Weigh-In Wednesday

This is my attempt to keep it real -- I've already asked that you, my reader(s) (...Mom?...), help keep me accountable for my actions. Well, on Wednesdays (which are my usual weigh-in days at a Weight Watchers meeting), I plan to air my successes and/or failures. As many of you know, I started on this weight loss journey in January of 2010. I dropped nearly 45 pounds last year! I was very excited with my success on the scale and started running with the hopes of being able to maintain that weight loss. Then winter hit and my running escapades waned to the point where I was only going out once or twice a week... Then Kevin and I went on our all-inclusive vacation in St. Kitts/Nevis, and although I made decent food choices and did some sort of activity every day, I also consumed A LOT of mango daiquiris, which are not all that friendly to the dieter's hip circumference. Well, two months later, I am still trying to work off that last 2.5 pounds that gets me back to "goal."

This photo was taken in Puerta Vallarta in October 2009 before starting on the program.

There are very few pictures of me from that trip or the trip to Cancun two months later...

This photo was taken at my sister, Kelly's wedding in September 2010. It was knowing that I would have to wear a pretty dress in her wedding that was the impetus for me starting on the program.

I was a little disappointed when I stool on the scale in my bathroom this morning and found that after strictly adhering to the program for the past two days I had gained another 2 pounds! How is this possible, I asked myself. I have counted all of my points and tracked everything I put into my mouth; I cut back on my soda intake and went back to drinking copious amounts of water every day (as evidenced by my very frequent trips to the bathroom); and I even pulled out my Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD (about which my muscles are still screaming at me). I debated, do I really want to go and have to pay AGAIN. But then I reminded myself that it has only been two days since I "got back on the program" and that, yes, I had to go to that meeting and pay my $15 because I need to be held accountable for my actions, and all of my friends at the Eagan location help to motivate me and get me back on the right path.

So, I did venture out of the house, I drove to Eagan, I got on that scale (with wallet in hand), and yahoo! I hadn't gained despite the figure on my scale in the privacy of my own bathroom this morning. Don't get me wrong, I didn't lose anything either, but I stayed the same, a moral victory in and of itself for me today. And, then the lovely greeter, Janice did not make me whip out the credit card despite being more than two pounds over my goal -- she just smiled and said, "welcome back."

Kids eat free...

Tonight, Kevin and I took the kids to Axel's Bonfire in Savage for dinner. They offer a special for kids that includes one make-your-own-pizza and an ice cream sundae with the purchase of each adult entree (does not include burgers or sandwiches). The kids were able to choose what kind of pizza they wanted (Sofia chose pepperoni and Ethan chose cheese, though ultimately both pizzas had a little pepperoni) and they got to make their own pizzas before they went into the woodfire grill. Sofia was a little shy at first, but both ended up having a good time with the process. However, I am pretty sure the make-your-own ice cream sundae was more fun for both of them! They had 6 different toppings to choose from to add to their vanilla ice cream scoop -- chocolate, caramel, strawberry, oreo, m & m's, and candy sprinkles. Needless to say, we brought home left over pizza for both of them, but the ice cream bowls were licked clean...

This will likely be a great deal once Ethan is little bit older and can handle going out to dinner sans nap without having at least one epic meltdown in the restaurant and Sofia can go into the women's bathroom by herself without locking herself in the stall, but I managed to have an enjoyable evening, nonetheless, thanks to my $9 pomegranate martini (and I am here to tell you there was definitely $9 worth of liquor in my martini...)

Kevin states that there was not a lot of time or effort put into the data collection for this list, but if anyone is interested, the following is a list of some of the restaurants that offer special deals for kids -- this list in not all-inclusive, as he only included the restaurants that he would be interested in ordering a meal as well...

Monday

Applebees:

One free kid's meal for each adult entree purchase. Additional Kids are $1.00. The kids' menu at Applebees includes chicken fingers, cheeseburger, grilled cheese sandwich, and macaroni & cheese. Not all locations offer this deal to be sure to call ahead to see if your location does!

Buffalo Wild Wings:

From 5-8 pm, kids 12 and under eat for $0.99 from the kids' menu which includes cheeseburger slammers, corn dogs, wings, chicken tenders, and macaroni & cheese.

LeeAnn Chin:

Kids eat free.

Broadway Pizza:

Apple Valley, Blaine, Champlin, Coon Rapids, Fridley, Maplewood, Maple Grove, Plymouth, Rogers, and Woodbury locations. Kids eat free.

Red Robin:

Children 10 and under eat free between 5-9 pm.

TGIFridays:

Children 3 and under eat free.

Tuesday

Chevy's Fresh Mex:

Kids eat free all day Tuesdays with the purchase of a regular price entree, Good for dine-in only. Check the website because some of the locations are opting out of the kids eat free program.

Godfather's Pizza:

From 11 am-2 pm and 5-8 pm, children 10 and under eat for free from the the Godfather's Pizza buffet

Old Chicago:

From 4-8 pm two kids eat free with every adult.

Red Robin:

Children 10 and under eat free between 5-9 pm.

TGIFridays:

Children 3 and under eat free.

Champps:

No limit per one adult purchase.

Wednesday

Rainforest Cafe:

Kids eat for $1.99 in the evening.

Davanni's

One free meal for every adult purchase.

Sunday

Qdoba Mexican Grill:

Kids eat free -- Check with your local location (at some locations, kids eat free on Wednesdays)

Wildfire:

Sunday night is family night and kids eat free! Kids 12 and under (two complimentary kids' meals with every adult meal purchased) can enjoy a complimentary meal including Macaroni & Cheese, Chicken Fingers, Cheese Pizza, Chicken Parmesan, and Barbecue Ribs.

Bonfire:

On Sundays from 4-9 pm, kids build their own pizze and sundae for free with the purchase of an adult entree

D'Amico & Sons:

Kids 10 and under eat free after 2 pm with an adult purchase of either sandwich, salad, pasta, pizza, or entree

Yarusso's:

Kids eat free all day on Sundays (635 Payne Avenue; 651-776-4848)

Hitting a Plateau

So it seems that I cannot walk through my kitchen without a stop at the freezer to pick up a Cadbury Creme Egg. Yes, I keep them in the freezer to slow down how quickly they disappear, but this year I have learned to justify the ingestion of multiple eggs per day with the argument that I am burning calories as I gnaw through the frozen chocolate shell and not-so-creamy center. I have come to the (incorrect) conclusion that it is better to just eat them all so that they are no longer in the house to taunt and torment me. But that logic fails when I hop into my car and drive to the nearest big box store to bring home another stock pile for the freezer. This may be why I have not been able to drop that last two pounds that are still sitting on my hips from our all-inclusive stay at the Marriott in St. Kitts/Nevis at the beginning of February...

This photo was taken at Brimstone Hill Fortress on St. Kitts with the Caribbean Sea in the background.

Of course, that last two pounds may also be lingering because I seem to have lost all my motivation for activity. I am still running once or twice a week, but I am getting better at finding excuses to avoid exercise as well. I have become too comfortable with the minimal amount of work I need to do to maintain my current weight which has led to a complete failure on my part to keep working hard for continued loss (and happiness!). I must keep telling myself that I am happier with success and for the last year success was measured by weight loss.

I am most frustrated by this plateau and know what I need to do to fix it. I am hoping that by making this public, I will get back on the wagon and be able to make my next goal. I need your support, so push me, make me make good on this promise to myself.

Wow! It's been a while...

Hello all! I apologize for slacking on the blog front. It all started with just not a lot to share which then just became a habit. As you know habits are hard to break, but I'm trying to get back on the wagon again. Unfortunately, I make no promises. Maybe a little prodding from those few of you who do care enough to read (...Mom?...)

A lot has happened since Halloween 2010. In November, our au pair, Anna went home to Sweden. In years past, we would have introduced our new au pair to family and friends in mid-November, but this past year we made the decision to put the kids in out-of-home day care. The kids started at Kids Count, a private day care service in Prior Lake. They both love it! Sofia recites the days of the week and the months of the year to me on a regular basis and brags that she can count to 100. Ethan is reciting the alphabet and I have heard him count all the way to 15! (It's the little things that make this mom happy :) ) I also believe that being in "school" 5 days a week has made a huge difference in the potty training department -- although we cannot do away with diapers completely, Ethan is pretty close to potty trained. I am so looking forward to that day when I can leave the house without a diaper bag. The idea just sounds so liberating!

Another huge change in the daily grind is that Kevin was promoted and now does most of his work from the home office (i.e. on the main level of our house). This was probably the major reason that we decided on day care instead of an au pair -- it's hard to get any work done when you have two kids constantly knocking on your office door. This has made life a little easier at home -- at least in the sense that when I have an emergency at work or am running behind, I have some back up and don't have to rush out on my job leaving things undone. It also makes juggling Sofia's extra-curricular activities, such as dance and swimming, somewhat easier. *Somewhat easier*

You may remember that I had started training for a 5K in the fall of 2010. Well, I continued to run (as much as Mother Nature would allow) during the winter with my good friend and running partner, Meghann Kruck. It really helps to have that other person to hold you accountable and keep you active! We ran today in our first race of the season, the Get Lucky 7K in Downtown Minneapolis, and we both finished! Go Us! Although I haven't made it completely public knowledge (and it's not yet "facebook official") we have put together a team of 12 runners and plan to participate in the Ragnar Relay: Great River Run in August of this year. This is a nearly 200 mile relay race and should be a lot of fun and extremely exhausting. Wish us luck!

Lastly, although still not "facebook official," I am planning on going back to school in the fall (in a sense). I will be adding about 220 hours to my education at the Healing Oasis Wellness Center and plan to become a Board Certified animal chiropractor. The ultimate goal is to provide chiropractic care to dogs, cats, and horses that would benefit from this means of therapy as adjunct therapy to traditional (Western) veterinary care. I am very excited for this new chapter in my career!

I hope to keep better track of this, but as I already mentioned, I make no promises. So, until next time...