Curves 6 week Solution

Haven't blogged about this yet, have I? If so, sorry for the repetition.

Curves has their own nutrition plan that I'm on for the next 5 weeks. I started last Monday and I must say, I am THRILLED with the results. The basics of the plan is to kick start your metabolism and increase it. The first week, you're on a 1200 calorie diet (phase 1) (higher carb or higher protein, depending on the survey you do...I'm higher protein). The second week, you're bumped up to 1600 calories (phase 2). You stay on phase 2 for the next 4 weeks and/until you plateau. Then you increase your calories to 2000-2500 (phase 3). Now this will tell your brain you've stopped "starving" yourself and you will start to gain. You'll weight yourself everyday and once you reach your ceiling (3-5 pounds), you go back to phase 1 for a week, then phase 2 till you plateau again. Sounds odd but it just might do the trick.

Along with the plan comes a handy, dandy book including recipes, a food log/menu with everything laid out, resourses, etc. You also are encouraged to take Curves Calcium suppliments along with it as studies suggest added calcium encourages weight loss. And another option to the plan is having Curves protein shakes.

So, I've been on the plan for 1 week and my results are astounding! I've lost 9.25 pounds, 5-6 inches and lowered my BMI nearly 1/2 a percent (which translates to about 4 pounds of body fat). My numbers aren't quite exact since I forgot my book at home. Anyway, just so happy that I can do this safely since I'm preggers. And the food is all good healthy food. Bonus, I'm not hungry at all. Love it! Can't say enough about it!

~B

Friday quicky. :)

Well I won't stay long. Just checking in re: Survivor. Awesome show! Loved how everyone was more upset that the 2 doofuses went through Yowman's (I know, not the right spelling) bag, rather than him having the idol. Mookie got what he deserved and I hope Alex is next. Grey's was great...so exciting...so dirty. Everyone's having sex with everyone...talk about unrealistic! Doesn't anyone believe in monogamy anymore???? Can't believe next week's episode is 2 hours!! Might have to watch it at 9 on Friday instead. Mama can't stay up till midnight on a work night.

I'm so excited!! I'm popping over the Dollarama during lunch to pick up these sweet tiny flowered gift bags (they look like purses) for E's lootbags. Her b-day party's next Sat and I'm going with a flower theme. I hear they have plates, napkins, etc. to match. I'm going to have so much fun. And the home improvements began last night. DH installed the fan above the bubbly tub. He just has to squeeze into the attic and hook up the hose. I didn't realize what a handy man I had. :) Well better go. TTFN and have a great wknd!!
~B

Busy, busy day!

It seemed like I didn't stop! It's good though. Makes the day go by much quicker.

So last night, DH & MIL went to the premier of Next and really enjoyed it. I, however, had the pleasure of staying home with my little doll. And what a doll she was. ;) We did the usual supper and I tidied up while she watched Treehouse. Then I asked if she wanted to go in mama's big tubby for a bath, she's never been. She was a bit scared at first. Poor thing slipped and fell on her bum. I laughed lightheartedly so she wouldn't be scared. She played for a bit but was more interested in getting out. I moved her around so she was back into me (that way she wouldn't slip as much. Then I asked if she wanted the bubbles on. She was really delighted to press the button and even squealed over the bubbled. I was so glad, thought the noise would scare her but I prepped her enough.

After missy went to bed, I just vegged and watched TV. Asia won the Pussy Cat Dolls spot...can't believe it! She was my least fav. Tonight's the big Survivor night and I'm staying up for Grey's too. :) Love TV Thursdays.

Oh, DH went out today and bought the rest of the stuff we need to tile this weekend. I like being project manager. I have our wknds planned out till the end of May, when we should be done. Tiling main bath & laundry and installing sink this wknd. Re-insulating crawl space next. Laminate floors in master bdrm Mother's Day wknd. Painting and smaller projects the last 2 wknds of May. By then we'll be ready to put the house up for sale and hopefully be in a new house before the baby comes.

Well, better get going. MIL is picking me up shortly.

TTFN!
~B

Just Dropping By

My apologies for not “stopping in” the passed few days. Been a bit busy, doing nothing really. Just the day to day. Feeling much better these days…God love Ginger tea. Have a few irons on the fire that need tending but I’ll work it out. Just need to make the time to put together a game plan.

DH & I went tile/laminate shopping on the wknd. I want to play project manager and start organizing us to finish up these projects and get the house ready for sale. We have the crawl space to finish, the master bdrm floor, main bath floor, sink and tub insert, laundry room floor, enclosure for the Jacuzzi tub, and painting. Oh, and an overall cleaning of the house and major cleanup of the garage. Seems like a long list but it’s not too bad. I’m hoping to be ready to sell by the end of May…may be wishful thinking.

So, yesterday was my first day on the Curves 6 week solution. So far, so good. I was 200 calories under so that explained my hunger around 3:30ish. The food is filling and delish. Even through it’s just 1200 calories (this week only) it’s a lot of food. Like today, I had ½ c oatmeal and 4 slices of turkey bacon for bkft. Morning snack is 1 c each, cottage cheese and fresh pineapple. Lunch is big spinach salad w/onion, boiled egg, salad dressing, plus 5 oz tuna and 10 baby carrots. Afternoon snack is 2 oz turkey breast and 1 oz mozza cheese. Dinner is 1½ c Curves recipe “No Pasta Salad.” I’m really looking forward to that!! (Has all kinds of veggies, artichoke hearts, olives, parm & cheddar cheese, chick peas, tuna-subbing with Tilapia fish, all mixed together with Italian dressing.) So the next 6 weeks will be an exciting adventure. I hope to lose 10 pounds before I start to put on any weight. Overall, I’d like to limit my weight gain to 20 pounds with this pregnancy, which is realistic for my weight range.

So tonight I’m going to start working on E’s b-day invites. And maybe start organizing some of those projects mentioned. Well, hope you have a very productive day! TTFN!
~B

YEAH GINGER TEA!!!

I’m spry. I’m feeling so great! I can’t believe it! Ginger tea did the trick. I took fresh ginger, sliced thin, and poured boiling water over it. It was so delish!!!! And it settled my stomach instantly! I am so amazed!!! It even helped with my sore throat. Which is a bonus since I’m in a Gaelic singing class tonight. Although I must confess, I lost my lyric sheet and haven’t practiced. Whoops! On our first night of practice, it took about a half hour to get back into it…so I should be alright.

Last night I enjoyed our dinner immensely. Steak fajitas at the Lonestar. You just can’t beat it!! And I had the chili con carne (cheesy dip) to enjoy with our tortilla chips. MAN it was so good. I decided I’m going to start a wall post on the Spring Beans (baby-mommy group) page. All the positives that come with pregnancy.
#1 Everything I eat tastes like the best thing I ever ate.
#2 Sex is the absolute best!!! (However I am getting conflicting views from other women on this.)
Anyway, feel free to add any.

Little E is home again with Daddy. Yesterday she ate ½ a bowl of porridge for breaky, 3 bites of tomato soup and a cracker for lunch and drank very little. Fortunately, she ate a bunch of French fries for supper (I know, not optimal, but it was something) and milk. I didn’t get her strep swab results back but hope to later today. She was up once during the night, just long enough for more Tylenol and a drink of water. I hope she kicks this soon.

Well, I better get going. Hope y’all are havin’ a great day!
~B

Feed the beast

Sorry so late blogging. I was feeling aweful this morning. I think it's the prenatal vitamins. I was perfect all morning, then I realized I forgot to take a pv. Stopped and picked some up, took it, and was nausious for 2 hours!! But I'm feeling better now.

Soooooo excited cause we're going to The Lonestar for supper tonight for MIL's b-day. I LOVE their fajitas!!!! Only problem is E's home sick with Daddy. I took her to the on-call dr. last night and got him to check her throat. Her tonsils are swollen, and she has a ear infection (which I knew). He took a swab so we'll see how it goes. Anyway, I'm not sure we should take her. She hasn't had an appetite for 2 days. And today she's barely eating/drinking. Dad's going to try her with soup & crackers at lunch. And hopefully she'll have milk before her nap. Poor dolly.

In other news, I created a group on Facebook. Shay & I talked about organizing a high school reunion. It'll be 15 years in '09. Anyway, hopefully it'll start the ball rolling. Well, guess I should take lunch and run an errand. TTFN!
~B

Little Queezy...

Someone's gotta tell me...how can a tiny grain of rice affect a human being like this???? And it's not all in my head. HATE when someone says that to me. Even before I knew I was preggers, I was feeling SUPER tired. A little queezy, but now it's getting worse. I wasn't like this with E. Everyday I have to will myself to keep it under control. Sometimes it lasts all day long. I think my only saving grace is eating ever 2 - 2 1/2 hours. But even this morning, I had big troubles. While waiting for my breakfast to cook, I get nausious. I made a grilled cheese sandwich and scrambled an egg. I took 2 bites of the GC and thought I'd throw up. I did manage to get down the egg. Once I got to work, I smelled coffee and wanted it instantly. I had a cappachino and that helped a lot. Just finished a snack and am feeling a bit better. But it's touch and go all day long.

Speaking of sick...poor little E. She has a really bad cough, still. A cold now too. Yesterday at daycare she ate her morning snack and nothing else. She did manage to eat a fairly good supper. Shortly after she went to bed, we heard her crying. DH checked on her and she vomited all over her crib. I have no idea why. I immediately checked her temp but it was fine. I sat with her in the living room, gave her a cracker and water while DH cleaned up (thank you honey!!!!). She went back to bed without incident. This a.m. she wasn't interested in eating but the daycare gave her Cheerios and milk so hopefully that'll sit well with her. I'm just praying I don't get a call to pick her up. DH is off, so he can get her. Just don't want to see my little gal be sick.

DH is downtown meeting with the union rep and their lawyer. They are looking into doing a grievance. I won't get into it but we feel he's being black listed with 2 of the 3 elevator companies. It makes it hard for a guy if only 1 company is willing to hire him. Anyway, prayers that this lay off is a short one, please.

Today is MIL's birthday!!!!! We're going out to celebrate tomorrow night (DH's in class tonight). Yesterday I was thinking again about how blessed we are to have her at home with us. Personally, I don't know how I'd get through this pregnancy without her there. Not to mention her willingness to care for E fulltime when I go back to work. It's such a huge sacrifice and I won't forget it!

~B

It's a Nephew!!!

Willam Lloyd Hussey, 7 lbs., was born April 15th around noon. He's my second nephew, and the 3rd grandchild for the Husseys. We're all very excited. He's doing well, as is his Mama Andrea.
~B

This Blogger's Back with Big News!

Well, y'all know me pretty well by now. I can't keep much secret. I did manage to keep something under my hat for a week. But, time to give up the big news.

OH BABY!!! WE'RE HAVIN' A BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DH & I found out last week. We're so thrilled. It's perfect timing for E. A little overwhelming for us, but we'll make it. With E, we made sure all our ducks were in a row before we had her. Little did we know, much of it fell apart after her arrival. Daddy laid off while Mama was on Mat leave. Well, we're uncertain of our finances this time around but we'll manage. We always do.

So, I'm keeping my thoughts completely positive. Envisioning my healthy baby (boy, or girl), in our new split entry in Dartmouth, close to Shay of course, and all of us living happily together. That of course includes getting lots of rest...okay, maybe that's wishful thinking, but the rest is not! We've got a lot of love to share, and it will see us through.

Well, hope you're Monday goes well. I'll be late getting in (client meeting) but will try to read your posts...and thanks in advance for the well-wishes. They've been coming in droves.

~B

P.S. Caught the facebook bug???? I so am addicted to the thing. SHAY - this will make organizing our reunion WAY easier, don't ya think?

I know, I know...I'm back.

Boy, oh, boy. It’s been a while. Sorry for the delay. Just been busy getting back into the swing of things. Seems like long weekends/short work weeks set me off. And we’ve had an interesting week. DH got laid off. Usually not a big deal but there’s some controversy going on. The union is involved and Jeff’s seeing the union lawyer next week to see if they’re going to grieve his case or not. In the meantime, I’m leaving him “honey do” lists at home. This weekend he has to fix the van so it passes safety.

We have a busy social calendar too. Work is throwing a party tonight. Tomorrow work’s taking us to IMAX to see 300. DH, Shay & Mark are going…I’m passing. I loved the movie but don’t want to over-use MIL’s kindness. (She’s watching E tonight.) And tomorrow afternoon is Phaedra’s b-day party, so E & I are going to that. I have tentative plans (in my head) for Sunday. Hil wants to do something so I’m going to see what’s going on at home.

Well I better get back at it. Hope you’re all doing well.
~B

Hippitty hippitty hop!

Sooooo happy! So, so very happy Thursday is here! Although I’m not looking completely forward to the drive to CB…I mean I love the drive…but with a 2 year old, it can be unpredictable. E was incredibly sooky this morning. She cried for Daddy when we left the house. No soothing her. Anyway, I know she’ll have a fun day and be really glad to see Mom & Dad when we arrive.

Last night I was Ms. Martha. I made treat bags for E’s daycare class. Some purple “hay”, a Skiddles packet and a few foil eggs. Tied nicely with purple curly ribbon and a carrot card. Used the CM diamond shape and hexagon shape from my Jazzy Jewel pack. Folded the diamond to make the carrot and taped the hexagon to the top to look like a stem. Stamped with versamark using my SU print pattern stamp on both carrot & stem. On the inside I wrote, “Hoppy Easter to somebunny special. From E.W.” I can’t help it! I love doing this stuff.

Other than the treat bags, I packed E & my stuff for the trip, did 2 loads of laundry. Oh yes, and I’m sporting my size 18 jeans!!!!!! Only problem was I dried them. Not such a good idea. They look a little tight. But I’m still very happy to get in them. Well, I guess I better get going. Again, hope you all have a Hoppy Easter!

Take care,
~B

Movie Night - THE REAPING

I really liked it. One of my co-workers thought it was cheesy. I think there were cheesy parts. And the ending really didn't need to go there. It screamed obvious sequel. But I really enjoyed it...dispite trying not to scream...in my boss's ear! He sat next to Shay & I. Anyway, I think it's worth paying 10 bucks to see it.

Shay & I had THE BEST date! We went to Minato Sushi in Queen (near the Fireside). It was fantastic!!!!! Their salmon skin maki was the best I've tasted!!!! Anyway, can't chat long about it. Just want to thank Shay for the fab night out...and the drive home...hehehehe. I was SUPPOSED to arrange for DH to pick me up. I mentioned it to everyone but him. :) He was home drunk so poor Shay had to drive me out to the boonies...dodging locusts on the way home, I'm sure. :) Thanks for the date Madame!

~B

Catch up!

Sorry I’ve been so absent. I wrote a big rambling blog in Word yesterday but deleted it. I wasn’t making sense. So here’s my second crack at it.

The weekend was pretty good. E has been very sooky lately. Not sure if she’s coming down with something or it’s a personality complex. She’s starting to be afraid of things. “Mommy, scared,” she often says. But I’m not sure what she’s scared of, if she really is, or if it’s an attention getting thing. We’ll see. Oh, we had the Walmart meltdown. Every parent must have experienced that one. It’s like a right of passage. J It was close to lunch time and I hadn’t thought of bringing in a snack. She wanted to get out of the cart, always a bad idea, and she took off. DH is chasing her around the store, picks her up, and she starts wailing. I get her back in to try rubber boots on. She protests the whole time. Also wanted to look at toys for Easter. I finally got fed up and said ‘that’s it, we’re going.’ On our way to the car I ran into Laura & Brad (she) from high school. SHAY: You remember them??? They have a little boy (forget his name). He’s such a cutie. Probably around 4. Laura looks the same. Brad, like most guys, has put a few pounds on. Anyway, since E was such a sook, we didn’t really get to talk. (BTW, anyone know the proper spelling of sook and sooky????) Once we got lunch, E was much better. Went home for naps and she woke up sooky still. Not sure what to do with that girl. Yesterday and today have been better but she has her moments.

Tonight I got a hot date!! Shay & I are going to the premier of The Reaping, starring Hilary Swank. Aaaaaand, she’s taking me out for sushi!!! What a treat!!! Can’t wait to see ya my dear. Oh, and in other news, I’m off next Monday. Not so much by choice. E’s daycare is closed for the day. We get the Monday off but usually only 1 person can take the day and the rest of us get a floater. Joseph already took it but the bossman says I can have the day too. So Shay & I are meeting up for a playdate with our kiddies, maybe Carroll Anne & Ryan too. It’ll be nice for E to have the extra day as we’re going to CB to visit Granny & Poppy Thursday late till Sunday afternoon. On Saturday, Mom is making turkey dinner for noon and Debbie (DH’s aunt) is making ham & potato salad for supper. I think we’ll be coming back with cargo. J

Well, so glad to check in. Wish I could do so more often. If I don’t hear from you, or you from me, before the weekend, have a very happy Easter. Drive safe wherever you’re heading. And I’ll check in with you FOR SURE Easter Monday.
~B