Menu Plan and Weekly Goals

John Dear and I are still rocking the weight loss. With Weight Watchers, JD has lost 9.6 lbs and I have lost 7.2 lbs. The CORE plan is really working for us. If I maintain my current rate of loss, I will get my BMI to the magic number (40) for IVF around November. I'm already seeing a difference in the shape of my face, and my pants and shirts are starting to feel loose.

Goals for this Week
1. Eat only CORE foods from Monday - Thursday.
I'm not sure how this goal will work out, but I'm interested to try. It will help so that I can save my weekly points allowance for the 4th of July holiday (at the beach! Woo hoo!).

2. Exercise every day, Monday - Friday.
I wanted to keep the goal of exercising 6 days in the week, but I skipped Saturday and Sunday, so that goal is shot for this week. Instead, I'll be focusing on exercising during all the days I have left this week by scheduling it into my calendar. I'm still really motivated to hit that 6 days a week goal, so I'm saving it for next week.

Menu Plan for this Week
Monday - Fish w/ leftover Chinese eggplant (brown rice)
Tuesday - Weight Watchers recipe: Grilled Chicken w/ Peppers & Chimichurri Sauce
Wednesday - Steak w/ veggies (baked potato)
Thursday - Salad w/ sliced steak on top
Friday - Jen's Better-than-Crack Salad (recipe below), Hamburgers, Weight Watchers dessert (haven't decided on it yet)
Saturday - BBQ chicken (corn-on-the-cob)
Sunday - Scrambled eggs (sliced potatoes and shallots)
Monday - Weight Watchers recipe: Provençal Beef Stew

Jen's Better-than-Crack Salad

1 head cabbage
1 bunch scallions
1-2 cups slivered almonds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 pkg. Ramen
Olive oil
Rice wine vinegar

1. Slice cabbage into ribbon strips. Slice scallions. Mix in large bowl.

2. Toast almonds and sesame seeds in a small frying pan to light golden brown. Add to bowl.

3. Take Ramen package, unopened, and break noodles apart. Not too much, just enough to break the noodles into smaller pieces. Add to bowl.

4. Empty Ramen seasoning packet into a small bowl. Mix with drizzled olive oil, whisking in enough olive oil to mix thoroughly. Slowly add in several tablespoons of vinegar, whisking constantly. Keep drizzling and whisking in olive oil until you have the taste and consistency you like.

5. Pour dressing on salad and toss.

Chunks of cooked chicken can be added to the salad to make a more substantial meal.

Strong Women Stand Up -- UPDATED

All right, we're back to Square 1 and coming back strong and more determined than ever. Let's create the "Strong Women Stand Up / Kickass Badass" playlist. Here's what I've got so far:

1. "Survivor", Destiny's Child
2. "Fighter", Christina Aguilera
3. "Stronger", Britney Spears
4. "Hollaback Girl", Gwen Stefani
5. "Express Yourself", Madonna
6. "Rhiannon", Fleetwood Mac
7. "Love Song", Sara Bareilles
8. "Objection (Tango)", Shakira
9. "Straight Up", Paula Abdul
10. "There You Go", Pink
11. "No Scrubs", TLC
12. "Suddenly I See", KT Tunstall

What are the necessary songs when you're being a Strong Woman? Tell me what I've forgotten.

UPDATE: Here's the rest of the songs, including your suggestions and an important ending!

13. "I'm Every Woman", Chaka Khan
14. "Body Beautiful", Salt'n'Pepa
15. "I'm Beautiful", Bette Midler
16. "I Am Woman", Helen Reddy
17. "Before He Cheats", Carrie Underwood
18. "Not Ready to Make Nice", Dixie Chicks
19. "Hit Me with Your Best Shot", Pat Benatar
20. "Strength of a Woman", Shaggy
21. "All or Nothing", Athena Cage
22. "I Will Survive", Gloria Gaynor
23. "Don't Let Me Get Me", Pink
24. "Who Knew", Pink
25. "Free Your Mind", En Vogue
26. "Lady Marmelade", Christina Aguilera, Lil Kim, Mya & Pink
27. "Did I Just Shave My Legs for This?", Deana Carter

Feel free to keep adding to the playlist via the comments. We could always use more music to pump us up and make us strong again!

And On to the Next One

Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments. AF is definitely here and she's a lousy house guest.

I feel so much like the girl who cried wolf, or pregnant, as the case may be. Why should I be trusted? Why should I trust my body? I know that we're dealing with MF and I can't do anything to change those numbers, but my body keeps making me believe. Dr. Chai, who I saw this afternoon, said that I was so focused on becoming pregnant that anything could be turned into something that it wasn't. Basically, a cigar is just a cigar.

But those feelings were there. They didn't come out of thin air. I feel so let-down and cheated. I feel like I don't ever want to tell you about what ifs or tell John Dear or my mother or BFF about what ifs because it's just never happening. I feel like I want to eat all the food in the world and just stuff myself so that I don't have to feel anything.

Advice Please

Warning: Graphic and TMI

Woke up this morning with nausea. Still feeling lots of uncomfortable gas. Light pink streak on TP. Not enough to be AF. Please tell me it's not AF. AF's not due till Monday. I know this was an impossible shot, but I thought this was it. Please please please.

Mild to Moderate

Still feeling some mild to moderate cramping and pressure in the lower regions. Still ranging from mild to moderate nausea. Now we have the added twist of mild to moderate back pain. We're swinging back and forth between mild to moderate anxiety. (The last part, I think, though, is just me and not any unusual health-related symptoms).

Did you know that I'm a sucker? Here's why:

1. I paid my membership dues for this year to the state bar association. You do not have to be a member of the association, but they hunt you down like a rabid dog if you don't pay your dues. They get my money because I don't want the inconvenience. Much like charities who send you those awesome address labels, they do not play fair.

2. Yesterday, I started back up with the prenatal vitamins. Just in case. Cause if I'm going to crash and burn, I might as well do it right and go down in a spectacular blaze of glory with Bon Jovi blaring, fireworks exploding and a not-at-all pointless laser-lights show with fog.

3. Called Nurse to figure out what to do. She talked me down and confirmed my reasoning that I should wait to come in or POAS as it was still early. She told me to try holding out til at least Sunday, which is what I was thinking. AF due on Monday.

Rooting for the Underdog

In the Torah, a rainbow is the symbol of G-D's covenant with human beings that there will never be another flood, never another destruction of such epic proportions.

Do you think that this is a sign?

Yesterday, I saw the most beautiful and brightest rainbows that I've ever seen in my whole life. I've never been so happy for carrying my camera around with me.

I've been experiencing crampy feelings and pressure and some mild nausea for the past two days. I'm now 10 dpo.

Do you think that this is a sign?

This Is How We Do It

Instead of responding to Trace's comment on her blog, I thought I'd post about it. Trace asked me how John Dear and I manage to have a new dinner every night, rather than leftovers. Here's our secret:

John Dear and I are both large people. (shh).

I get the Dream Dinners meals with 6 servings. John Dear and I will eat 2 servings a piece at dinner, and then one person gets the last 2 servings for lunch the next day. If there happen to be more leftovers, then both people get lunch the next day.

If I'm just planning to cook our own meals, then I usually get just enough for that 1 meal. If there are leftovers, we use them for lunch, or I try to incorporate them in other meals. For example, leftover spaghetti becomes a side dish, rather than an entrée; cooked chicken breast gets sliced and thrown over a salad for lunch.

I'm not a huge proponent of freezing leftovers: one, because JD hates leftovers anyways and two, because we usually go through leftovers pretty quickly.

Rock On - Goals & Menu Plan

I've now lost a total of 5.8 lbs on Weight Watchers (my ticker at the bottom started prior to my WW membership) and John Dear has lost 7.2 lbs total. We are rocking it!

Last Week's Goals
1. Use Splenda in my coffee rather than sugar
I thought that achieving this goal would be incredibly difficult, but it was really easy once I reminded myself to reach for the yellow packet not the sugar bowl. I used the Splenda for each coffee or tea I had this week (1 coffee or tea per day).

2. Exercise at least 6 days
This goal is incredibly challenging to me. I only reached 5 days as I was sick on Wednesday. I think the key will be making sure to exercise both days on the weekend (when my Weight Watchers' week starts) just in case I have a day during the week where I won't be able to exercise.

This Week's Goals
1. Pack healthy snacks for work each day.
I've become pretty good at this, but I can always do better.

2. Exercise at least 6 days.
I'm keeping this as my exercise goal until I achieve it - I'm determined to achieve it! I was able to exercise on both Saturday and Sunday, so I think it's going to be easier to meet my fitness goal this week. I also took out 2 exercise DVDs from our library -- Dance Off the Inches-Tummy Tone Party Zone and Fat Free Yoga. We'll see how those go.

Meal Plan
Monday - Chicken with Sesame Honey Butter (Dream Dinners)
Tuesday - Chicken Yakitori (Dream Dinners)
Wednesday - Beef Kabob with Tomato-Thai Ginger Sauce (Dream Dinners)
Thursday- Broccoli-Shallot Frittata for Two (Weight Watchers)
Friday - Grilled Chicken with Peppers and Chimichurri Sauce (Weight Watchers)
Saturday - Whole-Wheat Spaghetti w/ meatballs
Sunday - Polenta Lasagna (I'm experimenting)

Since Saturday is the start of my Weight Watchers week, I want to save as many points as possible on the weekend of the 28th-29th for Friday the 4th. So, I'm going to try extra hard to be eating as CORE-ly as possible and exercising as much as I can next week.

Review - The Romanov Bride

This morning I completed The Romanov Bride by Robert Alexander. The book switches back and forth between the story of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna (sister of the Empress Alexandra) and Pavel, a Russian peasant-turned-revolutionary, in the years leading up to and surrounding the 1917 Revolution in Russia.

The book was just OK. I don't think it succeeds on its own as a novel, nor as fiction based on history. Neither the life of the aristocracy, the life of the revolutionary, nor the history of the revolution are covered well. Random bits and pieces of political and personal history are dropped among the pages in a haphazard manner and not explained well. The characters are not well drawn and I found myself wanting more.

In his afterword, Mr. Alexander notes that he relied much on the Grand Duchess' personal letters for his book. I would find such a collection to be extremely interesting and more of a window onto a character and a time than this novel.

If you are looking for a really good novel set during the Russian Revolution that also tries to describe the chaos of the times, go to Dr. Zhivago. The Romanov Bride pales in the comparison.

Menu for this Week

Last week's menu plan went really well. I also did well on my goals for the week. Goal 1: Make all lunches and dinners CORE. All but one of my lunches were CORE and all of my dinners were CORE. Goal 2: Exercise at least 6 times during the week. I exercised 5 times during the week.

I registered a 0.6 pound loss when I weighed in on Saturday morning. I think this loss would have been more had I not had spaghetti (whole wheat) and meatballs (lean ground turkey) on Friday night, something I did the week before as well. I'm not beating myself up about it at all; I'm very happy that I'm losing, but I am changing my meal plan around so I don't have pasta the night before I weigh in.

This week, I'm going to be having some of the meals that were on last week's list as we never got to them.

This Week's Plan
Monday: Eggplant Parmigiana, whole wheat noodles
Tuesday: Moroccan Slow-Cooker Stew
Wednesday: Italian-seasoned Chicken with veggies, polenta
Thursday: Broccoli-Shallot Frittata
Friday: Teriyaki Chicken w/ stir-fry veggies
Saturday: Dream Dinner!!! Yahoo!

This Week's Goals
1. Use Splenda in coffee/tea instead of sugar.
This goal seems difficult as I prefer using the natural product, sugar, over something artificial. Yet, Splenda is CORE and sugar is not.

2. Exercise at least 6 days during the week.
I'm hoping that I achieve this goal this week.

Planning for Next Week
Since I have a Dream Dinners session scheduled for Saturday, I don't think next week's dinners will be CORE. That doesn't really screw up what I do for lunch, but it will entail changes in John Dear's plans. I think that we will need to pack his lunch while eating Dream Dinners meals so that he doesn't blow through points by eating his regular lunch (a 5-point Caesar salad with chicken or steak).

UPDATE: John Dear went to weigh-in tonight and he has a lost a total of 4.8 lbs!!! JD is rocking that sheeeeeeeet!

I've Got the World on a String

I can't sleep, so I'm up reading blogs and came across this cute iPod meme.

The Rules
1. Put Your iTunes/ music player on Shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write that song name down, no matter what!!

The Questions
1. If someone says "Is this OK?" you say --
"Don't Worry Baby" - The Beach Boys

2. What would best describe your personality?
"Every Morning" - Sugar Ray

3. What do you like in a guy/girl?
"Won't Go Home Without You" - Maroon 5

4. How do you feel today?
"Name" - Goo Goo Dolls

5. What is your life's purpose?
"Scotty Doesn't Know" - Lustra
(and neither do I).

6. What is your motto?
"Smooth" - Santana & Rob Thomas
(heh, that's cool).

7. What do your friends think of you?
"Long Way Down" - Guster

8. What do you think of your parents?
"The Story" - Brandi Carlisle

9. What do you think about very often?
"Chasing Cars" - Snow Patrol

10. What is 2+2?
"At the Timeshare" - The LeeVees

11. What do you think of your best friend?
"Comin' Home Baby" - Michael Bublé
(cool, b/c she's on a business trip and coming home this weekend)

12. What do you think of the person you like?
"My Funny Valentine" - Chet Baker

13. What is your life story?
"It's Oh So Quiet" - Björk

14. What do you want to be when you grow up?
"Sweet Girl" - Fleetwood Mac
(I'm smiling now)

15. What do you think when you see the person you like?
"April is in My Mistress' Face" - The Douglas Frank Chorale (a madrigal)

16. What do your parents think of you?
"Can't Stop" - Maroon 5

17. What will you dance to at your wedding?
"When I Grow Up to Be a Man" - The Beach Boys
(this was NOT played at our wedding)

18. What will they play at your funeral?
"Zoot Suit Riot" - Cherry Poppin' Daddies
(my funeral rocks!)

19. What is your hobby/interest?
"The Downeaster 'Alexa'" - Billy Joel

20. What is your biggest secret?
"Nothing Lasts Forever" - Maroon 5
(One, how is that a secret? Two, I really do have more than Maroon 5 on iTunes).

21. What do you think of your friends?
"All Mixed Up" - 311

22. What should you post this as?
"I've Got the World on a String" - Michael Bublé

What I'm Reading Now

Nothing much is going on in my life, but I am under orders to produce creative and humorous blog posts to entertain BFF, who is on a business trip and bored out of her skull.

I started a new rule regarding my Library Thing catalog, i.e., that I would only add this book to my library once I had it finished. Periodically, this keeps me racing through books so that I can add another to my library. (Actually, I have two. One for 2007. One for 2008.) Why does any of this matter? I don't know. It just does. Ride along with me...

Here is the list of books I'm currently reading/listening to:
The Romanov Bride by Robert Alexander
The Alienist by Caleb Carr
The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
By Order of the President by W.E.B. Griffin

Here's what's on my immediate to-be-read list (i.e., books already checked out or purchased and in my possession to be read):
Bee Season by Myla Goldberg
RESOLVE's new infertility book
Essential Torah by George Robinson
Out by Natsuo Kirino
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue
Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
The Hard Way by Lee Child
Short Straw by Stuart Woods
The Committed Life by Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis
The Committed Marriage by Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis
The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani

My full non-immediate to-be-read list (that is, books that I would like to read, but don't have in my immediate possession) is waaaaaay too long for a blog post. Here are a few of them:
The new Vince Flynn book (new to me)
Essential Talmud by Adin Steinsaltz
The Penderwicks (as recommended by Jen) by Jeanne Birdsall
The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan
The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede
Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich
Saved by Jack Falla

It would be so much cooler if I didn't have to work, or sleep, or eat, cause then I could just read all day, every day.

Father's Day - Aidez Moi!

So, for those who haven't seen TV, radio or the inside of a CVS lately, Father's Day is on Sunday. I have no idea of what to get my dad, so I'm likely going to go with an oldie-but-goodie, the spy novel.

This spy novel must have at least one of the following on its cover (or something similar): a) hammer and sickle, b) crescent moon, c) swastika, d) bald eagle, e) American flag. Any book containing two or more of these symbols is definitely a winner.

The enemy that only one man can defeat in this novel must be one of the following (or something similar): a) Russian, b) Nazi, c) non-descript Middle Eastern country terrorist, e) deranged American military personnel.

My problem? My dad seems to have read everything all ready, so I'm looking for author/book suggestions. Authors my dad loves: Vince Flynn, Daniel Silva, Brad Thor, Robert Ludlum, David Baldachi, Lee Childs.

Recipe by Request

Southern Slow-Cooker Chicken and Grits

(a Weight Watchers' CORE recipe)

modified by yours truly

1 ¾ cup fat-free chicken broth
6 Tbsp uncooked corn grits
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 can of Rotel (for novices, this is canned chopped tomatoes with green chilies)
1 medium sweet red or yellow pepper, chopped
¼ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Place broth in a 3 to 5-quart slow-cooker (aka Crock Pot). Slowly add grits, stirring constantly, to avoid lumps, set slow cooker aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, mushrooms and red/yellow pepper, sauté, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.

Add vegetables to slow-cooker. Place Rotel and spices in slow-cooker; stir to mix. Add chicken thighs, cover and cook at medium setting for 5 to 6 hours.

Yields about 1 ½ cups per serving. Note: This dish will be soupy so serve in bowls.

Meal Plan

Monday: Shrimp w/ veggies (whole wheat pasta)
Tuesday: Lemon-dill chicken w/ broccoli & cauliflower (brown rice)
Wednesday: Italian chicken w/ vegetables (polenta)
Thursday: Weight Watchers Southern Slow-Cooker Chicken and Grits
Friday: Weight Watchers Moroccan Slow-Cooker Stew
Saturday: Eggplant Parmesan (whole wheat pasta)
Sunday: Father's Day - Dinner Out
Monday: Whole wheat spaghetti and meatballs

This week's menu is really 8 days a week so that I don't run out of food before going to the grocery store.

I'm proud to report that I'm a LOSER!! Down 1.6 lbs and I worked really hard to get there. I indulged (strategically) this weekend while John Dear and I were in NY, so I'm getting right back on that bandwagon and exercising my little heart out this week, so that I can continue being a Lahoo Zaher. (John Dear lost 2.8 lbs, so we are very proud of him).

This week, my goals are: to exercise at least 6 days, and to keep my lunches and dinners all CORE meals.

I had such a nice time visiting JD's aunt and uncle. The two of them have been through a lot in life and I really value their advice and counsel. I was able to speak with them openly about IF and Asperger's and John Dear's latest job issues. JD's aunt did bring up adoption pretty strongly, but shut down on that when I informed her how much money and time adoption takes. If only more people realized that adoption is not the easy, quick fix. Sigh.

Hope everybody else in bloggyland is doing well. I'm hoping and pulling for all of you!

Blecch

The flowers have died, there is no morning dew. The crickets aren't chirping and I am so blue.
--Sung by Sandra Huxtable during on the times she had broken up with Elvin on The Cosby Show

Was feeling kind of down when I started this post. Therefore, the only appropriate music was "Anna" by Gunnar Madsen (played at the end of a Sex & the City episode, "La Douleur Exquise", where Carrie breaks up with Big and he goes to Paris). Sad and tears inducing, but good for being sad and emotional. Very French. Probably plays in those cafés that Alexa writes about where French infants lounge in leather jackets, smoking Gauloises and arguing about Sartre.

Was sad after reflecting on Kymberli's post regarding Clockwatchers & Calendarlookers, being ignored by several bosses in my quest to answer their questions and a general malaise.

After a funny conversation with a co-worker and listening to KT Tunstall's "Suddenly I See", bringing up simultaneous images of the start of The Devil Wears Prada and an opening scene of a Grey's Anatomy episode, I'm feeling happier.

Don't mind me, just the mercurial temperament in me. I think I'm less like Mercury though than I am like Janus. Mercury changed feelings in an instant. I feel like I hold all feelings in me at the same time. I am happy and sad all at once, looking forward and back just like Janus.

Now I'm pissed because my boss is an utter ass who likes to waste my time. AAAAHHH!

Adventures in Search Engine-land

I recently was able to get Feedburner to keep track of how people reach my blog. Let me tell you, there are some interesting people out there in cyberspace, judging by what they enter into search engines.

"iui any BMI limit?"
Yes, dear reader. Unfortunately, most fertility clinics have BMI limits in order to attempt both IUI and IVF. As explained by my RE and Elle, my gonna-be-a-doctor sister, this limit is not tied to the ability to get pregnant nor to carry a pregnancy to term, but is instead related to any sedation that is administered during the procedure.

Anesthesia is fat-soluble, meaning that if you are overweight, the anesthesia can be absorbed into your fat cells. Sooner or later, usually after you've already left the clinic/hospital, the anesthesia processes out of your fat cells and you go back into a sedated state (read: not breathing). Hospital lawyers generally frown upon such liability-raising incidents.

I'm sorry that you are having to face this problem right now, especially when you are already on an IF journey. John Dear and I have joined Weight Watchers in the hopes that it will help us both to lose weight.

"mikvah after 6 clean days"
The count that I use, after much reading, as well as a discussion with my rabbi, is 5 days for your period (even if flow is shorter than that time) and then a week of clean days. I go to mikvah on the seventh day. Please discuss this with your rabbi or rebbetzin, as customs differ across communities.

"photo woman 5'3" 160 lbs."
Sorry to disappoint you, the weight requirement might be met eventually, but I'm too tall for your taste. May I suggest My Virtual Model? I use that site to figure out what I will look like at various weights.

And to the gentle reader who searched for "go on crazy gay boys," I would like to apologize for the inconvenience of my blog, which is long on the crazy, but terribly short on the gay boy amenities.

Six Word Memoir

I've been tagged! Someone really loves me and you should love her too, so go visit her (and the 5 lucky people I've tagged) after reading this post.

This meme originated over an idea that was prompted by the book written by Larry Smith & Rachel Fershleiser, Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure. It's a compilation based on the story that Hemingway once bet ten dollars that he could sum up his life in six words. His words were, "For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn."

The Rules
1. Write your own six word memoir.
2. Post it to your blog including a visual illustration if you would like.
3. Link to the person who tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.
4. Tag 5 more blogs with links.
5. Don't forget to leave a comment in the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.

My six word memoir: "Sadness, joy: my cup runneth over."

I'd like to see creativity from the minds of:
The Whole of Her Sermon
Ima On (and Off) the Bima
The Meatless Chulent
Antigone Lost
Here We Go Again

Tempted

I have in my hands a large piece of blue foil-wrapped chocolate. Handed out by one of my co-workers due to the birth of her first grandchild. Saw the picture. Oohed and ahhed. Asked appropriate questions. Was genuinely happy for her. Go me and personal growth. So, I've got this chocolate. I am throwing it out now. I have not eaten it at all. It is now in the trash can and I am not getting it out. Personal growth stinks.

Roger, John Dear's BFF, called last night so we both got to speak to him for an extended period of time. It's always great to talk to him as we are both friends with him and the three of us have a great time together. Roger lives in Chicago, where he just finished his first year of law school, so I had to quiz him on grades and what he's learned. (It's more than he thinks he has). Roger's going to be doing a summer program in Germany, so we won't be seeing him till August. That stinks, but I'm hoping he brings back lots of interesting stories. See, Roger? The blog isn't always about IF. Sometimes it's about you and your awesomeness. And the fact that you agreed to change all your PINs to "Katko" in honor of spring guns. And that you will become a brilliant criminal defense lawyer a la My Cousin Vinny. Now you have to read everything here. :P

Tornado in the area. Going to go now.

All right, that wasn't so bad. We're just in the middle of severe thunderstorms now and the lights are flickering on and off, so if I cut off in the middle of the post, you'll know why.

Commented on so many blogs yesterday that I don't have to do any today (though I have). Really, I'm just too lazy to post the record.

Mmm, hmm

Where I've Commented Today

The Promise of Our Love

Nervous Breakdowns Are Highly Underrated

Monogrammed Mom

Reproductive Jeans

The Whole of Her Sermon

Returned a Comment From

A Soldier's Girl

Nothing much going on here. John Dear and I had a small spat this morning, but apologies and forgiveness were exchanged very quickly. The office is very quiet, so I may use the time to organize the office, still in piles from the move. Stop laughing! I could do it!

Dinner last night was great. Hope the meal plan keeps working for us. Available for snack for me today: Weight Watchers bars (both 1 pt. and 2 pt. varieties), fruit cocktail, chicken soup, yogurt, baby carrots. According to the scale at work (I brought one in last summer for a weight challenge), I've already lost weight. Yay!

Woo Hoo - Track 2

Where I've Commented Today:
1. Stirrup Queens and Sperm Palace Jesters (birthday girl)
2. A Little Sweetness (birthday girl)
3. Here We Go Again (birthday girl)
4. Fertilized
5. Where's My Belly?

Returned Comment From (But Forgot to Mention Thank You for Commenting):
1. What Was I Thinking?

Super busy at work. Lots of things going on. Here's the ALL CORE, HARDCORE dinner plan this week:

Monday
Salad
Steak
Baked potatoes
Steamed green beans

Tuesday
Salad
Whole wheat pasta topped with stewed tomatoes and meatballs
Zucchini, squash & onion stir fry

Wednesday
Salad
Teriyaki chicken and veggie stir fry
Brown rice

Thursday
Salad
Shrimp and veggie stir fry
Whole wheat couscous OR quinoa

Friday
Salad
Ground beef with canned chili-style tomatoes and canned pinto beans
Brown rice

Saturday & Sunday
-Weight Watchers meeting - 9 AM
-John Dear and I will be spending the weekend in NY, visiting his aunt and uncle. I'm hoping that we make as good choices as possible.

Week 2, Day 1

Where I've Commented Today:
1. Adventures of Baby Making
2. Fertilized
3. Here We Go Again
4. Maybe If You Just Relax
5. Single Mommy by Choice

Returned Comment By:
1. The Therapist Is In

BFF is coming over today (hopefully, if she'd get a move on) so that we can go to brunch and then do some shopping. I may post later, I may not. Trying to get ahead on the comments for this week. Go commenters go!