design, so I thought it was time to spice things up a bit! I'll be sure to post before & after pics!

**Sure enough, all is quiet over the baby monitor; the little stinker has fallen back to sleep! Ahh, guess I'll just be forced to grab a cup of coffee & sip it in peace & quiet before the craziness ensues!!****

****About 15 minutes after I posted that, I again hear faint scuffling & the sound of the rain forest machine! We'll see if he's up for good this time, or just faking me out again!! That boy is a character!



Here's your answer!

"This is just a moment; it's not the rest of your life"

While flipping through the November issue of O Magazine tonight, I read an article written by Julianna Margulies about an AHA! moment she experienced. I felt like I could really relate to this particular article, so I wanted to share.

On the night of a particularly long and exhausting day, she came home to put her five & a half month old son to bed. And like most anyone, when you're exhausted, you're likely more emotional. I know when I haven't slept enough and I'm coming home from a stressful day at work, the most insignificant thing can send me into hysterics. The cat can puke on a freshly vacuumed rug & I'll act like the world is coming to an end. After a much needed sleep, I'll realize just how ridiculous my reaction was. So, when Julianna had finally gone to bed, it was only hours later when her son woke her up at 2a.m. As she tried to calm him, her anxiety grew & grew as thoughts raced through her head about how she wasn't going to get enough sleep, how tired she would be the next day, how hard it would be to get through the day, etc.

Suddenly in the midst of her anxiety, a saying that her mother had said time & time again, popped into her head. "This is only a moment; it's not the rest of your life." Though she had heard it a million times, it had never meant anything to her until that moment. And it calmed & grounded her as she realized, What's the worst that can happen? So, I'll wake up with bags under my eyes; that's what make-up is for.

I could really relate to this story since I'm constantly getting caught up with what needs to be done next instead of being present in the moment. I often blog about this problem, but that saying really made sense to me & gave me a lot of perspective. This is just a moment; it's not the rest of your life. It's something to remember when you're caught up in a stressful moment. Because just as wonderful moments pass quickly, so do the bad.



I took this picture of Cameron last night when it was only the two of us at home since Mike was out playing poker. It had been a long day at work & I'd had a headache all day, so I was hoping for a smooth evening with Cam. We ate our dinner in front of the TV, laughed, and read books. Even though I could have fretted over the fifty things I could have been getting done in the house, I would not let myself. In my moments of clarity, I realize how ridiculous it is to sweat the small stuff when I am given the chance to enjoy the moment I could be having with my son. I know that I am so incredibly blessed to have him. I thank God every single night for giving me the chance to be his mom. I know that so many families would give anything in the world to have a healthy child, so I refuse to take him for granted.

Unfortunately that doesn't mean I won't ever worry ahead or stress about meaningless details, but I will try to limit them. I'll continue to tell myself, this is just a moment; it's not the rest of your life.

Sunset

Saturday evening was spent watching the sunset from my parent's condo balcony while watching Cameron & my nieces play in the background. It was an overcast afternoon, but the sunset was magnificent!!

Winding Down!

I love Thursday nights since Fridays are so close by that I can almost taste it! Usually on Thursdays we lounge on the couch & catch up on the shows we've taped during the week & have a glass of wine (or two, or three if I really want to get crazy!) Sometimes we order in & sometimes I cook. Tonight I decided to whip up a recipe involving portabella mushrooms that was inspired by a chef at my work.

I made what I'll call, Southwestern Stuffed Mushrooms. Basically I sauteed onion & garlic, added a bit of white wine & chicken broth & let it reduce a bit. Then I mixed in a rinsed can of black beans, a squirt of tomato paste*, Rotel tomatoes/green chilis, a packet of 90 second, microwaved Spanish rice & chopped cilantro. Mike suggested that I mix in some goat cheese, which added a nice, creamy tang, but is absolutely optional.

After drizzling some olive oil, salt & pepper over the clean portabella mushrooms, I piled them high with the bean mixture & baked them in a 350 degree oven for about fifteen minutes. They were absolutely delish & very healthy. Even though this happened to be a vegetarian dish, you wouldn't even miss the meat if you're a big carnivore. You could get very creative in concocting mixtures to stuff into the mushrooms; Greek themed with feta, sun-dried tomatoes, olives & onions or even pizza-flavored with fresh mozzarella, basil & even pepperoni.

Hope I inspired you to make something new!



*And yes, they do make tomato paste in a tube; just make sure you don't get it confused with your toothpaste or you may have a not so gleamy smile! Works great since there are so many times you can add tomato paste to a dish for concentrated flavor & you don't have to worry about wasting the rest of the can. I don't know about you, but I usually end up putting the remainder in a Tupperware container since I feel bad about throwing away half of a can of perfectly good tomato paste. Then I inevitably toss it anyway, after finding it buried in the back of the fridge three weeks later!

Whirlwind Day!

Yesterday we decided that I would take the day off work today since Cam hasn't been feeling well (Mike stayed home with him Monday). I stayed up kind of late last night watching TV & as I drifted to sleep around midnight, my slumber was quickly interrupted by a crying Cameron.

I headed to his room to attempt to rock him back to sleep, but when I realized he wasn't going to calm down anytime soon, I decided I'd give him some milk. Off to the kitchen I fumbled with a screaming 28# baby in hand to pour the milk; not an easy task when you're half asleep & it's dark in the house. I also gave him another dose of Motrin, but before I could successfully administer it to his mouth, I ended up wearing it.

After getting back to bed around 1:15 this morning, it seemed like only minutes went by when I heard Cam crying again at about 6:15. And that's when our busy day began! Later that morning, when we were settled, I thought a walk could be nice since it was such a beautiful day. I quickly ran to my room to grab some socks, only to be gone from the room for about ten seconds, when I noticed Cam violently waving my travel coffee mug about, spewing coffee ALL OVER our light tan rug. I had put it far back on our end table, but apparently not far enough for the little Houdini! And thankfully the coffee was not hot because I would have never forgiven myself had Cam been burned.

Since we were fresh out of carpet cleaner, the walk was scratched & we headed to Target to buy more. I probably spent about two hours total scrubbing & re-scrubbing that darn rug until it looked decent. The rest of the day basically included Cam crying & fussing, dogs barking incessantly, cleaning, laundry, cooking, Cam crying & fussing some more and on, and on, and on. By the time evening rolled around, I felt torn, tattered & haggard! How can such a little person poop me out like that?!? All in all though, we did have a lot of good moments throughout the day; some cuddling, laughing, reading & joking. And as much work as it was, it was awesome to spend such quality time with Cam today. I hate that our days off together during the week only happen when he's sick, but I'll take what I can get.

I'll leave you with this recipe I made for dinner tonight from my Food Network magazine; the dish was called chili-chicken posole which I had never heard of before, but it was basically a Mexican stew. Very easy to make & even easier since I used pre-cooked/cut chicken. I topped our bowls off with cubed avocado as well as crushed baked tortilla chips. Very flavorful, hearty & healthy!

Leftovers!

If you're inclined to make the chicken Parmesan & polenta dish I blogged about yesterday & are left with, well, leftovers, consider making pan fried polenta squares! Mike was not only the brains behind this dish, but also executed the whole meal. He used roasted garlic & mozzarella chicken sausages that we buy at Sam's Club & have only 120 calories per link. After Mike sliced & sauteed the sausages, he simmered them for a bit with the leftover sauce from last night.

Next it was time to make the polenta squares! This part was as easy as pie; he took squared slices of polenta & dropped them into a hot pan that was coated in a thin layer of olive oil until they were golden & crisp. We served the sausage & sauce mixture over the polenta squares & topped it with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Perfect for a speedy, yet tasty Monday night meal!

What's For Dinner?

If you love chicken Parmesan (and who doesn't?) but want to try a new spin on an old favorite, you should try this recipe for Rachael Ray's Chicken Parmigiano with Polenta. Instead of using bread crumbs to coat the chicken, this recipe uses polenta which gave the chicken a really nutty flavor & crunch. Not only is the chicken coated in polenta, but it's also served over cooked polenta & since we've never made it before, this was a bit of a learning experience!

Polenta is basically Italian cornmeal, or grits, as Americans know it. The recipe calls for quick cooking polenta which I couldn't find. Finding polenta at all was a bit of a challenge; I couldn't find it at Walmart, but located it at Publix near the ground flax. Polenta can be ground very fine or more coarse, which is what I ended up getting.

The sauce that goes with this dish couldn't have been simpler to make & was absolutely delicious. As we ate our meal, Mike & I commented on the fact that this dish could easily be served in a nice, Italian restaurant for $15+. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed!

The To "NOT" Do List

We're in the middle of a new series at church called Stuck, which is discussing the fact that many people are stuck in a rut & feel there is no way out. There are three categories in life that you may find yourself: The Dream Zone, The Drained Zone & The Danger Zone. God, of course, wants to find all of us living within the Dream Zone where you have a passion for Jesus & life. Unfortunately the majority of people fall within the Drained Zone; myself included.

Jesus died for our sins to give us a chance at a FULL life. Instead, so many of us are going through the motions each day, feeling frustrated, drained & stressed, only to wake up the next morning & repeat the same, negative actions all over again. We lie to ourselves when we say, "things will eventually slow down." Because if we continue doing exactly what we've always done, how will our lives change? How will things slow down?

We say yes to so many commitments & obligations & stretch ourselves so thin because we're afraid of letting people down. I know I'm guilty of living in fear of what people will think of me if I say no to a request, if I don't stay late at work when it's expected of me. We fill our days to the brim & feel that this whirlwind of activity equates to a meaningful life. We're never without our cellphones or computers; we're always available for calls, e-mails & text messages. We're pulled in so many directions that the days, weeks & months can pass & your thoughts get so distorted because you haven't had the chance to take a deep breath & actually enjoy life.

Instead of just saying, "things will eventually calm down... after Christmas, after the project is wrapped up at work," etc, we need to get our priorities straight. And what should our priorities be?

1) Our relationship with God. Taking time for prayer, reading the Bible, going to church; whatever it is you have to do to strengthen your relationship with God.

2) Your relationship with your spouse. When you're busy & not giving your marriage enough care & attention, things can slowly fall apart before you even realized there was a problem. We come home from work with so much to do around the house, dinners to be made, children to be bathed & put to bed that by the time we do have a second of downtime, we're too tired to put forth the effort to reconnect with our spouses.

3) Our children. This can be a tough one to wrap your head around since many parents feel guilty if their children aren't the #1 priority. I know that I guilt myself into thinking that I'm never doing enough as a parent. But, when you let your relationship with God & your spouse fall to the wayside, you'll never be the best parent you can be.

4) Our purpose/careers. It can be very difficult to put this last since we spend so much time each week at work. It's easy to get wrapped up in work, especially when the economy is in a bad spot & we're thankful to even have a job.

I for one know that I need to shift my priorities & give more of myself to God, to Mike & to Cameron, instead of coming home from work haggard & stressed with my mind so full that I can't see reality clearly. It's okay to say no to commitments in order to have that extra breathing room. Yes, you may let someone down, but in the grand scheme of things, it will make you a better person; the person that God put you on this Earth to be.

Saa-looow Going

Lately I've been noticing that my weight has been slowly creeping up to where I do not want it to be. Since I want to nip it in the bud before things get out of hand, I've been counting my calories to a T using Lose It! which I blogged about here. I've also gotten back to the gym which makes a world of a difference since I can use the calories I've burned to have more leeway with food. I've been doing thirty minutes of cardio which usually gives me back 245 calories. This may not seem like much, but when you're only allotted 1300 calories/day, 245 calories allows a lot more freedom. For instance, I can have that extra glass of wine & not feel bad about it!

I'm trying to stay patient with the weight loss, but patience is not one of my stronger points. I know I cannot expect this weight to come off right away, but I'd like to be seeing more results than I've seen thus far. I've been super strict with my calorie intake for the past 3 weeks and I've not seen an ounce of weight loss! What's up with that?! Either way though, I will NOT give up or start slacking since using Lose It! has just made me so much more aware of what I'm eating. The weekends get a little trickier since we're usually out & about & I tend to snack more; especially on Sundays when we're watching football!

So, I'm hoping that I start to see a smaller number on the scale soon or I will be one annoyed gal!

Feeling Blue

I found myself feeling very emotional at work today from missing my little Cameron. As I got ready to hop in the shower this morning, I heard a little voice enter the room, saying, "Muh-ma! Muh-ma!" and it absolutely warmed my heart until it felt like a puddle of goo in my chest. But later, as I gathered my things to bolt out the door, Cam stood at my feet, desperately wanting me to pick him up, when I felt my heart break into a thousand pieces. As I juggled my purse, lab coat & basket of things for his day care, I was unable to pick him up so I had to stand there watching him cry as Mike picked him up so I could give him a kiss good-bye.

It was not the best way to start my day.

I knew I'd be working late today in order to prepare for a meeting tomorrow, and all I really wanted to do was pick Cam up from day care, take him home and spend time with him. Instead I wasn't able to get him until close to 6pm and by the time we got him fed and bathed, it was basically time for bed.

Some days and weeks I get my work done without a thought, pick Cam up, come home and enjoy our evenings together. Other days I feel emotional and even a little bitter that I can't spend more time with my love. I guess it just hits me when I realize just how little time I actually have to enjoy him at this soft, pudgy, fuzzy age where he actually needs me and wants nothing more than to be with me. It seems that before I know it, all he'll want is to spend time with his friends and think it's no longer cool to snuggle up to his mom. And that's okay, that's part of life, but I just don't want these awesome baby years to pass me by and leave me with regret that I didn't spend as much time as I could with Cam.

Maybe it's because he had his 15 month check-up at the pediatrician yesterday and I'm seeing just how much he's already grown and changed. I'm so thankful that tomorrow is Friday and I'll have the whole weekend to be with my boys. I'll cherish the time I do have with him and deal with the low moments that will inevitably come.

Animal Planet

Some weekends & evenings can get quite chaotic around here since we're living under one roof with a 15-month old baby boy, a black Pug, a three pound Chihuahua & two cats!

Since Cameron has come to the realization that he can get lots of attention from the dogs by waving food in their faces, it has become quite a game for him! Our Pug, Dempsey has seriously grown to adore Cameron since he is the source of much of her snacks & treats. Just this weekend Cam chucked a quarter of his turkey sandwich on the ground & Demps was one happy dog! Not ten minutes later, I noticed a huge, yellow stain of cat puke on our bedroom floor with cheese visible in the mess. Yep, Casper got a nice treat from Cam as well! Unfortunately for our rug, the cheese didn't sit very well.

This morning Cameron was playing in the family room as I got ready for work. When things got a bit too quiet, I checked on him & found him in the kitchen, pulling the dog bed out from under a once comfortable Chihuahua named Stella. And last week as Cam slept & we ate dinner in the kitchen, Mike heard a "meow" over the baby monitor! When I quietly opened Cam's bedroom door, I didn't see or hear a cat within the darkness, so I left his room. Halfway back to the kitchen, I confirmed that the "meow" was indeed coming from his bedroom. Where did I find Casper? Meowing & curled up next to an oblivious, sleeping baby!

Some days I'm at my wits end with the lot & feel tired of hearing myself say, "no, Cameron, do not put your toys into the pet's water dish!" "No, Dempsey, quit licking his face!" "Cameron, leave Stella alone, she's sleeping & doesn't want to be bothered!" "Casper, get out of his crib!" It seems that our cat KC is the one left out here; seems he is the most behaved!

But, as much as they tend to drive me up a wall, I do love them very much; they bring our family so much happiness & always keep things interesting. I guess they've realized I'm bluffing by now when I yet again threaten to leave them at the curb for garbage pickup!



KC doesn't want to be bothered unless he's ready for some lovin'. Then we call him SS KC Boy aka The Serial Snuggler!



Cam loves laying his head on Casper's back for hugs & saying, "Awww!"



And here's the food hound, Dempsey. Cameron is her best friend... mostly during mealtime!



It's the little princess, Stella. Don't mess with her when she's sleeping or things can get ugly!



And here's the leader of the four-ringed circus, folks! It's Cam, just lounging in the dog bed with a nice sippy-cup of juice. A standard Saturday morning in our nutty household!

Adventures in Babysitting

Growing up, I absolutely loved the movie, Adventures in Babysitting, although I never did have a babysitter myself. My parents were very lucky to have my grandparents nearby to watch us everyday during the summer, after school, or for times they needed a date night.

We, on the other hand, don't exactly have that luxury. When Mike's mom comes to stay from Illinois, it's so awesome to have the chance to get out for some fun on the town. Otherwise, with my family living no closer than an hour away & working full-time, we don't often go out unless our neighbors or friends volunteer to watch Cam.

Today at work my friend asked us if we wanted to grab a beer on Saturday & listen to some live music. I said that it sounded great, but I'd have to figure out who could possibly watch Cam. Since they have 3 kids, they'll also be looking for a babysitter. Mike came up with the idea of picking someone off the web from a site called Sittercity, which specializes in child care, but I find myself a bit apprehensive.

I guess the hesitancy comes from the fact that since I've never dealt with babysitters, I really don't know how to go about it. Do I meet the potential sitter before the actual night we're going out to be sure that she's a good fit? A lot of the candidates seem great; they're students, moms themselves, teachers or just have a love for kids. But how can I be sure that when we leave the house, Cam will be well taken care of? Since he can't talk yet, it's impossible that he'd be able to verbalize any issues. How do I know that we won't come home to an empty house & the "sitter" ended up being a crazy person who kidnaps children?!

I'm just wondering if it'd even be worth looking into? Would I be sitting with my friends, beer in hand, but unable to enjoy myself from the anxiety of hoping everything was going well at home?

Have any of you ever hired a complete stranger to watch your child? What do you do when you want to get out from time to time, but have no family or friends available? Help! Any advice would be appreciated!!



I can't trust just anyone with my little man!

Facelift

Last week when Mike mentioned that my blog was kind of resembling a style that would be fashionable in the 80's, I knew it was time to spruce things up a bit. Since I'm not yet wanting to spend money on a custom blog design, I decided to use a standard template that I could live with for the time being.

Hope everyone likes it!



And speaking of faces, this one here you just couldn't help but love!

What's For Dinner?

Is it chilly & gray outside? Feel like having something for dinner that will warm you to the core? Looking for a healthy yet hearty meal that won't interfere with your hopes of shedding a few pounds? Then try this recipe for chicken & dumpling soup. This recipe makes a boatload of soup, so halve it if you don't want a ton of leftovers or pop the rest in the freezer to eat later in the winter.

The soup was made earlier in the day & has been staying hot atop the stove, but we didn't make the dumplings until just before Cam ate. Since I didn't think they would fit in the pot with the soup, we made them in another pot of simmering chicken broth that we happen to have & then transferred them into the soup when they were done (including the extra broth since the soup was very thick). To make things easier, we shredded a rotisserie chicken we picked up at Sam's Club for $5 which saved us from having to do extra cooking.

Eat as a family or do as we plan & feed the child his early dinner & eat as a couple after baby's in bed. We're going to pop in a rental & eat our soup out of mugs while lounging in bed. Ahh, it's what's for dinner this winter!

Why, Why, Why?

It's not that I think that I am anything close to resembling perfect, nor do I think that females are the better gender. But, why does it sometimes feel like women have to be so on top of things because men just aren't? I'm not speaking for anyone here since I have no idea what goes on in other people's lives; this is just me venting. I know many people keep their blogs surface level & don't drag certain personal issues into play, but that's just not how I work. I like to keep it real! Because even when lives appear perfect in blog posts & pictures, we're all still dealing with similar frustrations.

I have definitely accepted the fact that I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to the appearance & cleanliness of my house, though I am trying to lighten up & relax a bit more. But, there are some days I feel that laundry would never be washed if I didn't take the initiative to do it & we'd be crawling over the rubble of baby toys & daily clutter if I wasn't here to pick it up. I sometimes tell Mike that I wish I could swap brains with him from time to time; things would be so much more peaceful & calm. Instead my brain is usually going a million miles a second, constantly processing what needs to get done next. It can get quite ugly in there!

I just wish that men would take a look around, see what needs to get done & JUST DO IT instead of asking, "so, what needs to get done next?" Uh, we both live here! In our home, we do end up doing 50/50, but I'm usually the one to initiate what needs to get done & keep things moving along. And this post is not written to bash my husband since in reality, he is an amazing dad & husband & would do anything for our family. This is just me blowing of a little steam!

Do any of you ladies out there deal with similar issues? What does your spouse do that irks you the most?

Oh, The Weather Outside...

As I lounge on my couch in fuzzy socks, over-sized sweats & Mike's sweatshirt, I take in the coziness of it all & feel happy that it's cold outside. Yes, I moved from Illinois to Florida to escape the endless cold of the winter, but at the same time, I desperately miss the change of seasons. I get tired of wearing nothing but t-shirts & flip flops & long for my cozy sweaters & colorful scarves. As I was relaxing, appreciating the weather & browsing the web (I must also add that I'm listening to my Pug let out some major gas), I stumbled over to my sister-in-law, Melanie's blog where I saw that she had recently been thinking about the weather as well.

It is true that you don't expect to move to Florida & get a major string of days with record-breaking cold temperatures. BUT, I am loving it! What I miss most about winter & Illinois is not feeling guilty about spending your entire weekend inside & never getting dressed because you're too cozy in what you went to bed in the night before. Here in Florida it's usually insanely bright, sunny & warm & I feel that I must get outside & enjoy the weather. And no, that is certainly not anything to complain about since I'd usually be stir-crazy by January when I lived up North, but once in a while it's great to have a change of scenery.

I've also noticed that Floridians can be really wimpy about the cold weather even though the majority have moved from the North & have dealt with FAR colder temperatures. It's 40 degrees outside; keep your children & pets inside! If you MUST venture out; make sure their heads are covered! Give me a break. People up North are far tougher! And again I will say, yes, I understand that you don't move to Florida & expect to be forced to handle the cold, but still! Use it as a reason to cuddle up inside, have a glass of hot chocolate with marshmallows, make some chili, watch a movie & huddle under the covers. Because come July, you'll be complaining that it's hotter than hell & wishing for cooler temperatures!

But, maybe it's just me? Maybe if I dislike insanely hot temperatures, I had no business moving to Florida; the Sunshine State! Where it's consistently 93 degrees & 95% humidity for four straight months. And maybe if I enjoy the cold so much, I should just move back to Illinois where I came from. Guess you just can't please this gal!!

Oh, well. Happy Winter!

Lose It!

Since Mike got me an iPod Touch for Christmas, I've been using a free calorie counting application called, "Lose It!" My friend Lauren initially introduced it to me before I had my iPod & I was very jealous that I didn't have a program that user-friendly at my fingertips.

While working as a registered dietitian, I am often suggesting to my patients that they keep a food log to become more aware of exactly what they're ingesting. It's super easy to underestimate how much you're actually consuming in a day since each little bit adds up so quickly. Lose It! calculates your caloric needs based off your gender, height & current weight & asks you to choose your goal weight. You can choose how quickly you want to lose the weight & it will assign you a daily caloric level. Then you use the database to enter what you've eaten & how much.

This is exactly the kind of thing I have to do in order to keep my weight in check. It's very easy for me to just eat random things throughout the day without much notice & before I realize, I've gained five pounds. Lose It! has helped me become more accountable for what I'm eating. I've been allotted 1,300 calories/day in order to lose one pound/week & some days it can be tricky to eat well & feel satisfied. I've noticed that it helps me choose foods more wisely & ask myself if what I was about to eat is really worth it.

If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, I seriously recommend you trying this application if you're interested in getting a better handle on your weight & nutrition.