Cause you're my best friend

When best friends have babies less than 4 months apart.....

it's destiny really that they're babes are besties too!

Here are Harper and Jamie at their first meeting in January 2011.

Just a couple of fresh faced cuties.

Then again last summer in August 2011.

To think we thought they were so grown up then!

This past weekend my BFF came for her annual KC visit and we had a blast!

Too bad we live 700 miles apart and can't capture moments like this more often!!

Eff.Marry.Kill

Today I'm linking up with B.U.B & The Vintage Apple for a little game we like to call.....  

This week I've picked some of the leading men from one of my favorite guilty pleasure shows:

Dirty Little Liars

EFF:  Toby.  Come on.  Look at those abs.  Plus he has a sensitive side so he probably likes to cuddle.

I might make him cut his hair though, NOT diggin' the do this season.

Marry:  Mr. Fitz.  And not because he's probably the only one who's legally old enough to marry.  Then again, he seems to prefer the underage chicks, so I may not be his type.

Kill:  Holden.  He's creepy.  And I'm still not convinced that whole fighting thing was his only secret.  Pretty sure he bats for the other team.  Which is cool, but unlike Aria, I don't want to be his beard.

Now go link up with your Eff.Marry.Kill trio!
Happy Thursday! 

Oh hi Wednesday....

My whole life I've been lying to myself that I love summer because it's summer and you're supposed to.  Well folks, the jig is up.  I think I kinda hate summer.  We're on I don't even know what day of triple digit temps and I'm over it.  The A/C can't keep up so our house is at a constant 82 degrees despite the fact that it's constantly running and my electric bill was off the charts.  It's so hot out even the pool isn't enjoyable.  Plus now that I'm adult and there's no such thing as summers off, it's the same shit, different day....but hotter.  Bring it on fall.  I'm ready.

Thanks for enduring two days in a row of weight loss extravaganza.  I usually try to space them out a bit, but sometimes it just happens.  So thank you for all your kind and encouraging words.  You ladies rock my socks.

Both my besties are coming to visit this weekend and I'm beside myself with excitement!  I'm also running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to clean the house so they don't think we live like pigs.

I ordered Jamie a Barney shirt for his Birthday.  {gag}  It's not the adorable Mustache Bash I had envisioned, but I decided when the only reason I wanted a cutesy theme was to keep up with the Social Media Jones' that I had lost my mother effing mind.  So now I just have to pray I can find someone who's still channeling their inner 90s and will slap that ugly dinosaur on a cake for me.  He's going to lose his toddler shit over it and THAT will make me happy.

I also picked up a bow tie for his 2nd year pictures and am giddy over it.  Now let's hope Mr. I Hate having my Picture Taken cooperates long enough to get just one good one.

I've been working on Jamie's 2nd year photo book and have decided two things.  Whoa has he grown and whoa have a I shrunk!  I remember thinking he was such a big boy at his first birthday party.  I also noticed once I got my iPhone, the real camera pictures pretty much stopped.  And I swore I wouldn't be that mom.  #momfail

Call me crazy, but I don't really get the JCrew bubble necklace fad.  It looks big and heavy and kinda hits everyone at that awkward boob level.

That's all I got today.

Happy Hump Day!

Goal

I haven't formally talked about my ultimate goal here on the ole blog.
Mainly because I like to take my weight loss a "decade" at a time instead of focusing on the BIG picture.
That's too overwhelming.
I do have a end point in mind though and lately it's been coming up more and more.
Pretty much everyday while I'm eating my "crazy" lunch of a salad, Lean Cuisine and fruit I have someone say "Wow, still doing weight watchers??"  or "How much longer are going to stay on your diet??"
And everyday it bugs the crap out of me.
First of all.  I don't think of it as a diet.  As cheesy as it may sound, it really is a lifestyle change.
I'm not doing some crazy fad where I drink shakes.  Or only eat grapefruit.  Or cut out entire food groups.
I'm eating normal food.  All of it.  Just in moderation.
So how long am I going to continue to eat healthy??
Ummm.  Hopefully forever.
That's the point.
I've also been getting a lot of "Oh my gosh you're going to melt away" or  "Wow.  That sounds kind of extreme" comments when I tell people I'm only about half way to my goal and still have 50ish pounds to lose.
No.
I'm not going to melt away.
And No.
It's really not that extreme.
My goal puts me right in the middle of the healthy weight range for my height and if I had to guess about a size 12.
Sounds pretty average to me.
I get that when someone says they want to lose 100 pounds it does sound like a lot.
I get that I'm tall and can carry a lot of weight, so people are often deceived at how much I actually weigh.
And don't get me wrong, I appreciate that so many people think I look great and don't need to lose anymore.
I mean, I have lost over 50 pounds, so I do look a lot better than I did.
I do look pretty great.
But currently?  According to the BMI scales, I'm still considered obese.
I'm just now a size 16.
I know there's nothing wrong with that. 
It's all just numbers.  But I still don't feel comfortable in my own skin. 
I still want to reach a healthier place.
Will I adjust my goal as I get closer?
Maybe.

Only time will tell.

But for now I'm going to keep plugging along, 10 pounds at a time.

Hitting a wall

I've gotten into a comfortable place lately.
Almost too comfortable.
Everyday I go through the motions.
Eat my points.  Stay on plan.
But my heart just hasn't been in it.
The scale has still been going down, albeit a little slower, but at least in the right direction.
Last week I hit 56 pounds lost.
Officially more than half way to my goal in 6 months!
Despite that, I feel like I don't see any big changes.
Those first few months the changes were so drastic it was easy to watch the pounds fall off.
Since this isn't my first rodeo, I know that when the scale isn't moving as much, your body can still be changing.
This weekend was definitely proof of that for me!
A lot of the clothes I bought in May are now about a size too big.
The shorts that I was a little uncomfortable in now sit so low on my hips they're practically an inch longer.

And the white capris that I was so excited to back into?  Now practically fall off me.

Then I went through that drawer of clothes all women have.
You know the one.  The "one day I will fit into these again" clothes.
Well I'm there.
My skinny wedding weight jeans?  Fit!
I needed that to remind me that all those pounds and half pounds add up over time.
I needed something to get that spark back.

He Said...She Said...

She Said:  What the heck are you watching?!

He Said:  This documentary on mermaids. 

It's pretty awesome.

She Said:  Seriously hun?  Mermaids.....

He Said:  Don't knock it until you've watched. 

Some of their theories are totally convincing.

She Said: 
:::breaks out into a fabulous rendition of Under the Sea::::

He Said:  The Little Mermaid? 

Very funny. 

This isn't some fake Disney shit....

it's the Discovery Channel so it must be true.

She Said:  Well tell Flounder and Sebastian
I said hi next time you run into Ariel.

He Said:  Shut up.

I couldn't make this shit up if I tried.  Reason number 182340230 why I love my husband.  He always provides me with some good laughs.

Almost 2

For the past 23 months I have taken a picture of Jamie on the 9th.

Every.single.month.

This morning I did it for the last time.

{With the exception of August 9th of course!}

From here on out we count ages in years.

How did that happen so fast!

How did my baby become "almost 2"

Exactly one year ago he wasn't even walking and yesterday he jumped off the side of the pool.

By himself.

And then proceeded to swim from one side of the pool to the other.

By himself.

Crazy.

Happy 23 months Bubbaloo!

To whom it may concern

Dear 4th of July, I complained to no end that you fell on a Wednesday this year, but I must admit the random midweek day off was kind of nice.  All is forgiven.  Dear triple digit temps, I'm done with you.  It's sad when 95 feels cool.  Go away.  And send some rain.  Dear A/C, how did people live without you?  Hugs and kisses.  Dear weeds, I kicked your butt this week.  Why is it you're the only thing that manages to grow in my landscape while everything else is withering in the heat??  We are NOT friends.  Dear Jamie, what's up with the middle of the night wake up calls?  Aren't we a little old for this?  Please for the love of god sleep!  Dear mystery gift giver, thanks for the random book from Amazon, but I don't think my almost 2 year old is quite read for Bethany Frankel's novel Skinny Dipping.  Holy random.  Dear Amazon, sure would be nice if you sent invoices with your random packages so we knew who things where from.  Dear 50 Shades of Grey trilogy, I finally finished you.  Your ending wasn't quite what I was expecting, but not the worst ever as others have said.  Please don't come out with a 4th book though, because then I will fell obligated to read you too.  Dear Jamie {again}, Thanks for picking up your toys last night without me even asking.  You rock my socks off kid.  Dear Bathroom Magic Eraser, you are awesome.  Thanks for cleaning my bath tub scum with little to no effort.  You are my new BFF.  Dear husband, thank you for pretending you don't mind I've watched then entire 3rd season of Sex and The City and part of the 4th in a matter of days.  You rock.  But you will never convince me Carrie should be with Big.  I don't care how it ends.  Aidan will always be numero uno in my book.  Dear lake, can't wait to see you this weekend!! 

xoxo,

Things I've learned about living with a toddler

Some days it takes longer to actually get ready to leave the house than the outing itself.

Today, peaches will be their favorite food.  They will eat them faster than you can slice them.  Tomorrow, they will hate them.  They will throw them on the floor.  Feed them to the dog.  Clamp their mouth shut and flat out refuse to eat them all while screaming "NOOOOOO PEACHES!!!!!"

You will pick out the perfect toy that you know they will just love.  Fork out big dollars for it, bring it home, assemble it.  Pat yourself on the back for a job well done.  Mom for the win!  They will play with it for approximately 2.5 seconds.  The flimsy battery operated fan that came in their Easter basket?  That will entertain them for days.

It is possible to ask "mama, what you doing?" 23983471 times in one hour.  Apparently they have the memory of a goldfish.

Nap time is never long enough.  Except when you have to go somewhere.  Then they decide to try and break the record for world's longest nap.

You can accomplish a lot in one 22 minute episode of Barney.

A hug from mom can solve just about anything.  It's even more powerful than bandaids.

Car washes are scary.

Goldfish crackers are like gold and can be used to ward off tantrums in pretty much any situation.

If a cheesy children's music CD keeps them happy in the car you will gladly listen to it on repeat for 2 1/2 hours straight.  Anything is better than the alternative.

White clothing shouldn't even be made in toddler sizes.  After the first 5 minutes, it will never be white again.

No is their least favorite word in the English language.  Unless they're saying it.  Then it's number 1 and must always be said at a level loud enough for the entire neighborhood to hear.


Toddlers.  They're not for the faint at heart.