Weigh in Wednesday #4 of 2017

So one of my 2017 goals is to lose 40 pounds by the end of the year. This is a necessity for me, as in the last few months I have gained 15 pounds. That is not good. I want to be healthier and feel better about myself. 

In order to keep me accountable, I am hoping to come back each Wednesday to share my weigh in and my successes and failures from the previous week. So let's hop to it and see how I did this past week, shall we?

SO HOW DID THIS WEEK GO??? 

My official starting weight (on 1/1/2017) was: 242.0 pounds!

My weight last week was: 237.6 pounds.

My weight this week is: 237.6 pounds. 

So no loss, but also NO gain!   

I am surprised by these results. I REALLY did not want to weigh myself this week. I had a pretty bad eating week and a lower than what I would like exercise week. I was shocked to see the same weight as last week.

Obviously I wish for a loss every week, but I am surprised that there was not a gain this week. The past week has been SUPER stressful (more than normal) and that lead to a lot of stress eating and just being exhausted and not working out a couple days. There may have been a couple of nights of just sitting on my butt after the kids went to bed, watching TV and eating a bowl of ice cream. I am hoping that this week I can get back on track at least on one front-- either the eating or the exercise. I can do this, I just have to look for other ways to control the desire to eat carby, sugary stuff whenever I am fully stressed out.

On the exercise front, I exercised every day except for Friday and Sunday! 

• Wednesday: Nothing
• Thursday: Walked 2.61 miles outside for 56 minutes
  
• Friday: Nothing
• Saturday: Nothing
• Sunday: 3.1 mile family walk on the Kokosing Gap Trail for 1 hour and 20 minutes
  
• Monday: It was raining all day, so I did a 40 minute Wii Fit Plus workout  
• Tuesday: I walked outside for 2.1 miles for 40 minutes

So I guess 4 out of 7 days of exercise isn't too bad. I have been aiming for 6 out of 7 days but I need to remember that 4 out of 7 is better than none of 7. I am hoping to get things back on track this week. It is so hard with stress, but I need to figure out things to replace the habit of stress eating.  

If you are trying to lose weight in 2017, how is your process going?  

Happy Homemaker Monday (1/23/2017)

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a good weekend. We had a good weekend here. Saturday, Rebecca played really well in her basketball game. She is showing improvement every week she plays.

On Sunday, Rebecca sang the Responsorial Psalm at mass as part of her PSR class. She did a beautiful job. Sunday afternoon, we took advantage of the beautiful weather (highs in the 60s and the sun was peeking out) and took a lovely 3 mile walk where we saw several squirrels, a blue jay, and many dogs for the kids the pet. We also watched some football and puttered around the house. 

After the excitement of last week, I really hope that this week will be less stressful. For now, I will be joining in with the lovely Sandra over at "Diary of a Stay at Home Mom" in her Happy Homemaker Monday meme. So let's get started: 

THE WEATHER:::
Today it is supposed to be cloudy with showers all day. This week it looks like it is a combo of cloudy days with a chance of showers for today through Wednesday and then it will be snow showers and colder temperatures on Thursday through Sunday. Oh joy. NOT.  

ON MY READING PILE:::
I am currently reading Lessons from Zachary by Sandy Scott. Look for the review next week.


I also received In a Different Key: The Story of Autism by John Donovan and Caren Zucker in the mail to read and review.

ON MY TV:::

On Friday nights, we typically do pizza and a movie for the kids.This year I would like to try to remember what movies we have watched, so I will be recapping here. This past Friday we watched The BFG. I borrowed it from our library as Rebecca had read the book at school and had seen an older version of the movie. I don't remember every reading the book. I thought the movie was good, not great, but good. Rebecca loved the movie, Jacob said it was good and Ben liked it as well.


On Saturday night, we had a bonus movie night as I had another movie come in to the library that I had requested the same time as The BFG. We watched Pete's Dragon. I think that I enjoyed this one much more than The BFG. It does not follow the same story as the old cartoon, but it was good non-the-less. And I will admit that I may have teared up at the end.

 

On Sunday, we spent time watching the NFL football playoffs. GO PACK GO! The Packers lost their game (Did their defense even show up to play?) but I am still a fan! Not sure what if anything we are looking forward to watching this week. Ben has been watching Lego Star Wars shows this morning.

ON THE MENU FOR THIS WEEK:::

MONDAY: Chili and grilled cheese

TUESDAY: Chicken and Cheese casserole and green beans

WEDNESDAY: Macaroni and Cheese, peas, and fruit

THURSDAY: Sloppy joes, corn, salad

FRIDAY: Frozen pizza and fruit salad

SATURDAY: Beef and broccoli stirfry (made in crockpot), rice and pineapple

SUNDAY: Cajun chicken, julienne potatoes, and green beans

ON MY TO-DO LIST:::

Monday: exercise on the Wii, plan tutoring for rest of the week, laundry, general straightening up of the house, kids to school, attack the piles in the dining room.

Tuesday: kids to school, walk, tutor, Jacob has wrestling

Wednesday: kids to school, walk, grocery shop, tutor

Thursday: kids to school, tutor, work out to dvd, Jacob has wrestling, Rebecca has basketball.

Friday: kids to school, Bill has court

Saturday: Rebecca has a basketball game, walk

Sunday: Jacob's end of season wrestling tournament

LOOKING AROUND THE HOUSE:::

The piles are starting to get to me. This morning I have attacked a few areas already that have been bugging me. I have deep cleaned both bathrooms, cleaned up the kitchen, and am going to start attacking piles in the dining room next. It is time to get this house back in good shape.  

FROM THE CAMERA:::

 

WHAT I'M WEARING TODAY:::

Right now I have workout clothes on as I just put them on when I got up as I knew I was going to be cleaning and things before this afternoon when I go tutor. So right now I have on a black t-shirt, teal workout pants and white ankle socks.

 

SIMPLE PLEASURE:::

Getting outside and enjoying the weather yesterday.

DEVOTIONAL OR QUOTE:::

So there you have it. A little peek into my life on this Monday. Hope everyone has had a great day and let's see what this week will bring! 

 

Oh the places we've been....

The other day as I was reading through blogs and trying to relax, I started thinking about the places that Bill and I have gone on vacations together. This was prompted in part by Sam over at Sam, Coffee, Money, and Thyme. She did a blog post thinking about travel for this year and recalling the places that she and her family have gone on vacations. I thought it would be fun to reminisce about the places that Dear Hubby and I have gone.

Some years our travel has been more expensive and extensive than others. Some years we have done just a short overnight trip, just to get away. Other years we have done a full week away.

So let's see the places that we have gone since we have been together::

August 2004-- Chicago, Illinois (to Wrigley Field to see the Cubs)(overnight) and later in the month to Pittsburgh, PA (to see the Pirates play)

October 2004-- Bucyrus, OH (we just needed to get away so went away for the weekend)(We actually went to Bucyrus like 3 times over 2004-2005 to just escape reality for a bit.)

July 2005-- Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Covington, Kentucky for our honeymoon

May 2006- Cincinnati, OH to see the Reds play and go to the zoo.

June 2006--Emerald Isle, North Carolina with extended family.

July 2006--4th of July weekend in Cleveland to see the Indians play and to go to the zoo

June 2007- Indianapolis, Indiana to meet up with Bill's friends

July 2007- Chillicothe, OH to get away for a couple of days

Summer 2008- Gatlinburg, TN for 4 days

2009- Pittsburgh, PA for a quick overnight trip to meet up with a friend of mine

2010--Indianapolis, IN for a quick overnight trip to go to the Children's Museum and the Indianapolis Zoo

2011--No trips

2012--Kentucky--quick overnight trip to go to Big Bone Lick State Park and then to the Newport Aquarium

2013- No trip

July 2014- Indian Beach, North Carolina for a week

July 2015- Gatlinburg, Tennessee for a week

July 2016- Indian Beach, North Carolina for a week

November 2016- Pittsburgh, PA for a quick overnight trip to visit a friend from overseas

So we have been a lot of places together. We have taken the opportunity to travel and just get away even if it is just for a quick overnight trip.

This year, while we would like to take a week's vacation, the finances just don't add up right now. So we are looking into our options. We are also thinking proximity since it will be a shorter trip. We started looking into Hershey, PA as a possibility. However, we are just in the beginning stages of planning so we shall see what this year brings.

Baked Chicken Parmesan (new recipe #3 of 2017)

First of all thanks for all the well wishes for dear hubby. We are dealing with it. Unfortunately we don't have rental reimbursement. We will figure something out. 

Now on to a more pleasing topic...like a new recipe!

One of the things that I would like to get done in 2017 is to try to expand our menu items. I want to try at least 2 new recipes a month. I have decided to share the recipes that I try so that maybe I can help a few of you out with some new menu ideas. I know that I get inspiration from other bloggers so maybe I can help.

Speaking of helping out other bloggers, TrayceeBee, over at Just Keep Swimming Mama Fish!, had asked if I would share the Crockpot Orange Chicken recipe. I have made it before and blogged about it, so if you follow this link it will take you there. Such a simple, 4 ingredient recipe and so good! 

Now on to this week! This week, I was able to make 1 new recipe. On Monday night I made a healthier version of Chicken Parmesan. I used the recipe for Baked Chicken Parmesan from skinnytaste.com for inspiration.

Oh my, it was so good! There were a couple of changes that I made. The first change was that I used chicken tenderloins instead of chicken breasts as that is what I had on hand. I also used a little more mozzarella on top as I love cheese!

The original recipe called for the chicken to be baked off in the oven after the cheese is added and then you can serve it with a side of pasta or a salad. I instead made half a box of rotini (again what I had on hand) and mixed it with the rest of the jar of marinara (after I had taken out what I needed to top the chicken) that I used along with a little Parmesan. I then added that to a glass baking dish. After the chicken was cooked, I transferred the chicken from the baking sheet it was cooking on, to the top of the pasta before I added the marinara and cheese on the chicken. Then I baked it for about 7 more minutes to melt the mozzarella. I served it with a side of green beans.

This turned out so yummy! Rebecca said it was the best ever and Bill said it reminded him of a chicken parmesan sandwich that he had made me when we were dating-- (it was a cooked chicken patty topped with pizza sauce and mozzarella, served on a bun). He really liked this dish and asked that I make it again! I would say that this was a winning recipe!

So overall, so far, I am doing well with the recipe choices. Next week, I am not planning on making anything new (although maybe I will try a new dessert or something if I want to be creative.) However, the week after, I am planning on doing something new for pizza night by trying a new recipe for pizza grilled cheese. So look for that in a couple of weeks! 


OTHER NEW RECIPES TRIED IN 2017:
Pork Chop and Scalloped Potato Bake
Tex-Mex Tilapia

My husband was in a car accident....

Man oh man. It has been a week. This week was super busy and super stressful.

We had our usual busyness with work and the kids schedules, etc.

Then Tuesday happened.

Tuesday night, Rebecca had an American Heritage Girl meeting from 6:45-8:30. Jacob had wrestling practice from 6-7. Bill needed to leave for work around 6:45 to cover the basketball game that he was assigned to that night. So we decided that Ben and I would take Jacob to wrestling and pick Rebecca up when her meeting was done. Bill would drop Rebecca off at her meeting and then head to work.

Well, that meant that he was going to be driving an unfamiliar way to work. But it needed to be done.

Well, he was driving along when he came up on a 90 degree s-curve on a road that he wasn't used to and he hit the brakes but skidded on mud and gravel through 2 mailboxes and across a couple ditches before coming to a stop. There had not been any road signs to warn that this curve was coming. Thankfully, miraculously, Bill was not hurt at all. The homeowner came out and said that there are accidents there several times a year and 99.9% of the time the vehicles flip and he has to call an ambulance for the drivers. God was definitely looking out for my husband that night. The van is replaceable, my husband is not. Bill said that when he was skidding his first thought was "Oh, sh**!" but then he felt like he was put in a bubble and he just knew he would be okay. I am so very thankful that he wasn't hurt.

So we are down to one vehicle for now. We are still waiting on the insurance adjuster to look at our van...we were told this afternoon he doesn't have time to look at it until next Wednesday. I am so irritated with Geico it is not even funny right now. We can't really decide what to do until we know if they are going to total the van or what. We are pretty sure it will be totaled, as the driver side passenger windows got busted out by the mailboxes, one of the headlights is completely gone, the bumper is messed up, the mudflap is messed up, the back rear tire is busted and bent and who knows what damage if any was done in the underside of the van. I just wish we knew so we could plan our next step.

So my hubby has been walking to work and we are doing the one car tango. Really there is only really one day a week where we need 2 cars because of schedules. My mom helped us out last night by taking Rebecca to basketball and then coming to pick up Jacob and I from his wrestling practice as Bill had to work. We are figuring it out day by day what we need to do, etc. Makes me feel grateful that most of the time we do have the luxury of 2 vehicles.

Needless to say things have been pretty stressful this week. It hits Bill and I at different times how blessed we are that he didn't get hurt. I know Bill is dealing with feelings of anxiety because of his accident. I am stressed because he is stressed and when I think of the what ifs (which I know you are not supposed to do...).

We will get through this...yes it is inconvenient, but it could have been so much worse. I am just so very grateful that Bill wasn't hurt. Vehicles can be replaced, my husband cannot.

January Decluttering Project: Closet of Doom (update #3)

Of one my goals for 2017 is to give our home a deep decluttering. As I mentioned in my New Year's Goals post,  I want to take a room a month and really give it a good cleaning and decluttering. 

For January, I have chosen my nemesis-- the room/closet off of the bathroom. There is a small room off the bathroom that has become a catch-all storage room. It is a disaster so I have dubbed it the Closet of DOOM. 

Just a reminder, here is the before (taken from the bathroom door looking in, as I could not even walk into the room):

After spending an hour cleaning it during week 1 of January, the closet had transformed to this:

After week 2, the closet looked like this:

So this week, week 3,  the plan was to work on the clothes that were in the bins on the white shelves and hanging on the rods. The baskets and totes on the white shelves hold the clothes that my children can grow into or are for a different season (now they hold spring/summer clothes).I didn't take a before picture, but they were overflowing and disorganized. I took every piece of clothing out, sorted it according to size and then matched up shirts and shorts and only kept what I knew my kids would wear. There is now a basket for Jacob, one for Ben and one for Rebecca.

  
I also decided to tackle the hanging clothes in the closet. These are clothes that do not fit in the master bedroom closet (aka clothes Bill and I hardly ever wear). These are also Rebecca's dresses, as she doesn't have a closet in her small bedroom. Here is part of the before (on the right hand side of the hanging organizer is another whole area of Rebecca's clothes:

For this area, I was ruthless. If it was a duplicate it got put in the donate pile. There were dresses and skirts I had not worn in 5 or 6 years. They got donated. There were multiple dress shirts from Bill's management days at restaurants. I kept 2 short sleeved and 2 long sleeved shirts as his job (that he has been at for over 6 years) is now more casual. So many articles of clothing were put in the donate pile. I also got rid of the hanging organizer as Rebecca was stuffing her dresses in the slots instead of hanging them up. Now she has to hang them up!  Here is the after:

  
After my session, I have another huge load of trash bags to take to Goodwill. I am hoping to get them out of there this weekend at some point. 

Now, all I have left in the room is 5 or 6 totes that are behind the door that hold memorabilia and maybe more clothes. I know that there is a tote for each child that holds their first outfit, artwork I wanted to save for them, etc. Not sure what is in the other ones. This coming week, I am going to go through each one and remind myself to be ruthless and get rid of the excess. I can do it. I can see the light that is staring to shine in the closet of doom :-)