Hey Oprah, where is my "aha! moment"?!

If you watch Oprah, you know she's had her share of "Aha moments"--those moments of clarity about an issue, a problem, an idea, a direction that propel you in the right direction, the way forward. I've read weight loss success stories in magazines and they all mention this "aha! moment" where they figured it all out and the weight loss happened. Or, when you hear about a co-worker who was trying to solve a difficult problem and suddenly, out of the blue, they "get it" and the solution just falls into their lap.

I've had my share of "aha! moments" about school when I suddenly get the topic for my paper and the words just fall right out of me. Or, when I am knee deep in a project and the deadline is looming and I can't figure out how to solve this issue and then WHAM!--I get it. I figure out what to do. Oddly enough, I get some of my best ideas in the shower. I've solved many o'problems in the shower as I wash my hair. I used to keep a pen and paper in the bathroom so I can write the ideas down before they get too cloudy or disappear.

However, I've YET to have an "aha! moment" about weight loss. I sit in my WW meetings and listen to my fellow WW members discuss how they lost weight and they all seem to have this moment of clarity, this "aha! moment". Suddenly, they realize what they need to do to be successful and the weight finally falls off. Literally, it falls off.

Where is my "aha! moment" already!? I'd even settle for a "hmmm, that kind of makes sense" moment where I finally get on the right path, even though it's not very clear. It's close enough to get me started. Right now, I am stuck in neutral. I go back and forth without really moving anywhere. I kind of think I am waiting for some big idea or moment of pure clarity when I finally figure out what I need to do to be successful. Maybe tomorrow will be the day that I finally find a workout routine that I LIKE, that I CONTINUE WITH REGULARLY. Maybe tomorrow, I will have packed the perfect lunch with enough healthy, satisfying food that I won't ever be hungry for chocolate, cookies, or whatever else.

I have been waiting for my "aha! moment" to arrive and smack me in the face. Maybe it'll show up, maybe it won't. But, I can't let that stop me from trying and plugging along. I don't need Oprah to tell me the way forward. I don't need some magazine to tell me what to do and when to do it. It's my decision. My route.

My way forward.

Not My Child Monday!

Today is Monday and since I’ve been a complete angel all week, I thought I’d take part in MckMama’s Not My Child blog carnival. This time, let's spill the beans on what our perfect angels didn't do this week!

So here we go...

1. Kaitlyn (my almost 6 year old) didn't just watch Heidi Montag perform on the Miss Universe Pageant and announce that she thought she was so pretty and such a great singer...and...shudder...she wanted to be like her!
   
   


2. My Kaitlyn also absolutely did NOT work over her visiting grandparents by stopping at Target on their walk around our lake so she can rob them blind pick out some reasonably priced gifts. No, she's way too polite to do that.
   
3. Little Miss Chloe absolutely did NOT sit in my car in the garage and play driver and drink a day old half-empty Diet Coke that was sitting in my cup holder. She also doesn't sneak sips of Diet Cokes as many times as she can, as evidenced by this photo from my BlackBerry:
   
   
4. Chloe would NEVER demand that I bring her a sippy cup of chocolate milk (well, skim milk with some Hershey's syrup added!) and give it to her before she will let me touch her. DIVA
   
5. My adorable girls would NEVER refuse or fight like hell to take a bath. Why would my precious daughters not want to be clean and smelling like the angels that they are!? How could that be!?

Okay, I suppose I should stop here. :)

Have a great day and let me know what your precious angels did NOT do this week! We can compare notes! :P

Smile

IMG_3552, originally uploaded by {suzi}.

How could you not after looking at this cutie? :) My Chloe Belle.

Not Me Monday!

GIVEAWAY ALERT!

Check my Giveaways and Reviews section for a great BACK TO SCHOOL giveaway! How does a $50 gift card to Gymboree and a great new book sound!? Go there and see... :)

---

Today is Monday and since I’ve been a complete angel all week, I thought I’d take part in MckMama’s Not Me Monday blog carnival again. Time for all of us angels to talk about what we did, err didn’t do, this past week.

Okay, so here we go...

• I did NOT take a vacation day on Friday and spend the entire day bored. out. of. my. skull. It was raining all day, Jason was working from home and on conference calls all day requiring me to be quiet, and I went to Target and sulked my way around the store because I didn't want to buy anything and ruin my diet.
  
• I did NOT bake cupcakes for our block party last week and secretly hope that there would be leftovers to take home. Ugh, there were, and they were still sitting in my fridge until tonight, when I tossed them in the trash. Seriously. Cupcakes in the trash. CRIME.
  
• I did NOT lose my sh*t when Twitter crashed last week. Did any of you? It was so weird to be that disconnected, yet a little ridiculous if you think about it. I mean, it's Twitter for crying out loud. It gave me pause to think about my obsession with it, that's for sure.
  
• I did NOT get entangled into a gossip storm on the Internets about a certain blogger who I read. I did not spend hours reading comments and allegations and alleged criminal records and sit dumfounded wondering what would possess people to dig through someone's past and felt relieved that my past wasn't being examined under a microscope. Don't worry, there ain't nothin there to waste your time on... ;)
  
• I did NOT go to the casino on Saturday with Jason in hopes of getting picked to be on a tacky game show, "21 Cards". We waited for hours hoping to see our name on the big screen. Sadly, no such luck. Cost us a fortune in babysitter fees, but it was fun nonetheless.
  
• I did NOT just recommit to my Couch to 5k program with my new ShredHeads buddy, Kerry. Sh*t, that means I have to do it. :)

So, there you have it... Hope you had a better week than I did!

Week 3 of the Great Credit Card Diet

GIVEAWAY ALERT!
Check my Giveaways and Reviews section for a great BACK TO SCHOOL giveaway! How does a $50 gift card to Gymboree and a great new book sound!? Go there and see... :)

---

(Funny, but luckily not true. Thanks to my robot...)

So, a few weeks ago, I gave J my credit card to hold for me. Partly, because I had spent my monthly limit already and didn't want to go over and have him have a heart attack. Yes, I have a monthly limit. He didn't set the limit-I did. Without it and I'd be burning a hole through that credit card with no end in sight. Sometimes, I've gone past that limit and have had to scramble to come up with the difference. Anyway, I also have been spending too much money during the week when I am at work on stuff I really don't need (aka lunch, snacks, other ridiculous stuff). So, I decided to give J the credit card unless I need it for legitimate reasons!

Anyway, the first week or so was ok. It was weird not having it and I did catch myself semi-panicking that my funds were finite and I wasn't able to just go buy something. But, the second week, it became kind of...normal. I still bought my daily 20 oz Diet Coke and I packed my lunch with enough veggies and snacks and stuff for the day. It was great.

So, I am entering my 3rd week of this credit card diet. J did allow an "approved visitation" (haha) with it so I could go to Sam's Club and Target with a VERY SPECIFIC LIST. I did ok. It was weird, I kind of felt nervous in Target. Target makes me crazy. I love that store and I easily spend hundreds of dollars there so only buying just a few things was awkward. But, I did it. I think it's good to have limits and it has really taught me something.

So, I think I'll let J keep the credit card from now on so I can feel free and without crazy temptation. It doesn't make me less of an adult because I don't carry it with me--I actually think it's very adult-like. I know my weaknesses and I now know how to control them.

Now, onto that pesky Diet Coke and sugar weaknesses... those might be a little more tough to control... :)