My Year as a Vegetarian

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! While most of you are spending this day celebrating the many loves in your life (and I am too, though Scott is away on business), I am also celebrating this day as the one year anniversary of the day I became a vegetarian.

Strangely enough, though I am the only vegetarian in my household, it was not my idea to embark upon this journey. On Valentine's Day last year, Scott had planned to prepare some delicious meals for us -- sausage, eggs and pancakes for breakfast and followed by grilled steak for dinner. We had both been more conscious of our eating habits at that point, eating organic foods and free range chicken and beef, but during our breakfast that morning, Scott put his fork down and said, "I am suddenly disgusted by the idea of eating animal flesh." And so our vegetarian journey began.

He stuck with it for awhile but slowly began adding meat back to his diet. I never felt the desire to. I had been a vegetarian (and even a vegan) during my late teens and early twenties and had contemplated going back to a vegetarian lifestyle, but had never been motivated to do so. But on that day, armed with my new knowledge of nutrition and faced with the expense of buying only free range meats, becoming a vegetarian seemed totally natural. Honestly, I have never looked back, craved meat, or regretted the choice.

That's not to say that being the only vegetarian in a non-vegetarian household hasn't been without challenges. It means some nights I prepare two different meals. It means more dirty dishes when I make spaghetti and meatballs, since I either make veggie meatballs or just have plain sauce. For the longest time, I've been supplementing my diet with soy products, but as I've moved toward reducing the amount of soy I eat as well as the amount of processed foods, I've had to search for alternative sources of protein. (Beans, eggs, dairy, and cheese are all great if you are a lacto-ovo vegetarian.)

In terms of weight loss...you'd think a vegetarian diet would make it easier to lose weight, right? It seems logical, if you're cutting out fatty meats you should be able to easily drop the pounds. Let me tell you though, it's very easy to be a vegetarian who doesn't eat vegetables. While fruits and vegetables are acceptable vegetarian foods, other meat-free items include: cookies, cake, doughnuts, ice cream, chocolate...you get the idea. While those foods are all fine in moderation, eaten in excess, they can prevent you from losing weight. I'm a good example of this. This time last year I was in the low 260s. Today I'm in the low 250s. I got down to the 240s the middle of last year and gained some back because I started to let things slide.

As of today, I'm working hard to cut back on those unhealthy "vegetarian" foods, eat fewer soy products, and eat more fruits and vegetables. Today my lunch is a very delicious salad made of vegetables from our local farmer's market...organic romaine, organic carrots, organic broccoli, organic cucumber, roma tomato and mushrooms...with a dash of oil and vinegar and an ounce of cheese (for the protein). (Want to save a ton of money on produce? Farmer's markets are GREAT.)

I also quit the Couch to 5k program in week 7 last year. I'm proud to say that I'll be starting that again on Saturday! Doing that, combined with eating better vegetarian foods...maybe next year I'll be a much healthier vegetarian!

As with anything like this, if you're wanting to make a major diet or lifestyle change, it's best to consult with your physician. ...but if you have questions about vegetarianism, feel free to comment  and I'll try to answer as many as I can. I'm not a nutritionist or any kind of expert, but I can comment from my own experience.

McFatty Monday: More Good News

(I meant to publish this Monday but I forgot to hit the "publish" button...so here it is, a few days late!)

243! 243! 243! Woohoo! I now weigh less than I did when I got pregnant! Can you tell I'm excited??

More good news...the doctor's office called today with the results of my blood work and it was all good. No need to schedule another follow-up or significantly modify the things I'm already doing to improve my health!

Vitamin D -- NORMAL. Though low-end normal. I may need to get outside more, or increase the amount I take via supplement just to be safe.

Cholesterol -- NORMAL. High HDL (good cholesterol), Low LDL (bad cholesterol). Normal triglycerides.

Glucose -- NORMAL. I'm not pre-diabetic.

Kidney/liver -- NORMAL. No fatty liver disease or compromised kidney function.

I love it. It's such great motivation to keep moving forward. The weight is going down and the signs are all showing that I'm making huge strides toward having a long and healthy life, and setting a great example for Angelica. This is a far cry from the days when my lunches consisted of McDonalds and dinners consisted of takeout and I felt awful all the time.

Speaking of that, I did have one day where I totally caved and over-ate, ate too much junk and didn't workout and trust me. I felt it. It was that familiar old achy, tired, nauseous feeling and I didn't like it one bit. I hadn't felt that bad in awhile and I don't want to feel it again anytime soon.

Anyway...that's the good news for this week! Hope everyone else had good news today!

A McFatty Addendum

This is a kind of off-topic post since it's not really a McFatty Monday post, and it's not really a post about Angelica...it's about her mommy though so it counts!

This morning I had a doctor's appointment...I've been being watched by my doctor for a few things and have had to go back to be re-checked fairly regularly. This morning he wanted to re-check my blood pressure, resting heart rate, and Vitamin D (which was low at the beginning of this year)...plus, check my cholesterol and do a follow-up on the antidepressants he prescribed around the beginning of the year (when I was diagnosed with depression...not something I talk about a lot on here but has been a tremendous obstacle for me over the past year).

I get the Vitamin D and cholesterol results back on Monday but for now I'm pleased to report...

I now have normal blood pressure (120/80 - down from 140/95)
I now have a normal resting heart rate (75 - down from 100+)

That is two huge factors for heart disease that I have eliminated...and the most rewarding thing for me is that I've done it through diet and exercise alone.

I also left without having to schedule another follow-up. I'm free! (Just have two more appointments with two other doctors in November and then I'm REALLY free!)

I may still be overweight (though when I was on the scale at the doctor today I was again at 244! HURRAY for weight loss!) but for me, the positive impact that I've had on my overall health is so much more valuable than that number on the scale. It's everything. It means I have more energy (definitely!) and have added more years to my life.

I also got a flu shot so at least that's one less thing I have to worry about :)

I guess my motivational thought for the day is...if I can do it, anyone can. You just have to find it in you to start...take small steps...do one thing for yourself each day and those little things add up! Stop getting in your own way (which is what I did for YEARS!) and just do it!

And the cycle continues...

So you might have noticed a missing Wordless Wednesday post this week. Here's the backstory! (I will be back for WW next week!)

So, Angelica was back to her normal self on Monday...fever gone and happy as could be. I had gotten up early, worked out, got her ready, got her and Scott out the door and wound up with an upset stomach. After awhile I started to feel better so I got my stuff together and went to work, thinking it was nothing more than the "normal" GI issues I usually have.

Tuesday I woke up feeling off...and by the afternoon I was just flat out in pain. Left work early, headed to the urgent care center, got my vitals checked (normal BP and no fever!), and was preemptively diagnosed with a gallbladder issue (the whole stabbing pain under my right ribcage that was keeping me from being able to fully breathe in because oh my god it hurt). They sent me over to the ER to get an ultrasound done. I called Scott, who informed me that he was also sick (with a fever of 101) but could leave work to get Angelica and find someone to watch her. (I told him to stay home but, no, devoted man he is, he had to come to me!)

By the time I got to the triage at ER, I had a fever. By the time I got put into a room, it was over 101.

Anyway, to make a long story short, the ER was swamped, I got there at 4:30 and left at 11 with prescriptions for Zofran (even though I didn't have nausea) and ibuprofen (which I already had at home), no explanation for what was going on other than "general abdominal pain" and orders to rest because it was probably a virus. I did get that ultrasound of my gallbladder/kidney and was told everything looked "perfect"...shocking for someone whose family history pretty much includes everyone having their gallbladder removed.

And the whole time the mom in me was (silently) screaming, "But my baby! She needs me!" I felt so guilty that I couldn't be there with her...even though my own health was in question at the time. Truth: The best part of my day is the smile on my baby little girl's face when I pick her up from daycare.

Ahh, parenthood. The never-ending cycle of guilt.

(FYI, I was 12 hours fever free and now I think I have what Angelica had over the weekend because it's BAAAACK. And so that cycle continues as well.)

The Workshop

While I was on Mommycation, a friend and I went to a "mommy workshop" together. While it wasn't the intention of the workshop, a lot of it covered how much of ourselves we lose when we become mothers...and how that impacts pretty much every other aspect of our lives.

I am guilty of trying to get on the SuperMom Train. I am learning that this does not work for me. I don't really know anyone that it does work for...and I'm done with trying to convince myself that I have to be SuperMom. The workshop leader asked us to figure out by whose standards we're trying to live and I was surprised as we worked through the exercises how little of my life is lived by my own standards, and how much of my voice I have lost.

The biggest exercise we did was to write down, for each phase of our life (as a single person, as a spouse, and then as a parent), the following:
What do you do for fun?
What do you do that's special just for yourself?
What do you do for others?
What are your hopes and dreams?

And then, plot on a pie chart how much of your time is spent on each of those areas. For me, the biggest change was the time I spent doing things for others, and the focus of my hopes and dreams. As a single person, I was able to spend more time doing things just for me, and my hopes and dreams were focused on what I wanted to do with my life. As a mom, almost all of my time is spent doing things for my family and the sake of keeping the house clean, and my hopes and dreams are tied up in what I want for my daughter to have as she grows up and becomes an adult. By the time I got to "mom", I put question marks down for what I do for fun, and what I do special for myself. I couldn't think of anything.

As you can imagine (and as you might be experiencing yourself) -- this can lead to a very stressed out SuperMom. And that's just not good for anyone. It's not good for you, not good for your partner, and not good for your children.

That's why in my previous post, when I said to take a mommycation if you can -- and to not feel guilty about it. The workshop leader gave this analogy: When you're on an airplane, and they're giving you the safety instructions, what do they tell you about the oxygen masks? Put yours on first, then help your children. Why? If you're suffocating, you won't be able to help your kids.

That applies to real life, too. I know when I'm tired/burned out/exhausted/haven't had a break in a long time, I'm drained. It makes it hard to play with Angelica. It gives me a short fuse. I get aches and pains and headaches and then I feel stretched so thin, like something is just going to collapse. And I'm lucky to have a husband who is an active parent (when he's not at work).

I guess my point is that one of the biggest things I got out of the workshop is that when you become a mom, it's easy to lose yourself in that role and forget about who you are outside of it. It's okay to let go. If you're finding yourself rarely taking a break to take care of yourself, it's okay to take a "mommycation" or hire a babysitter or pursue interests that aren't directly related to being a parent. It keeps you sane, happy, and able to be a better parent in the long run.

Goodbye, 20s. (This may be a long post!)

I am just about to say goodbye to the 20s and usher in the 30s. I could mourn this aging process, but I really won't. My very wise grandmother once told me she earned every one of her wrinkles and gray hairs, and that's a mantra I fully believe in.

When I got pregnant with Angelica, I was 27. As I've mentioned, I was overweight, out of shape, and that that really made pregnancy a lot more difficult than it needed to be. I remember telling myself, one day, out of frustration...I will not carry these bad habits into my 30s! I will make that decade of my life the healthiest one yet!

And by healthy, I didn't mean "skinny". I meant just that...healthy. Strong. Full of life.

While I haven't lost all the weight, I'm proud to say that over the past year I have set aside so many unhealthy habits and ushered in so many healthy ones...and even though I still have a long way to go on the weight loss, I can definitely say that I will enter my 30s with the tools necessary to be healthier than I have ever been.

I got fat on the "American Diet". If someone I hadn't talked to for a couple of years saw me now, or heard that I haven't eaten fast food in ages, they would be shocked. I used to eat fast food up to twice a day...hey it was convenient! My plate would be half meat, half fat, and maybe, just maybe, a handful of veggies. Slathered in butter.

Early this year, I watched Food Inc. While I realize that, like all documentaries, it was biased toward the filmmaker's point of view, it was eye-opening nonetheless and was a huge contributor to my choice to be vegetarian. I don't disagree with eating meat (humans are omnivores, after all)...it's the way meat is "processed" that turned me off to it. Add to that processed foods...frozen meals chock full of sodium, 100 calorie packs, "health" shakes, and so on...it's like we're no longer eating food.

Another thing is...we are so consumed with these fad diets, weight loss pills, diet products, get-thin-quick schemes and processed foods with false claims that we forget that it's not about being thin...it's about being healthy.

I remember once, when my daughter was about five months old, a very nasty person sarcastically said to me on a message board, "Seems like your daughter is a few months old now, why are you still such a fatty?" (Or something to that effect.) At that point, I'd already lost 10 pounds through making healthy choices, so it didn't phase me that much, other that to show me that (1) this person was a superficial jerk and (2) reaffirm how much people are obsessed with getting skinny, being skinny, and staying skinny...health be damned.

Considering I had a c-section, had only been cleared to exercise for 8 weeks, and had lost 10 pounds, I think I was right on track at that point.

I refuse to take that to heart, and I refuse to pass the message on to my daughter that it is important to be thin and that you don't have value as a woman if you carry extra weight. Let us not forget that the female body (even my larger sized one) is capable of creating, sustaining, and giving birth to human life. I will take my stretchmarks and extra pounds for the value found in that.

Thinness does not equate health, and it does not equate value. It is important to be healthy, to fill your body with nutrients instead of sugar and junk, to maintain a proper lean body mass so your organs function properly, not to "look good" (something I'm working hard to achieve), and to respect what your body is capable of doing. That's what I want my daughter to believe about herself, too.

How do I teach her that? Someone once told me this quote (not sure who originally said it): "Children may not always listen to what you say, but they are always watching what you do." If I adopt that attitude toward myself, I hope and pray that she will adopt it for herself.

Oh, and that quote is truth. Since I stopped drinking soda and drink tea and water, she wants to drink water all the time!

Speaking of Angelica...trips to the grocery store are a learning experience these days. She begged me for a box of doughnuts the other day, and I had to explain that we couldn't buy those because they're fried and full of sugar and things that aren't healthy. I don't know on what level she understood but she didn't fight it. She just said..."Ohhhhh...okay!"

It's been a learning process for me, too. Until the past six months or so, I wasn't a big label checker, but I've since become one. It's horrifying some of the stuff that goes into kids products. For example, I checked out the label on something I used to buy for Angelica regularly, and the first three ingredients: "High fructose corn syrup, sugar, partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil". So...processed sugar, table sugar, and trans fat. I don't mind giving a sweet treat on occasion, but I'd rather it be fruit or a more natural sugar (like evaporated cane syrup)...and I don't know about you, but I'm not a fan of clogging my toddler's arteries with trans fats. (They're allowed to put zero on the label if it has less than .5 grams/serving.)

This has been really long-winded, but in summary, I'm glad my eyes have been opened to what proper eating habits are. I will not lie and say I am perfect 100% of the time...who is? But as Michael Pollan wrote (and I mentioned in my Orlando Organics review): "Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants." That's what I do. Most of the time. I would just improve upon his mantra as such: "Eat food. Not to much. Mostly plants. And then get up off your butt and MOVE."

Here's to a healthier decade!

Operation Lose the Baby Weight Week 3 Wrap Up

Lost 1.2 pounds.

I shouldn't complain. I'm trying to be rational and tell myself that it's a completely normal weight loss, and not to be sad that it wasn't the two pounds I was striving for. After all, again, I sat on my butt and skipped out on exercise this week. I also made a pact to NOT drink soda (even diet) and I did well! I made it three days drinking just one cup of coffee and then water the rest of the day. Then I got sick and well...I'm sure you can figure out the rest of the story.

Here's how the month has gone so far:
January 7 weigh-in: -4.6 lbs
January 14 weigh-in: -1.2 lbs
January 21 weigh-in: -1.2 lbs
Total weight lost: 7 pounds.

Okay, so that looks much better! Seven pounds! Yippee!! I am also now exactly 11 pounds from the weight I was at the day that I got pregnant with Angelica, so that also makes me happy.

I also looked back at the weight chart I still had stored on my computer from my resolution last year, and I have lost a grand total of 16 pounds since then. So that's pretty cool.

Anyway, I don't want this blog to become all about weight loss, so very soon I will post something non-weight loss related!

Operation Lose the Baby Weight: Week 2 Wrap-Up

Each Friday is my weigh in day. Since I didn't post anything for Week 1, I'll summarize:
Keeping in mind that I have a goal of losing 2 pounds/week:
January 7 weigh-in: -4.6 lbs
January 14 weigh-in: -1.2 lbs
Total weight lost: 5.8 pounds.

I'm still 1.8 pounds ahead of my goal, so that's pretty good! Having said that, I am shocked that I lost anything at all this week since I could not motivate myself to get my ass up off the couch and do anything. I also "splurged" and ate a few things that I knew were bad for me. The good thing about that is that I was mindful of it, so for example, I only ate a few extra chips instead of, oh, I don't know, the ENTIRE BAG.

This week I really want to focus on drinking more water. I think it's a bad sign that I drink way too much soda (even if it's diet soda!) when my almost 20 month old daughter can not only say "soda" but requests it on a regular basis. (She doesn't actually GET any, but boy oh boy does she want it!)

Another big change this week is what I have for dessert each night. Angelica really, really loves "schtoberries!" (strawberries) so I keep them on hand. One night, I cut them up and sprinkled with sugar (could also use Splenda) and it was really great. It was the perfect little sweet treat to have after dinner.

If you're on a mission to lose last of your baby weight, don't forget you can join my SparkTeam on Sparkpeople.com! See the post before this one for a link!

Operation Lose the Baby Weight: 2010 Edition!

It's a new year, and every year so many of us make "resolutions". This year, I'm not. Instead, I'm setting goals, and my biggest one is to ditch this ridiculous baby weight! (Okay...and the 75 extra pounds I already had before getting pregnant!)

It's easy to let money get in the way of weight loss, so that's why this year I am spending no money on weight loss. None. I'm not joining Weight Watchers (even though I think they have a fantastic program). I don't go to a gym. I won't hire a personal trainer. I am simply going to work with what I already had on my house at the end of 2009.

This consists of:

• A computer, with which I will use Sparkpeople, a free healthy living website, to track my progress.
• Fitness DVDs (I have several TaeBo and Biggest Loser/Jillian Michaels DVDs in my arsenal)
• The Spark, a book by the founder of Sparkpeople that I purchased at the end of last year (Want to check it out? Download a free chapter of The Spark.)
• Handweights of several sizes (3, 5, 8, and 10 pounds)
• Resistance Bands
• Stability Ball

The only thing I will spend any money on is new workout clothes/shoes as they become necessary.

I officially started my efforts back on January 1st. I have a goal of losing 2 pounds a week every week for this year. Having lost over five pounds since the 1st, I'm already ahead of the curve.

Having been in a "battle of the bulge" for several years now, I know it takes support to be successful. That's why I've created an Operation Lose the Baby Weight SparkTeam! Feel free to join if you're interested!

Not a member of Sparkpeople? See the link below to join:



Good luck to each and every one of you on accomplishing your goals!

Here's my inspiration; Angelica at 19 months old:


Disclaimer: I am not a representative of Sparkpeople, nor am I compensated by them for posting this review. The links provided may earn "SparkPoints" for me, which have no cash value. I simply believe in the service, the book, and have found it effective in the past so I wanted to share!

The Weight Loss Wagon: I'm Back On It

Warning: Somewhat personal and emotionally-charged post ahead!

A few months ago, I started a weight loss journey, with the best of intentions in mind. So why is it that I'm sitting here, now, having gained back half of the weight that I lost?

I fell off the weight loss wagon. I stopped working out, I stopped being as cautious about what I ate and just got careless. I have nobody to blame but myself.

But all of that is going to change, TODAY. I'm back on the weight loss wagon.

I don't know why, but I feel like this time is different. Each time I've started on the weight loss journey, I've felt a certain way, but this time I really think it's going to happen.

Sometimes, I look at my little girl and I see her running around, playing, full of joy. Sometimes, she comes and grabs my hand and walks me to the front door and says, "more!" (In her vocabulary, "more" is used to mean that she wants something.) So we go outside. But I'm sore, and I'm tired, my body is out of shape and doesn't move very quickly, and she moves so fast now that it's hard to keep up with her.

Setting everything inside aside...all of the times I've had a lack of confidence about whether or not I can lose weight, all of the times I've set out with the best of intentions and failed, all of the times that I just gave up and set it aside...they don't mean anything when I start to look at things from her perspective. She deserves a mom that can keep up with her. She deserves a mom that can take her to the park and throw a ball or chase a frisbee. More than anything else, though, she deserves a mom who will be healthy, and be able to be there for her when she's a teenager, an adult, a mom, a grandma...

So I think that's why it's going to be different this time. I've got the big picture in mind. I don't just have a reason, I have a purpose.

Today commences "Operation Lose the Baby Weight: This Time It's For Real!" See you at the finish line!

Friday Five: Five Fun Things To Do In 15 Minutes

Imagine: The baby's napping, and you've finally got a chance to do something, anything for yourself! I know this is a rare occurrence (at least in my household) but it does happen from time to time. If you're like me, you probably spend that time getting caught up on chores, working on homework, or something else necessary but not entertaining.

But sometimes, just sometimes, the homework is done, the housework is done, and you've got fifteen minutes or so to yourself to do anything you want! When this happens, here's what I usually choose to do:

1. Pick up a book and read a chapter...or two, if they're short! This is how I managed to get through all four books of the Twilight series earlier this year.
2. Get involved in your favorite hobby or hobbies! For me, it's photography. The past few evenings and weekends have been spent learning the ins and outs of my camera, learning the tricks of the trade for Camera Raw, Bridge and Photoshop, and watching photography tutorials on the web. It allows me to indulge my creative side when most of the rest of the week is spent embracing the logical side.
3. Watch some trash TV! There are certain shows that are serious "guilty pleasures" that I can't get SuperScott to watch -- not that I blame him. During 15 minutes of free time, I can get through 1/4 of an episode of Intervention or 16 and Pregnant, though...long enough to decide if the show grabs my attention enough to really watch it later on.
4. Take a power nap. Fifteen minutes isn't long enough for truly restorative sleep, but this harkens back to the early days of parenthood when people always told me, "Sleep when the baby sleeps!" You might not wake up feeling fully rested and ready to go after 15 minutes, but at least you'll have had a little bit of time to decompress and relax.
5. Snuggle time with your hubby! Last, but definitely not least, don't forget that it's important to take time to reconnect with your hubby.

What's your favorite fun things to do in 15 minutes? Feel free to comment and share!

The Last Post Surgery Update

Back in May, I wrote about Angelica's experience having a dermoid cyst removed from her eye at 11 months old. I've noticed that a few people have landed on Minute for Mom looking for information about this subject, so I thought I'd post another update to let everyone know how things went in the days and months that have followed. Let me preface this by saying -- it has all been good news!

We first noticed the cyst when she was about four months old and it continued to grow with her as she got bigger. She saw a pediatric neurosurgeon to have it evaluated...we kept an eye on it from 4 months until 10 months when it was reevaluated and determined that it would not go away on its own. The neurosurgeon then had us have a CT scan (to determine if it really was a cyst, as well as figure out it's the exact position and if it was infringing on any important nerves or bone structures) and then we scheduled the surgery, which was performed at 11 months.

[caption id="attachment_251" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="At 4 months old"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_250" align="alignleft" width="214" caption="Photo taken the day of her first appt. to have the cyst evaluated."][/caption]

This was Angelica the day before we went into surgery, at 11 months old:


If you ignore the messy yogurt face and notice above her right eye (on your left) there is a lump...that was what the cyst looked like. The surgery itself only took about an hour.

Here is what followed in the days after surgery (from this you can see what a truly happy kid I have...I've never been this happy so soon after surgery!):

[caption id="attachment_236" align="alignleft" width="214" caption="Eight hours after surgery."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_237" align="alignleft" width="214" caption="Two days after surgery."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_238" align="alignleft" width="214" caption="3 days after surgery."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_239" align="alignleft" width="214" caption="2 1/2 weeks after surgery."][/caption]

In the days that followed, her eye, which was initially very swollen and bruised, started to heal. I was actually really surprised at how swollen and black and blue it was at first, but it healed pretty quickly and she didn't seem that bothered by it! They gave her a dose of pain medication before we left the hospital on the day of the surgery, and from there she had Tylenol for the next few days.

About two and a half weeks later, she turned one! By this point, the bruising and swelling was completely gone, the incision was healed except for a scar that's about 1/2 an inch long.

Fast forward to today...this was how it looked about two weeks ago:


Barely noticeable, right? It doesn't show up well in photographs at all anymore. Scott and I still notice it, and occasionally we'll get a comment from a stranger, like "Oh she must be walking now, look at that little scratch on her eyebrow! Does she trip and fall a lot?" For the most part it's barely noticeable and as she gets older, the neurosurgeon says it should disappear completely.

During the surgery, they were able to remove all of the cyst and did testing to confirm that it was a dermoid. They are also confident that it won't recur.

If you have questions, feel free to post them in the comments section or email me at andrea@minuteformom.com. Keep in mind that I'm not a medical professional, so I can't give medical advice, so none of what I say should be mistaken for a doctor's opinion - I can just relay what our experience was and if you're truly concerned, ask your pediatrician because they'll know best. That's what we did!

Tuesday Timesavers: Lunchables: They're Not Just Kids Meals

Tuesday Timesavers is a weekly feature, posted on Tuesdays, listing conventional and unconventional ways that we can save time each week!

Today's might make some of you laugh. It's a trip back to elementary school, but a way that I've managed to save both time and money every week.

A few weeks ago I wrote a Tuesday Timesavers piece about ways to save time in the morning. After that, I got to thinking - what are some ways to save time throughout the day? Later that night I was grocery shopping, and suddenly, it was staring me in the face, making me laugh like a ten year old girl.

It was a Lunchables display.

Okay, before you think I'm totally off my rocker, let me explain. One of the things that eats up time in my morning is packing a lunch. You have to get all the parts together, make the sandwich/grab a frozen meal, grab a drink...or worse, plan to grab fast food for lunch if you don't have time to do that.

So, feeling kind of silly about it, I decided to give the Lunchables a try. I hadn't had one since elementary school, and since then, they've started packaging them complete with a drink and a snack size candy bar.

For example, the one I have with me today is a Low-Fat Ham and Cheddar, with a snack size fat-free Jello pudding and a Capri Sun fruit punch. 360 calories. I tossed a banana in the bag with it to get my fruit/veggie for the meal and I'm set!

Another great thing about these is that they don't need to be microwaved. No need to wait in line in the break room for the microwave, no need to wait 5-7 minutes for a frozen meal to cook. Just pull this out of the fridge and eat, or if you're really pressed for time, put it in a lunchbox with an ice pack and keep it at your desk!

If your child or children are school aged, this also could save time at the grocery store. If you buy Lunchables for their school lunches, grab a couple for yourself too so you don't have to go elsewhere in the store to pick up yours.

Finally, each one costs about $2.50. That's about the same, or less than the cost of a frozen meal, and definitely cheaper than fast food. It may not be the 100% healthiest thing in the world, but if the alternative is fast food, the Lunchables is a better option.

I now understand why my mom used to send us to school with these every day.

Disclaimer: The above is my opinion. I am not compensated by Lunchables or any associated brands for writing this article.

I'm Not Part of the Cupcake Police Squad

As crazy and hectic as my mornings are, I don't often catch Good Morning America in the morning. I do sometimes read their articles, and this morning, I read this article about a mom on a crusade against junk food that threw me for a loop.

To provide a loose summary for those as busy as I am -- this mom is so adamant that her children not be served junk food that she has them collect any food served that's not on the school menu in a Tupperware and bring it home to discuss. She has bad-mouthed overweight celebrities, used foul language at PTA meetings,  stopped by police while protesting an ice cream display at the gym, and even been asked to move away by other parents for her outspoken stance against junk food. Finally, she thinks that parents should be given permission slips to sign in order for their children to be served treats at special events.

As a parent, I feel strongly about teaching moderation to my child because I want her to be healthy, but I think it's just as unhealthy to go the opposite direction and make a huge issue out of food. Do I think she should eat cake and candy daily? Of course not. But do I think she should have to package up a cupcake given to her at a special event at school and bring it home to discuss whether or not to eat it? Absolutely not. I think that sets up unhealthy and unrealistic expectations about food.

As a mother to a daughter, I also think that this is an extremely unhealthy example to set for a young girl. In a society where women are flashed images of skinny models and actresses and society conveys the message that it's more important to be thin than smart, to reinforce this by analyzing every bit of food she eats sets her up for a potentially dangerous cycle.

I think this mom may have her own issues surrounding food and she's projecting them on to her children. The article says that she doesn't eat breakfast or lunch and squeezes meals in between workouts to avoid gaining any weight.

In helping our children eat healthy, I think we need to look at the bigger picture. We need to make the issue about health, not about food. Serve healthy, nutritious meals and encourage them to go outside and play. Teach them about how food is fuel for the body, and how we need vitamins to grow, carbohydrates for energy, that our muscles need protein and our bones need calcium. In my opinion, this, and setting a good example through the meals you prepare and your own eating and exercise habits, is the real way to combat childhood obesity.

But also tell them that, once in awhile, when you're at a birthday party, for example, that it is okay to have a piece of cake. But not five pieces, and not every day.

Operation Lose the Baby Weight: Month 1 Results

So the other day, I preemptively stated that I lost nine pounds.

Well, due to a combination of being sick last week, recovering, recovering the appetite I had lost during the time I was sick, and hormones galore (ladies, you know what I mean), I stepped on the scale this morning for the official weekly weigh in...

And I had gained back two pounds.

Arrrrrghhh!

After a month of being on Weight Watchers, I'm still lucky enough to report a weight loss of seven pounds though! That's just under two pounds a week if I'm not mistaken. I'll take it!

I'm realizing that I need to get a game plan going for the next month. I need to carve out a routine for exercise, I need to be more diligent about watching what I eat. So, for the next 30 days, that's my goal. I'm excited to see where that lands me in another month!

Tuesday Timesavers: Lose the Baby Weight With Weight Watchers Online

Welcome to this week's edition of Tuesday Timesavers - helping moms like you save time each week!

Disclaimer: I am not compensated for this product review, so the below is entirely my opinion.

First of all, apologies for the hiatus - as you can see, the site recently got a facelift, and most of my time was devoted to that. But never fear, Tuesday Timesavers is here again!

This week's edition of Tuesday Timesavers will be about Weight Watchers Online! If you've read my post about my quest to lose the baby weight you'll know that I've now been on the program for a month. To give a little preview of the weight loss I should be announcing once the month is up (later this week!) - I am down nine pounds! (And I didn't even abide by the plan perfectly 100% of the time!)

I'm sure many of you are familiar with Weight Watchers. I joined for the first time when I was planning my wedding back in 2004/2005, and again after the wedding. I wanted to sign up after having the baby, but when you're a working mom, when do you have time for meetings?

So I gave Weight Watchers online a shot, and was wary about whether or not it would work since there isn't the accountability of meetings. I didn't find that as a factor in my success though, because I was motivated.

The best thing about the new version of the Weight Watchers program is that it's got an option that is practically designed for busy people like us. They have the Simply Filling technique, which gives you a list of foods and guidelines, and as long as you don't break the rules  and you make sure to get your Good Health Guidelines checked off (water, vitamin, exercise, etc), you don't really need to "track" anything. So, between not having to attend a meeting, and not having to track your calories, it's a definite time saver! (Plus the meal choices and recipes are quick to make!)

So, all in all, it works well for moms who need a quick way to plan healthy meals. Whether you decide to track Points or use the Simply Filling technique, you're guided toward making good choices that are good for your wallet, waistline, and your time.

Operation Lose the Baby Weight: Week 1 Results

First of all, apologies for the brief hiatus. Life and times with a toddler can get pretty hectic, and with all of the other things going on in our world...work, school, preparing for Angelica's first birthday (next week!) Superdad Scott putting in some long hours at his job, preparing to move next month, trying to overhaul my whole lifestyle...blogging took a back seat. (And I know I'm preaching to the choir here!) But never fear! I am now returning to my regularly scheduled but previously preempted blogging.

Starting next week this will probably be a video blog series - time didn't permit me to record the video I wanted to record this week, but I wanted to go ahead and get something posted.

So let's get this out of the way first:
WEEK 1: SUCCESS! -5.4 pounds!

This 5.4 pound loss is really over the course of ten days. I started the Operation Lose The Baby Weight "program" about 11 days ago, on a Monday, but designated Wednesday as my official "weigh-in" day. (Because really, who wants to wake up Monday morning and get on the scale first thing? That could get the week off to a bad start, depending on the results!)

So how did I do it? Well, not with any amount of precision. The first week of making any big change in lifestyle is pretty difficult and so I had to employ copious amounts of patience and restraint. Restraint from eating the chocolate doughnut...restraint from yelling at myself for caving in and eating said chocolate doughnut...restraint from saying, "Hey, I already ate one, why not have another?" It is a vicious cycle.

In order to have guidelines from which to begin rebuilding the healthy lifestyle, I signed up for the Weight Watchers Online program. I'm no stranger to Weight Watchers. I was a member years ago, attending meetings and did pretty well on it. With a toddler...work...school...you know how it is...adding in the weekly meetings to my schedule was just daunting. So I didn't. I'm giving it 30 days and if I "fall off the wagon" then I'll have to reevaluate. So far, so good though.

Now I won't say I was perfect for the first week -- oh no. (See the previous reference to a chocolate doughnut!) But having these guidelines in the back of my mind helped steer me in the right direction, and thankfully, I ended up with a loss instead of a gain (and a pretty good loss at that).

So what's on the agenda for this week? EXERCISE. Last week I focused solely on breaking the cycle of eating unhealthy foods, this week, I'm striving to work in at least three days of exercise. SuperScott is picking up a copy of EA Active for me possibly later this week and I'll give that a try. (I have Wii Fit but I want something a little more challenging.) So far I'm at a whopping ZERO days, but today is only day 2 of week 2.

My first non-scale goal is to be able to wear my wedding band by our four year wedding anniversary - July 5th. I haven't been able to put it on since I was 5 months pregnant with Angelica and I miss it.

Tune in next Wednesday for what will hopefully be the first video blog (and here's hoping for more good news)!

Operation: Lose the Baby Weight!

Today is day one of "Operation: Lose the Baby Weight" - which is really just me trying to kick myself in the butt to lose the last 25 pounds of baby weight. It's about time, given that my daughter will be a year old in 2 1/2 weeks.

I am really just posting this to throw it out into the great wide open so I can't change my mind. I'll be complementing this task by posting a video every Wednesday night describing my success and/or failures from the week.

My weight has been a source of anxiety for me over the past decade. It's time to take control!

Any other moms out there who have had success with ditching those last few post-baby pounds, feel free to post a comment with some suggestions!

Post-Surgery Update

I meant to post this yesterday, but as you can imagine, it was a hectic day! This post may be a little longer than the norm, so bear with me...

We woke up around 4 a.m. because we had to be at the hosptital by 5:30. Surgery was scheduled for 7:30 but they needed time to get her checked in and take her vitals and get her nice and happy. Surprisingly, Angelica tolerated the getting up early part of things very well. She didn't make a peep the whole ride there, but she was wide awake. That's my girl!

The whole process went pretty quickly. We went to Arnold Palmer, got checked in, got taken up to the third floor surgical waiting room, got taken back to pre-op, got her vitals taken, and then she got some medicine in her nose that made her very happy. Scott had stepped out of the room for about ten seconds...she got the medicine right after he stepped out, and before he got back she went from being tense and agitated to being very relaxed.

That part was actually really funny. She hates doctors and so she was all tense about getting her vitals taken. She had napped, woken up, got more tests and then the medication. Within about 10 seconds she turned into dead weight in my arms and just looked up at me and started giggling. I though to myself, Oh my gosh, my baby's drunk! That was probably the only part of the experience that made me laugh.

At that point she loved everyone, doctors included, so when the nurse took her from me to take her to the OR, she just smiled away. At that point, Scott and I went to wait in the lobby.

It was about an hour later, Dr. Johnson came out to let us know how everything went. She said Angelica did fine, she tolerated the anesthesia well, and the surgery went by the book, no complications. They got all of the cyst and said they were confident that it was a dermoid cyst, as they had suspected, but it's going to pathology just in case.

We then went back to wait for a few more minutes for her to wake up, and then we got to see her. She was still drowsy, and was for pretty much the rest of the day.

She woke up at home around 1:00 and ate, and then we snuggled on the couch and had a good time. She was back to herself by the evening and today she woke up at her normal time, ready to go.

I have to say though, she does look rough. Her right eye is swollen shut and is a little tender if she tries to rub it, but otherwise it doesn't seem to bother her!

She's got a follow-up appointment on the 28th -- the day before her first birthday. My only hope is that she's made a good recovery by then so she can enjoy her birthday party!

My girl is a trooper. I wish I could be brave like her :)

Edit: Anyone who is going through a similar experience and has questions, feel free to ask! I searched the Internet for information on what to expect when a baby has surgery or what to expect following surgery to remove a dermoid cyst and came up with very little. Just click the comments button and ask away!

Surgery to remove cyst scheduled...

Today, we scheduled our baby girl for her very first surgery - it will be this coming Thursday.

Her's is so very minor - she has a dermoid cyst under her left eyebrow, which unfortunately has gotten bigger over the past few months. It's harmless, but will continue to grow unless it's removed. We had a CT scan done to make sure it's not connected to any muscle tissue that would affect movement of her eye (it doesn't) and so the surgery was scheduled.

Though this is a quick, outpatient procedure and she'll be back to normal in a day or two, it's still heart wrenching for a mom to think about her baby being sedated and operated on. Moms want to protect their children and I know there's really nothing I can do in this situation but trust the doctor and know we're doing the right thing.

And so I end with my entry in week's Memo from Mommy (a weekly contest at BabyRabies.com)

To: Angelica
From: Mommy

You're having minor surgery on Thursday and I know all will be fine but I can't help but panic. I'm taking comfort in the fact that you're a tough cookie, tougher than your wimpy mom. Keep on being tough, and remember mommy loves you!