TODAY'S MOTIVATION

Today I am simply thinking of the satisfaction that is felt from achievement rather than the hopelessness that is felt from failing. 

RANT OR RAVE

Home made gifts are always the best, always made from the heart. I received some goodies this year but it just isn't the same when you can't have any of it.  There are so many things sitting in my kitchen right now including peanut butter balls (my favourite), bits n' bites, banana bread (oh my goodness!), "hello dollies" (heavenly), cookies, jelly bellies, jellies, jams.   How am I going to get rid of all of it?  

Ok I ate some of the jelly bellies. 

What can I say? Juicy pear is my favourite flavour!

RANDOMS

Christmas with Maya was fun, she actually loved opening presents. I thought she would just be interested in tearing paper and putting it in her mouth but she actually opened them and played with the toys. How was Christmas at your house?

When we were at my parent's house Maya got to spend time with her two year old cousin. The two of them are just so precious together. Here you can see her cousin trying to feed her during meal time. 

Just like two peas in a pod. 

I've Made It This Far

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

Well I only have one more Christmas get together to go to. So far I have made it through all of them without any bad foods. By bad foods I mean ones that are rich and high in fat. So why would I spoil that if I've already made it this far?

RANT OR RAVE

What? There is a web site that gives thousands of free workout routines and exercises? Hmmmm. I haven't checked out any of the videos yet but how cool is that? Free. I guess there really are no excuses. 

RANDOMS

So Chris was away for two days for work and when he returned home I made a big deal and was like, "Look Daddy's home!". Then of course Chris made a big deal about missing Maya and had a big excited face when he came in the door.  Maya was overcome with emotion and her lips started trembling as soon as she saw her Dad. Then it turned into a full out cry! She started screaming. You may think that she is scared of her Dad or that she doesn't like him, but actually, she seems to be the type of kid that just gets overwhelmed when there is a big deal made and doesn't know how to react other than to cry. This is not the first time she did this when she has been away from her Dad so in the moment I grabbed the camera and took some pictures for her first year scrapbook.

Within a few minutes they were like two peas in a pod again!

Raid My Sister's Closet

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

The other day I borrowed a sweater from someone and it was too big for me. It's been a while since I have been able to borrow something like a sweater because most of my family and friends are thin and I never fit into their size. My sister and I used to go back and forth and give each other clothes, depending on who weighed more at the time. But my sister has been a lot skinnier than me for the last few years and the clothes swapping has stopped. I am hoping one day I can raid my sister's closet and fit into her clothes again - and then tease her that I look better in them like I did in high school :)

Also, during a follow up appointment with my doctor this morning she weighed me which she hasn't done in a while. I asked her what my weight was at my first pre-natal appointment with Maya and compared it to my weight today. It was nice to have an actual reliable comparison because up until this point I had to use my best guess - but it was right on - I am down 32 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight.  It was good to know my guess was right. On top of it I gained 35 lbs with my pregnancy and that is all gone too.  I hope to lose more before I go back to work (and with having to do a low fat diet for my gall bladder I think it is inevitable).  It's been a slow process, but slow and steady wins the race right? So these are the things which motivate me today. 

RANT OR RAVE

I have been getting a tad bit cranky today because the meal plan I was following I am no longer doing. Before I was focusing mostly on high fibre, low fat foods (with very limited starches) but now I have to basically do no fat foods at all (except naturally occurring fats in fruits, veggies, meats). That means the salad dressings I eat have to be different, there's no room for modest amounts of margarine or cheese, and I can't cook with olive oil like I used to (at least that's what my doctor says).  It's hard when you get used to a way of doing things and then you have to switch it up, know what I mean? I avoided going to a Christmas party my friend's Mom had the other day just because I knew I would be offered so many things that I could not say yes to. Most of the time I have no problem saying "No", but sometimes it gets to me and that particular night I already had to eat out for a friend's birthday (luckily the restaurant had a few fat free options) and I had my fill of soiree's that evening. 

RANDOMS

Once a year around the holiday season we take our dog Gunther to get pampered at the groomers. This morning he came back soft and smelling fresh! They even put a Christmas bandana on him. Normally I would think that is a bit cheesy, but isn't he the handsomest dog ever?

Toes

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

The other day I was doing stretches at my cardio kickboxing class and I was thinking how great it is to be able to bend over and touch my toes. People who are extremely overweight can't do that.  That would suck.  That keeps me motivated. 

RANT OR RAVE

So my cleaning lady decided to leave a bunch of home made short bread cookies for us since it is the holiday season. Not cool. 

RANDOMS

Dinner time was a big deal today at our household. I learned that Maya cut her first tooth AND she started saying "Ma Ma". My little precious itty bitty baby girl is just growing up so fast!