Making a Living..

After I left my job at COA, to be a stay-at-home Mom, I found myself feeling like I needed to "contribute" more financially to our household. Not at anyone's urging except my own, Jeremy is quite content with my role as a Mom and a wife. So I started to think, what am I good at?

I know that I love to bake. I know that I have always wanted my own business. Seems like a good fit. I have been so blessed with a business that I can run out of my home, with loyal customers, and a family that supports me. Even though at the end of the day, I really don't have the first clue about running a business. I've heard that you are suppose to write up a "business plan" with short and long term goals. Yeah, definitely didn't do that. I've heard you are suppose to charge a certain percentage over what your costs are. Nope, don't do that either. I charge what I would be willing to pay for my treats.

So, at the the end of the day, for someone with no plan, I'm really not doing half bad. However, there is this one small thing...

Who in their right mind thought it would be a good idea for the girl that should lose 100+ pounds to run a cookie business? Helllllooooo.....

I didn't do half bad over Christmas. I think I made so many I was almost sick of looking at them. Which puzzled me, because after working at Angello's for years, I still was never sick of pasta..Hmm.

However, tonight, I managed to eat three cookies before I really realized what I was doing. I did, however, stop myself from eating a dozen. So, even though I waivered a bit, it wasn't a total bust. I started to remember what it felt like to eat "mindlessly", I don't like that feeling. Another goal for this week is to try not to do that.

Sorry for the randomness, but I promised to share my successes and messes :) Goodnight.

Thoughts and Goals for the New Week..

This is my last week of vacation from school before spring semester begins. I am determined to make it productive, healthy and fun. I had a great start to the week yesterday when I weighed in, down 5 pounds on the scale! I love it when a plan comes together!
I have been thinking of a meal plan for this week, I think it will involve a lot of chicken.
I do know that I will need to make one more trip to the store to stock up on things before the snow comes. I don't think those four boxes of Cheerios is gonna cut it!
As the number on te scale goes down, so does the number of points I get every day. I already lost a point, and I kinda miss it! However, I don't miss the pounds..
I have a goal of getting Gabriel to try one new food this week. Even if he spits it out of his mouth.
Scratch the chicken, beef stew sounds better.
I've had 4 bills that need to mailed in my purse for 3 days now, why can I not remember to put them in a darn mailbox?
I'm gonna work on new cookie/gift basket ideas.  I think a trip to Flower Factory is in order..

Life Is Full Of Choices..

Choices. We are faced with so many every day that we probably don't think twice about most of them. In evaluating my eatng habits, I soon realized what poor choices I have been making for myself. Did I really need to eat three Reese Trees in one sitting AND have ice cream before bed? Probably not.

I am using this blog partly to make me accountable for what I put in my mouth. I have done really good this week at hitting my daily points range for what I have eaten. On top of the daily points, I also get 40-some weekly points to distribute how I like, or to use all at once, or not at all. I wanted to go out for lunch, but without ruining my whole plan. I searched through the WW site....

What was a pleasant surprise?? Pizza Hut! One of my favorites!

I could easily swing two bread sticks and half of a personal pan meat lovers pizza and still have plenty of points for the rest of the day. Oh...but could I really only eat HALF of a personal pan pizza?

YES! I can and I did! AND I was full! I am starting to realize that I was doing a whole lot of "mindless" eating. Not really paying attention to what I was eating, how much, and eating well after my body was telling me that it had had enough.

I know that there will be highs and lows to this journey, but lunch today was most certainly a high! Not only can I eat what I normally eat, I can be smart about it! How empowering :)

My Chubba Wubba Bubba

Gabe is always in the kitchen (yes, I know, he MUST be my son , right?? :) ) . and when he saw me taking pictures of the food, he had to have his picture taken too! 

Back In Business Baby!

I can't believe it, but next month will be a year since I went to my first SistersShoppingOnAShoestring coupon class! I have to say, it was very eye opening and life changing! I coupon to the best of my ability and as much as my schedule allows. Unfortunately, with school and the holidays, my schedule didn't allow very much :( However, I am BACK to my coupon clipping ways, and it felt so nice to sit and clip my coupons and organize my binder today! My Dad was kind enough to come and sit with Gabe so I could go coupon shopping at Giant Eagle all by my lonesome, and oh how fun it was! Even though they were out of the 200 calorie Digornio pizzas that I had my heart set on for lunch tomorrow, I did score Cheerios for 50 cents, free paper towels, and some pretty cheap make up. Here's how it went:

Total: $87.27

Amount saved with GE card, coupons, and ECoupons: $51.82

Total Amount Spent: $35.45

Cheerios: $2 

-$0.75 Man Coupon (MC)

= $0.50 per box

Bounty Paper Towels: $1

-$1.00 any Bounty ECoupon

= FREE

Wisk $4.99

-$2.00

=$2.99 per bottle

Bounce Dryer Bar: $4.79

-$2.00 ECoupon

-$1.50 MC

=$1.29

Snack Pack Pudding $1

-$0.60 /3

= $1.80 for 3

Cafe Steamers $2.50 / Egg Beaters $3

-$1/2 Cafe Steamers

-$0.35/1 Egg Beaters

=$6.30 for 3 & I received a $3 catalina

Loreal Face Powder $6.99

-$2/1 MC

-$2/1 ECoupon

= $2.99 each.

Dreamfeild Pasta $2

-$1/1 MC

=$1 each

Not to shabby for my first day back! :) Please click on the button to the right to check out SistersShoppingOnAShoestring website! They post the best deals, free samples, and coupons to help your couponing experience even easier!

So Many Points, So Little Time...

As many of you know, I have recently joined Weight Watchers (WW). I find that the plan they recommend is about making healthier choices, and it's food you already have on hand, which is great for me. At WW they preach planning all of your meals, but let's face it, that is difficult to do. For example, today, I found myself with over 20 points nearing the end of the day, and really not feeling all that hungry. I decided on breakfast for dinner, because who can pass that up really?? This is what I came up with, and still had points to spare...

Yum!! Two eggs, bacon, 1/2 TBSP Mayo, and a half slice of american cheese on a bagel thin. Gabe even said "Num, Num. Num, Num". Not like he would eat it though! Oh well, that's a whole other post. Happy Eating!

Breakfast of Champions..

Over the years, I have tried breakfast many different ways. At heart, I am a plain Cheerios and milk kind of girl. Don't get me wrong though, I cannot pass up eggs, bacon, or sausage gravy and biscuits. However,  for the sake of healthy living, I have come across something very simple that is refreshing, filling and packed with nutrients. The Smoothie! Frozen fruit is much easier on the wallet this time of the year, and adds great texture.So, here's how it comes together:
About 6 frozen Strawberries
1 medium banana
1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
About a 1 to 1 1/2 cups crushed ice

Put all ingredients in the blender, and viola! Of course, use any fruit you like..Strawberry and bananas are my favorite, but I had bananas and blueberries earlier in the week, and I have frozen mixed berries waiting in the fridge. Use your imagination!

A New Year..

I find that at the turn of a new year, there is much to be pondered from the years past. What can we change in this new year, how can we make it better, what can we do differently?

Here are a few things I have decided.

I refuse to "diet". I will, however, make better choices for myself and my family, change the way I prepare meals, and do everything in my power to make the number on the scale go down. Because quite frankly, this is no longer an issue of vanity, this is an issue of health. This is me, putting my size 10 foot DOWN! This is not a resolution, it is a life change.

I am assuming that I am not in this boat alone. As I find new ways to cook healthy meals, and learn how to bake in a healthier way as well, I will make an attempt to share those recipes here. Eventually, I hope to come up with sensible meal plans and suggestions for ways to avoid overeating, emotional eating, and how to make better choices when eating out.

What else am I learning? Being the Mom of a rambunctious two year old, I can honestly say that he teaches me something new every day. I am sure I will be sharing my "messes and sucesses" of motherhood as well. I have learned soo much from other mothers, and I hope that in sharing my experieinces I can help other Mom's too! :)

Also, I will share the awesome things that God does for me on a daily basis. Recently, He has led me to pursue my dreams of obtaining higher education. Last semster I enrolled at Liberty University, majoring in Psychology with a specialization in Christian Counseling. His will for my life, and the way He has guided me to get there has been amazing. It is my prayer that my love for Him shines through as you read this blog.

May God bless you richly.