My 19 Day Diet Update

It's been that long since I've been here with an update and one of the reasons for my absence is that nothing has happened in 19 days! Can you believe that? I'm only consuming between 1200 and 1500 cals a day and yet I'm stuck at an undesirable weight with a vacation looming on the horizon? What's an active mom of 2, babysitter to a 3rd to think? Sigh.

Is my body just in a funk? Is this what turning 38 looks like? I've only been 38 for just a few days now, but something is definitely different. It used to take so little effort for me to drop 10 or 15 lbs if I needed to, but now the inner workings of my body are somewhat a mystery to me. Just when you think you've figured something out it goes and changes on you... isn't that just the way?

So all I can say is I would like my scale to show a 3 lbs deficit from where I stand today within the next two weeks. Ultimately I'd like to see a total of 10 more lbs off by Christmas. Yet I dream. Disney claims dreams really do come true. You think there's any hope for this not so princess-like 38 year old mom? Guess time will tell... and maybe a little pixie dust. Anyone have some handy?

Friday at Home with Kids (and work)!

My kids have no school today and I recently started babysitting a little girl, so I'm home today with 3 children! lol Youngest is almost 2, oldest is 8 and they can't play outside. It's too cold and wet, so here we are on a Friday morning in front of the television and computer, wondering what to do next. lol

It's still early in the day and I plan on taking them out, but the question is where? The other question I wanted to address given the nature of this blog is whether or not I can still earn a few extra dollars today? That answer is easy. Surely I can! The little one takes a nap in the afternoon and the other two are old enough to keep busy (and quiet) when given a project. So, this afternoon will be somewhat structured for anyone not sleeping. lol

As for where to take the kids? That I still haven't figured out. Handling 3 isn't easy outside the house. I need to go to the bank and that will be simple enough given we don't have to leave the comfort of the car to do so. The park is out because of the weather, so I'm thinking possibly taking them to the mall. The closest mall has a play structure for kids and it's free. Can't get much better than that except for the germies that will no doubt be lurking there.

In any case, it's Friday and I have always loved Fridays... whether working outside the house or not. It's a more laid back day for the kids... even on school days. We take it easy Friday evenings and I usually let my children stay up with their dad as late as they want to, while I go to bed early and watch movies on my big screen! lol Relaxation paradise! Ahhh! Can't wait!

Now, if I could only figure out how to get my laptop to work upstairs all would be right with my world!

I Dream of Activewear... and Blue Jeans

Oh yes... that's my confession... I am dreaming of being comfortable at home, when out and about with my family, and when exercising. To me active wear is everyday wear. I love to be comfortable, but also want to look good. What does that mean? No sweatpants and t-shirts! lol I am dreaming of shopping for new active wear for everyday of the week and for almost any occasion. :)

So, where does my dream of shopping for active wear lead me? It's currently led me to Talbots! I'm going to imagine what I would buy at Talbots if I were to say... win maybe $500? I'm going to buy (with my imaginary money) the Scoopneck Sweater in black and the matching pull-on pants... and in fact I'd take another set in grey! Then I'd take the Velour pull-on pants in the wine color along with the matching Velour jacket. This would look great with my favorite white v-neck t-shirt! Finally I'd use the rest of my imaginary money to buy tank tops in a variety of colors... let's say ivory, burgundy, pink, pale green, and black. :) Look at the screenshot below to see just how many color options you have!

This site offers great style with a rich look at affordable prices. I'm having a lot of fun visiting the various departments and although my imaginary $500 has been spent, I'm going to imagine I have just $34 more dollars and shop for a pair of bootcut jeans! They look so incredible comfortable and since I'm a blue jean's snob, I must have them!

By the way, how many of you have been following my blog and have consequently learned about Talbots red chair confessions? If you're new here, go there now and check out the Talbots blog... which is very entertaining... especially if you haven't already watched the confessions of the just recently revealed mystery!

Another Weightloss Update

I'm not feeling my clothing fit any looser yet... but I've lost another 2 lbs! So, that makes 5 or 6... my scale can't quite decide. I really could use a new scale to tell you the truth as the one I have is so inaccurate I tend to take 5 readings and accept the one in the middle! lol

I have a good feeling about reaching my short term goal of losing 15 lbs, and then another 10 at some point. The last 10 can come off slower... I know it will and I'm good with that. They always say it's better to loose weight slowly right?

Switching gears slightly, I haven't had a good week. I'm fighting a cold that I originally hoped to be allergies... on the other hand at least it's not h1n1! My special needs son had a really bad... meaning highly emotional evening yesterday... really wearing me down further and my niece who I am now watching during the day had a seizure in my van yesterday morning. It was either her first, or the first one anyone has identified as being a seizure.

On another front, I have a huge undertaking that will wrap up in just one month's time. So... looking forward to that event to be fulfilled! Planning a women's retreat is somewhat like planning a wedding, except that you have 3 meals to plan for instead of one! In all fairness it's a lot of fun too.

Okey Dokey, I'm off to pop some more Mucinex before the floodgates open again! Nuff said?

Choosing a Web Hosting Service

What better way to find a new web hosting site than to review the best options out there side by side? You can take 10 web masters or bloggers and find that there are 10 different lists of priorities when looking for the best host. Some of us have cost as priority number 1, others are looking for unlimited storage space and unlimited domains. Whatever you're searching for, you'll find a fit through Web Hosting Geeks.

A great way to find your next web hosting service is to check out Web Hosting Geeks best of 2009 list. They've compiled a "best of" list for web hosting services under $10, all of which include at least 1 free domain and include some sort of money back guarantee for a stated period of time.

I'm looking at this list and I'm somewhat surprised that one of the best known hosting services, at least to me, is outbeat by 8 of it's lesser known competitors! This is why you really want to visit this site. Do your homework before subscribing to a web hosting service just as you would making any other kind of purchase.

A great way to do this homework is to add the Web Hosting Geeks blog to your research library. Once you have your host in place, take some time to learn about SEO tricks and tools. For example, within the fantastic toolkit on their webmaster blog, you'll find a great keyword research tool. This is just one example of a way you can aid the promotion of your site without spending any money. It's a free tool, just waiting for you to access!

Ending First Week of New Diet

Last Tuesday marked the start of my latest attempt to drop 15 lbs and so far I've lost 3! I don't necessarily expect every week to be that good, but we'll see what happens.

I'm eating between 1200 and 1300 calories a day until I lose 10 lbs, then will start back up at about 1400-1500 until I reach my goal. I don't know how I settle on this formula, but I've done it so many times in the past and it's always worked for me.

What am I eating? A lot of protein through boiled/lightened seasoned skinless/boneless chicken, the leanest ground turkey available, and from a variety of beans. I'm also eating a lot more cooked veggies... usually tossed together with my meat and beans and about 3/4 cup of brown rice. I often throw in 1/4 cup of chopped onion too... really like the extra flavor and crunch! lol

I'm also really enjoying Kellog's Special K bars. I actually went to Sam's Club looking for something else, but settled (or so I thought) for the Special K. Turns out I prefer them to what I went looking for, and these protein/mean bars have 40 less cals per serving that what I was buying before!

So, I'll keep my reader's posted. This weight although isn't a lot to lose is essential if my Winter wardrobe is going to fit. I don't have the budget to buy new clothing, so the only other option is to lose the weight! lol I have some really nice clothes that I've never worn because of the battle of the bulge. My husband still thinks I'm a size medium, lol and he loves to buy me clothing for my birthday and Christmas, so there ya go!

Informational Sharing Club

This is sorta cool... I just found this site described as a "premium advice and information sharing club" where you can access an online community of experts in order to attain professional advice and information. If you have a specific talent or expertise in a certain field, you may qualify to become an advisor, giving you the ability to create custom pages, sharing when you're available to provide information and what you'll charge for the information... that's right, this is a money making opportunity for those of you looking to earn a few extra dollars.

WisdomPan also provides a great toll for those seeking advice, through it's blogs and message boards. Ask an expert and be assured you're getting unbiased direction. The experts at WisdomPan.com are carefully tracked and rated, meaning you can be assured they're accountable to giving you top-notch advice.

Adventures in Babysitting

So, I finally made it to the day when both my kids are in school all day, spent around 6 weeks home alone with all the freedom a mom could ask for and found myself a bit lonely. This despite being active in a women's leadership committee, and directing another committee. Just so much time spent at home (alone) on my computer making no more money than when my kids were home and I was... well, on the computer. lol

I typically spend a couple hours online a day and since my office space is my living room, which is also the play room, tv room, and family life central, I have always been able to work with my kids home. I actually thought I'd somehow blossom out when they went to school, as a major mompreneur as I like to call it, but more than anything else, I was bored.

So... when a family member asked if I'd like to babysit his little girl I felt a bit excited. It only took a few days to make up my mind that yes, I 100% wanted the job. So... today is day one, with a nearly 2 year old playing at my feet with my daughter's kitchen toys. I'll not be spending more time on my computer and possibly less, but will make good use of my time while she's napping and content playing solo. Today all the toys here are new to her, so she's super content playing at my feet, tomorrow I'll likely be helping her build and destroy mega block houses and plastic food sandwiches. lol

What do women make babysitting? I haven't really compared and I realize there must be many variables such as location and age of the child. I'm being paid $150 a week for about 10 hours a day. That's basically $30 a day, 5 days a week to watch my niece. I think everyone wins in this deal!