The end of March already?!

Has it been over 2 weeks since my last post? Must be something about this crazy summer weather we've been having in March this year! We were at the park almost every day for almost 2 weeks straight! I absolutely LOVE it! This week the weather has turned cooler again, for the most part, but that is okay - it's still March, and I'm just happy to have enjoyed a 2 week summer break from winter without leaving home this year!










Lots of things have been going on. I started a weight loss challenge program with my mommy group last week, even though I started my "diet" weeks prior to that. I have not been with-holding things I really want from myself, although I do make sure I really want it and think it's worth all those calories before enjoying. I still eat chocolate, and chips, and whatever I want. But I have been logging and tracking everything. And if the day has gone way over my target, I aim to do better. And most days I do better, simply because I'm keeping track of it. I have also added some exercise, and find I am going to bed feeling a little hungry rather than going to bed feeling full. I used to fear that, thinking that if I feel too hungry when I eat in the morning my body will go into starvation mode and it would turn all my breakfast into fat. I don't think it works that way anymore. I think it means I've burned more calories than I've ate that day and I've lost 4.5 pounds in the month so it's obviously doing something good instead of something bad! I've been really watching my portions, measuring everything I eat so I can accurately keep track of it all. I'm very happy about my progress and hope to do even better next month. The meeting itself went really well, I thought. Everyone left motivated to do their best, and we shared lots of laughs, tips, and there were lots of nods of agreement when people were talking. I am looking forward to our regular meetings and even running a second session when the first is finished. Hopefully everyone will lose weight and feel they gained something from the session even if they don't win any money (only first, second and third place win money based on percentage of weight loss in 20 weeks).

We went to the maple syrup festival a few weeks ago (I went over on my calorie intake that day!). we went to the one at Bronte Provincial park. It cost $16 to get in, plus something like $7.50 for 3 pancakes, a juice box, and some bacon, plus some maple syrup and treats I picked up at the gift store. Personally I didn't find it to be worth the cost to jump on some hay stacks and see a few farm animals we could see for free at Chinguacousy Park in Brampton. The pancakes and wagon ride were great, but not worth $23.50. We will not be doing this again any time soon.

Last week we had a pajama pizza preschooler party at my house with puzzles and play doh and because it was such a beautiful day, park time. Everything started with the letter P. All the kids (and most mommies) came in their pajama's. We ate pizza, popcorn, pasta, pretzels, pentagon sandwiches, popcorn chicken and some baked zucchini sticks (the only thing that didn't start with p) for lunch. The park was the best part as the boys played for over an hour while I got to chat with a good friend (and power walk back to my home and back for a potty break).

Today I had to get another root canal done. I had a sharp pain in my head half the time they were working on my tooth but it wasn't that bad. The worst part is the anticipation. I get really anxious about going to the dentist and stress out. I am glad it is over, but I have to go back to the dentist next week for a permanent filling as well as a cavity in the tooth beside it. I also have a big cavity on the other side of my mouth to fill and a cavity underneath a crown that is going to cost me an additional $300 to get fixed. The root canal alone today was $1400. Thank God my husband got a bonus this month, but it is now all used up to pay off our line of credit debt and my root canal. Did not even see where that went! Thankfully we do get some of it back from his insurance, however last time it was only $500 so $700 is still an awful lot to pay for something that is so dreadful. My teeth are horrible... and I do take care of them - brushing, flossing, rinsing... It seems they are just not strong enough. They have been bad all my life, and that is probably why I hate going to the dentist as much as I do. I think I'll be the one with dentures when I'm old and gray... hopefully these teeth will last me that long, and I won't need to get dentures in like 10 years or something! :(

I have been enjoying spending more time cooking lately too, which is strange as I used to hate it! I can't figure out how to get photos up here today but I made a wonderful crispy chicken in which I coated the chicken with egg white, then cheddar cheese, and then a ritz cracker crumb mixture. It was topped with a cream of chicken soup mixed with some sour cream and butter. Oh, it was sooo good! I even made it with bone-in chicken that I de-boned myself! I also made a nice chili, a great quiche, homemade soup, burgers, baked zucchini sticks, delicious fruit beverages (low in calories and sooo tasty!) and on Friday I am going to make a family cabbage roll recipe (my late grandmothers recipe. I made them once before, but with a friends help). :)











I hope everyone got to enjoy the summer like weather while it lasted and hopefully we will get similar weather periods in April and May!