I've received lots of compliments, lately, and I'm loving it. I'm really eager to see how far I can go because, I know that my "actual" weight should be around the 120's for my height (baby steps). I don't know if I'll ever be that small because of how muscular I am, but I suppose anything is possible (I'm really starting to believe that). I can't even remember how old I was when I was that size, maybe 13 or 14? I know that I was in the 130's in the early part of high school and I remember wearing pretty much whatever I wanted. God, I miss those days! I took my measurements today, on a whim. My chest is down from a 38 to a 36 and my waist was a 34, now it's a 32 (the previous measurements were taken in February).

So happy it's Friday, but I don't really have any plans. I will stop by Bed, Bath and Beyond because I've been eyeing those Space bags. We have one or two comforter sets that we rotate during the winter months. Right now, they are stuffed on shelves in a spare bedroom downstairs. It looks atrocious, but there's really no where else to put them (they're so big and bulky). Anyway, I figured I could buy the bigger sized bags, suck the air out, then put them back on the shelves. Then, at least, they're out of eye-view and we could put even more stuff on top of the bags. I'll probably take a look through Ross Dress for Less before I go to Bed, Bath and Beyond. They may have them for even cheaper. I hope they work!

My romantic lunch with hubby was cancelled, not because of him or me, but because of a sick child. The daycare called at around 9:15 am on Tuesday to tell me that the babe had a very red eye and was rubbing it incessantly. When I went to pick her up, it was almost completely shut, poor thing. She was so pitiful. I had been trying to call her dad to let him know that I couldn't make lunch, but I kept getting his voicemail (he was in training). Turns out, he was training in the same building as my daughter's daycare. I found his truck and went looking for him. We talked about where to take her (since the doctor's office only had a 4:40 pm appointment available and that was too long for her to wait for relief). We ended up at the Instacare around the corner.

We arrived at 11:42 and didn't leave until 1:30. That's a long time for a little kid and two worried parents to wait around. She had not had her lunch or her nap yet, so she wasn't a happy kid. Nevertheless, she hung on like a trooper and allowed the doctor to do all her tests. Just as we all suspected, it was pink eye. We took the little one home and I administered the drops (not a pleasant experience for either one of us). By then, it was around 2:00 and none of us had eaten yet. Hubby took us all to Golden Corral and I did a pretty good job. Unfortunately, I have noticed a pattern with eating out: even though I do pretty well, restaurant food is usually loaded with sodium. This aids in holding on to every drop of the 64 ounces of water I drink. I feel like I become one of those really sturdy ziploc bags that holds everything in so tightly. Why can't I be the cheap, knock-off brand that opens at the slightest touch, releasing everything one tries to store? Again, I will have to wait a few days to see a real difference in my weight again. I'm glad that next week will be more on the normal side (hopefully) since I don't have any lunches planned.

The babe is doing better today, but her eye is still quite red. I hope we did a good job of washing hands and sterilizing because I don't want this to spread to her left eye. Thank goodness the doctor prescribed two doses of this stuff, because if it does spread, I don't want to have to wait two hours at an instacare, just for a prescription. Good Lord!

Today's my "lunch out" day with hubby. After his training, he'll swing over here and take me to my restaurant of choice. I was thinking Tucci's, but that may be a bit too heavy. We already ruled out Mexican because there's very little to choose from that won't make us go overboard. The chips they bring out alone, are enough to say, "Bye bye waist".

I'm feeling pretty groovy today, in my size ten, St. John's Bay, Drawstring Capris pants in sweet pink (see www.jcpenney.com in the Women's section). My top came from the Juniors department in the same soft pink color. The brand is Energie Girl (www.energiegirl.com). Accessories count, so see the hair for today at the following URL: http://www.sensationnel.com/fall2003/pro.asp?cat=c9
I'm also wearing my Candies, wedge-style wood mules today (I didn't see them on their web site, otherwise, I would direct you there to see). But, maybe you should take a look at their site anyway. What the hell is going on with Kelly Clarkson and Jenny McCarthy? It's a bit over the top, don't you think? Well, I guess it's all about getting paid, but I digress....

It's been a little weird at work. I've acquired a new Dell Windows XP to replace my aged Micron '98. Currently, both computers are networked and running in front of me. The idea is to move everything from the old one to the new one, but what a challenge! I suppose techy people are used to this, but I'm finding it a bit wild working on two computers at once. My boss was over here yesterday, working with me on a project. He was like, "You should keep both. You seem to be a whiz with them!"

The weekend was minus the tile shopping I was dreading. Hooray! We actually enjoyed the nice weather and took in the outdoors as much as we could. I ate out a lot this weekend, but kept my servings small and my fat count to a minimum. Weekends are tough and I know many of us can attest to that. We try to stay on the straight and narrow, but those winding roads filled with burgers and fries just look like way too much fun! Okay, so I'm not a big burgers and fries girl, but I do love the breakfast treats. In fact, my mother treated my sister and I to breakfast out on Sunday. Bring on the pancakes (but please, no butter).

This week looks like it will bring on even more temptation, as I have been invited out for three different lunches (the first one being today). We went to my favorite Chinese restaurant. I ordered the Beef and broccoli combo lunch (beef and broccoli with steamed rice, instead of ham-fried, and low mein noodles. It also comes with yummy hot & sour soup). I think I did pretty well, but I know that the sodium is going to reinforce the dam (water retention, here I come!). Tomorrow, it's lunch out with hubby and Thursday, it's lunch out with a good friend. My regret(?) is that, doing all these lunches prevents me from going to the gym. I can't go after work because I have to pick up the little one at daycare by a certain time and I work 30 miles south of where I live. I tried to "up the anti" by working out extra hard on Saturday. We'll see if it makes a difference.

Thank God! I thought I'd have to carry this water for the rest of my life! This morning, just for the heck of it, I stepped on the scale. I'm at 167.5, which means the water has left the building. I hope the number is just as nice, if not better, by Wednesday.

For the past week, my gym has been doing this "spring promotion" thing, you know the kind: "Let's reel them in with lots of giveaways and great service, then sit them down for the contract talk where we make them sign their lives away for one year or more". However many bells and whistles are rung, it always come down to the same end. Luckily, I can benefit from all of the hoopla. They've had smoothies and teriyaki bowls, so they've essentially bought my lunch for the past couple of days. How nice of them to do that for me. Lots of veggies, grilled chicken, white rice with a dash of teriyaki. It's the perfect compliment to a pretty decent Friday.

Tomorrow, we're coming back into town to buy tile and trim for the basement. My husband is so excited, but I am just not feeling it. Hopefully, my vibe will change...hopefully.

Oh, boy. So much for my 10% goal prize. It seems I missed the fact that I ordered VHS tapes instead of DVDs. Bummer. I didn't open them, so I'm going to check out eBay to see if they are worth selling back, or I'll just sell them through Half.com again. It's so disappointing to get a package in the mail, rip the paper off like it's Christmas, only to find that you've got a lump of coal. Okay, maybe not coal, but it was certainly not what I wanted.

I did some tinkering with the color scheme on this page. I'll probably continue to tinker until it's exactly the way I want it. That's my way...always changing things up. I also hope to have some pictures available, soon. I'm usually the person behind the camera. It's going to take a lot of nerve to get up the courage to post some of my before and now pictures (can't wait for the "afters").

I walked on the treadmill for 5 minutes this morning, then took it up to a jog for the next ten. I was only going to do five, but I felt like I could handle another five and I did. I burned many more calories than I normally do in my thirty minutes on the treadmill. Perhaps I'll do some more jogging tomorrow. You never can tell!

Well, I'm up a pound and I know exactly why (can you guess?). This is probably TMI but, yesterday I downed my 64 ounces of pseudo water (as usual) and for the first time, it wasn't clear (you know, when I saw it the second time). It's always clear, that's why I let myself get away with drinking the stuff. I told hubby about it this morning, and he said, "Yep. That's what's happening. You're retaining water." Great. No more 160's for a week or so, I'm guessing. On top of that, I left my water bottle at home. It was a crazy morning anyway because hubby has my car and I have his monster truck. I was so nervous about driving it that I pretty much forgot everything. So, I'll have to hope I get the 64 ounces down by drinking out of a glass. I know that sounds weird, but I'm such a creature of habit.

Cross your fingers that the water is all gone by next weigh-in. I'm starting to get lots of compliments and I'm afraid I'll get all cocky and stop what I'm doing (you should know, most things work in the opposite for me). Where most people would be driven forward by compliments, I would think (subconsciously, of course), "Oh. I look terrific! Now, I can go back to eating buckets of burritos and Chinese food." I don't think that will happen this time, since my ultimate goal is to be "Hot By 30", but you never can tell (the creature of habit, thing). The other goal is to break bad habits, which I think I'm doing quite well. I just have to keep saying, "I may look good now, but I can look even better!"

You know, I was a very fortunate teenager, in one respect: I never experienced acne. I would get the occasional blemish, but that was pretty much it. Not wearing makeup is something I choose to do and can do. I don't really need powder, but I'll wear lipstick or gloss; however, when I start working out? All Hell breaks loose (literally). My skin becomes a veritable mine of pimple bombs. They're disgusting! Last week, I had one smack dab in the middle of my forehead. This week, I've got some crawling up the side of my face, one on my eyebrow, one under my eye, one under my chin and one in the fold of my ear. The fold of my ear, for heaven's sake! I hate this! I try to control it by doing the Noxema thing and astringent after workouts, but nothing works. Hubby says, it's all of the impurities pushing out of my skin. But come on, there's got to be some even ground somewhere! I've actually had to wear a bit of make up these last few days, just to face the world. (This is so unnatural for the hippy inside).

I know that I should see some relief soon, but for now, it's a nightmare. I really sympathize with kids who have a full-on acne problem because high school is terrible about image and looking good all the time. Thank God I never have to go through that again!

I took Friday off and hung out with my family. We went shopping at a "bargain basement" type store. I bought a stainless steel drain board worth $60 for around $15 (or, I should say, hubby got it for me). He's the shopper. I just walked around looking goofy, trying to look like I was searching for bargains. He also bought several DVDs and a stereo for his mother for Mother's Day. Later that evening, I went to see my sister in the play The Duchess of Malfi. It was a great performance and she did a really good job. It was, perhaps, her best performance yet (she played the handmaiden). Kind of reminded me of a Shakespeare tragedy. There were dead bodies everywhere, by the end.

Over the weekend, I was good sometimes and not so good at others. We ate out a lot, but I tried to be very careful about whatever I ordered. Most occasions, I did okay. I think I only went overboard once (yesterday) when hubby brought home Taco Bell. It was great and I enjoyed every bite, but something interesting happened. He bought me a bean burrito and a chicken burrito. I ate the entire bean (around 12 fat grams) and began to work on the chicken, when I noticed (about half way through), that I was beginning to feel full. Why is this interesting, you ask? Because, normally, I could tear up two or three of those suckers with no problem and still have room for desert. Is my tummy finally shrinking? Who knows, but I'm taking it as a good sign.

I'm not sure what will happen on Wednesday. I'm hoping the weekend splurges didn't screw me up and with all the working out I did last week, that should help too (around 1500 extra calories burned).

I'm wearing a size 10 capri jeans today. I'm also wearing a brand new shirt in medium. I've been thinking a lot about where my body will be in the next few weeks. Will I notice the changes? Will the only way I notice those changes be the fact that my clothes fit better, or will I be able to look in the mirror and see it? I think I see it now, but you know about that distorted image thing. I wish I could trust myself more.

Does anyone remember that goofy 80's movie, Innerspace, with Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid? (I think their working together on this movie, eventually led to their marriage). Anyway, I was thinking about the general concept of that idea, today. What if I could travel inside myself. What would I find? The obvious, certainly, but I think something else. My husband gave me a nice compliment last night, but being a woman, I have analyzed it to death. I've been thinking about if I've allowed my weight to hinder me from being my true self. Is my skinny true self trapped inside the large me? And now that the small me is trying to resurface, will she bring out things in me that I've been hiding? I really wonder.

I think, overall, that I'm me no matter what. It's WYSIWYG with me most of the time, but now I'm thinking that because I'm starting to feel better and feel better about me, I'm expressing myself differently. Will it continue? Will I be able to recognize when I am doing this? I'm not going to stress over it too much, but it was on my mind.

Today I'm wearing, what I call, my "get it girl" jeans. They're wide leg and snug, rather than baggy. A couple of weeks ago, I couldn't get them past my hips. I was brave to wear them. I'm thinking that by lunch, the button may strain to close. Let's pray I can get them back on and secure them successfully, after I go to gym. Oh, and they're a size 11.

I'm so happy! I can't believe I'm back in the 160's. Boy, that seems really crazy, but I see it as a true accomplishment. I'll be checking out half.com today to see if the DVD set is still there. Woohoo!

This morning, I hoped on the treadmill and walked for about two miles at 3.8 MPH. This afternoon, I'll be at the gym on the elliptical trainer. I started to think about what alternatives I would have, if I didn't have the free gym membership. Would I save and buy an elliptical trainer of my own? A month or two ago, I would have said no. Not just no, but hell nah! Now, I think I would. I know how many extra calories it burns. I'm in the 360 calorie range, after just thirty minutes. On the treadmill, I'm at 200 or so in the same amount of time.

An interesting tidbit: Did you know that you can't count the calories you burn on these machines or any aerobic activity as the whole amount burned? You have to deduct normal activity calories from that amount. I know, not good news, but it sure puts things into perspective. Especially during those times when you feel like your burning everything, but in fact, you have to deduct what you would have normally been doing, during that time. For example, my walk on the treadmill in the morning begins at around 4:30 am. Normally, I would be sleeping during that time (as I'm sure most of you are doing). Anyway, let's say I burn 210 calories in that thirty minutes. If I had been sleeping, I would have burned 37 calories sleeping. Therefore, I only burned 173 walking on the treadmill (confused yet?). The best thing to remember is that for every extra activity you do, you would have been doing something more sedentary in its place. On the upside, the treadmill doesn't count the arm swinging or weight lifting you may be doing while you walk.

I'm off to half.com to claim my prize...

This morning, I was actually eager for it to be Wednesday. If I reach my 10%, I get my first goal item. Monday, I received another update notice that the Superman DVD collection is still listed super cheap. My luck, I'll make goal tomorrow and it will be gone. I know, I know. Stay positive. I guess the 10 pounds off is starting show, a bit. Three people have said that I seem smaller. Three isn't bad, but I'm excited to hear 10 or more say the same.

The other terrific thing is that they've put my favorite childhood series on DVD, finally. Wonder Woman! I'm so excited! I have every episode on tape, already but there's something about DVD. Plus, I'm told Ms. Carter returned to do some commentary. I always find those extras so interesting. I swear I'm in the wrong line of work!

Oh, and my sister-in-law did call my mother. My hubby thinks she was encouraged by their mother to do it. Either way, I'm glad she did. I know it seems small but courtesy counts for a lot with me.

Well, this marks day two that I haven't walked on the treadmill in the morning. I have, however, gone to the gym during the day. I may walk tonight when I get home...okay, I will walk tonight when I get home.

Easter was wonderful yesterday, for the most part. We went to my mother's and had the traditional spread: spiral sliced ham, green beans, squash, baked macaroni and cheese, potato salad and I made a pineapple, upside down cake for desert. Yum! So, me, my mother, my hubby, my daughter and my sister all partook in the wonderful dinner my mother made. My sister-in-law, her husband and their two kids were supposed to be there. Not only did they tell my mother they were coming, but my sister-in-law told me she would be there too. After about three hours, we figured they weren't coming. Don't you call your hostess when you're not going to make an engagement? I mean, it wasn't anything formal, but doesn't common courtesy still apply? My husband was really upset, not because they didn't show, but more because my sister-in-law is making "not showing up" more of a habit than she should.

She lived with us for a year and a half, so she really got to know my daughter. My little girl just loves her, but the last time they saw each other was before Christmas (my daughter asks for her all the time. It's getting harder and harder to tell her that "no, we're not going to [sister-in-law's] house". My hubby commented that he spoke to her (my sister-in-law) more when she lived in Missouri (1400 miles away) than he does now. I know, it's not always what people want...having relatives around all the time, but it doesn't hurt to pick up the phone every once in a while. What's worse is that she called her own mother (who still lives in Missouri) and told her that she wasn't going to make it to my mother's house. How weird is that! She did the same thing when she got into a car accident. She called her mother, but my husband didn't know about it until weeks later. And he lives right here! Her own brother!

I told him that she must be dealing with some guilt issues or something. Maybe she's feeling the leash from her husband. Perhaps it's depression...who the hell knows, but no one can help her if she doesn't talk about it. The family is like that...suppressing everything. It took three long years in our marriage for my hubby to finally start expressing himself. He's says he's so much better because of it. I think it's wonderful too.

Well, enough venting on that subject. I did okay with the eating, not great, but okay. I kind of prepared myself by having a very sparse day on Saturday (only around 500 calories the entire day). Believe me, if I'd known it was that sparse, I would have had a bit more. The thing is, I keep my food spreadsheet here at work, so I wasn't really sure until today. Anyway, I stepped on the scale Sunday morning and was back in the 160's. Hooray! I hope it's like that on Wednesday, then I can get my first goal item. Woohoo!!

What a glorious day! The rain stopped, the sun is shining and I'm an old, married lady. Hubby will be taking me to lunch, today, and we've both promised to be good (okay, maybe not too good). I am currently nibbling on my Garden burger and a bowl of grits. Sounds tasty, don't it? I'm wearing a size 12, iridescent green dress that is fitting rather loosely. There are actual fray marks around the bustline, when this dress was too tight. Unbelievable! So, why am I still in the 170's? Oh, well.

I made the hubby his own Easter basket with a few of his favorite things: lays BBQ chips, Mountain Dew, chocolate covered raisins, bean and beef burritos, and pineapple upside down cake mix. Woo! Sounds nutritious! Knowing my hubby, he'll space this out over the next few months. He's so good.

My pancakes were lovely, yesterday. I was full after two and could hardly believe it. Either my tummy is finally shrinking, or I'm finally gaining some self control. Time will tell.

For me, it's my favorite meal of the day. I think it has a lot to do with association. Growing up with a southern mother, it was a carbo fest of delight: pancakes, eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, grits, biscuits, I love you all! During my "lifestyle change", I've basically been eating one oatmeal packet and Canadian bacon or one instant grits package and a garden burger. Sometimes, I even switch up the meats! (note the amazing variety!). Today, I decided I would have my frozen, Pillsbury pancakes. Well, brilliant me forgot the syrup at home. Now, what are pancakes without the syrup? Um, that would be bread. So, in about two minutes, I'm heading over to the deli for fresh made pancakes. I know how to do this too: No butter and very light syrup. I still brought my Canadian bacon, so I don't have to order any lardfilled bacon or sausage.

Tomorrow is my six year anniversary. My husband is supposed to come and take me to lunch, but I think he's rather irritated with me. I hate when Mercury goes into retrograde! It's like the two of us are speaking a different language or something (oh, if you don't have a clue what I'm talking about, visit www.astrology.com

By the way, I felt smaller today but I didn't take out the scale. Probably due to the fact that I drank my nasty raspberry ice like a good girl. Boy, those last 32 ounces were hard to get down. Tonight, I'm stopping at Wal-Mart to get the flavors I like. The Raspberry ice will be done today. Woohoo!!

...and that pretty much sucks. I guess no change is better than a gain any day. I was really hoping that I'd be in the 160's, finally. Is that too much to ask? My hubby says I'm retaining water because of all the salt I've been eating lately, which is probably true. It doesn't make it any easier to see, though. What's wild is I'm really getting in touch with my body. On mornings I feel smaller, I usually am. This morning, I didn't feel smaller. Isn't that weird? Anyway, I'm trying to stay positive. I know it's a long road, but I sure do like seeing the scale move (even a little bit) every week. I had kind of made in "inside" goal for myself. If I was in the 160's today, I would buy myself a new dress for Easter. Well, I guess I'll be recycling last year's dress. I also can't have my regular goal (a wishlist item from Half.com).

I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I know that my TOM is coming soon and that's probably screwing things up for me. I also know that last month I had two weeks where there was no change, and I should just expect that each month, right? Hubby also says I should increase my protein because my body is holding on to every carb I ingest. He's not an Atkins nut or anything. He's speaking from his bodybuilding, personal training experience. The protein wouldn't be by much, actually. He says about 60 grams a day, which divides into 20 per meal. I'm probably getting around 50 now. I better find some peanuts or something (low cal, high protein, semi-high fat). I'm not even meeting my fat limit (except for last weekend and last night when we had to have Chinese and watch the Matrix Revolutions), so peanuts should be okay. I'm also having trouble getting my 64 ounces down. The raspberry ice, generic Crystal Light I've been drinking is so nasty. Never again! It's strawberry or peach ice from now on. I can suck on those for days, but this raspberry stuff. Yuck!

I didn't go to the reception last night. There was a miscommunication and the hours were from 6 to 8 rather than from 4 to six. They know 8 is bed time; however, I still didn't go to bed until 10, since we watched the movie. I didn't do my 4:30 walk because of it. Hubby says I shouldn't beat myself up about it, since I do my second workout during the day. Unfortunately, I'm of the mind-set that, even though I don't burn as many calories in my morning workout as I do my afternoon, I feel like that momentum carries throughout the morning. My mid day workout just burns off what I've eaten during the day.

It's raining today and I'm actually enjoying it (another aspect of the south that I miss). It's supposed to keep up throughout the day, then clear up by tomorrow.

I don't know what's going on with me, today, but I want to eat everything I see! I've been wanting everything in site. At first, I thought it was because TOM is on it's way, but I didn't get like this last month at all. I haven't overdone it, thankfully, but I don't have much left in my allotment for the day (about 400 calories and 17 or so fat grams). I mean, that's a sensible dinner, but I'm worried that I'll attack more than just dinner tonight. And of course, it isn't a normal evening. I've got to go to a reception after work and I'm sure they have cream and sugar laden appetizers that will call my name constantly. Oh, what's a trying-to-be-thin girl to do!

Today is my mother's birthday. We made her a bunch of homemade coupons and bought her the first season of the Chapelle show. He is too crazy and really takes his comedy to the edge (like comedians of old). I love how he constantly says, "Well, we're not cancelled yet". I'm sure he really felt like he would be after the first episode. Most times, I'm in bed when he comes on, but I like to catch his show on the weekends. Oh, what it must be like to be in the audience. I once saw Tommy Davidson live and I was literally crying in my seat. I love comedy shows.

Well, back to being ravenous. I hope my protein bar and water kick in soon. I don't want to have to resort to eating bits of my desk. The boss may have something to say about that.

The weekend started off, well enough but then these to demons and dress came to conquer me. My mother, daughter and I went to Red Lobster on Friday for lunch. I had the create-a-combo with double shrimp scampi and rice pilaf. My mother ordered the salmon-in-a-bag (which, now that I think about it and know the calorie count for shrimp scampi, should have been what I ordered too). My daughter had the mac-n-cheese with veggies (oh, to be a kid again). I was rather disappointed when they brought out my daughter's lunch. It looked like Kraft macaroni and cheese! (You know, that cylindrical pasta you can't get in a bag). For nearly $6.00, I could have made that and steamed some veggies my damn self.

With my tossed salad, I had the balsalmic vinaigrette dressing. The problem arose when they placed those sinful, bay cheddar biscuits in front of me. What was I to do? I couldn't deny myself. One would be okay, right? Well, one turned into three. Do you know that one biscuit has 16 grams of fat? So, three is like eating a whopper with cheese. Oh, well. Saturday went much better and I ate sensibly. Sunday, hubby took the family to Chinese Gourmet (my other weakness. Oh, how I love Chinese!). In my quest for thinness, however, I have learned which Chinese delicacies are better for you. Therefore, I had the beef and broccoli with steamed rice. Not denying myself of anything, I had two little General Tso's chicken pieces and one wanton with cheese. This would have been fine, had I not gone up for one more serving of rice with beef and broccoli. Oh, the humanity!

I'll tell you what, though, I am paying for it today. Getting on the treadmill was a total struggle. My body was still trying to break down the broccoli so my tummy was in turmoil (and informed me of it, every 30 or 40 strides). A couple of tums and a shower later, I was feeling more like myself.

Even though the weekend was mostly a bust, I did calculate my extra calories burned and boy, was I surprised. An extra 1900 calories, not bad. Those mid day jaunts to the gym are really bringing that number to a nice high. I wonder, even after the weekend, if Wednesday will give me a decent enough number dropped (if any). I'd settle for a "no change" to "a gain" any day, especially after the weekend like the one I had; however, if what I've read about the "Wendy Plan" is true, this just aided in shaking things up (am I justifying, or what). Perhaps I'll have done even better than I thought (don't get your hopes up, yeah, I know).

Today will be a half day for me at work. I'm taking my little girl to see The Wiggles and she has no idea. Initially, I was going to skip my second workout, go have lunch, waist an hour window shopping, then pick her up. Then, I rethought, "Why am I skipping?" So, I will still go and do my second workout at 11:30 as usual. Then, I'll do those other things. I guess I'm at a point now where it matters if I skip or not (before, I would have been like, "Who the hell cares").

I'm also taking tomorrow off so that me and the babe can have quality time. It's hard being a working mom, sometimes. I feel like the daycare is raising her and I'm the weekend mom. I really took issue with this after the Christmas holidays. It took me almost two months to get over the separation anxiety. Who knew motherhood would be like this!

Saturday, my girlfriend is coming over for lunch. We've already decided on sandwiches and salad, so I shouldn't get into too much trouble. I'll have to figure out a low-fat dessert, though. She's from Utah, originally, so I know Jello would work (but I hate that slimy stuff). I guess I've got a couple of days to surf the net and see what I can find that tastes good, is good for us and won't make us gag.

I did pretty well, yesterday. I shouldn't, however, have had the bowl of frosted mini wheats after dinner. It's loaded with carbs and calories. I guess it's got fiber going for it, but not much else. We're running out of cereal, so that was all I had to choose from. Anyway, I don't feel so bad about it because we spent last night cleaning house (which should have taken care of, at least, a few calories).