Weigh-In Wednesday-#3

Drat! It's that time again... Weigh-In Wednesday (well, it's actually Friday now- but it was Wednesday when I started writing this post!). And once again I failed to remember to step on the scale first thing this morning. Luckily, I hadn't eaten yet, but I had already taken a shower (and it's common knowledge that short wet hair weighs at least 3 pounds, donchaknow?) so I totally have to account for that. {wink, wink}

But seriously, this week wasn't such a good week for me either (do I hear the echoes of last week ringing in my ears?) I seriously can't help it though! See, my {our} biggest problem is we are right in the midst of several HUGE DIY projects on our home. Tim works ridiculously crazy hours during the week, and busts hump the whole time, so I don't dare ask him to do any 'house work' in the evenings. I just save all of that for weekends!

By the time we have breakfast and get out and get rolling on Saturday and Sunday mornings, nobody takes time to think about lunch or dinner until we are all ravenous- and then we just grab whatever we can stuff in our face holes. Needless to say, it's not necessarily the most nutritious (or even delicious) food available and it's HELL on our healthy eating!

Alright, I'll step down off my soapbox and end my rant there. Time to pony up this week's stats:

Week	Weight	Change
Starting	372 lbs	---
Week 1	365.4 lbs	-6.6 lbs
Week 2	364 lbs	-1.4 lbs
Week 3	364 lbs	Maintained

 

Well, at least I didn't gain! That's really all I can say. And I do have to say that instead of making me want to give up, it has just inspired me to want to work harder. Everyday when I look at my kids, or get hampered by my limitations, I realize why I am doing this.

Do I want to be thinner to look beautiful, shop in a 'normal' store, and/or wear a 'normal' size? Sure I do! But I have far more loftier reasons for doing what I am doing and they don't involve wearing a size 10 (although that will be really awesome!).

All I know is that whatever I do, I have to continue to channel my Little En'Jenn' that Could- 'I know I can, I know I can, I know I can!' Because as my blogger friend Mel so appropriately put it on her blog in a recent post:

'IF YOU DO NOT QUIT, THEN YOU CANNOT FAIL'

Don't give up on me yet, guys. I may be down... but I'm not out.

Til next time... may the fork be with you!

Cuts Both Ways...

Have you ever had one of those soul-piercing moments as a parent where you are presented with an image so terrifying that you are stuck- mouth agape- frozen in shock and awe, as your mind scrambles to make sense of what it just witnessed? This was exactly my predicament last Thursday night as my irrepressible three-year-old daughter tripped into our living room to tattle on her older brother (or some such tripe and I knew immediately that something 'just wasn't right'. As she turned to leave, I noticed that some of her hair seemed to be falling out- it was dangling off of her shoulder and was just barely clinging to the rest of the hairs on her head.

My baby with her long, beautiful hair! Look, Ma! NO BANGS!

I literally froze thinking 'Dear Jesus!', because my mom has been battling cancer for the better part of the last 2 years- so I know all about hair loss. My mind was struggling to process the question (no matter how morbid): 'Could she have gotten cancer and be losing her hair all in the past 2 hours?!?'  Once the folly of that line of thinking was discarded, I immediately began running through ideas of radiation poisoning: 'Dear God, what in our house is causing my baby to lose her hair?' And then... THEN... she turned to face me. And I realized she had.... BANGS!! My daughter hasn't had bangs in over a year- I have PROOF! And they weren't just any bangs- they were right at her scalp!! As I looked closer, I realized not only did she have bangs, she was missing over half her hair. No joke! That insane child had been in her room, with a pair of SAFETY SCISSORS, just hacking off her hair! It was truly one of those parenting moments where your heart takes a picture and you don't know whether to laugh, cry, or scream.

All the hair she cut off- literally! Looks like a bad wig, huh?

As I got upset (inevitably!), her brother (alerted to my frenzy by all the yelling) brought me a small box from her room where she was apparently keeping all the evidence of her crime. It was at that point that I learned the magnitude of the situation. I don't know if she was trying to thwart Mommy CSI or what, but it didn't work! By the time I brushed all the loose hair out of her head, she looked like a street urchin from 1800's London! 'Please sir, may I have some more?'

I knew I had no choice but to take her the next day for a haircut to try and fix what she messed up. Her brother had to go along too, because she wasn't content just to slice and dice herself, she gave him a chop job too! I knew we were going to have to give her a massively short haircut- and this child has had long hair for as long as she can remember- so I didn't know how I was going to pull it off. I stayed up late researching hairstyles for little girls with fine hair who have to have ridiculously short haircuts- hoping to find something that she wouldn't totally balk at.

Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow

Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow

It was at this point that divine Mommy inspiration hit- I decided to channel her inner Princess! Our family all LOVES to watch Once Upon a Time and Ms. Priss is a big fan of Snow. When Snow is portrayed as Mary Margaret, she has this adorable pixie cut that I thought would be great with Tara's hair type and face shape. I downloaded every picture I could find- didn't breathe a word of my plan to anyone- and traipsed off to Fantastic Sam's the next day.

We got lucky enough to get a phenomenal stylist, Tracy, who worked really well with Tara and made her very comfortable about the cut. As we were going through, we found areas where Ms. Priss sheared the hair literally down to the very scalp- crazy kid! After we were done, Tara was still quite apprehensive until I showed her the pictures of Snow and told her that we cut her hair so she looked just like 'Snow White'. After that, it was like there was never a problem! Grab a toy- good to go!

AFTER! Suits her so well! Cute, fresh, and spunky- just like my own little princess!

I have to say, I was worried that even I wasn't going to like it- but I LOVE IT!! Her daddy, who was going to be my hardest sell, actually likes it! It suits her spunky personality- and she even told me she doesn't want to grow it back it out! Every time I brush her hair, she asks if I'm making her look like 'Snow White'. I can't help but smile and feel relief that I don't have to wait for years to look back on this and laugh... I can do that now- all thanks to a princess.

Weigh-In Wednesday-#2

Today was weigh-in day after my 2nd week on the plan. It wasn't terrible- it wasn't great either. I think it possibly could have been better if I had remembered if was weigh-in day before I ate- weighing with a stomach full of yummy breakfast probably added at least a pound or five... right?!?

It probably also could have been more in my favor if I hadn't had company this past weekend. My dad came up to visit and help us replace some wood rot we had on the house and while he was here our eating got ALL kinds of CRAZY! We got involved in so many projects that before we knew it, we were eating dinner at 10:00 at night! I tried valiantly to keep us on our eating plan, but we did have to resort to some fast food while he was here and I knew it would have an effect. That being said, here are my stats:

Starting Weight- 372 lbs

Week 1- 365.4 lbs (-6.6 lbs)

Week 2- 364 lbs (-1.4 lbs)

So, with all that against me (and I'm claiming monthly bloating too!), I still managed to pull off 1.4 pounds! I would have loved it to have been more, but at least it's a loss. Not too shabby! It keeps me motivated and if I can stay away from fast food joints then we should be A-OK. Here's hopin'.....!

Til next time... may the fork be with you!

All the House is a Stage....

...and all the men and women merely potential buyers! Okay, okay- so I totally defiled one of Shakespeare's most famous lines... but it was kind of fitting given the topic at hand... so, I went with it! And in case you hadn't guessed, yep- today we're talking about STAGING!

Now don't get me wrong- we (meaning me, the hubs, and the kids) are NOT in any danger of moving anytime in the next geologic era. Seriously, I told my kids the next time I move it will be from this house to the cemetery! During the past 7 years, we have moved five times.  FIVE TIMES!! I've always admitted to having a bit of the gypsy wanderlust in my blood, but even I think this is getting ridiculous!

This time, the person doing all the moving, is my sweet sweet Mama (hi Mom)! Her home is located a mind numbing 2 1/2 hour drive away, down one of the most desolate stretches of American highway- it's like the hallway in Poltergeist where JoBeth Williams goes running towards her kid's room and the hallway just keeps getting longer and longer- yep, just like that.

Now, we all know moving is never fun. And if anyone ever tells you they enjoy it, they're either lying, a masochist... or both! BUT, it gave us the perfect chance to utilize all the stockpiled knowledge we've picked up from shows like 'Sell This House', 'Get It Sold', and 'Designed to Sell' (just to name a few). Here's what we did:

1. Cleared out all personal effects and 95% of knick knacks- personal effects detract from your home and distract buyers and can potentially keep them from paying attention to the most important reason they are there- to view your house so they can buy it! If they spend all their time looking at your wedding pictures, they're not paying attention to your upgraded kitchen appliances, etc.
2. Painted the whole interior of the house a unifying neutral color- not always necessary, but definitely helps. A lot of buyers don't want to be burdened with the task of painting (or repainting) when they move in, so having a neutral color that appeals 'to the masses' helps- even if it's not necessarily a color you would normally choose. Remember, when staging you are trying to design for the buyer- not for yourself.
3. Cleaned the whole exterior of the house- pressure washed vinyl siding, cleaned up all landscaping, had pergola in backyard re-stained, replaced any damaged siding/shutters/lighting, etc- it's very important that your home have curb appeal. If it doesn't, a potential buyer may decide to not even bother with seeing the interior. Think about it- if they don't even want to be bothered with repainting the living room, WHY would you think they'd want to completely redo the front yard?!
4. Cleaned, cleaned, and cleaned- had the carpets steam cleaned, had the house professionally cleaned, had any issues like damaged linoleum replaced, etc. - I can't stress to you the importance of presenting a clean and uncluttered home. It allows positive chi to flow through with the potential buyers, it also projects a calming image and shows the buyers that you actually care for your home and take good care of it. It helps them feel like they are purchasing a quality home and not someone else's headache.

Once you've laid all of the above groundwork, then the fun can begin!

I have to admit it took a bit of convincing to get my Mom to agree to allow me to stage- not because I'm bad at it or anything (!) but because we went at it a bit backwards. See, we had to go ahead and move her here (where I live) which left her house completely empty. Once the house was empty, she didn't want the hassle of staging it and dealing with the upkeep (can't say that I blame her).

She tried to sell it leaving it empty for the first little while, but it just languished on the market. If the housing market wasn't still in such a slump, perhaps it wouldn't have been an issue; her house has amazing upgrades and is a steal at the listed price. BUT, it IS a buyer's market and upgrades or not- an empty house just wasn't selling.

So, after a lot of convincing I finally got her to agree to let me stage. We didn't have a lot of spare furniture and/or spare money (who does?!?!) to put a much into the house, so we used just bits and pieces we had that we weren't using in our own homes and stuff I managed to cobble together from yard sales. That and lots and lots of spray paint!  Gosh, I love spray paint! And here are the results!

ENTRY/LIVING ROOM

We didn't have living furniture for this room, so I just staged it with a few key accessories and left it open. The entry is adorable though!

KITCHEN

The kitchen cabinets were originally the horrible stock oak cabinets that builders love to use. Ugh! Mom did this french country style all by her herself! Replaced the countertops, laid the peel and stick tile (yep! it's peel and stick!), bought all new appliances, etc. So there wasn't much I needed to do- just a few things here and there!

SUNROOM

Again- didn't have a lot to use- but I think it looks great! A nice place to relax and have a cup of coffee! I took my two front porch chairs (Hampton Bay from Home Depot) and gave them a quick coat with some Oil Rubbed Black Spray Paint so they had a nice sheen. GORGEOUS! The cushions tied in beautifully with the rug from Mom's house and the French country cabinets in the kitchen. The cute stool was mine as a girl- a light coat of some happy apple green spray paint and this room was as cheerful as the sun shining in the windows!

 

MASTER BEDROOM

This is one of my favorite rooms in the house! We carried the french country theme throughout and made this a bit 'French Country Garden'. I love the stripes and flowers- looks so pretty! The only that would make it better is some plaid! Almost everything in this room received a coat of spraypaint- the old metal dresser I inherited when my husband and I got married. It has always been UGLY!! My mom actually thinks it's so cute now! And the side tables were Mom's when she and Dad were married but have long since gone out of 'style'- the two-toned look I gave 'em was a neat touch!

 FRONT BEDROOM/OFFICE

I wanted to stage this one as an office, since most homes these days have one in some form. Carrying the French Country theme but wanting to go a bit 'beachier', I brought in my mannequin form, turquoise lamp, and spraypainted 'distressed' desk (both yard sale finds!) The adorable chair was my grandmothers and received a whole new life with a coat of Valspar LaFonda Mirage Blue from Lowe's. LOVE IT!!

 BACK BEDROOM

This is my FAVORITE room transformation BY FAR!! My daughter refuses to sleep in her own room at home so we decided to bring her furniture and set this room up as a toddler's room. I was so psyched to see it all come together- I couldn't have imagined it looking any cuter!

Well, what did you think? Did it turn out as good as I thought it did? I was very proud of the back porch and the dining room as well (in fact, the dining room was my second favorite room I staged) but somehow I ended up not taking pictures of those?!? (How in the WORLD did I manage that?!) In any event, when I get back up that way to take all of this down (because yes, she does have an OFFER!!) I'll snap some quick pics and update the post so you can all see them... I know you'll waste away if you don't ;) Also, I'll post a few tutorials under my DIY page in a few days so you can see how I pulled off some of the projects. Keep an eye peeled!

Until next keep time...don't stop the DIY!

Weigh-In Wednesday-#1

Alright y'all... I am PSYCHED! After my 'Commitment Issues' post, I was more dedicated than ever to focusing on eating better and losing this weight. However, if we're laying all the cards on the table here, I have to honestly admit that I wasn't holding out much hope that I'd persevere. I've hit so many stumbling blocks over the past few months (which I chronicled in the aforementioned post) and I just didn't know how I was going to get past them... but I knew it would be such a disservice to my family, and to myself, if I didn't give it at least one more try.

This past week was my first week with my new commitment to 'being good'. Even with my skepticism that I would succeed, I somehow developed this zen peacefulness towards the diet this week. I thought it was going to be so hard to stick to it, but instead it seemed like all the decisions came easy. Even the times I thought about whipping through Dunkin Donuts or joining the kids for lunch at McDonald's, the desire was fleeting. Where normally I would cave, this time I was resolute. It was GREAT! And as a result, stepping on the scale this morning showed a... {drumroll please}... 6.6 lb drop!!!!!!

You saw right! 6.6 POUNDS!!!! I AM STOKED!!!! {And that's without any exercise!!}

I know it wasn't all due to 'eating right', because I  wasn't uber-perfect. I still cooked with butter, I added full fat half-and-half to a few dishes (I mean, come on! I'm dieting... not DEAD!) But even so, I still managed to drop that considerable amount and I couldn't be happier! :)

I did decide to make a few changes to the way I do things when it came to menu planning, grocery shopping, and the like.

1. I started running my weekly menus from Wednesday-Tuesday. I know this seems weird- it makes much more sense to run a weekly menu from the logical beginning of the week (Sunday or Monday). But I just had such a mental block regarding these two days and could never seem to get my act together! The weekend projects we did around the house inevitably kept me from getting the grocery shopping or cooking ahead done on time, which then would put me further behind for the week, and by the time Monday rolled around I was already defeated and ready to give up! Since I've started my menus from Wednesday, I've found I'm much more relaxed in my planning and shopping and have even managed to carve out some time on the weekends (projects and all) to make snacks and small meals ahead. Yay me!
2. I started eating my largest meal at breakfast and my smallest meal at dinner. Most people probably already do this, but for some reason I always did it backwards! I read somewhere though, that when trying to shed unwanted pounds, that you should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper. That really resonated with me and once I read it, it was like 'EPIPHANY'! And then I wondered how it took me 33 years to never figure it out for myself... so, yeah.
3. And I didn't deprive myself (or the fam) of things that made us truly happy- like dessert. Don't get me wrong- we didn't have it every night or anything! But we did have it on more than one occasion. I tell ya, it's amazing how satisfying a simple scoop of strawberry ice cream, rolled around in some crushed up chex cereal with cinnamon, can be. I mean, knock off 'fried' ice cream CAN'T be bad, amiright? And amazingly, it's not that bad for you! But gosh it's soul satisfying!

So, I know I still have a long road ahead. Don't get me wrong, 6.6. pounds is nothing to shake a stick at, but until I break that 11 lb. ceiling I'm never going to truly feel I've gotten a firm grasp of the situation. But, as I tell my kids, I've just got to put my head down and keep on trucking. I've got to add the exercise back in- that will definitely help and I've got to make sure I stay on the straight and narrow. I know there will sometimes be slip-ups, but I can't let it completely derail me like it always has in the past. And when I fall off the horse, I have to give it a good swift kick in the arse to show it who's da boss, and then jump right back on again! Otherwise, I'll never see results.

So, until next time friends... may the fork be with you!