tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018976598726389512024-03-13T21:59:57.460-04:00The Things I Said I'd Never DoDiscovering humility during the journey of motherhood.Laura @ The Things I Said I'd Never Dohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10441605201926597495noreply@blogger.comBlogger18915tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901897659872638951.post-63701307248824521452013-10-25T06:54:00.000-04:002013-10-25T07:29:19.471-04:00Fit Friday: The Run<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">Gloves? Check.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">Thermal shirt?
Check.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">Head wrap? Check.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">Thermal pants? Nope. This is gonna suck. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I look out the window. Still no sun. I say a brief prayer that the
laws of the universe change and for just once, the sun pops up bright instead
of slowly rising and warming the earth. I needed the sun and I needed it now. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t want to run today. Ten
years in a southern climate has thinned by blood. But it’s only fall. If I let the chill win now,
it’s going to continue to win as the temperatures drop. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I look at my warm couch,
topped with a fleece blanket and sigh.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let’s do this. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first 10 minutes of a run
always suck. I feel heavy and tired and
with every single run I have to convince myself to not turn around and call it
early. With this run I also have to
contend with dropping temperatures and a slow but vicious incline. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Everything is so different
that my runs in Savannah. In Savannah,
when I was on my own, without my running partner/therapist Tonya, I ran before
the sun came up, trying to beat the oppressive heat and humidity. My route was flat, down a lonely sidewalk past
4 half developed neighborhoods- all victims of real
estate bubble burst. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My runs now are anything but
lonely. In Savannah, my only company was the paperboy, who drove down the
street at an unsafe seed, emergency lights flashing. If I did come across another person, I
usually got scared it was some creepy attacker, since fellow morning exercisers
were so rare on my route. Now, I run on
busy streets with thousands of cars going past.
I have to watch for cars at each intersection, grateful for the
opportunity to slow down or stop when one needs to pass. There are other runners too. At least a dozen
through the course of my 3.2 miles, all faster and more graceful than I, but all
friendly and encouraging. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On this run I’m 90% sure I
passed a candidate in the mayoral race. He seemed to hate running as much as
me, but he was going up a brutal hill. He smiled anyway and said hello. I did
the same, though it still won’t make me vote for him. He looked like a jerk on the last televised
debate. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The elevation change on my
Savannah runs was less than 10 feet.
Cincinnati might as well have mountains, with this particular route having
a 500ft elevation change. I glide happily down the hills and grumble painfully
as run back up, often slowing to a walk.
I like this particular route because the final half-mile is all
downhill. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I stride down the last hill,
I realize I’m not cold. I haven’t been in awhile. My nose is running and my toes are chilled
but I’m pretty comfortable temperature-wise. In fact, I feel invigorated.<br />
<br />
I just needed to get started. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Like all fitness and weight
loss routines. You just need to get
started. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><a href="http://www.thingsisaididneverdo.com/2013/10/weight-loss-wednesday-interesting.html" target="_blank">So, Mel was right.</a>
Weight Watchers works. It's not that hard either. Sure it's frustrating that I can't just shove any food I see into my mouth but it's empowering to know I don't have to to survive. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Change from Last week: -2.6<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Total Change: -3.6<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Pounds needed to lose til goal: 21.4<span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<a href="http://es.tinypic.com/?ref=bharg8" target="_blank"><img alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic" border="0" src="http://i34.tinypic.com/bharg8.png" /></a>Laura @ The Things I Said I'd Never Dohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10441605201926597495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901897659872638951.post-24919419518998932362013-10-24T08:16:00.004-04:002013-10-25T07:20:20.197-04:00Candy Crush<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">Yup, Yup, Yup, Nope, Yup, I think that house is empty,
Yup, Absolutely Not, Yup, I think a murderer lives there, Yup, Yup. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">I mentally noted each house as I zipped passed them on my
small purple Schwinn with the pedal breaks. I was canvasing my route. I’d lived in this neighborhood since I was 4
and I knew exactly which houses to hit when the big day approached. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">I thought of what I was going to wear. Mom, who wasn’t the least bit crafty, wasn’t
going to make anything. She was also
thrifty, raising 4 kids on one income, so she certainly wasn’t going to buy me
anything new either. I thought about what my friends wore last year and I
wondered if I could borrow something. I
couldn’t bear another year of being the non-politically correct hobo. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">This was Halloween. You go big or you go home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">When Halloween arrived, I had my route mapped out. This was before city government’s stepped in and
forced Trick or Treat rules and timetables on us. You got home from school, you changed into
your costume and you were out the door before 4. My brothers and I were old enough to hit the
immediate streets without parental guidance. We made our first rounds, then
returned at dusk to empty and assess our earnings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">Someone new moved into the corner house on Sequoia Drive. A dentist.
Toothbrushes? No thanks. Next
year that house will be skipped.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFrEYqAX27NlluoHLNrjMdDfjyVSun2mLNho9aL8aoF6R4grSYHj1Tm6TvCDd2vdVVCQ3zULvoolVhdDaZZFL5wUgGAjWtCo8uglBwWpSShNA_GZuXoT751_VrmSe4wlaQcVyhKtLTW4E/s1600/toothbrush_adult_4200_holiday_halloween_colors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="85" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFrEYqAX27NlluoHLNrjMdDfjyVSun2mLNho9aL8aoF6R4grSYHj1Tm6TvCDd2vdVVCQ3zULvoolVhdDaZZFL5wUgGAjWtCo8uglBwWpSShNA_GZuXoT751_VrmSe4wlaQcVyhKtLTW4E/s320/toothbrush_adult_4200_holiday_halloween_colors.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">As the sun set, we struck off, usually with Dad, to the
next neighborhood over. These were the
bigger, nicer houses equaling bigger, nicer candy. Mini Snickers and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were
passed out instead of lame candy like Smarties, or those weird orange and black
wrapped taffy’s. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0e0e0e;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5v2tAYyhghLVKdi9J_eY8qFEGmKVZMGd8_T3szDeUl_JoCf4rbnGglheObkiqoWl6OA-Im_ACorH3bvFEE4hKGVF7_70T-jgdVKGnhODnnJkkQM1iZT87aDqN9C4zKyQlawKcEDoiT94/s1600/smarties.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5v2tAYyhghLVKdi9J_eY8qFEGmKVZMGd8_T3szDeUl_JoCf4rbnGglheObkiqoWl6OA-Im_ACorH3bvFEE4hKGVF7_70T-jgdVKGnhODnnJkkQM1iZT87aDqN9C4zKyQlawKcEDoiT94/s320/smarties.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">And then there was the big brown house. The one with the pool and waterslide in the
back. The one that passed out the ultimate Halloween Candy prize. You got to that house early, before they ran
out. Every kid went there because every
kid new they passed out King Sized Hershey Bars. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQp-mgGv-PzjWHC8zOwVOEjWKG_TbYRFJ5QULZ7Wvv_P66UqJmQ1RKIHsKkFejxSWRhMAHZty4AuqMCPpnP8U9PzKYES5XP1-wdATZjRoubyWmwoK3kb0RDeikjBMQal7mX7DswLcAPg/s1600/hershey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQp-mgGv-PzjWHC8zOwVOEjWKG_TbYRFJ5QULZ7Wvv_P66UqJmQ1RKIHsKkFejxSWRhMAHZty4AuqMCPpnP8U9PzKYES5XP1-wdATZjRoubyWmwoK3kb0RDeikjBMQal7mX7DswLcAPg/s320/hershey.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">King Sized!! No one
else passed out full sized anything let alone King-Sized.
Hershey bars weren’t even my favorite but the novelty of a full sized
candy bar was too exciting to pass up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">Once we hit that house any other candy earned was just
bonus. When we candy procurement ended,
we headed home to count, tally and trade our wears. 3 Tootie Pops for a Milky Way. “Here Mom, you can have all my Smarties.” Mom then put all our candy up high, rationing
it so we didn’t instantly develop diabetes. I did notice that my stash got
smaller disproportionate to my rations. I’m sure Mom took more than the
Smarties I so generously offered. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">Now I’m an adult and I’m walking my child around with
candy. Soon he’ll be at the age where he
can remember the best houses to hit up. I’m
sure instead of hating on Smarties, Max will be disappointed by the house
passing out vegan, gluten-free, Paleo treats from Whole Foods. He’ll be polite and
say thank you since no one has to participate in the Trick or Treating. But when he skips the house the following year, I won’t blame
him. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0e0e0e;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">This post brought to you by <a href="http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/blog/" target="_blank">Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop</a>!</span><br />
<span style="color: #0e0e0e;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YxiaiIywzgzG2D6ceDYKXQivgh19Rf45Wun7DRXPi_v-nkaiwHkBfFadmJKpQnW4GYjuaAPkoe5j8_FmVnxZdN0nlxPnPcsyW79UhUSQeHsYBxrlNKT9ENbIQzKTSnDeTvpYZ1yqgVY/s1600/workshop-button-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YxiaiIywzgzG2D6ceDYKXQivgh19Rf45Wun7DRXPi_v-nkaiwHkBfFadmJKpQnW4GYjuaAPkoe5j8_FmVnxZdN0nlxPnPcsyW79UhUSQeHsYBxrlNKT9ENbIQzKTSnDeTvpYZ1yqgVY/s1600/workshop-button-1.png" /></a></div>
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<!--EndFragment--><br />
<a href="http://es.tinypic.com/?ref=bharg8" target="_blank"><img alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic" border="0" src="http://i34.tinypic.com/bharg8.png" /></a>Laura @ The Things I Said I'd Never Dohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10441605201926597495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901897659872638951.post-20470373150408967142013-10-21T16:21:00.002-04:002013-10-21T16:21:31.877-04:00Menu Monday: Back in the (Weight Watchers friendly) Saddle
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<br />
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<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">I finally feel back into the swing of things. Delicious meals have been produced and
consumed. My house is somewhat in order. I taught Max a new trick.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw0i_gkiFsQm8R6XOaTbn0CW908uEn3OvE_QNslbip8iSVmna0y9b3I3JVmX7zQYLFbg5eQrOk00g_RYrq-8Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #0e0e0e;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(If you don’t speak 3 year old, he said “the Green Bay
Packers”)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">I also joined <a href="http://www.weightwatchers.com/" target="_blank">Weight Watchers</a>, after <a href="http://www.thingsisaididneverdo.com/2013/10/weight-loss-wednesday-interesting.html" target="_blank">my friend’s experiment</a>. Honestly, I’m not sure how much it will affect
my weekly dinner plan. Most of my really
bad food choices take place during the day, when I mindlessly eat. Or when I got out to eat. Oh, and I drink to
much on weeknights. I tend to be pretty
good during home cooked dinners though I’ll cut back on baking and making
recipes from <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/lapip/" target="_blank">my Pinterest page</a> called <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/lapip/things-that-will-make-me-fat/" target="_blank">“Things that will make me fat”</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">My parents came to visit over the weekend and brought me
these:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0e0e0e;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYha4n2rh9iqY_qH4VQ0TTZGAkreFZkDdIWKj4ph2wKHL4VExQ3f-NfQTDiVa9-ZMqQUH5gvrPf_HHtpRBetQ-XefyZCSBce12FCmQq7ahiO-9bq0vSeG5Zn2MTwA7uYX52o5DgnZIO0/s1600/Photo+Oct+19,+5+13+54+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYha4n2rh9iqY_qH4VQ0TTZGAkreFZkDdIWKj4ph2wKHL4VExQ3f-NfQTDiVa9-ZMqQUH5gvrPf_HHtpRBetQ-XefyZCSBce12FCmQq7ahiO-9bq0vSeG5Zn2MTwA7uYX52o5DgnZIO0/s320/Photo+Oct+19,+5+13+54+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">They will definitely be consumed on a day when I rack up a
lot of activity points!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: large;"><u>Last Week’s Menu</u></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">I never did end up making the <a href="http://chefmommy-brandao.blogspot.ca/2012/03/pork-tenderloin-with-pan-sauce.html" target="_blank">Pork Tenderloin with Pan Sauce</a>,
so it’s added into this week’s menu. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">I loved the <a href="http://dinnerwithjulie.com/2012/11/11/squash-soup-recipe/" target="_blank">Roasted Pumpkin and Pear Soup</a>, though I made
it with butternut squash instead of Pumpkin as my local Kroger was out of
cooking pumpkins. It’s essential to add the goat cheese at the end. Don’t skip it! It adds a tangy creaminess to
the sugar from the pears. It’s a perfect
fall eat! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">The <a href="http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/25/slow-cooker-honey-sriracha-barbecue-chicken-make-ahead-mondays/" target="_blank">Slow Cooker Siracha Honey Barbecue Chicken</a> was
insanely flavorful. Beware, it’s not
your average dump everything in and hit the “on” button kind of slow cooker
dish. It requires a bit more effort, but it’s worth it. I just served it on it’s own, not as a
sandwich topped with fried egg as the recipes suggests. If you cut back on the Siracha it becomes a
very kid friendly dish!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">If you’re a smoothie person, check out the <a href="http://www.rebootwithjoe.com/in-the-reboot-kitchen-cinnaberry-smoothie/" target="_blank">Cinnaberry Smoothie</a>. Most of my smoothies have kale or spinach in them, so it was a nice
change a pace to go greens-free. The cinnamon really makes the smoothie unique.
I cannot recommend the <a href="http://www.fitsugar.com/Flat-Belly-Smoothie-28343926" target="_blank">Pineapple Kale Smoothie</a>. I could barely choke it down. Perhaps if you
added in a banana, it might be palatable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0e0e0e;">The <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/337905/chicken-with-artichokes-and-angel-hair?czone=food%2Fdinner-tonight-center%2Fdinner-tonight-main-courses&gallery=275660&slide=283292&center=276948" target="_blank">Chicken with Artichokes and Pan Sauce</a> was edible but
nothing special. <a href="http://www.tammileetips.com/2013/02/crock-pot-tater-tot-casserole/" target="_blank">Brett loved the Crock Pot Tater-Tot Casserole</a> and Max tolerated
it but I wasn’t a fan. I guess I feel
that it's only good when it's called Tater Tot Hot Dish, made by someone’s Minnesota Mom and
eaten after digging out from a snow storm. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: large;"><u>This Week's Menu</u></span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<b>Meatless Monday: </b> Spinach and Tortellini Soup,
Windy City Crescent Rolls<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Tuesday:</b>
<a href="http://greenlitebites.com/2008/01/08/slow-cooked-pinto-chicken-with-corn-and-quinoa/" target="_blank">Slow Cooked Pinto Chicken with Corn and Quinoa </a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Wednesday:</b>
<a href="http://chefmommy-brandao.blogspot.ca/2012/03/pork-tenderloin-with-pan-sauce.html" target="_blank">Pork Loin with Pan Sauce</a>, <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/crispy-turnip-fries/detail.aspx" target="_blank">Turnip Fries</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Thursday:</b>
Date night to see “<a href="http://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/" target="_blank">Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me</a>”!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Friday:</b> Brett’s
Famous Chili, Tamales<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Saturday: </b><a href="http://savvysavingcouple.net/2013/03/15/lemon-parmesan-herb-crusted-fresh-baked-cod-fish/" target="_blank">Lemon Parmesans Cod</a>, <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/crispy-cauliflower-with-capers-raisins-and-breadcrumbs" target="_blank">Crispy Cauliflower Capers Raisin and Breadcrumbs</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Sunday:</b>
Leftovers<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Smoothies: </b><a href="http://thelemonbowl.com/2013/03/mango-coconut-green-smoothie.html" target="_blank">Mango Coconut Green Smoothie</a>, <a href="http://www.caramelpotatoes.com/2013/04/12/mango-avocado-smoothie/" target="_blank">Mango Avocado Smoothie</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<a href="http://es.tinypic.com/?ref=bharg8" target="_blank"><img alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic" border="0" src="http://i34.tinypic.com/bharg8.png" /></a>Laura @ The Things I Said I'd Never Dohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10441605201926597495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901897659872638951.post-32527149758652469622013-10-17T17:44:00.001-04:002013-10-17T19:19:55.115-04:00You're Damned if you Do and You're Damned if you Don't<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="http://themattwalshblog.com/2013/10/09/youre-a-stay-at-home-mom-what-do-you-do-all-day/" target="_blank">This</a> blog post has been
making the rounds on Facebook over the past few days and it’s brought up an
issue that has been weighing heavy on my heart. Its not so much the blog post
that bothers me as it is the vitriolic, one sided comments that follow. Over 10,000 since the last time I checked. <o:p></o:p></div>
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To save you from falling down
the hole that I did, I’ll summarize. Man writes a post defending his wife and
all other Stay-At-Home-Moms (SAHM) from the questions “What do you do all
day”. Comments explode. <o:p></o:p></div>
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SAHMs praised the post, talk
about how their job is thankless, bitch that they work harder than anyone else,
discuss how society (especially Working Moms) look down at them and say that
Working Moms are messing up their children by working. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Working Moms say nasty things
about the post, talk about how their job is thankless, bitch that they work
harder than anyone else, discuss how society (especially SAHM) look down at
them and say that SAHMs are messing up their children by not working.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ve been a Working Mom and a
Stay-at-Home Mom and I found one consistency through both:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">You’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you
don’t. </span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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When I worked, even part time,
I ALWAYS felt judged about leaving Max behind. There was always some guilt that
working made me a bad mom and that I was choosing my wellbeing over his. Now that I don’t work I ALWAYS feel judged
that I’m “just a Mom” who, because I stay at home, has no aspirations and sits around
on her ass all day. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Neither side is very fun. I’m
working hard to stop caring about how other people view my choices. So, in
order to do that, I need to make the following two statements. <o:p></o:p></div>
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1) If you judge a mom for
working- get over yourself <o:p></o:p></div>
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2) If you judge a mom for
staying at home- get over yourself<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(My first draft used much stronger language than “get
over yourself”. Then I thought better.)</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Neither situation is easy or
ideal. When I worked, I had days where I wanted to tell all my co-workers where
they could shove it and quit on the spot to stay at home. Now, there are days I
would love to be in a quiet office where I only had to metaphorically wipe
asses instead of actually wipe asses. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m also VERY aware that I’m
lucky I have the choice to stay home. The majority of families require two
incomes to survive and the fact one parent wants to stay home with the kids
can’t even enter into the equation. Single moms get even less of a break. I
would never begrudge anyone for being a working parent whether it be because
they have to or because they want to.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As far as I’m concerned, if
your children are loved unconditionally and they are being taught kindness and
compassion you are doing a good job. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Women need to stop tearing
each other down for their choices. These Mommy Wars are pointless and ugly. Everyone
is just trying to survive and do what is best for her family. What works for
you may not work for me. And vice versa. Screaming about how you have it so
tough and everyone doing it the other way is wrong doesn’t help anything. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m not perfect. I’ve judged too. It’s human nature to do
so. However, I only feel shitty when I
do it. So next time I start to question a
parenting decision, or roll my eyes when I hear about a different perspective
on discipline that I think is alarmist, I’m going to stop at do the following. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><!--[endif]-->Take a deep breath<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><!--[endif]-->Thank the universe for all I’ve been given<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><!--[endif]-->Remind myself only I know what is best for my family<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><!--[endif]-->Remind myself I don’t know what is best for your
family<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->5.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><!--[endif]-->Remember that everyone has their struggles, even if I
can’t see them<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->6.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><!--[endif]-->Move on<o:p></o:p></div>
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Hopefully, this will help me
when I find myself getting upset at the blistering comments and opinions that
can make the internet (and less often, real life) suck. Instead of falling down
the hole reading anonymous folks spew hatred about how everyone sucks at
parenting, I can instead walk away. <span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<a href="http://es.tinypic.com/?ref=bharg8" target="_blank"><img alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic" border="0" src="http://i34.tinypic.com/bharg8.png" /></a>Laura @ The Things I Said I'd Never Dohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10441605201926597495noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901897659872638951.post-79606937546690591072013-10-16T20:50:00.001-04:002013-10-16T20:50:30.963-04:00Weight Loss Wednesday: An Interesting Experiment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>As usual, I haven’t
made anything my priority recently, especially my weight loss and blog. It’s been so hard and with no results, I
basically gave up. After sharing my struggles on Facebook, my friend Mel
reached out to me with a very interesting experiment. Her results were pretty
shocking and I asked if she would be willing to share it on the blog. Here’s
what she did: </i></div>
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Many thanks to Laura for letting me share my interesting
weight loss experience with you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We have all faced that moment with weight loss. That one where you throw your hands up and
say, “I have had it!” There may be tears
or anger or stomping around, but it comes to nearly all of us at some point. My moment came two weeks ago as I realized I
had been struggling to lose the same 5 pounds for over three months with no
success. Don’t lie, we have all been
there. I realized it was finally time to
get serious and execute a plan.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As I have had much success with Weight Watchers in the past,
I turned there first. However, when
faced with a $50-$60 price tag for 5 measly little pounds, I said “No!” More than $10 for each pound? I opted instead for the FREE MyFitnessPal,
thinking that curbing calories and writing things down would be almost like Weight
Watchers. And it was free!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Armed with a target of 1520 calories per day, I set out and
documented <u>everything</u> I ate for five days. I was rocking this. I found that I didn’t even need to adjust my
daily diet very much to stay under the goal.
Then after day five I hit a horrible realization. The scale wasn’t going down. No not in the least. It was actually trending in the other
direction.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I sat down and had a good pout before I let my engineer
brain take over. I had always lost on
WW, but what was I missing here? Unless
my body was seriously wacked out, something with the system was wrong. I bit the bullet and signed up for Weight Watchers
again. (Can I explain how desperate I
was to lose this weight?) I plopped down
$60 for a three month online subscription.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Once I was again privy to their system (of beautiful
equations), I compared what I was doing with MFP against the WW system. Below is what I ate for my comparison day:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAbVpXZdgNtq3OQ6IQrRx4PILvISwjRUfqpyH7h4-BR5dXdoIZluJ1m1EwFF01M7PO5FY2tGRlCknU0LuYiK9oo3DSSb9d9IxjVb9qAmfpZhuGfF7ipKDV1IZzDOH3N2u6KugiFyxMPnA/s1600/ww.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAbVpXZdgNtq3OQ6IQrRx4PILvISwjRUfqpyH7h4-BR5dXdoIZluJ1m1EwFF01M7PO5FY2tGRlCknU0LuYiK9oo3DSSb9d9IxjVb9qAmfpZhuGfF7ipKDV1IZzDOH3N2u6KugiFyxMPnA/s400/ww.png" width="265" /></a></div>
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MFP told me this was 1,414 calories, well under my goal of
1520. WW had given me a daily target of
27 points, with a weekly allowance of 49 extra points. When I gave WW my diet for that day, it
calculated 42 points! For that day
alone!!! I was eating like this nearly
everyday. As I extrapolated, I realized
that I would have used 294 WW points in a week eating this way. WW was giving me a max of 239 points. No wonder I was still gaining weight!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I realize that for my diet, WW’s multivariable approach
(fat, protein, carbs, and fiber) for evaluating your diet works much better for
me than just tracking calories. Now that
I switched, I can already tell the program is working. I am making much better food choices by
adding more fruits, veggies and protein into my diet, and my clothes are
starting to fit better again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Your weight loss journey may take you to a different
solution, but mine has left me square in the arms of WW once again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Thank you Mel! It appears I'll be checking out my local Weight Watchers office soon. </i></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<br />
<a href="http://es.tinypic.com/?ref=bharg8" target="_blank"><img alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic" border="0" src="http://i34.tinypic.com/bharg8.png" /></a>Laura @ The Things I Said I'd Never Dohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10441605201926597495noreply@blogger.com1