Sunday Night Ramblings Again...

After hearing feedback that readers liked the Sunday Night Ramblings, I have decided to make this a weekly event.  That and after a few weeks of blogging have found that by Sunday night I am far to burnt to come up with anything better than my off the cuff remarks recapping the weekend.

So here goes.

1.  I made it half way to my exercise goal (no, no sit ups yet) of swimming twice last week.  I went once.  That is better than I had previously predicted.  However, if I'm going to give the Michael Phelps diet a real shot then I have a long way to go in my training process!  I'm going to shoot for twice this week again and see what happens!

2.  Keeping along the same vein of exercise, I have found a new way to keep in shape...I like to call this workout routine "Toddler Bedtime Bonanza."  My once easy sleeper has turned into a nocturnal demon.  I am up and down the stairs multiple times each night (What would Super Nanny say??).  "Mommy, I lost my guy (in our home luvies are called guys" or "I need to be tucked in with the soft blanket" or "My chapstick fell off, I need more" and my personal favorite "I have to go to the bathroom."  I try to ignore all but the last request which is only truthful 50% of the time.  The bathroom fake out is my LEAST favorite move and quickly becoming her personal favorite.  All you parents out there know that the one time I do ignore the bathroom ploy will be the time she poops her pants.  In the midst of all these requests, it sounds like she is doing major construction in her room - and judging by the animal sculptures she creates she may have a future as an architect.  Needless to say, I am up and down to settle, re-settle, and finally threaten.  I am trying to see the silver lining in all this...I may actually be burning calories with this new nightly ritual.  Who needs a stair master when you have a toddler?  I am considering adopting another 3 year old to double the burn!  Tomorrow before bedtime, I'm going to strap on my sneakers and get ready to climb!

3.  Along with warm weather weekends comes afternoon barbecues.  A lovely summer tradition, a food lover's delight, yet another obstacle for a dieter.  This past Saturday my will power was put to the test once again.  Luckily I brought my co-dieting sister to the BBQ so we could keep each other on track.  We helplessly watched all other happy eaters stack their plates with burgers and dogs, chips and pretzels piled high with a magnificently decadent Buffalo Chicken Dip (it's not even worth repeating what is in this bowl of calories....one finger dip was all I need to know it was on the "no no" list).  Then came the desserts, brownie bites, double chocolate chip cookies, a custard fruit tart with lovely buttery crust.  I tried to enjoy the food by watching others eat theirs.  I wish I had my camera to take a picture of my plate.  Large slabs of lettuce and tomato slices intended to top burgers looking rather naked on their own.  Piles of raw veggies and fruit on the side.  Let's just say I think I fulfilled my fiber intake for the day and then some!  I pretended each bite of roughage was a chocolate cookie.  You can imagine how well that worked.  But my sister and I made it through the festive afternoon with flying colors.  Skinny days here we come!

4.  For the first time I am actually looking forward to weigh in tomorrow (watch, this will be the week I plateau and then I'll rue the day I wrote this point).  My "back fat" seems less fatty so to speak.  I really don't like that area of fat, but it tends to get overlooked since it is in fact in the back!  Much easier to notice the old stomach protruding from right under the nose.  The stomach area is still as is...maybe this is the week to begin those sit ups.

5.  I am getting a bit board with my meal rotation.  I am hoping to have enough time to cook one night this week.  I am thinking of a healthy nacho or bbq chicken wrap of sorts.  I think my mind is still infected from the BBQ as that is what I'm craving at present.  I am just feeling the need to try some new experiments in the kitchen.  Beware, sometimes these can backfire.  My sister tried one of these experiments a few months back.  I think her first mistake was she was tired and hungry and therefore she ended up adding ingredient after ingredient trying to fix the failing dish.  I think it was a mixture of corn, feta, shredded chicken, tomatoes, I can't really recall.  I had a bite.  Even she admitted it was not good.  So fingers crossed test kitchen goes well this week.

6.  I watched Julie and Julia again this weekend.  I liked it, thought it was good entertainment.  However, I'm sorry, there is NO way Julie Powell worked her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking without packing on some serious weight.  I have to admit, I didn't read Julie's blog so perhaps she did, but the movie alluded to some slight weight gain that was not made apparent by the magic of cinema.  So either she cooked and ate nothing or there is something wrong with her.  Or perhaps she lied!  I can't eat three decadent meals a week without blowing up in size.  I am considering a new twist on this experiment (you know, after I try the Michael Phelps diet) - the LER/Julie/Julia Project.  Basically I have to make my way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking Weight Watcher's Style.  I'm sure Julia Child would roll over in her grave to think the culinary world's greatest gift, BUTTER, is being replaced with a chemical spray substitute.  Furthermore, since I have a toddler I think the deadline on that may be more along the lines of 10 years!  I'm sure you all want to stick with me that long to see how to turn culinary masterpieces into flavorless diet delights!!

OK, that is about all my brain is going to give me tonight.  Working on sleep deprivation and a disjointed week due to school vacation.  Looking forward to settling back into "normalcy" this week.  Stay tuned for tomorrow's big numbers!!