The kids all have the sniffles this morning and feel kind of blah.  There are boxes of tissue lying about and people asking to watch movies at 9:00 in the morning.  I don’t think this is what they had in mind when they declared it Martin Luther King Jr day.  Who are “they” are anyway…..the deciders of government holidays?

The weather here has been overcast and cool for the past few days.  My mood has been pretty much the same….cool and maybe, (don’t tell James I said this) a little bit fussy.  I think it’s my diet.  It was a rough weekend for the diet monster.

It started on Friday.  For some reason I started suddenly craving normal food.  By normal I mean fried and full of carbs of course.  James and I have a date every Friday night so we decided to get seafood.  I went off the wagon and ate too much.  I thought that would satisfy the cravings, but it didn’t.  I felt like climbing the walls all weekend.  I can honestly tell you that I didn’t cheat or eat anything I shouldn’t have….but man-oh-man it was hard. One night I dreamed of cotton candy…..lots and lots of cotton candy.

Plus I’m up half a pound this morning which means that even though I toughed it out and resisted the evil urges, I didn’t lose weight.  Nice.

There were good things about the weekend.  The girls and I got a bunch of new products made for Shop 24 and I can’t wait to debut them later in the week.  It was nice to use a little of my energy on creativity and get my mind off of potato chips and chocolate ice cream.

On Saturday morning James brought me a package and in the process of opening it for me he got a paper cut.  He tends to ever-so-slightly exaggerate his ailments so when a teeny bit of red showed on his paper cut he started saying, “I’m bleeding!  Look at this…..BLOOD!”  Poor guy.  He rushed off to the kitchen to wash it while I limped along behind making fun of him.  Within minutes most of the kids were in the kitchen with us and participating in the commotion.  Good times.  Family togetherness.

Later that afternoon I was painting some Valentine’s Day products with red paint and got it all over the ends of my fingers.  It looked so much like blood that I decided to show James so I went out to his office.  I leaned in and showed him my hands, “See, this is what bleeding looks like.”  He jumped up in concern and of course, he thought it was real blood and that I was really hurt.  I was laughing so hard that it took him a minute to figure out what had happened.  He vowed to never trust me again and if I get hurt for real then don’t come crying to him.  Blah, blah, blah.  He loves me too much to ignore me if I really hurt myself….I think.

Today we’re back to reality.  Sick kids, gray days and me wishing for a couple of Snicker bars.

But I won’t do it.  I’ll just complain about it for a while then entertain myself by finding more ways to tease James.

Have a great week!

Thank you ALL for your amazing suggestions!  It was a blast for me to read your thoughts and really fun when you started giving each other help.  That’s what it’s all about baby. Working together.

You’ll be glad to know that when I went to the grocery store today for our weekly shopping I resisted the urge to by myself some chocolate.  From the moment I walked in I could feel the pull and I knew it would be a struggle.

Hi, my name is Lisa, and I’m a chocoholic. {Hi Lisa}

Even at the last second I was thinking about tossing some King Sized m&ms onto the conveyor belt.

But I didn’t.  Feel free to stand and clap.  Even if you don’t I’m going to bow anyway.

I wanted to keep the conversation going and comment on some of your ideas.

Erica mentioned in her comment about a site that tells how to make mason jar meals.  I found it and LOVED the idea.  I thought you all might like to have the link, it’s on a blog called The Big Red Kitchen (I love it just from the name).  I am planning to start that this weekend.  Thanks Erica!

Amy gave a list of suggestions, “Taco salad with blue corn tortilla chips.  Taco soup with lots of beans and hominy to fill you up.  Real old fashioned oatmeal in the mornings.  Boiled eggs.  Sautéed apples in a touch of butter and dab of brown sugar.  Garlic Green Beans with grape tomatoes are one weight watchers point for the whole pan and we love them.  Chicken salad bulked with apples egg celery pecans and less mayo.  Beans and brown rice.  Stir fry.  Almonds.  Almond butter.  Apple sandwiches with granola and almond or pb an.  Apple nachos.  Fruit salads.  Fruit Parfaits of  yogurt, fruit, granola.  Cucumber and tomatoes drizzled with sea salt and a splash of vinegar.  Baked sweet potatoes are a favorite around here.  Bobo’s oat bars.  Water, almond milk, hot teas.  You can do it!!”

Amy, what are apple nachos?  You did clarify that you “Drizzle peanut or almond butter, honey, granola, chopped bananas, chocolate chips, coconut, cinnamon, possibilities are endless!” but I am still unclear.  You use apple slices or dried apples?  Inquiring minds want to know.

And by the way, what are Bobo’s Oat Bars?

Some of the other great suggestions: lettuce wraps, Delightful bread, pork rinds, ham & cheese roll up, bunless burger, hummus, tabbouleh salad (yes, Amber, please send the recipe), TLynn left a recipe for lamb meatballs that looks yummy (I’ve never lad lamb), wraps, soups, cheese, lots of you mentioned nuts and fruit and protein shakes, carrot sticks, pretzel sticks, adding mint and cucumber to water, Lara bars, Kristiana gave a great snack idea, making pizza crust with cauliflower (sounds gross, but I’ll take your word for it), THINK THIN bar, shrimp and feta, Atkins dark choc & coconut bar, kidney beans with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, keeping grilled chicken ready in the fridge….

And that’s just a few!

Weight Watchers was mentioned a lot.  I did WW for a long time and am hoping for now to just make changes instead of really counting points or feeling tied to a particular diet.  It may be a bad plan (as many of my plans are) but that’s where I’m starting.  Many of you encouraged me to plan ahead and that would help with quick meals (which the mason jar idea will help with).  You are so right!

And lots of you mentioned prayer as the best help when dieting.

Amen sistas!

There are a bunch of other beautiful suggestions in the comments if you are looking for diet encouragement of your own.

And a LOT of you said you are in the same boat.  So let’s help each other, what do you say?

I’m starting by giving myself a pat on the back for not buying any chocolate at the store.  What are you doing today for your health that you are proud of?

So far January has been rough.  I am on the second week of my diet and I’m starting to dream of chocolate.  I need something chewy….anything but lettuce and ground turkey.

I’m salivating just thinking about it.  Yesterday I was rummaging through the pantry hoping there was some hidden gem in there like an old Tootsie Roll or maybe some unused chocolate chips.  Sadly I went away with nothing.

It’s pitiful really.  But the thought of eating more oranges today makes me want to run screaming to the nearest mini-mart for a Snickers.

I can say that even though the cravings are causing me to have weird thoughts of chewing on a pencil for comfort, I have lost weight.  My goal is to lose 50 pounds this year.  That’s about a pound a week.  Surely I can manage that.  My plan is to watch my diet, exercise 3x a week and watch “The Biggest Loser.”  If that doesn’t work nothing will.

The hardest part is finding something to eat when I am on the go.  Like yesterday, some of the kids and I were going to meet some friends an hour away.  I was running late so I needed to eat my lunch while I drove.  This is hard to do with a salad.  What am I supposed to eat in the car?  Or when I’m in the middle of school and don’t have time to stop and cook something.  I need suggestions.  And before you answer keep in mind that I am not eating many carbs and I’m watching fats and no sugar.  See?  I told you it’s hard.

I’m going to focus on the good things.  Like the rain.  We had a torrential downpour last night  It’s the first big rain we’ve had in a year and I am just so grateful for it!  I love lying there on a dark morning and listening to the sound of rain on our metal roof.  It’s a sleep late, relax, cuddle kind of day.  Plus it’s Hope’s birthday, so we will all be enjoying a relaxing day of playing games and talking about when she was a baby and how far she’s come.

And I will be watching the kids eat cake while I chew on a celery stick (not really because I hate celery, I just thought it sounded noble).

As if that’s not enough fun information for the day, I also can tell you that I’ve started planning my January project.  I am going to help Grace redo her room and w are online shopping for bedding.  She has a daybed and needs a new cover and dust ruffle.  Once we find that we will pick paint colors and build some shelves around the top of her room.  She is a bookworm and has books in stacks all around the tiny room, so we need to get them off of the floor and  have decided that the only way to go is up.  It will be a pain for her to try to actually get the books down, but we’ve got to keep our priorities in order.  Like the good book says, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.”

Have a great week!

And don’t forget those quick meal suggestions.  I need them before I start building shelves in Grace’s room.  Man can’t live on oranges and broccoli alone.