Adventures in Swimsuit Shopping…

 

Okay, I am going to vent. I went shopping today for a new swimsuit for Kaitlyn, the 5 year old. She has a few from last year but they are getting a little small and faded and I wanted to get her a 2 piece swimsuit like the one she had last year. It was super cute—a pink “tankini” with hearts. Perfect. Well, apparently Summer 2009 is all about the teensy weensy itty bitty bikini. I couldn’t find a decent girl's tankini anywhere. I went to Target and all they had were one pieces (she has a new one) and really skimpy bikinis. Ugh. Come on. I don’t want my kid wearing a string bikini. My goodness. Yes, I know she’s 5 and has no idea why I don’t like them. She thinks they are cute and she wants to look like Sharpay from High School Musical or Barbie. Not surprising.

 

I ended up at Old Navy and browsed their selection. They were on sale ($10!) but to be honest, they were mostly skimpy. And, worse---the tops had PADDING in them. What!? Why would a little girl need padding in her bikini top? Who’s bright idea is this? I was appalled at this and I am not exactly a conservative person by nature either. But still, I was so upset. I ended up buying her a 2 piece with a bikini-ish top and boy-shorts (above). No padding. It’s cute. It was one of the only non-padded swimsuits I could find.

I guess that stores want to sell clothes that are in style, trendy, and sellable. But, really. What will padding do to these swimsuits besides give these young girls a distorted body image at the age of 5? What am I supposed to tell Kaitlyn if she asks what the padding is for? Ick. I just don’t want to get those images in her head.

I am probably just being irrational. I was just really thrown by this and wondered if anyone else had the same experience. Have you?

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Jon and Kate Plus...AWKWARD!

Wow. So, have you watched TLC’s Jon and Kate Plus 8? I used to watch it all the time. I thought they were really cute and Kate was so organized and I found her really interesting and normal. I thought her relationship with Jon was a little harsh, but REAL. I thought it was interesting to see how she deals with 8 kids and how she keeps everyone in check. I liked to watch their adventures when they would take family vacations to all sorts of places and how they managed to keep everyone accounted for. And really, that was her main objective, keeping everyone accounted for! ha.

I used to watch this show a lot and kept up to date with what was happening. I STOPPED watching regularly or even watching repeats when it became a little weird. I think it was Kate’s hair that started it. Seriously. The weirder her hair became, the quicker the “train-wreck” factor grew. Nothing good can come of this.
Now, with all of this gossip about whether or not he cheated, whether or not she cheated, is this scripted?, is this fake? Oy. I feel bad. I feel bad for these little kids. Really, I do. I feel bad for Jon and Kate. Yes, I know they brought it on themselves. I also think there is no way they could have predicted this type of fame. I think they both got sucked into the trappings that come along with this type of notoriety: money, fame, entitlement, blah blah blah. I think TLC totally exploited their situation, too. I am watching the season premiere, and it’s just AWKWARD. I mean, it’s clear that they are prodding them to open up more, explain what is going on, what will happen, etc. Sure, yes, that’s what they signed up for. But, still. How would you react if your marriage was in trouble and it was splattered on all of the tabloids, the paparazzi were following you all over the place, and everyone (and I mean everyone including me) had an opinion? It’s too bad.

This can only end badly. I wish them well. I hope these kids can grow up in a loving home with parents who love and care for them and respect each other, even if they no longer are together.
What do you think?

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Group Think

 

So, a few months ago, I started a Google Group for my WW meeting. I read and participate in a lot of discussion groups and I get a lot out of them. I wanted to create a group for my fellow WW meeting members to share frustrations, success, tips, and other stuff.

At first, the group started off slow, with just a few participants and a few posts. But, over time it’s grew to a lively bunch of members exchanging multiple emails almost daily. We talk about our week, our frustrations, successes, and sometimes, just life. I can’t tell you how helpful this group has been for me and my weight loss journey. I’ve come to realize that’s its not really about losing weight (well, okay, a big part of it is). It’s about changing my life and making it better.

I am not doing this alone and for the first time in a long time, I really believe that. Yes, my husband is incredibly supportive. But, he’s also my husband and has to deal with my ups and downs and mostly, my lack of progress. He’s my biggest supporter. My sister and parents are also very supportive but there is only so much they can do—they are 800 miles away and can’t know what I deal with every day. So, this group of amazing people have become my support system. And, I have become theirs.

I think it’s amazing that a group of complete strangers can come together to help each other with a common goal. I know my success, and I WILL SUCCEED, will be partly due to their support.

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Doing Disney

We are finally doing it. We are going to Disney World! Woot! We’ve talked about it for a while but we never really get to the point where we actually decide to go. Until now. I don’t want to wait to go for much longer because I want Kaitlyn to still be young enough to freak out over the excitement of seeing Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Cinderella and Goofy. But, we didn’t want to go too soon because Chloe is still little. So, we decided that spring 2010 is our target. May 2010 is the month that we are narrowing in on. From my “research”, May seems to be a good time to go. Not too hot or crowded—2 of my least favorite scenarios in my vacation daydreams. And, it’s just about 1 year away—plenty' o’time for me to get my arse in Disney-fied shape! Ha!

I have fond memories of going to Disney World with my sister and parents when we were young. My grandpa used to live in Cocoa Beach, which was about an hour away from Disney. We would drive down for spring break when we were still in school and go to Disney. I loved it. My mom says I about collapsed in excitement at meeting Minnie Mouse and there is a cute picture of the 2 of us too that my parents have. I want those memories with my girls.

So, Disney planning is now in full swing. I would LOVE any of your tips, suggestions, anecdotal trip stories, websites, horror stories to avoid, whatever you got! I am all about planning and if left to my own devices, I’d plan our Disney days down to the hour, ride, and character meet and greet!

So, lemme have them!

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Rock the Vote (for my blog)

 

My little blog was nominated for Best Local Blog in Nickelodeon's Parents' Picks Awards! How cool is that!? I was completely surprised and excited to get the news yesterday and super honored to be in such amazing company. I follow a few of the other blogs that are also nominated, too! But, today they are my competition… It’s on, ladies and gents. ;)

I would like to win this please so if you could, go out and VOTE! Today! Tomorrow! Tell your friends! Tell your neighbors! Tell your dog! :) And as they say, VOTE EARLY. VOTE OFTEN.

Woo Hoo!

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Not Me Monday

Today is my inaugural post for MckMama’s Not Me Monday series. Ever heard of MckMama? No? Well, she’s the uber-momma from Minnesota who I found through the inter-tubes a few months ago. She has 4 kids, her youngest is Stellan, who is a story all by himself. You need to read her blog. You need to look at her pictures—she is an amazing photographer. :)

Okay, back to my post. Not Me Monday. Time to fess up… :)

• I didn’t take a few hours off work on Friday to go shopping. Nope, NOT ME!


• I didn’t eat out at 3 different restaurants this weekend, thereby blowing all of my WW points and then some and feeling absolutely sick by Sunday morning. Nope, NOT ME!


• I didn’t let Chloe, my 2 year old, sneak little sips of my Diet Coke at the restaurant while I wasn’t looking. No, NOT ME! (she’s very sneaky and like her mom, loves to drink pop. Ugh.)


• I didn’t get up Sunday morning at 530am to clean up my closet because I couldn’t avoid it anymore and had to sort through all of the summer and winter clothes just so I could walk through to the other side. Nope, NOT ME!


• I would never even think of going to a surprise party hosted by my neighbors and leave early without saying goodbye to the host. Holy cow, NOPE, NOT ME! (sorry Beth if you are reading this, I can’t believe I did that. Totally spaced out. Super cute surprise for your hubby! Good job!)


• I can’t imagine taking my 5 year old to get a manicure and pedicure with me on Mother’s Day. Nope, NOT ME! (she loved it however and has already asked to have her birthday party there!. Yikes) Glad I didn’t do that.


• I didn’t make my super robot husband rake up all of the mulch we have in our front yard because I don’t like the color and want to change it all out for a nice dark brown color mulch. Um, like now. No, NOT ME! I would never be that ridiculous. ;)


• I would never let my 5 year old kindergartner stay up with me downstairs and watch “Deadliest Catch” at 915pm at night. Nope, NOT ME!


• I am waaay to good a mom to keep her up at night just so I would get to spend more time with her. (She’s since fallen asleep and is now curled up next to me.)

So, there ya have it. Phew! So glad I didn’t do any of these things!

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Just Breathe

My mom gave us another scare last week. She hasn’t been feeling well and has been extra tired and kind of out of it so finally on Thursday she and my dad went to see her doctor. Apparently, her heart rate and pulse/oxygen rates were really really low so she went straight to the hospital where they admitted her into the cardiac unit. She had a heart attack and bypass surgery a few years ago so they were suspecting that this may be what was wrong again. She had a bunch of tests run and it was determined that her heart was fine but she wasn’t getting nearly enough oxygen into her lungs, thereby causing all of the aforementioned symptoms. So, she is now on oxygen full time for the foreseeable future. Having the extra oxygen will dramatically improve her stamina, her ability to move, and her issues with pain, etc. This event turned out to be a God send because she now has the ability to FIX this issue—with exercise and deeper breathing. Finally, something that SHE could fix without surgery or medication. She just has to WANT to fix it. Fixing it involves more activity and walking and that will be her biggest challenge. The biggest thing she needs to do is BREATHE. Long, deep breaths to build up her lung capacity. I think she’s up for it because I really don’t think she wants to be on oxygen. So, fingers crossed, she’ll start to move more and build up her stamina.

I am just like my mom in a LOT of areas. I think like her, I act like her a lot, and I react like her a lot. However, I really really hope that this is where we differ. I don’t want to have all of the health challenges. So far (knock on wood), I have been healthy. I don’t really get sick, don’t have any chronic conditions (that I know about), and can move about freely and simply. But, having her go through this and seeing the results of low activity have really made me want to step up my health goals. I have been more on track with WW than I have been in a loooong time, I am moving more, and eating healthier foods. I feel a lot better than I have in a long time too. I am starting to walk during work too. My company has awesome walking trails that I have never even tried in the 2+ years I’ve been here. Pathetic. My friend and I are going to walk daily or almost daily during our lunch times or whenever we can squeeze it in. Why not? It’s so easy and will be a good stress reliever too!

I don’t want to grow old and face these challenges knowing that I could have prevented a lot of them. I never smoked a cigarette in my life because I saw what it did to my mom and her parents but a lot of my other unhealthy habits are very similar to what I saw growing up. Not blaming anyone at all—my parents and family are awesome and I had a kick ass childhood. But, it’s good to realize that I am in control of ME. Nothing is set in stone. I don’t need to repeat their behaviors. I DON’T have to have to follow this path.

I am taking bigger and deeper breaths, and I feel great.

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The How HUNGRY are you!? Giveaway!!

UPDATE: Congrats to "tbz" for winning the book! Hope you like it. Thanks everyone for entering!

In honor of my 100th post and because I want to, I am having a giveaway contest! Woo hoo! This one is a good one, too. I am giving away a SIGNED COPY of Hungry Girl’s latest book, which also happens to be #1 on the NY Times Bestseller List!!!

Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200: 200 Recipes Under 200 Calories

I went to Hungry Girl’s book signing last night at the Mall of America. It was really fun and she is super cute. She signed books and took pictures:

That’s me with Lisa Lillien (aka Hungry Girl)!! So, how do you enter this super cool contest?? Simple:

Leave a comment on this post. (told you it was easy)

For an extra entry, you can link to this post and let me know about it!

The winner will be announced next Tuesday, Cinco de Mayo!!

Good Luck!

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