Failing

Do you remember my post right after New Years? Yeah, the one about my New Years Resolution to get back on the Weight Watchers wagon? Not working out so well.

I'm trying to blame a lot of things. It's winter....people tend to eat more and exercise less in the winter. My body needs to adjust....I spent 9 months eating whatever I wanted and now I need to get back on track. I need the meetings and I just can't fit that in my schedule....unless I drag the baby with me which I'm sure would thrill everyone else at the meeting.

I can make excuses with the best of them but these excuses don't change the facts. I am unhappy with the way I look. I am spending money to buy clothes in a larger size. I'm not making enough of an effort. Yup, I can admit it... I'm not trying hard enough. But it's hard to try hard.

Part of me thinks that I was so successful the first time around because I was working. I ate the same thing every morning for breakfast and I packed a healthy lunch. I wasn't able to snack all day. By the time I got home from work it was time to make dinner. So there wasn't too much room for error. I also bought all the Weight Watchers products...breads, muffins, ice creams. This made it easier because the points were right on them and they were prepackaged. Well, that stuff is expensive. Too expensive for our current budget.

I feel like I'm stuck because I'm not making progress and I'm not sure how to. It's way too easy to break the rules when you are home all day. Hopefully the weather will get nicer soon so that I can spend more time out of the house. I need to get serious about this!

Cooking Made Easy

I really like to cook, but when you have a baby you just never seem to have the time. I have to plan meals that can be prepped and cooked within an hour or tossed in a crock pot. This way when my DH gets home from work He can take over baby duty while I cook... and we can still eat at a somewhat reasonable time.

Once you throw working into the mix cooking begins to seem next to impossible. Seriously, I don't know how full time working moms do it! As I said before, I work 2 days a week. Wednesday are my long days and I get home a little after 4. Thursdays are shorter and I am home by 3. So on Wednesdays I use my trusty crock pot for all my cooking needs. Seriously, I use it EVERY Wednesday! I plan a week ahead to try a new recipe, order my ingredients through Peapod (because really... who has time to food shop?), prep the night before and throw it in the pot that morning. I come home to an amazingly fragrant house and a couple of free hours to devote to my little love bug!

I'm going to start sharing some of my recipes... because I know I am always looking for some ideas and maybe this will help someone out!

This week.... London Broil

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 1/2 pounds London broil
• small jar (4 to 6 ounces) of mushrooms, drained
• 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can condensed tomato soup
• 1 pkg dry onion soup mix

Preparation:

Mix together flour, ground black pepper, and paprika; rub London broil with mixture then put in crock pot. In a bowl, combine mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup, tomato soup, and onion soup mix; pour over meat. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.

This literally falls apart. Melt in your mouth good!

Childproofing

Ok, I'm still working on my 30 before 30 List. It's really hard! At this rate I should have "finish my 30 before 30 list" on my list! So my mind is drawing a blank about the rest of the list, so I'll have to come back to it after a few more weeks.

In the mean time..... I've come to the realization that I am a little bit insane. As I mentioned a couple posts ago, my daughter is crawling. Not only is she crawling.... fast.... she is also pulling herself up on everything. She's incredibly mobile and wearing me out.

I have been researching and purchasing childproofing gadgets since she was born. Yes, insane. So I now have a large gate across the double wide doorway from the kitchen to the living room, outlet covers on every outlet, wires twist tied and hidden behind couches, fireplaces and electronics blocked and door knobs secured. Yup, doorknobs. No, she can't reach the door knobs.... but yes, they are childproofed. And yet I am still a nervous wreck about leaving her in the care of anyone but me. I feel like now that she can move no one will watch her carefully enough. I can't even think of any more precautions that I could take to make this room safe for her... but I continue to dwell on it. Sheesh... being a mommy is a stressful job! I guess what it comes down to is that she is the most important thing in the world to me... and I would do anything and everything to protect her. Even if people think I'm nuts! :)

But as a crazy mom.... the one thing that I know I could NEVER live without is my play yard.

This play yard has been amazing! It's a good size (my husband can fit comfortably in there with my little one) and totally portable. I keep it open and use it to block off my fireplace on a regular basis. But I love that I can close it up and have her contained if I need to. I also think it will be a huge help in the summer when we want to be outside and in a safe little area (especially when at the lake).

30 Before 30

My 27th birthday is quickly approaching. While I realize that 27 is not "old," I am starting to feel the weight of "30" upon my shoulders. I feel like I'm in an awkward place in my life. I'm married (for almost 4 years!! when did that happen?), we own a house, have a baby, I completed my Masters Degree.... but I still feel like a child. It's almost as if I feel an age will make me an adult. I remember thinking that when I was 25 people would see me as an adult. I still don't feel like an adult!

Well... even if I feel like a kid I am very much an adult. And if this year is any indication of how quickly time will pass... 30 will be here before I know it! Time to make my 30 before 30 list!! This is a work in progress.. so here are the first 10.

1. Take my baby girl to Disney World
2. Go on a 2nd Honeymoon with my husband
3. Take a cooking class
4. Go jet skiing
5. Plant a garden
6. Finish the basement
7. Knit a blanket
8. Read the Twilight Series
9.
10.

Ok, you'll have to settle for the first 8. This is harder than it sounds!!