So the kids are at school today and Pj has to go to daycare for 2 days this week to hold his spot. I am a free Mom from 9-2 Tues. and Thur. Sad part is I am not sure what to do with the time. Today I am thinking of a long slaw market trip and Trader Joe's. Seems like when I take the kids it is a rush and I end up with tons of extras.
Thur. I am going to get a pedicure and hang out with a friend.
Yesterday I went to Lowes and got a few paint samples forr the boys bathroom. I am tired of navy blue and wanted something lighter and maybe even white. I put the colors up all over the bathroom and non are the true winner and once I stated painting I started to think maybe I don't feel like painting. So now I have a blue bathroom with white squares and no desire to finish it. I guess it is a good thing I have the whole summer off to catch up on stuff like that.
Have a good day,
Ali

I am officially on Spring break from school this week. I really need the break. As I sit here and think of the million things I want to achieve this week I can't help but think in the back of my mind the dieting should be one of those things. I woke up this morning and had my coffee and nothing else becasue I am an not wanting to start dieting but also don't want to cheat if I do end up going to the market and starting today. Sad isn't it.
I also want to paint at least one room in my house this week but I have to many choices. While I want to paint I also want to take the week to do nothing. So I gues you can tell that I am in no mood to make decisions. Alright I will let you know what happens tomorrow.
Ali

As I am studying for my finals this week I am once again feeling so overwhelmed with school. I am taking this week to just work on school and next Monday I will be back on. I more then likely will not post until them. I studied all day Sun., all day today, and I am nowhere ready for the test. Wed. I have to make and finish 2 sculptures for Thur. Then on Friday I want to make the kids spring break seem like we did something so I might take them to the beach.
Have a good week,
Ali

Shawn got up with Garrett today which was nice because I got to sleep in an extra hour. The bad part is now I am running late for school. Good thing I don't have to be there until 11am today.
I will post again tomorrow.

Well I posted a few days ago that I had fallen. Lets just say it took me a few days to get back up.
I am still having a hard time doing the low carb thing. I enjoy the quick weight loss but I am rethinking losing fast or losing for good. I think that even though I have a love/hate relationship with Weigh watchers it is the healthies choice for me. I can live and still go out on it. Low carb confines you to the house and making all of your food, it is very difficult. I am thinking that with a few people I know doing w.w. at the current time that would be very helpful as well. Although I would love to be at my goal in 3 months I know I have to be realistic with myself. I am not going to be in a bikini by June and I think I am ok with that. So today I am going to pull my w.w. books out and plan my life once again.
I am going crazy in school. I have one more day before finals next week and I am drained. I got my final review questions yesterday and I can't even understand half of them without a dictionary. Should be a fun studying weekend. Today I have to finish my senior portfolio which is a folder tat is getting me ready to graduate. It should only take a few hours. After my folder I have to paint a sculpture of Shawn that I am making and maybe I will attempt those questions later this afternoon. The good part is I planned ahead and got all of my ceramics done so that is finished and turned in. I just keep thinking 3 months 2 days until I walk as a college graduate. Yeah!!!
Have a good Wednesday,
Ali

When you fall down get back up.
Well I totally fell yesterday. After turning in my 10 page paper a group from the class talked about going and getting food and maybe a cocktail. They have asked a million times and I am always turning them down. This time I decided to go. It ended up being me and one other girl from school who is another person I have been trying to hang out with for over a year so I was excited. This is the same girl who I ate lunch with a few weeks ago who blocked her food when we went out so I wouldn't have to look at it, her name is Nicole. We went out and had a cocktail bit I also haad a grilled chicken sanwhich and some potato wedges. I tried to make one of the better choices on the menu but I am sure being cooked at a bar it wasn't that healthy. The food was really good and it was worth the treat. After lunch we went to Nicole's house and she had a ton of super cute clothes for me. Nicole recently lost a bunch of weight and looks awesome. So I got Nicole's fat clothes which is ok with me because they are cute and I even got the perfect graduation dress.
Last night I had baseball for the kids and after we stopped to get them dinner. I then had a small burrito. So lets just say it wasn't my best day. Today I get back up and am back on track.
This weekend is going to be super busy. We have opening day for Little league tomorrow. I am working the booth from 8-10. Cody has a game at 10 that I will head right over to. I am taking my big teaching test tomorrow called the CSET at 1:30 in Riverside. I have to turn in pictures of my work so today I will be taking pics and getting my portfolio together. The sad part is I have to miss Garrett's first game at 3 because the test take a few hours. I am super happy that this is the last test for teaching I will have to take. Almost there, 3 months to go.
Have a great weekend. I will be on track all weekend and look forward to Monday,
Ali

I made it through my headache yesterday although it is still lingering around this morning. I finished my 10 page paper and got it printed off. This morning I go turn it in, what a relief. I have one week left and then finals. This quarter has gone by so fast.
I am kind of in a hurry this morning so I will tell you that I weighed in at 188.6 so down again. I did however have another one of those yummy salads for dinner last night but I am thinking if that keeps me on track then how bad can corn and black beans possible be?
Have a good Thur.
Ali

and by the way I bought more almonds but I rationed them out 24 in snack size bags so I won't over do it. :)

I have the worst headache today. I think the no sugar thing finally caught up with me. Yesterday during class I got it and no amount of medication has helped it. Ouch. I guess the good thing is I know I am not gettting sugar in my diet when I have withdraws from it so that is nice. I have stopped taking my iron pill and am going with my multi vitamin instead and I am already feeling better. I think the %600 iron pill and the %100 from the multi vitamin was just a little to much to quickly. I didn't have "those" issues with it but I felt just swollen in my abdomen and full of air. Hopefully this helps.
My 10 page paper is due tomorrow so today I am putting the finishing touches on it and getting it ready to turn in tomorrow. The great news is the presentation last week where I had to get up in from of everyone I got a 29% of 30% so a big fat A. I do love school and sometime I wish I coul give 110% to it or that I had in High school and junior college. I am really smart (not to toot my own horn) but I just don't always give it my all and I settle with B's. In order to graduate with honors in June I would need a 3.5 and I have a 3.2 man am I kicking myself in the butt over that one. Oh well.
I weighed in today at 189. so down again. Yesterday was kind of har once I got home for the day. I had a headache and knew sugar would fix it almost instantly so I spent the night looking through the kitchen just to look. Habit I guess. I made myself a cup of tea and filled up on water. I did however make it through the night (I got home from school at almost 10) or 1 hour without cheating. Yeah for me.
Have a good Wed.,
Ali

I think I am still paying for the salad overload on Sunday. I also have overloaded on all my vitamins to make sure I am safe and one of them is iron. I am always anemic, it runs on our family. I take an potent iron pill that my doc. gave me. Lets say that it takes my body a few days to get the gassy feeling gone and then everything is fine but for now I am all bloated and it sucks. I also used a deep conditioning treatment on my hair yesterday and washed it out at bedtime. i woke up this morning and my hair is still totally wet. All this said and I weighed in at 190.6 so up .2 and I was totally on track, I did however have seom chair tea and a low carb ice cream last night that I don't normally have. Today should be better because I am at school and my options are prepacked.
I am off to get ready in the dark. Man do I hate this time adjustment.
Ali

I so overdid it yesterday. I did really well in the morning time but when it cam to lunch we stopped at McDonalds and I got a salad. The salad once I had it had a sweet sauce on it as well as corn and beans. The salad was good but I didn't eat to much because I knew it wasn't that great. Then dinner we went to jack in the box and I hate another slad and this is where I overdid it. The salad was southwest with yummy corn, a ton of black beans, cheese, and chicken which is all great and most of which I can't have in the quantities I had. So it wasn't bad stuff, it was just to much of a few things I am not supposed to eat. I did weigh in at 190.4 so up a little from Saturday. I know what I di and if I had one salad I would have been fine or as soon as i knew there was a sauce all over the chicken I should have not eaten it. oh well can't change it now.
We had a busy weekend. I posted blogs through the weekend to keep myself on track. Yesterday Cody and I had 12 assignments that he needed to catch up on for school so we spent most of the day working in that. We went to watch Shawn play hockey which is always fun because I get to chat with friends and family while I am there. Next week I am going to plan a little better and make sure we eat before we go and have dinner ready or planned when we get home to make my life a little easier and more diet safe.
I am going to the market today to get the healthy food in the house which I was supposed to do on Sat but never fit it in. I also have yet more hommework to do today.
have a good Monday,
Ali

Sunday edition
So I am using the blog to help hold my self accountable over the weekend. I had a ok day yesterday. I worked on my paper all day and Shan took the time to make me 2 eggs with cheese to make sure I was eating because I was living on coffee while typing. We went to a hockey game last night and our normal routine is to go to Chick Fil A before which I totally could have done on this diet but when we got there we couldn't find a seat so we ended up at IHOP. I scanned the menu and they had a healthy section but I was only able to have fish with broccoli and I am sorry but I wouldn't go to IHOP for fish. I ended up with an omelet with mushrooms and spinich. It was very yummy but after ordering it I read that they use a tiny bit of pancake batter to fluff the eggs which means I ate a lot of carbs last night without knowing it. Once I figured it out I only ate half of my omelet.
I weighed in this morning at 189.4 so I am in the 180's Yeah big time for me.
Today we are working on homework with the kids and then tonight we have hockey for Shawn .
Have a good Sunday,
Ali

Saturday Post.

Yesterday I had to go to the Norton Simon art museum in Pasadena to get ready for a big paper I am writing. The problems was I put those stupid almonds in my purse as my snack for the day in case I wasn't able to stop for lunch. Lets just say the almonds were gone by the time we made it to the museum. Note to self DO NOT BUY MORE ALMONDS!!!!

191 this morning.

By the way the museaum was awesome and I was 1 inch from a Van Gogh, my very favorite one of his. Yeah.

Ali

So yesterday was the day that I wanted to eat whatever I could get my hands on that was "bad" for me. I made it through school fine. I almost stopped on the way home and got fast food but I resisted and went home. Once I was home I made the kids mac and cheese and wanted to eat it so bad but instead I threw together anther mushroom pizza and ate that. I drank a ton of water and tea but made it through the night without cheating. I did however eat a few more vanilla almond then I should have but I can have them so that was ok. I have them in my car for emergency situations. I now have them out of my car because I found that everytime I got in the car I was eating them.
My presentation yesterday went pretty well. I hate getting in front of people but by 5 min in I become a loud mouth and love to answer all the questions and stuff. I am however so glad that it is over. Now school become crazy, I have a 10 page paper due in a week, more art projects, and I need to fit time to go to a museum in there somewhere. I am stressed but I always somehow make it through.
So life is crazy but super busy as usual.
So I weighed in this morning at 191.4 so still more weight gone. Yeah.
Well have a great weekend. I will post on Monday and I will be in the 180's.
Ali

Day 3 completed.
So I cheated.... J/k
funny story yesterday when PJ woke up the first thing he said to me was meatball pizza. All day he was talking about meatball pizza. For dinner I decided to make meatball pizza. I was fine having a piece of chicken or something but I got an email after I got home from picking all the ingrediants up for dinner. The email was a recipe for portabella pizza and instead of a crust you use a big mushroom. So the family had regular pizza and I ate a very yummy mushroom pizza with fresh tomato slices, a little motzarella cheese, pepper, and 1 meatball mashed all around. I was actually surprised at how yummy it turned out to be and luckily the mushrooms come in a 2 pack so I may just have one again tonight.
I weighted in this morning at 192.2 whoo hoo. The pounds are going. I am hoping to be in the 180's by the end of the weekend.
Well I am off to do a presentation for 40 people about Feminist art. Fun isn't it.
Ali

Day 2 completed!!!!!
I made it through the second day of dieting. I was even able to go to dinner with a friend from school and ate healthy. My friend Nicole was even nice enough to hide her food behind the napkin holder so I wouldn't have to look at it. All in all is wasn't actually bad at all. I think I am just ready to go this time. I know I have said I was ready and started but in the back of my head I knew I wasn't ready. I am ready for real this time. I am tired of looking at myself one year ago alot thinner and being upset with myself and doing nothing. Plus my goal 2 years ago was to be thin at my graduation and as it is quickly approaching I am not thin so there you go.
School is going well right now. I am getting stressed because I have 2 weeks until finals and have a ton of papers and projects due in the next week or two. Next Thur. I have a 7 page papaer due on a modern artist and I haven't even started it. Not good. I am so thrilled that I have one more quarter until I graduate. I must admit I never knew if I would actually make it to college graduation. I hoped but man it is hard with three kids and I wasn't sure if I just would be able to do it all. I don't know if I told all of you that I passed my CBEST. Yeah for me. I go in 2 weeks for my CSET which will be harder. I am officially on my way to teaching art. Whoo hoo.
Alright well I have a group project tomoroow on Feminst issues and have to do some research and get ready to talk so lots of blah work to do today.
Ali

I know I have said this a million times but there are good and ad things to the begginning of dieting. I had the hardest time last night, I drank so much crystal light just to keep from munching but I was 2.6 pounds lighter this morning. I made it through day 1. I love and hate this diet only because it is super easy to eat because there are few choices, I hate it because there are few choices.
I am off to school today but I prepacked 2 chicken breast with a tiny bit of mushroom soup, yogurt, and a ton more crystal light. Should be pretty easy to make it through the day only because I am non stop all day with very few breaks.
I will chat with you all again tomorrow.
Ali

Man oh man am I ready for a change for real this time. I have ton a ton of research on candida which is the yeast thing that is causing my rash and I have done a ton of research on the diet they recommend. I had a rash similar to this one for years that the docs couldn't figure out a few years ago, I did my low carb diet and it went away and hasn't been seen until now. I never even thought that they went together until I started reading about it. I seems that I need to do low carb and lots of foods with no yeast or sugar. Basically high protein and very little dairy, bread, fruit juices, and a few other things. I will be doing lots of protin like chicken and fish as well as lots of veggies. Some of the symptoms include rapid weight gain and I would have to say 40 pounds in less then a year is pretty rapid. I am mostly looking forward to not only the weight loss but seeing if it helps with all the stupid symptoms I have as well.

Ok so enough about the diet lets talk about something else for awhile. I started a new ceramics style that I am quickly falling in love with and can't get enough of. I am posting a few pics for you guys to see and give me imput if you feel like it. Some of the stuff isn't done so forgive me if they look a little funny.

Oh yeah so I weighed in at 198.2 this morning but I went craiy yesterday knowong I was going super strict again today.

Have a good Monday,

Ali