Easter!!!

So, I'll just cut to the chase, because I know what you really want are pictures!

Yummm, ring pop!

Mommy and her precious boy :)

Cheese!

The "brotherly-love" choke-hold.

Peek...

a-boo!

Look mommy, I'm flying!

Does it GET any cuter than this??

A rare family picture!

CONKED!

For dinner, we met my parents at a park for an Easter picnic! They did an egg hunt for the boys, and they loved it!

My dad used to carry my sisters and I this way :)

Happy Easter!
(only a few days late...)

I know you all want the pictures, so I'll cut the the chase.

Play ball!

There is some background you need to know before we get to the meat of this post (and the pictures, of course). Last fall, when we signed Carter up for soccer, he literally screamed and threw a tantrum the entire way to his first practice. He was dead set convinced that he wouldn't enjoy it and wouldn't be any good at it. He refused to participate for the first 10 minutes. Then, he tried it. And decided he liked it! Plus, he was pretty darn good at it!

So, I had this bright idea that I wouldn't tell Carter that he would be playing tee-ball. I just packed him up in the car and drove him there. When he realized what he was in for, he became sullen. He pulled me down and whispered in my ear - You tricked me!! Uh oh. Yeah, I felt like crap.

Once again, he refused to participate. He wouldn't even stand with his team (which included three of his best school buds!). We kept trying to conjole him into just trying it. He just cried and refused to budge. Then, one of the coaches asked him to run the bases with him. And well, he knows he can run, so he did it! And from that point on was really into it!

Introducing Carter, #2 for the Orioles!

Running the bases with Coach!

Learning to throw the ball - he had great form!

Learning to catch the ball - a huge accomplishment considering heretofore he's only closed his eyes and put his hands over his face when a ball was thrown at him!

It was really so cute. We're really excited to watch Carter play this season, and progress and grow!

I do, however, keep wondering how I should have handled the situation from the start. It frustrates me that Carter won't even try anything that he doesn't already know he's good at. I'm just not sure how to handle it.

Carter asked me why I tricked him the other day (kids never forget anything). I told him that I hoped he'd see his friends and think it would be fun. His response? Well, that didn't work out so well, now did it. You're plan blew up! Yeah, he may not have a good dose of courage, but the kid has a lot of sauce!

How would you have handled it?

Challenge Day 10

Diet:
B - Cinnamon Toast Crunch :) 1/2 Coke for caffeine
L - 2 Taco Bell Bean Burritos (had to buy something I could eat while driving)
D - apple with organic peanut butter

Def. didn't eat enough today, but I wasn't feeling well and had NO appetite.

I was out of the office taking a deposition until about 3:00 this afternoon. I got back to work, then immediately had a conference call with an expert, then immediately went into a meeting with a client. Then I had a meeting with my boss and left at 6 for the day. Busy much?? I've been going non-stop since 6 a.m.!

The GOOD NEWS - I exercised! Woot! We went to the high school when I got home and I ran 2 miles around the track, 1/2 of that with Bennett in the jogger. I tell ya - the jogger makes it twice as hard!

Bennett decided he wanted to run too - and actually ran 1/2 a mile around the track! It was the CUTEST thing ever. He's such an athlete. Of course, I was panicking about the calories he was burning. Plus, he was wheezing like a maniac. But boy was he happy!

Challenge Day 9

Diet:
B - Non-fat Greek Yogurt
S - whole grain crackers
L - spinach salad with turkey and oil and vinegar
D - BBQ chicken, a few bites of potato salad, and green beans (okay, I also stole a few of Bennett's fries...)

No exercise again today. I slept in this morning (trying to recover from only 4 hrs of sleep the night before), and I have too much work to do tonight :( So many deadlines!!!

Challenge Days 6, 7, and 8

My dear friend Alice Anne (who is currently training for a Figures Competition and is absolutely inspiring) asked me yesterday "Where did days 6 and 7 go?" I had NO idea what she was talking about - but duh...

So, I honestly don't remember much about this past weekend. I remember staying up until 2 a.m. on Friday/Saturday racing against deadlines for work. I remember taking the kids to Noodles Co. for lunch on Saturday ans splitting a dish with Bennett. I remember eating hot dogs for dinner. I didn't work out, but I DID chase after my crazy kids all day since daddy was busy moving into his new office!!!

Sunday, of course, was Easter, so we had lunch at my In-Law's house after church. I don't remember what I ate, other than a slice of mocha bread and a pink lemonade cupcake from Touche Touchet. Then, we went to the park with my parents for a picnic dinner and had grilled chicken, pasta salad, and fruit salad! And more running around with kids.

Yesterday was a hard day for me. Bennett woke up around 3:30 a.m. needing a diaper change. So, I got him back down to sleep, but then I couldn't sleep thinking about all the things I needed to do that day. I gave up and just got up and did a few hours of work before the morning hustle began. I should have worked out, but I really as tired, and I was on a roll with work.

Diet:
B - Kashi with raspberries
L - Grilled chicken sandwich from Chik-Fil-A (was on the road taking depositions at another office)
D - a few bites of cheese tortellini, three blue Peeps.
S - an organic apple

Definitely didn't eat enough yesterday, but I didn't have much of an appetite either.

I couldn't work out in the p.m. because I was driving Carter to my parents' so he could spend the night and go to the ZOO today! Lucky duck!

I weighed in this morning and am still sitting at 138.

I really need to get my "cheating" under control!!! I know meal-planning is a big part of it. I just haven't had time! Work has been cra-azy lately. I'm lucky to have TIME to eat!

I know it isn't about sticking the rules, but it IS about losing weight and getting in shape, and making excuses (however valid they may be) isn't going to make that happen!

Anyway, I owe ya'll a Tee-ball post and an Easter post, so I will try to upload pics tonight and get those up!

Challenge Day 5

I want really badly to bluff right now and tell you all that I had a GREAT day, worked out hardcore and ate like a bird. But alas, that would defeat the whole purpose of posting these mundane details - to be held accountable.

So, I will brace myself for the tongue-lashing. Here goes:

My alarm went off at 5 a.m., but instead of hitting snooze, I turned it off, thinking, "I'll get up in just a minute." Two hours later, I wake up to Bennett calling "mama, mama, mama." Classic. So, no workout this morning.

It was a hectic morning because Ace had an early appointment and I had to get Carter to school and rush home to finish up some work before I had to be at a mediation. So, I poured Carter some Cinnamon Toast Crunch per his request. I go about packing his lunch, dressing children, and generally running around exasperatedly. Carter refused to eat his breakfast, feigning a stomach ache. Well, I hadn't eaten yet and we were on the 5 minute countdown to blast off, so I downed his uneaten bowel of sugary cereal with lightening speed.

I came home, rushed to get some work done before I had to leave. The mediation started at noon, so I had to find something quick to eat at home. So, what makes more sense than an almond butter and jelly sandwich? It was all organic, so that counts for something, right??
Well, the mediation turned out to be a COLOSSAL waste of time and money since the other side basically refused to even really mediate (even though THEY suggested the mediation...). Four hours later, I trudge back home and needed to find something to quell the hunger pangs. Of course, Doritos are the only solution, right? I mean, some fat free Greek yogurt or a nectarine just would never do! Ugh.

So, in no time we're rushing out of the house again to take Carter to tee-ball practice. And since I'm operating on genius-mode today, I suggest we grab some KFC at the drive through and picnic at the field. Then I proceed to gorge on two pieces of grilled chicken breast, potato wedges and Pepsi. Nice.

After tee-ball (which warrants a whole 'nother post all by itself), we rush to church to attend the Good Friday mass. Mass was at 8:00 p.m., which is prime melt-down time for tired kids. Bennett actually was pretty darn good in comparison to some of the other demonstrations we witnessed, but we still had to dart early so not as to screw up our kids' sleep schedules too much. Utterly stressed out and exhausted from this whirlwind day, my eyes became fixated on the Dove chocolate bunny my mom sent me for Easter. "I'll just eat the ears," I reason. Well folks, there is a half-eaten bunny sitting on my counter at the moment. Who wants to cast bets that the entire thing will be gone before tomorrow - given my stellar exhibition of self-control today???

All I can do is shake my head. This has self-sabotage written all over it. Three days in a row of screwing up. I need a shot of will power. Because THIS my dear friends is my pattern and the very reason why I've been chubbnormous for the past nearly two years since Bennett was born. Must.break.the.cycle!!!

Phew - it felt good to get it off my chest. Bring on the chastisement so that I double-think before I put crap into my mouth, knowing I will have to confess my sins to the interwebs!

Challenge Day 4

Diet:

B - 1/2 cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese
L - hummus with whole grain crackers and a cucumber
S - small piece of cake (Firm's 35th Anniversary Party....)
D - chicken, tortilla chips and salsa

Exercise: Insanity Cardio Power & Resistance. Way too many push-ups - 'nuff said.