Jonathan is 15-weeks today. My maternity leave is over on Sunday. I'm very sad about it but in a way I'm looking forward to a routine again. I'm glad I did get the first 4-months off with Jon and Thanksgiving break is just around the corner. Yippee for being a teacher!
I am still meeting Rosy and Becky at the gym in the wee hour. We take spin on Monday and Wednesday mornings. We are meeting Monday through Friday and then when we can on the weekend. It's going well. It will be interesting to see how the morning routine goes when I return to work next week. Yes, NEXT WEEK. My maternity leave is just about over.
I've been getting creative with my food. I'm still scarfing the hummus and roasted red peppers. Yum. I also tried baking my own corn tortilla chips. I took some corn tortillas and baked them with a mist spray of oil and a sprinkle of salt. One shell is 50 calories, which makes eight baked chips. Perfect WW chips if I do say so myself. I tried them with some roasted pepper hummus, mixed with just a bit of pepadew bruchetta. An excellent two-point snack. They taste so much better than the baked tortilla chips you buy in the store.
Last week I had the stitches removed from two mole biopsies. One of the moles removed (on my torso) was dysplastic nevus, so I have to watch the site and continue with my annual derm scans. If the pigment reappears in the area, I'll have to go in and have it checked again. Basically dysplastic nevi means that I would be more prone to skin cancer, so I guess it is a good thing that I started my annual dermatologist skin scans a few years ago. So aside from my vain attempt at avoiding any more wrinkles, it's one more reason to wear sunscreen and not have a tan.
The kids and I are busy doing Halloween things with the mommy group. We hosted our own Halloween play date last week. Lyds trashed her Cinderella dress so she had to wear something else to the library Halloween event we went to last weekend. I did get the dressed cleaned though so she'll be able to wear it on Halloween, unless she decides to wear one of her Ariel dresses from her dress up drawer. Jon is going to be a cow, which got a great response at the library! What was even funnier is Jon was still a cow when we decided to go have lunch in a burger joint down the road from the library.
Pete has been getting some fishing in here and there. Last Sunday was apparently a very successful fishing day for him. I told him that if he wasn't catch and release, we could save a ton of money on the tilapia we buy!
Here are a few photos of the kids~
Where's Jonny? This was Lydia's doing once morning.
I took two spin classes this week-- one Monday wee hour and then today's wee hour. My arse was killin' me after the class on Monday. It felt bruised. The start of this morning's spin class was painful but then I think my butt numbed right up and I was able to get through the rest of the class. I like spinning much better than I liked zumba. Rosy and Becky seem to be enjoying the wee hour so hopefully that will work out when I return to work. It will be nice to have some gym buddies again. I really enjoyed it back in the day when I would meet Amy at the gym.
Our daycare situation has changed and we're changing to a home daycare, saving us a BIG chunk of change. A wife of Pete's co-worker will be watching Lydia and Jon. She also watches one other little one--the daughter of one of Pete's co-workers. Since Lyds won't be at the center anymore, I'll have to look into getting her into pre-school a couple days a week. She really loves "school" so her missing that part of the daycare center really breaks my heart. I'm not worried about the social piece because she has dance class and we'll continue our gazillion play dates we always do. This new arrangement also makes my morning commute much easier since the sitter is only 5-minutes away. I may even be able to get to the gym for wee hour when I go back to work. We'll have to see how the morning goes with two kids though. My treadmill won't get dusty. I'll still be using that on the weekends and the days I can't make it to the gym.
So far, I'm doing well with my workouts for the month of October. I did miss two workout days, but I'll be making one of them up with our afternoon walk today. The exercise commitment I made is making me get back into my workout groove. Meeting the girls at the gym is helping too!
Yesterday we took gram to lunch. Lyds was a handful and she always seems to know when to get me too-- when I'm feeding Jon. Lydia is certainly more work than Jon is these days!
Our new Sit N Stand Plus stroller was delivered this morning so we're going to take it out for a walk in just a bit. Lydie is super excited to go try it out! It was easy to put together and is compact. I'm guessing it's about a foot longer than our single stroller is. Pete's sister gave us her old double jogger but that is honkin' huge and I wanted something that I can keep in back of the Rav4. We can use the jogger for trail walks but it's just not convenient to keep in the trunk for everyday use. I can pull the sit n stand right from the trunk and pop it opened with one hand--a very nice feature. I'll let you know how it pushes after our test-drive walk.
We have a Make-a-Plate activity at the library this afternoon. We're going to meet up with Brenda and Grace. Lyds and Gracie fight like two sisters and seem to enjoy playing together and I love her mom so it should be a nice time.
Another pound bites the dust. Slow and steady. We are at minus 17, and just 25 more to go.
Zumba was hysterical. I like it because everyone looks like they are just flailing around as we try to keep up with the instructor. In that regard, I'm not alone. I only noticed a couple of people that were actually good at it. I hate it because it goes so fast that it's hard to learn the routine, unlike other classes, that have a bunch of repetitive moves. While I'm not great at step, I feel much less inept at it after taking that zumba class! I'll go back for more torture and flailing. I also met my two girlfriends at the gym this morning. After the zumba class, I convinced them to meet me the next morning for a wee hour (5am) workout. Rosy wants to try the cardio kick class Monday night but I think I might want to try to convince her to do the 5:30am spinning class with me instead. Once again, I am a spinning virgin and would like someone to laugh with as I fall off the bike during class.
I went for my annual skin scan at the dermatologist. I had two moles removed. One that just bothered me and the other, the dermatologist thought looked irregular and wanted it biopsied. She thinks it's probably just dysplastic, but thought we ought to get it biopsied to be sure. She said she'll call me either way, sometime in the next two weeks.
We have a busy weekend ahead-- mostly fun things though with the exception of the cleaning of the garage. I'm getting some girlfriend time in--a get together tonight and possibly seeing an out of town friend on Saturday. Pete is going to get some fishing in while I bring Lyds to a friend's birthday party. There's also a pumpkin pancake breakfast at BeaverLakeNatureCenter. Yummy. Mom is having us over for dinner, which Lyds is very excited about. She wanted to go today and couldn't seem to wrap her head around the fact that grandma wasn't home and was at work.
Jon is doing well. He rolled over from his tummy to his back the other day. I thought it was just a fluke so I put him back on his tummy and he did it again. He's also sleeping really well and only wakes around 4am for a feeding. That will actually work out really well when I return to work!
My eBay sales have been doing great! I'm selling my maternity and some of Lyds outgrown clothes. I actually had to go buy a postal scale to be more accurate with my shipments. I was off an ounce on one package and the darn thing ended up costing me more to reship than I made on the item. Live and learn. I guess I shouldn't have relied on the accuracy of a scale not meant for postal weighing. It's so easy to sell on eBay. I just order my free Priority Mail boxes right from USPS site and they ship them right to my door. I can print the postage label at home, and then arrange for the mail person to pick up the packages the next day. I don't even have to leave my house! Easy peasy.
Pete is going to an urologist next for a second opinion, just to be on the safe side. The results from the sono were inconclusive since they couldn't find the lump on the sonogram. More than likely it's an enlarged vein, but they want to be sure.
We had quite the rain early this morning. It tipped our umbrella on our glass table, causing the table to break. That should be fun for Pete to clean up. Notice I said Pete and not me! I also want Pete to clean out the garage this weekend. Since decent weather seems not to come around that often, I want it cleaned, and ready for the winter before it gets too cold to want to be out there cleaning. Once again, I said Pete, not me. Poor Pete. He is going fishing for a bit this weekend while the kids and I go to a birthday party!
The weight loss continues to be slow and steady. I wish it were a bit faster, but I know something is always better than nothing, so I'll take the something! I did an interval workout in this morning and I plan to do weights later. Tomorrow night I'm going to the gym for a zumba class with a friend. I hope to god that I don't trip over my own feet. I am a zumba virgin and not the most graceful in the world. I should put myself in the back corner of class so I don't hurt anyone with my flailing! We recently had a few nice autumn days. I mapped out a 3-mile walk in the neighborhood and did that with the kids. Lyds likes to sit in the stroller and I strap Jonny on in the chest carrier. Lyds was actually a bit upset yesterday that we didn't have time to do our walk.
Gah! There's just three and a half weeks left of maternity leave. Part of me is itching to go back since it's inevitable anyway. It will be nice to establish a routine again. The other part of me would like to stay home for...well, for a long, long time.
On Saturday we went pumpkin picking at Tim's Pumpkin Patch. Lydia had a great time. Jon slept through the whole thing! I had him prepped and explained all about those big orange things we were going to go pick and the little guy was only awake for the last 5-minutes of our adventure. I was able to get my pumpkin funnel cake. It's so good and shouldn't ever be passed up if you ever make it to Tim's. Even though it looks like I am the only one eating it, I did have a little help from Lyds and Pete! Jonathan was awake for the park on our way home. Marcellus has a great park so we made a stop before going home. Jon had his first ride on a swing. Lydie had a great time running, climbing, sliding, and swinging. She is an active little girl!
My physical goal for the month of October is to exercise for 31 days in a row. I haven't committed to a solid month of exercise in a long time. Now seems to be the perfect time. On the weekends, I get too lazy to exercise. I hope that this commitment can solve that problem. And just to share--I have TWO massages scheduled for October. One is at my new hair salon. They have a new massage therapist and are offering $45 one-hour massages this month. The other one-hour was from another massage place I frequent and I received a "member appreciation" coupon for a $45 one-hour massage. It expires at the end of October. Pete will be like WTF, but really, I just can't pass up the opportunity to spend $45 for a one-hour massage. We're just going to ignore that I'm spending $90 plus tips on massages that I don't really need. I am sure that Pete will negotiate a weekend of fly-fishing out of this and I'll of course say yes. We work so well together. I'm happy and he's happy. Good times. Pete had a physical this morning and they found a lump in his boy parts. He has a sonogram set up for tomorrow morning. He also should lose about 20 pounds. I told him we can "race" to see who can lose the weight first. I have 30 and he has 20, and we can both win with healthier, better bodies. Other than that, everything is in check health wise for the both of us. We are generally lucky in that respect and I hope that luck continues to follow us. We have been blessed and I do remember to thank God for that on a regular basis. I’ll also say a little extra prayer tonight that everything checks out well for Pete. If any of you pray, I’m thinking a few extra prayers out there couldn’t hurt. (photo: Pete's 37th birthday, July 2009)
I get the daily Hungry Girl email and most I skim and delete, but there are occasionally ones that I want to save. This was one of them and while the recipes are certainly easy and of the kind that make you slap your head and think, "Why didn't I ever think of that," they are worth saving for those times we find ourselves in a breakfast slump. I am a fan of eggbeaters just because it means that I can eat "two eggs" for less WW point values than regular eggs. I also like the light Laughing Cow cheese and never thought to throw those in my eggs! These are super easy breakfasts that I can throw together quickly and eat before work.
The Easiest Egg Breakfast Ever...
The Egg Mug Classic PER SERVING (entire mug): 95 calories, 2g fat, 490mg sodium, 3g carbs, 0g fiber, 2g sugars, 14.5g protein -- POINTS® value 2*
Directions:
Spray a large microwave-safe mug lightly with nonstick spray. Add egg substitute and cheese and stir. Microwave for about a minute. Stir gently, and then microwave for another 30 - 45 seconds, until scramble is just set. Stir and enjoy!
MAKES 1 SERVING
And Now, Variations on a Theme...
Egg Mug Florentine PER SERVING (entire mug): 107 calories, 2g fat, 575mg sodium, 5g carbs, <0.5g fiber, 2.5g sugars, 15g protein -- POINTS® value 2*
Directions:
To make your sauce, stir to combine Dijonnaise, yogurt, and lemon juice in a small dish. Set aside.
Spray a large microwave-safe mug lightly with nonstick spray. Add just the spinach and microwave for 30 seconds. Blot excess liquid from spinach. Add egg substitute and cheese and stir. Microwave for about a minute. Stir gently, and then microwave for another 30 - 45 seconds, until scramble is just set. Stir, top with sauce, and enjoy!
MAKES 1 SERVING
Egg Mug Burger-rama PER SERVING (entire mug): 175 calories, 0.5g fat, 995mg sodium, 14g carbs, 4g fiber, 6g sugars, 30g protein -- POINTS® value 3*
Directions:
Microwave Boca patty for 1 minute, and then chop into pieces. Spray a large microwave-safe mug lightly with nonstick spray. Add egg substitute, chopped Boca patty, and cheese, and stir. Microwave for about a minute. Stir gently, and then microwave for another 30 - 45 seconds, until scramble is just set. Stir, top with ketchup, and enjoy!
MAKES 1 SERVING
Egg McMuggin' PER SERVING (entire mug): 174 calories, 3.25g fat, 1,081mg sodium, 9g carbs, 1g fiber, 2.5g sugars, 25g protein -- POINTS® value 4*
Ingredients:
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
One wedge The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese, cut into pieces
1 1/2 oz. (about 3 slices) extra-lean ham, chopped
One-half slice light bread (40 - 45 calories and at least 2g fiber per slice)
1 tbsp. shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
Directions:
Toast bread and cut into cubes. Spray a large microwave-safe mug lightly with nonstick spray. Add bread cubes, egg substitute, cheese wedge pieces, and ham, and stir. Microwave for about a minute. Stir gently, and then top with shredded cheese. Microwave for another 30 - 45 seconds, until scramble is just set. Stir and enjoy!
MAKES 1 SERVING
Egg Mug Lorraine PER SERVING (entire mug): 128 calories, 4g fat, 730mg sodium, 3.5g carbs, 0g fiber, 2g sugars, 17.5g protein -- POINTS® value 3*
Directions:
Spray a large microwave-safe mug lightly with nonstick spray. Add all ingredients and stir. Microwave for about a minute. Stir gently, and then microwave for another 30 - 45 seconds, until scramble is just set. Stir and enjoy!
MAKES 1 SERVING
Egg Mug Mexicali PER SERVING (entire mug): 116 calories, 0.5g fat, 579mg sodium, 5.5g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 1.5g sugars, 21.5g protein -- POINTS® value 2*
Ingredients:
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
1/4 cup frozen ground-beef-style soy crumbles (like the ones by Boca and Morningstar Farms)
2 tbsp. shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
1 tbsp. salsa
Directions:
Spray a large microwave-safe mug lightly with nonstick spray. Add egg substitute, soy crumbles, and cheese, and stir. Microwave for about a minute. Stir gently, and then microwave for another 30 - 45 seconds, until scramble is just set. Stir, top with salsa, and enjoy!
The boot camp class is kicking my tush. My legs are feeling it. It is whipping my muscles back into shape! I couldn't even run last week--that's how sore I was.
Lydia is registered for ballet class through the town parks and recreation department. She is very excited about it. I tried showing her a few ballet stances and she didn't quite get them. She is less than graceful, much like her mom. Perhaps I should have signed her up for tap class instead! Her class starts in a couple of weeks.
I've been listing my maternity clothes and Lyds outgrown clothing on EBay and I'm getting some good hits. I was thinking I wouldn't be doing the boot camp class after the free trial period, but I'm rethinking that idea. My eBay sales can pay for a month of class before I return to work.
Pete's mom showed me how she jars her roasted red peppers. Yum. I LOVE her roasted peppers. They are so very good. My new favorite meal is a pita with hummus and her roasted red peppers on top. I think I could eat that everyday. Next, I need to have her show me how she makes her stuffed peppers. They are different from any stuffed pepper that I've ever had and I really need to learn how to make them myself.
Fall is here and so is the rain! The weather has really been hindering my plans to go apple and pumpkin picking. I hope that we can do one or both at some point this week, but so far all I see is rain in the forecast! Lydia wants to be The Little Mermaid for Halloween. She said that Jon should be Flounder (The Little Mermaid's sidekick fish friend). Sadly, the cheapest Flounder costume I've found is $49.99! Perhaps I should get my autumn and Halloween decorations out on this very rainy autumn day...
(Photo: The Bojlevski Pirate Family, October 2008)
As you can see, we're still stuck in January. This will teach me to be better about uploading the photos off my camera. My mom turned 60 on January 28th. I'm a few months pregnant in these photos.
The Egg Mug Classic
Egg Mug Florentine
Egg Mug Burger-rama
Egg McMuggin'
Egg Mug Lorraine
Egg Mug Mexicali
