The State Of The Floor

Meal time is always an adventure. Zoe Scout usually complains about whatever is on her plate, Jude usually mashes some part of the food into his hair, and Cort throws at least half of his meal on the floor.

The food on the floor is the one that really gets to me. I have to say I am really tired of cleaning the tile (and sometimes the walls) every time we eat. I cannot wait until I am old and senile. I am going to insist on living with Cort and throw all my food on the floor.....we'll see how he likes it!

The Face Of A Hoarder

Does anybody ever watch that show Hoarding: Buried Alive? I do and I am always horrified at all the trash and junk that those people collect in their houses. If you can stomach some mold and lots of animal poop you should watch. Nothing will put the urgency in doing your dishes like this show!

Anyway, we do not have trash piles to the ceiling here but we do have a hoarder. He just happens to be a very cute 16 month old.

Cort loves a collection (much like his mom) and seeks to gather things constantly. He seems to always need to take control of all things that are alike. He is especially possessive of milk cups, crackers/chips, and stuffed animals. If he perceives that Jude or Scout are sharing in his current activity he must quickly collect all things pertaining to that activity.

For example, he is not a huge fan of bananas but if Jude is eating one he must take more bites then his brother. The ironic thing is that after his bite he just spits it back out without eating it. He just doesn't want Jude to have more then him.

Also, after the boys go to sleep at night I go into their room and position their "guys" (stuffed animals) in their cribs so that they don't roll over them in the middle of the night and so they have something fun to do when they first wake up. Somehow, every morning though, when I go into their room all the guys have ended up in Cort's crib.

I am sure this kind of thing manifests itself in singlet children but my guess is that it is more prevalent in multiples. Right now it doesn't really cause problems because Jude seems to be ok with Cort dominating toys and food but one day when Jude figures out that he is much larger then his brother, Cort is probably in for a scratch, bite, or bruise.

Personally, I think it is one of those things about Cort that makes him so stinkin' cute. He has a personality that is so much like my own and on some level I totally sympathize with the need to control everything. Maybe this is just a window into the great leader he will be some day!

Weigh-In Wednesday

<---- There they are, my Brussels Sprouts and they were delicious!

Last week I said I was going to try to cook some this week and it was a huge victory! This is Brussels Sprouts with Almonds. I will post the recipe in the "Mix In A Salad" tab on the top of my blog. If you like balsamic vinegar you will be a fan of these and they are a Weight Watcher's recipe so they are very diet friendly!

This week I have lost........4 POUNDS! How great is that! I am thrilled. This has been so much easier then I thought it would be. The best part is this.....when I tried to loose weight by counting calories it took me 8 weeks to loose 8 pounds. This time I have lost 9 pounds in 4 weeks. That's half the time! I know my body won't be able to sustain this sort of weight loss consistently but it is such a huge morale boost and makes me feel like my end goal is attainable!

I am unashamed to say, I AM SO PROUD!

49 pounds to go!

Haircuts

A couple of weeks ago the boys got their first hair cuts. It was so hard for me to take them! Haircuts, for me, mean that they are not babies but toddlers now. I HATE that. I want them to stay small and snuggley forever. However, it was time. Cort was starting to grow a mullet and Jude was getting mistaken for a girl waaaaay too much.

Cort was first and in typically Corty fashion he was quite unsure about the whole thing. He spent most of the time looking down and furrowing his eyebrows. I was really worried about when it came time for the clippers but the buzzing sound didn't seem to bother him. He did wince at the water bottle spraying him.








Then it was Jude's turn. Jude is fearless and getting a haircut was no exception. He was excited to sit in the fire engine chair and even tried to drive a little. He did end up being so wiggly that the stylist loaned him her name tag to try to keep him still. Colin and I have decided that we are going to try a long hair style on Jude so this was just a shaping trim for him. I am not sure I will like the longer hair on him but it seems a shame to not show off his beautiful blonde locks (who would have thought Colin and I would have a blonde hair, blue eyed child).







Zoe Scout also got a hair cut that day. There are no pictures of her because while she was getting her hair cut I was trying to entertain the boys and keep them out of trouble. It was a rather successful trip even though it took a couple of days to get used to the new short hair. The only down side was the cost....about $60 for all three of them. It seems to me that places should give you a discount if you bring in multiple children....I guess I just need to get used to it.

Weigh-In Wednesday

One of the things I am trying to change in my diet is eating more fish. I love fish so this hasn't been too hard.

A new thing I am going to try cooking is brussel sprouts. Several years ago my mother-in-law made them at Thanksgiving and I thought they were great so now I am going to try. I'll let you know how it goes.

This week I lost .6 pounds. Not as much as I would have liked but let me explain. We went out of state over the weekend which meant that every meal was eaten at a restaurant. Added on top of that, it was a highly stressful trip for me which can supposedly interfere with weight loss and, in my case, will cause me to choose comfort foods which always means I turn to salt. So taking all that into consideration, I am very happy with any loss at all.

This .6 also puts me at a solid 5 pounds lost in 2 weeks which feels really good!

53 lbs to go!

First Day of Spring!

After only 28 years I have finally decided that Tulips are my favorite flower. They feel so bright and spry standing proudly on their stems and they make me happy.

I love seeing their leaves coming up knowing that those sunny petals are soon to show themselves.

I feel a little like my family are tulips this year. We had a very long and shut in winter. We were sick most of the last 7 months and now we are just about to spring forth and enjoy the outdoors for the first time with the boys. I am looking forward to season passes at the zoo and children's museum and hoping to spend many days at the arboretum. There will also be swimming and sprinklers to be had in the near future.

Most years I long to live in the coziness of winter all 12 months but this year I can say with much enthusiasm......Hello Spring!

Weigh-In Wednesday

I'm back and this time I have a new strategy!

Weight Watchers

For anyone that knows me, even just a little bit, you know that I love rules and a system. I just perform better when I can work with dos and don'ts. This is what WW (Weight Watchers) provides for me.

I decided last week that I needed a system that was better then counting calories because let's face it, counting calories is hard! WW has been used, successfully, by several women in my family so I thought I would give it a try. I signed up for the on line version and committed to 3 months.

I have to say that it is soooo easy. I can just plug in whatever I eat and it tells me how many points it is. As long as I stay under my daily points I loose weight. It even has weekly flex points so I can still have a medium Dr. Pepper every day if I want!

So after one week I have lost 4.4 pounds! I am thrilled! As my dad would say......Good Job Bate!

I know this is the kick start I needed to get back into my weight loss journey again.

53.6 pounds to go!