Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Pick N Save Deal- Today Only!

Today is Double Coupon Day at Pick N Save!  Look for these deals:
Kraft 100 Calorie Cheese Packets
On Sale 2/$4.
Use 2 $1/1 coupon here.
Free after doubled coupons.

Yoplait Delights
On Sale 2/$4.
Use 2 $1/1 coupon here or here.
Free after doubled coupons.

For more Pick N Save Deals, visit Pocket Your Dollars here.   And make sure to read up on Roundy's coupon doubling policies here.

Happy Shopping!!!

PS... went to the Farmer's Market on my lunch hour.  I'll share more about the spoils of my trip tonight!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Migraine

Warning... this may be totally boring for you today... ok, is that really different from any other day??
Today had such potential, and then… the migraine hit. So early in the day too- right around 8:45am. Now, if you’ve never had a classic migraine before, here’s how mine usually go…


I usually start feeling out perfectly fine. But, I gradually notice that things start to get harder and harder to read… almost like a blind-spot form staring at a bright light for too long, but the edges aren’t defined as well.

Then, the blind-spot slowly turns into an aura. For me, the aura looks kind of like I’m looking through a black & white kaleidoscope. I get a spot of moving zig-zaggy lines that start off quite small, and eventually covers most of my field of vision. Usually, on one side of the lines, I have the blind-spot effect, and on the other side I can see just fine.

So, if this is what a normal field of view looks like for me:

Then this is kind of what it looks like when I’ve got an aura:
My aura usually lasts 15-30 minutes. Then, it goes away just as suddenly as it came, and within about 5-10 minutes the pain & light sensitivity hits. Often, I end up in bed the rest of the day when this happens.

Today, I took 3 Tylenol & drank a can of Diet Coke*, and thank goodness, I’ve had no pain! Woo-hoo! I have felt slightly dizzy & nauseous though. But still, I’m counting what blessings I have.

Speaking of blessings, Mike is having his 4th interview today for a position I think he’d be great at. I won’t go into more detail than that right now. I don’t want to jynx anything! So, cross your fingers & say a prayer for us. I’ll let you know how it goes when we find out more.

*PS.  I am NOT a dr, this is NOT medical advice.  If you think you're having a migraine, and want to know how to treat it, consult a doctor for heaven's sake!  Don't listen to the ramblings of a 31 year old blogger!!

Monday, June 14, 2010

The Aviator

His future’s so bright…
He’s got to wear shades.

We visited the Air & Water show on Sunday, and it seems as though we have a couple of aspiring pilots (as well as an aspiring photographer- more on that later). Tommy and Grandma walked around for a little bit on a mission to find some food, and came back with the aviator glasses. When we got home, he was sporting them on his evening bike ride through the neighborhood (was he imagining that his bike was an airplane maybe?). And this morning, he was even wearing them for breakfast.

The sun never sets on the cool.

As for my journey into healthiness, this weekend was extremely busy, with 2 showings, a trip to the movies & the air show. Needless to say, we had a lot of fast food. But, we also did some marathon cleaning Friday night & Saturday morning, in addition to a bit of walking (about 2 miles, a good 1/3 that was uphill)! By the way- my kids rocked that walk. All three of them walked the full amount without a single complaint. I think they’re all ready for Disney World!

Today, I have restarted tracking my intake & fitness a little more closely. Intake so far is good: Approximately 2,100 calories, including dinner (WOW, it really adds up, doesn’t it? I need to start eating lighter lunches!!). I went to Yoga tonight, which burned approximately 300 calories. I currently have a set goal of 1,800 calories. So, my net is meets my goal for today!  Wo-hoo!

Oh, and before I forget… my little photographer. Maya was getting a little antsy during the parachuting demonstrations, so against my better judgment (I thought she was going to drop my camera about 10 times), I let her take a few pictures.  No, I have no idea who the people are (other than Tommy) that she took pics of.  But I love that she took several fairly nicely framed pictures of feet. She always has been a sucker for cute shoes.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

31

31 years and 4 days to be exact.  It had to sink a few days before I could post.  To be honest, I don't feel different, much; I didn't really expect to.  So, despite as much as I wanted to suck in my stomach to make this number smaller (I didn't), my starting point (please don't laugh!!) is:
43.5"
Amount to lose: 12.5"
Wow.   I have a lot of work to do!!  I measured at my bellybutton, I figured that way it'll be easier to have a consistent measurement each week.  Not that you're interested, but here's a quick run-down of what I've eaten today:
Breakfast:  Banana :-)
Lunch: 10 piece Chicken Nugget Meal (Med. Fry, Diet Coke) :-(
Afternoon Snack: Banana Flavored MoonPie :-( 
Evening Snack (Really hungry before supper): 1 Caramel Delight Cookie :-(
Supper: Black Bean Soup & Homemade Chicken Quesidilla with Bell Peppers and Mushrooms :-)

OK- So the only reason for the horrid lunch was because I had a dentist appointment and needed a quick meal that I could easily eat in the car.  I picked up the moonpie last night in a very late night run to the grocery store to pick up hot-dog buns for my son's last-day-of-kindergarten picnic. 

The good news is that last week, I quit drinking coffee.  Yippee!  This week, I'm attempting to stop drinking soda... It's been going better than anticipated, but I'm still not all the way there.  As you can see above, I had 1 soda today.  Yesterday I didn't have any and on Tuesday I only had 1.  So, let's see if tomorrow I can stay soda free.

Before I forget- Went to a Hatha Yoga class last night.  I've been noticing an increase of strength, especially in the downdog position, which my arms used to shake in.  Some days are better than others of course.  I would like to try to get up early tomorrow and do a little home practice.  I'll let you know if I do.

So, goals for tomorrow:
1.  Get up early and do some yoga.
2.  Don't drink any soda tomorrow.
3. Have a healthy lunch.
4. Choose healthy snacks.

Wish me luck!

Friday, June 4, 2010

It's Here....

It's here, It's Here, IT'S HERE!  What you ask??
Please contain your giggles.  It's our Oscar Mayer "Thrill of the Grill" Party Pack that the Oscar Mayer company sent to us just so we can share it with our lovely, wonderful friends!  Complete with:

  • 18 Free Oscar Mayer Hot Dog Coupons (for me & my guests)
  • 1 Oscar Mayer Tongs
  • 1 Oscar Mayer Oven Mitt Set
  • 1 bottle of Simply Heinz
  • 8 Oscar Mayer Soft Baseballs
  • 8 Oscar Mayer Frisbees
  • 16 Oscar Mayer Wiener Whistles (I am SOOO gonna have to hide these from the kids!)
  • 16 Heinz kechup coupons
  • Plate & Napkins
Who's ready to grill!?!?  So, if you're reading this & you haven't RSVP'd... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!!!  Sorry, don't mean to yell.  I've never been so excited about hot dogs before!  If I know you & you're invite got lost in the mail ( or I just had a blonde moment) & you want to come- call me/text me/message me.  Do something to get a hold of me (or Mike)!  We'll gladly give you the details.

And, for those of you wondering, how in the world were these to saps every so lucky as to score a boat-load of free stuff... check it out here.  While the Hot Dog party is no longer available, there's plenty others!

Now, for something completely different (not totally though, more on that later)
On June 18th I will be participating in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life.  I'm participating with a team from the Volunteer Organization of Women in Sussex (aka VOWS), and it looks as though I'll be walking the 2-4am hours.  No- that's not a typo, that's what you get when you're one of the last one to pick your time slot.  And, to make matters worse (here's the "more on that later" part) it's the night before my Hot Dog party!!  What was I thinking!! 

Anyway- if you'd like to support the American Cancer Society, or just learn more about what they do, there's a snazzy little button to the left there... go ahead and click it.  And hey... if you decide to donate, please link it to me.  :-D  Really would appreciate it- I get nothing from it besides knowing that it helped to contribute to my fundraising goal. 

So- if you're still with me, I wanted to share one more thing:  Pho.  And Fresh Spring Rolls.  YUM!
Maya (my 3 year old) and I made these tonight, and wow was it good.   While I don't have an official recipe for Pho, it's fairly easy... Rice noodles (not too thin though), Beef Paste (kind of like a boullion), chili oil, meat (if you like), and fresh cilantro, basil, lime, bean sprouts, green onions.  Cook your meat in one pot, throw in the beef paste according to the directions on the jar.  Cook the noodles in a separate pot, and when they're done, soak them in cold water to stop them from getting too soggy.  Then add chili oil, your herbs/lime/bean sprouts/green onions, as much or as little as you like.  Simple right?  Before I forget, I also like to add Hoisen Sauce to mine.

As for the Spring Rolls & Peanut Sauce, check out recipes/instructions here for Spring Rolls and here for Peanut Sauce.
By the way- we used cooked shrimp for our meat in these, and they were very good!  Also, while the peanut sauce recipe called for peanuts, we cheated & used natural organic crunchy peanut butter- no salt added.  It was terrific!

PS- I just noticed that I actually used a matching plate & bowl tonight.  Score!  (I'm so easily amused!)