Diet Update

Well I didn't lose as much as I wanted on SBD, but I did end up losing 9 lbs in two weeks. Now I enter into Phase 2 where I get to eat more foods. I am so glad. The best news is, I can buy premade lunches now and not have to worry about cooking or salads! Yippee. LOL.

Reward System

Is going GREAT. Chayleigh filled the jar on Tuesday and was able to go to the store and pick out a few new books. She was super excited. We started all over again and she is already a quarter or so on her way to a new book. She finally understands that good behavior gets her a ball and the bad behavior loses it. So glad that we tried it.

Our hairdresser fired Chayleigh

She "J" asked that we not bring her back. "J" does not want to cut her hair anymore. The reason, Chayleigh cried when "J"cut her hair. Umm, she is two. Isn't that a normal reaction? Anyway, fine by me. Honestly, it is a bang cut. I should be able to handle that, right? Shit, yesterday sucked. LOL.

** ETA** "J" owns the business. She is an independent person whom DH has seen for 10 years or so. I don't like her and I won't let her do my hair. DH wanted Chayleigh to get hers done there because this woman used to teach at the beauty school, so she is good at what she does. Unfortunately, that doesn't include small children I guess.

Cherry Jello

I am not allowed to make jello at home anymore. I was making it yesterday and dropped the bowl. It got red everywhere. Luckily the Magic Clean Eraser was able to get it off the counter/floor/dishwasher, but I did ruin one of my favorite shirts. DH was able to get the red out of my pants and the rug, but alas not my shirt. Oh well. Guess that is why they sell it ready made huh? LOL.

Yummy Recipe

Even if you aren't doing SB, this is a yummy breakfast you can eat and Chayleigh LOVED it. Although I gave her regular syrup, I used sugar free (which only has 35 calories per 1/4 cup and imo doesn't taste that different).

Mock French Toast
1 c. part-skim ricotta
2 eggs
2 packets Splenda
2 tsp. vanilla
cinnamon (to taste)

Blend everything in blender. Spray frying pan with cooking spray. Cook each crepe over medium to low heat (it takes awhile to cook--don't touch them until they look sort of dry on top). They are very delicate and are sometimes difficult to flip. The trick is not to be too hesitant -- they bend a bit when you're trying to slip the spatula underneath, but just keep pushing and then flip quickly!

I made them small, so they didn't rip, but you can make them bigger if you want. One recipe is enough for you and your toddler. If you are wanting it for the whole family, I would double the recipe. Beware though cause your toddler is going to LOVE them. Chayleigh ate four and 6 strawberries.

Dieting

Well I am joining in on the diet craze for 2007. I decided that by the time I am 30, I am going to weigh close to what I am supposed to weigh. Therefore, I have a bit to lose. I am joining my friend Barb on the South Beach Diet. I started on Sunday and as of today, I have lost about 5 lbs. I bought a Weight Watcher's scale from Costco on Tuesday and since Tuesday I have lost the weight, so I guess that is a good thing, right? Anyway, the scale is pretty neat. It has the ability to track four different users and sets mini goals for you. It is nice to see you getting closer and closer to the mini goal. I am about a third of the way there, so that is great. And the diet is getting easier. Bad thing is, this will be my first weekend on the diet and weekends are pretty hard since we tend to eat out a lot. The nice thing about South Beach though is that it is pretty easy to follow and the food isn't "that" bad.

Todays lunch was:
Mock Mashed potatoes (mashed cauliflower, cream and spray butter) - not to bad
Spaghetti Squash
Chicken tenders (not breaded) and a slice of swiss cheese melted on it.

Dessert is a cup of sugar free jello.

Yep, we get dessert. That is the best part. Oh and the fact that I am eating tons and tons of food and still dropping weight! Just wanted to do a little update about how my life is going.

Cute Outfit

For you Barb. Sorry it took me so long to post the picture for you. Chayleigh loves her Minnie Mouse outfit.

Ball Reward System

Here is the system that we have. You take them out of the silver bucket and put them into the plastic jar. Then she can play with the ones in the jar, but they have to be put away before bed.


When she fills up the jar, she will get to pick out a new book of her choice.


As you can see, she isn't doing as well with the system as she did the first day. She is only up to 11 balls out of like 20. Oh well. At least she is still positive.

Reward System

Taking the advice from my parenting board, DH and I decided to implement a Reward System with Chayleigh yesterday. It is a plastic jar (from the dollar store and has a lid) that she is able to put in bouncy balls. She gets one when she does something good or when we ask it. She will get two if she picks up her toys without asking. She loves it. However, she also learned yesterday that if she is bad, she loses the balls as well. When she throws a tantrum or hits one of us, she loses one. Yesterday she earned 14 balls. She went to bed with 8. All in all, I think it is pretty successful so far.

Hip Update

We went to the doctor yesterday and it was AWESOME. Her hip sockets are FINALLY starting to develop correctly. He said that both balls (the part that fit into the socket) are now the same size (which is a relief cause they weren't last time) and that both of her sockets are the same size. Her bad hip index is still a little high, but they are both within the normal range, so that was great news. He was very optimistic about it, which for Dr. Showalter that is uncommon. This is the first time I have left the office without crying because he said, "Although I won't guarantee there won't be another surgery, I am fairly confident that she won't need one". That was so great to hear. We are to have her continue to be the active kid she is and have her rechecked next January. He said that if her hip looks good next time, he thinks she is out of the woods. Yippee!!

Red Crayon

And carpet don't mix. I got home last night and started picking up Chayleigh's toys and noticed that she had colored on our beige carpet with a red crayon. Being the Google Whore that I am, I immediately googled red crayon and carpet stain removal. It recommended using WD40 and then liquid dish detergent then rubbing with a towel until removed. Well note to self, don't improvise if you don't know what you are doing.

We didn't have WD40, so I used goof off. It got the stain out, but MAN the stench. So I used the liquid dish detergent. Well that got the smell out, but now I had liquid detergent in my carpet. Of course we don't have a steam cleaner or anything, but we do have a Rainbow.

I dumped huge cups of water on it and sucked it up with the Rainbow until it was no longer soapy. From start to finish, it took me about 90 minutes.

Good news is I got the stain out. Better news I got one hell of a work out. Bad news, while I was cleaning the carpet, Chayleigh attacked the kitchen vinyl with green and brown crayons. That I will leave to DH to clean.

It's National De-Lurking Week

I was reminded of this when I went to Leslie's blog. I also stole the image from her cause it is cool and cause I can! I noticed that Alex and Sunita have it on their blogs as well.



So, if you are reading, please leave a comment. I want to know who is out there!

Could use some good thoughts

Tomorrow I am taking Chayleigh in for her hip check. Tomorrow will be two years to the day that she got her cast on. The reason I am worried is cause the last two times we have gone in, there hasn't been much change in the deepness of the sockets. I am terrified that I am going to go in there tomorrow and he will tell me that we have to do another surgery. I know deep down that everything is fine, but it is still in the back of my mind. Anyway, if you have any extra good thoughts, would you please send them our way? It would be much appreciated.