2 Week Notice

Hiii everyone!

Betcha thought I had given up on blogging again, huh?

Not so!

I have had a crazy couple of weeks which left me with limited blogging time.

Forgive me?

"I'm sorrry!"

Thanks, I knew you would. :)

So, what has been going on the past couple of weeks?

I'm so glad you asked!

Besides having the past few weekends full of fundraisers and other youth related activities, a couple of big changes have been in the works.

Time for Change

For the past year and a half I have been working for a local insurance company as a Customer Service Representative. While I enjoy my job, it's flexibility and the fact that it is only 2 minutes away from where I live, it was never something I planned to make a career out of.

A couple of weeks ago I took on a second job helping my sister as a nanny to four adorable children. She started the job a little over two years ago when there were only two of them (girl cousins), and last year both girls became BIG sisters! While the new babies were still infants they naturally spent most of the time with their mom's, but since both babies recently celebrated their first birthdays and are walking, things can get a bit crazy.

"Why is this happening?!"

I really enjoy hanging out with the kiddos, and there is never a dull moment!

As if starting a new part-time job (on top of working my current job, going to school, and fulfilling church related duties) isn't enough craziness, there's more. Remember when I said that insurance is not really my lifetime career goal? Well, teaching is. One of the reasons I was so thrilled to begin working with my sister was because I would be able to get back to doing something I absolutely LOVE: working with kids.

A couple of months ago I was chatting with a close friend, who is a teacher, and she suggested that I start applying for Aide positions within our local school districts to "get my foot in the door". I took this advice to heart and began applying for various positions whenever one would come up. I wasn't actively searching for a new job, but figured when the time was right, it would just happen.

Well, it happened.

Last Thursday I interviewed for a part time Special Education Teacher's Aide position, and was offered the job the very next day. I was ecstatic to say the least!  

I will begin working the first week of May since school is out for Spring Break right now, then will be off work through the summer, starting back in the Fall when the new school year begins. A few weeks ago this would have stressed me to the max because I obviously have to quit my current job at the insurance company, leaving me with no job at all through the summer. But since I started working with my sister, I will continue as a part time nanny through the summer, so I will not be unemployed!

The timing of it all has been seriously, impeccable. God. never. fails.

 I feel like I am finally on the way to my long term career goal of teaching, and I am thrilled!

Since I will be in a transition phase over the next few weeks, please bare with me! I will continue blogging, but I'm not sure what my schedule will be. I'll definitely be keeping you posted on how things are going with the new job! :-)

xoxo

Discuss

-Any tips for someone starting a new job?

Do as I say, not as I do!

Hello, lovelies! Hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

Mine looked a little like this:

"Straw-ba-ba-ba-ba-berry!"

Katrina could hardly wait to dig into this!

Carrot Cake FroYo? Yes, please!

Um, ya.

To say I overdid it in the sweets department would be the understatement of the year...it was definitely a "Do as I say, not as I do" kind of weekend.

Thank God for Mondays!
 
Weekly Goals
I typically set a few health/fitness related goals at the beginning of each week to keep me on track, so I thought I'd share this week's goals with all of you.

1. Obviously I need to work on my self control this week! (See above pics if you can't see why).

2. I would like to incorporate more vegetables into each meal. I have NO problem including loads of fresh fruit in my diet, but vegetables are sometimes a little more difficult.

3. Lastly, I want complete five sessions of at least 30 minutes of cardio. I typically jog or workout on the Precor twice a week, which is OK but not great. I really need to step it up this week!

I'll let you know next week whether or not I accomplished each goal.

If I can maintain the motivation I'm feeling today, things are lookin' pretty good!

xoxo

Discuss

-Do you set weekly goals? If so, feel free to share some of them!

No Pudge, No Problem!

Good morning guys!

I hope you all had a great April Fools Day and weren't pranked too badly. Unfortunately for me I'm pretty much always the pranked and never the prankster. Some may say it's because of my extreme gullibility, but really I just act fooled to make them feel good.

We'll stick with that theory here at WYC, mmkay? ;o)

This post will be short and sweet because I have a fun and busy Saturday to get to!

And when I say sweet I'm not kidding, trust me.

Remember Thursday when I told you I was hosting a Gold Canyon party and was planning to make Weight Watcher friendly desserts and appetizers? Well I did it, and I think it was a pretty big success!

The spread

I didn't get to take any pictures once the party got started (I was too busy sticking my nose is dozens of delicious smelling candles...and coffee beans, of course!) which is why everything is covered here.

Point Values


I used this recipe from Gina's blog for the Taco Dip, served with baked tortilla chips. The dip was only 2 points per serving, and the chips 3 points. Score!

Katrina asked for something fruity, so being the loving sister I am (!!), I went back to Gina and found her recipe for Fruit Kabobs with a low-fat Fruit Dip that was super light and a great accent to the strawberries, pineapple and grapes. The fruit was zero points, of course, and the dip was only 1 point per serving. 

And now for the most incredible recipe I have encountered in this lifetime so far: No Pudge! Marshmallow Graham Treats! Holy delicious, you must try these!

No Pudge! Marshmallow Graham Treats
Makes 16 serving. 3 points each.

1 box Fat-free brownie mix (I used Betty Crocker's)
2/3 cup Non-fat Vanilla Yogurt
2 cups  Mini Marshmallows
2 Graham Crackers, crushed
2 Tbsp Chocolate Syrup (I used Hershey's Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup)

Prepare brownies as instructed on the box, add yogurt and bake.

Once they are finished baking, spread marshmallows evenly across the top and bake again at 350 degrees, until slightly browned. (The original recipe says 2 to 4 minutes but mine took about 7.)

Let the brownies cool for a few minutes, then add crushed graham crackers and chocolate syrup.

"I'll take two, please!"

It's that simple! Adding the yogurt gave the brownies a super moist texture, and  they are not small by any means. This picture does not do these babies justice!

Ah-ma-zing!


Well, I'm off to get ready for Big Hat Day in Clovis!

I'm thinking maybe this one?

Hope you all get to enjoy some sunshine this beautiful Saturday!

xoxo

Discuss


What's your favorite "diet" dessert recipe?

"Ba-ba-ga-nooosh"

Wow, this day has gone by FAST! I hope everyone else has had a fantastic Thursday!

If you haven't already heard, I'm back in the blogging business! 

Today's Eats

(I apologize in advance for the less that professional pictures. I'm having issues with my camera and had to use my iPhone for the pics below!)

Today's breakfast was my version of an Egg McMuffin, along with an orange the size of my fist! 

6 point+ Breakfast

I actually ended up saving the orange since I was in a hurry to get to class and didn't want to risk getting a ticket for "peeling and driving". Trust me, if it was possible to be pulled over for such a thing, it'd happen to me first!

For lunch I planned to pick up something for my sister and I since she was working today. I had a buy-one-get-one coupon for The Pita Pit which we both LOVE so we were happy campers. That is, after she called me forty-seven a few times claiming she would DIE if she wasn't fed immediately. 

Don't worry sis, I gotcha covered! 

10 point+

I enjoyed my favorite Babaganoush pita loaded with tons of fresh veggies. The fact that it's my favorite has everything absolutely nothing to do with how cool saying "ba-ba-ga-nooosh" sounds!

Katrina had a Chicken Florentine pita that was not pictured because she practically swallowed it whole!  That's okay, I won't judge you. 

Since I hadn't blogged yet for the day I decided to visit Panera Bread for dinner and blogging. They have this awesome feature on their website that allows you to create a meal and see all of the nutritional information so I was able to calculate points before ordering. Win!

Salad: 5 point+, Sandwich: 8 point+
Total: 13 point+

After much deliberation, I decided to take advantage of their "You Pick 2" option and chose the Greek salad and Mediterranean Veggie sandwich with an apple on the side. Yummy! 

The combination of my meals for today come to a Point+ value of 28. My daily allowance is 29, so I am right on track. 

Typically I eat most meals at home (I don't remember the last time I had this much "fast-food" in one day!), but today was sort of busy and sometimes you just gotta go with the flow. 

One of the awesome things about the Weight Watchers program is that you CAN eat out and still stick with the plan. My meals today are proof! 

Weekly Weigh In

Thursday is usually the day that I go to my normal Weight Watchers meeting and weigh-in. I didn't have time to stay for a meeting today (shame on me!), but was able to run in and step on a scale. 

Being that I'm now blogging about my WW journey I would love to be able to come here and announce some huge weight loss, but I actually weighed the same as last week. I'll admit I was a bit disappointed at first, but then I remembered that not losing is better than gaining, and I did have kind of an off weekend (lots of on-the-go eating) so it's OK. I will just do better this week! 

Well that's all I've got for today, folks! 

I am off to the gym to get in a rockin' cardio sesh, then home to get things ready for a Gold Canyon party I'm hosting tomorrow evening. I plan to prepare all Weight Watcher friendly appetizers and desserts, so I'll let you know how it goes!

Enjoy your evening!

Discuss

-How do you handle disappointment at the scale?

-What are some ways you motivate yourself to do better the next week?

I'm Back!

I have finally made a decision. Not that anyone knew there was a decision to be made, but that's besides the point! After much deliberation, I have decided to rejoin the blogging world. After all, it would be a shame to let such a rockin' blog name go to waste, right? ;-)

I've been tossing the idea around since the beginning of the year, but ended up talking myself out of it every time. You see, if I don't know that I will be 100% committed to something, I don't want to even attempt it. That's right everyone, I have commitment issues. Ha.

 Anyway, I finally decided to give it a shot so...here I am!

My Plans for the Blog

Originally this blog started out as something my sister and I would use to promote positive self-image, confidence, etc., and I still want to do that, but with a bit of a twist.

"Change is a comin'!"

See, I joined Weight Watchers a little over a month ago and am constantly looking for ways to keep myself accountable to the plan. I follow several healthy living blogs, and reading about other peoples success and ideas really has helped keep me on track. So with that in mind, I have decided to use WYC as a place to share various day to day eats and activities...basically holding myself accountable to all of YOU! 

Great idea, huh?

I'm sure as I get into a blogging routine I will discuss various other topics but we'll just play it by ear, mmkay? :-)

I'm off to finish up some work stuff, but check back tomorrow for the beginning of a new chapter here at WYC!

xoxo

Discuss:

Most of the blogs I follow leave a thought provoking question for readers to respond to at the end of each post, which I love and want to start doing here. I know it will probably be a while before I have any "readers" (if ever!), but let's just be optimistic!

Here goes:

- Fellow bloggers: What's one piece of advice you would give to someone just starting out in the blog world (ahem, me!)?
- How do you hold yourself accountable to a new diet/workout routine/hobby? 

Another Giveaway!

Hello bloggy world!

Unfortunately, it seems that the only time I use this blog is to enter giveaways, but hey, it works!

Which leads me to this:



Evy's Tree is previewing their Spring 2011 collection this week, and you know what that means: Giveaways. That's right people, a whole week full of them!

Hop on over to the Evy's Tree blog to check out the new collection and enter to win big!

Have a lovely day!

xoxo