Step Away From The Cookie

Food Challenge - Final Week

2009-03-02T13:53:00.005-06:00

Dumdadadumdumdumdumdumdumdum dumdadadumdum-dumdumdum (Hummed to the theme of the Lone Ranger)

And the numbers for the 4th and Final week of the Food Challenge are:

Groceries: 28.35
Lunch Out: 30.50
Total: 58.85
Amount Left: 6.14

Our month-long Food Challenge and I am thrilled to announce that we made it with a few dollars to spare! Nowhere near my grand plans of saving at least $50 to send to the food banks but at least we didn’t have any overage. This was definitely a lot harder than we expected and this past week I had to make a conscious effort to deter our eating out. If you’ll notice in our final week’s numbers though Lunching-Out number was definitely on the higher side due to an unexpected get together with the in-laws.

We usually meet them for lunch on most weekends we’re both in town and usually meet somewhere halfway between our two homes. We usually meet at a couple of restaurants our niece loves but this time since we were running errands all morning we met somewhere completely different. Talk about a disaster – food that I wouldn’t even call mediocre, and prices that were more than average did not make for a happy couple. This is one restaurant that we shall not be visiting again. We love eating out but are realizing more and more that unless we have heard really good things about a restaurant we’re unlikely to try something too far off the beaten path. In these days of flavor and value consciousness ~ mediocrity in restaurant food is no longer an acceptable compromise.

To get back on topic ~ with just $6 and change left at the end of the month our food bank donation needs to get rounded up. For this month’s donation we have chosen Feeding America as the recipient of our monies. They are a truly fantastic group and we know our donation will be put to full use.

Lessons Learnt:

1. We are going to work on coming up with a more realistic grocery budget. $300 just won’t cut it in the long term. Look for my next post for more on that topic.
2. We love the idea of donating our grocery savings to a food bank. While the Hubs and I need to discuss this further so far the plan is to alternate our donations between Feeding America and Midday Meal. I’ll set up a running total ticker on the side-bar to keep y’all posted on the number.

P.S. I do admit ~ when Sunday rolled around all I could think about was going to Starbucks for my favorite Chai Latte. It’s my own little luxury that I hadn’t indulged in in-a-while. Did I? You betcha ~ but with a $2 off coupon that cut the price in half. Hmmm maybe I have learnt something this past month after all!

Taking Care of the Ladies

2009-02-22T13:05:00.008-06:00

Late last year we lost a friend in our circle to Cancer. Since then we've all become more aware of our own mortality and have been a fair bit more proactive in getting our regular physicals and check-ups done. I received a clean bill of health a few weeks ago but a friend of mine had to go through a trying time to get hers.

She ~ like most women out there ~ is more than a bit lax when it comes to doing monthly breast exams. These are key to finding and getting any potential lumps checked out before its too late. Jen (not her real name) went a few months without examining herself and in her physical exam her doc found a lump that he thought needed investigating.

A mammogram and a few more tests later Jen's been given the all clear. With that bit of good news she's been emailing and calling all her friends to remind them to keep doing the self-examinations. She suggested - and I'm adopting this - that we put an Appointment on our monthly web based or pin-up calendars to get us into a regular routine. Now I don't know about you, but I've never been quite sure how to go about the actual exam. Some really good websites for information on this are listed below:

Mayo Clinic
WebMD
American Cancer Society

Who should do self-exams? All women over the age of 20. And once you hit the big 4-0 it's time to talk to your doc about yearly mammograms and more. Being proactive is the only way to take care of the Ladies. We all are, or will be - daughters, wives, girlfriends, friends, mothers, aunt, and grandmothers. If we don't take care of ourselves we will never be able to take care of all the people we love and care about. So please spread the word - Take Care of the Ladies.

Food Tracking - End of Week 3

2009-02-22T12:44:00.006-06:00

So to come back from the earlier week we had a pretty darned good Week 3. Both the Hubs and I packed & took lunch almost every day this week. Getting creative with a mix of leftovers, sandwiches, salads, fruits and nuts we managed to eat both frugally and healthfully without the same ol' menu everyday. Of course all of this involved a fair amount of prep work which we usually did the evening before so that we weren't rushing around like headless chickens in the morning. We even managed to keep dining out to just one fun-filled evening - yummy chicken biryani followed by a movie and our usual Poker night. We may just be becoming a little hooked on the game! Thankfully the stakes are quite low so win or lose all our friends have an awesome time! We do have to try & bring some additional friends into the game soon though... or should I say - some new bakras?

A fairly good numbers week:

Groceries: 6.08
Lunch Out: 20.85
Dinner: 11.00
Total: 37.93
Amount Left: 64.99

So 1 week to go and .. .drumroll.... we have almost $65 left to spend!! We should definitely make it with change to spare to donate to the food banks.

Six Word Mini-Memoirs

2009-02-20T09:22:00.001-06:00

Summing up life in 6 words or less….

Snug jeans. Need exercise. Food diary.
Weekend’s here. Nap needed. Miss chocolate.
Need a change. Writing, new career?

Care to share your 6-words?

The First Temptation of Ash

2009-02-18T16:58:00.003-06:00

Talk about a One-Two punch! Today was my 4th Sugar-Free Day which (unfortunately for me) coincided with my weekly Fasting Day. By now you know what Sugar-Free Me entails but Fasting Me is an entirely different ball game. Fasting Me eats fruits, nuts, yoghurt & drinks milk for Breakfast, Lunch & Snack-Time. Real Food is allowed at Dinner but it’s got to be vegetarian.

So imagine my poor deprived senses being subjected to the wafting smells of Bar-B-Que Turkey, Sausage and Beef. My eyes driven crazy with the mounds of Mashed Potatoes, Creamy Coleslaw and Crusty Bread. My nose crinkling up as it caught a whiff of the chocolate chunks in the ginormous Chocolate Chip Cookies. It was sensory overload times a hundred in the luncheon seminar at work today!! Here was lil ‘ol me with my cupful of yoghurt with its sprinkling of raisins and there was TEMPTATION rearing its evil head!! Who do you think won?

Actually, me! I’m extremely kicked with myself for not succumbing so am heading home to reward myself with a flaky slice of Sourdough bread. Hmmm, could carbs be my new friend? Watch this space for Temptation Ash-Land Part 2.

The Sugar Free Month Begins

2009-02-15T09:49:00.010-06:00

If you haven't read my blog earlier, here's a recap - a few weeks ago my friends & I were discussing our addiction to chocolate and all things sweet. Now R & S are even more foodies than I am so when all 3 of us admit we have a problem you can be sure we do. Given that we're all trying to eat healthier and meet various health and nutrition goals we decided to attempt to give up our biggest weakness - desserts - for a while to help us get there and some idiot (me!) suggested we try this for a month.

The rules are simple - no cookies, no desserts, minimize extra sugar in our tea/coffee and in general try and stick to more natural forms of sugar - fruits, yoghurt and au naturale fruit juices. Since all 3 of us love our morning cereals we are not cutting those out since we do stick to the more nutritionally rich ones - Kashi, Cheerios, Oatmeal and the like.

Now you know it takes 21 days to form a new habit so 4 weeks should give us enough time to get there. I'm definitely not trying to go Sugar Free for the rest of my life - I love chocolate way too much for that - but I do want more control over my cravings. If I do slip - and since going cold turkey is hard for most people - I'm paying the price. Ten bucks for every misstep - all going to the food banks I had mentioned in my earlier post. So let the mayhem, the withdraw symptoms, the shakes and the cravings begin.

Goodbye chocolate. Don't miss me, I'll be back!!

Food Tracking - End of Week 2

2009-02-14T12:52:00.006-06:00

So at the end of Week 2 we've spent a whole lot more money than I thought we would. Some of this is in part due to my Friday Potluck. My office has a Breakfast Club and each Friday one of us takes turns bringing in food. Friday, the 13th was my turn and since it was almost V-Day I decided to bring in some themed goodies... Chocolate Cups O Love - a dessert concoction with chocolate mousse, brownies, strawberries & whipped cream - and the Love Strata - mushrooms, peppers & turkey soaked in an egg-custard concoction. So yummy but not good for my numbers - financial or calorie counting - at all.

Plus, being that it was V-Day weekend the Hubs and I went out for a little offbeat date night. Fabulous food - a 4-course meal actually - and since it was BYOB we got to enjoy some really good Marquis Phillips red. Anywhoo... .drumroll please ..... our totals for the week are:

Groceries: 63.20
Lunch Out: 15.09
Dinner: 70.07
Total: 148.36
Amount Left: 102.92

So 2 weeks in I only have $100 odd left. Oops!!! Need to do some cost cutting to make the challenge goal. I would really like to have enough left to donate at the end of the month though and eating-in more than out in the next few weeks should help. After a conversation with our friends last night we've decided to try and limit our dinners out to once a week and meet for more potlucks. After all the goal at the end of the day is to enjoy hanging out with our friends and loved ones not spend gobs of money on sometimes fairly mediocre meals. We're all foodies and love experimenting with different cuisines so I guess we'll be trying a whole bunch of new recipes this year. I for one shall be making a visit to one of my favourite websites Epicurious.com to look for some interesting, healthy and yummy dishes. Watch this space for my discoveries :)

Bon Appetite!

A Fabulous Valentine's Day for $2.99

2009-02-13T12:23:00.002-06:00

courtesy of this article on MSN Money:

Boycott the Valentine's Day Madness

One cheap, sexy $2.99 Valentine's Day gift for 2
1. Buy a pint of whipping cream.
2. Go home.
3. Whip it up.
4. What, you need further instructions???

Romeo, Romeo, Wherefore Art Thou Romeo

2009-02-12T16:41:00.003-06:00

To say Valentine’s Day has become a Holiday would be succumbing to commercialism and all the small and large business enterprises out there. Now I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with living in a capitalistic society. I definitely believe in every individual’s right to earn a buck and provide for their families and themselves. I do however strongly object to the rampant obviousness of it all.

Before Valentine’s Day became – what is almost – a National Holiday in the U.S. and several other countries love was the stuff of poetry and song. Many a gentleman would woo his loved one with a well penned note, a wildflower plucked from the fields, a tiny box of chocolates, a pair of silk gloves, a meaningful look and a squeeze of the hands. Today, it all gets covered with a combination of ~ an overpriced dinner out at a restaurant that jacks its prices up for V-Day; a selection of cards with cheesy sentiments; drugstore candy boxes; some glitzy heart themed jewelry from mall stores; and of course, the ubiquitous bouquet of red roses. Talk about a money-making machine. Where’s the love, where’s the romance, where’s Romeo?

In my single life pre-Hubs I admit to having a predilection to receiving cards on V-Day. Not that they were necessarily from BF’s ~ in fact, they generally were friends of both sexes. Especially during the single years these cards were a way for my friends to let me know they cared and I loved every minute of it! At heart I have always been a true Commercial-ista ~ I love jewelry, adore flowers, and kill for a good box of dark chocolate truffles. I’ve celebrated V-Day in all sorts of ways ~ from Girls Nights Out to Chick Flick marathons, from romantic rendezvous and candlelit dinners to picnics in the park and walks by the lakefront. I've even had the Un-Valentine celebration with a Horror movie marathon (though I was mostly not watching since I was too busy screaming in terror), take-out Thai food and a long solitary walk with the Dog.

However, my best V-Day to date was actually Feb 12th when the Hubs proposed to me while we were dancing to some old ballad in my living room with the Dog looking at us like we were crazy fools. There was no candlelight, no roses ~ in fact, we were still wearing workout clothes since we'd just come back from taking the Dog for her walk..... but it was the most romantic Valentine I've ever celebrated, with the icing on the cake being when we shared the news with our parents the next day. Romeo? I guess he might be hiding in Suburbia in the guise of the everyman after all ...

Where do we go from here?

2009-02-12T09:19:00.000-06:00

I love reading my friend’s kids Idea Books. They want to be a ballerina, a firefighter, a policeman, a dolphin trainer, a doctor, a writer, a princess, a teacher. The possibilities are endless. There are no limits ~ as their imaginations soar and they’re exposed to new ideas & professions they expand their Career Ideas to include Aero-Space Engineer, Graphics Designer, Media Mogul and much more. Nowhere on this list are professions as necessary and unglamorous as Computer Programmer, Accountant, Law Clerk or Construction Manager.

Without giving away too much about my Profession let's just say that if you do well in my field tremendous accolades can follow including interviews and spreads in magazines and the Trinity of Fame, Fortune and Fans. If however you're one of those Worker Bees helping to put the Project together more often than not you're ignored, you feel overwhelmed and worst of all without monetary perks or job satisfaction you can become quite disillusioned. Is this what you want to do for the rest of your life?

That’s the burning question that many Worker Bees are facing throughout the country. With many friends in fields facing large scale job and pay cuts it feels like the noose keeps tightening. On the one hand is the fervent desire and dream to go out on one’s own and on the other hand is the reality of the mortgage payment. We know a great number of couples facing these crossroads whether through choice or circumstance and we’re fast approaching too. With relatively stable jobs – at the moment anyway – we feel fortunate that we have the option to make that choice but with our somewhat conservative White-Collar upbringing we’re terrified of the unknown. It's almost time to look for the answer. The question is ~ Where do we go from here?

Food Tracking - End of Week 1

2009-02-08T14:46:00.003-06:00

So at the end of Week 1 - Hubs & I began the week with $300 to last thru Feb. This $300 is supposed to be for Groceries, Take-Out, Restaurant Meals & yes, even the Vending Machine hit. And .... drumroll please ..... our totals for the week are:

Groceries: 22.23
Take-out: 12.49
Lunch Out: 4.00
Dinner: 10.00
Total: 48.72
Amount Left: 251.28

Now having a fairly stocked pantry & refrigerator did help keep that number fairly low. Getting our usual essentials will definitely increase our spending this week. For one, the milk is almost over & you know I need my Calcium fix. Plus, next weekend is Valentine's Day and I'm trying to plan a fun weekend for the Hubs & I - and you know, that's going to involve eating out!!

What's scary is that while $300 might be on the lower side of what we would usually spend in a month for the 2 of us that's what some families of 4-6 will survive on. If you haven't been following the news recently more Americans are on Food Stamps than ever before. The story isn't so different in our home country. Increased food prices are forcing millions of people even further under the poverty line. Being so far away from Home pretty much the only thing I can do right now is send a check in the right direction. So my pledge is this, whatever amount I can keep our spending below $300 for this month I shall send to the relevant relief organizations back home. I know it's just a drop in the pond but it is a start.

Some great organizations out there that you can donate to within & outside of the U.S. are:

World Food Programme
Food For Life Global
Feeding America
Midday Meal

and the best of all for those of us trying to lose weight and do something good at the same time:
Pound For Pound Challenge

Back on the Horse

2009-02-07T19:28:00.003-06:00

Errr.... or rather the Treadmill....

2.4 miles at an average speed of 4 to 5.5mph followed by 110 crunches.... A little sore but feeling extremely kicked! I promise not to bore you with the details of my workouts too much in the future but for the moment - I did it :)

Now if I can only avoid eating too much at dinner tonight today will be a success!!

20 pounds thinner is 5 minutes or less!!

2009-02-07T14:29:00.002-06:00

Isn't it amazing how a headline like this can grab your attention!!

Lose 20 pounds in One Week!
Drop 10 inches in One Month!
Miracle Abs - No Diet, No Exercise, No Stress!
The Miracle Pill - Eat Whatever You Want & Still Lose Weight.

Hopefully we all know that all these promises are nothing but pie-in-the-sky dreams. True weight loss can only happen when the Holy Trinity align - Diet, Exercise, and Mental Attitude. Without one of these elements most weight loss programmes fail even before they start. Most of my previous weight loss success (and yes, it did happen) was when I was eating relatively healthy, working out with a Trainer, was on a dance team, and woke up every morning thinking I could conquer the world. Maybe it was my sassy short hair, the blue nail polish I used to love wearing, the cool clothes and all my minis - I definitely had attitude and more to spare.

Several years and 20 pounds later I haven't been doing so well of late. Dieting is something I can mostly handle (except for the cakes & cookies) but Exercise and my Mental Attitude needs a shake-up. I've settled into my McMansion life in the suburbs and lost (a little bit) of my essence. I love the Hubs, adore the Dog and love my life but I do not love the Size 8 (sometimes bordering on Size 10) jeans in my closet. Something's gotta change. I need my ATTITUDE back.

First step - looking at a 20 pounds thinner me. I found this fabulous website called www.weightview.com - you upload a photo of yourself and they will work their magic and send it back to you 10-20-30 pounds thinner. The 20 pound lighter pic looks awesome and is now front and central on my refrigerator and pantry door. Some hip-hop music on the radio as I stride on the Treadmill and World, I GOT MY TUDE BACK!!

Ummm..... Loss of Control

2009-02-05T22:57:00.003-06:00

It happens to all of us... the black-outs, the forgetfulness, the compulsive lying to oneself and others. I guess it was my turn.

I had been trying to be good for the first few weeks of the year. With my New Year's Resolutions and plans to get healthy with my Food Diary in my purse and the Treadmill at ready I started the year with a bang. All systems go, healthy snack foods in the house, running shoes at the ready by the door.... and then life happened...

First it was the cold weather. By the time I got bundled up to take the Dog for a walk, walked her, came back & unbundled I was too tired, crabby & hungry to get on the Treadmill. My Trainer left the gym & because I hate the whole process of trying to find someone new (trust me, it's worse than dating ever was!) I've been avoiding the gym. Finally last week I actually went 3 days without writing down my food consumption in my diary. And then Superbowl Sunday hit.

I love being a good hostess. Love cooking for Hubs, love cooking for friends and especially love making desserts.... If you've read the title of this blog - Step Away From the Cookie.... you know where this is going....

I made Chocolate Cake & White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies. The first from scratch, the second was pre-made dough sold as part of a fundraising drive for my s-i-l's friend. Sunday over, the Cards lost (did I mention how much that sucked) and I had a ton of leftovers. I did take some in to friends at work but the rest of it sat on a plate in my oven. They were out of sight but not out of my thoughts. Every night I could hear their siren call as I put my dinner plate into the dishwasher. And every night, I succumbed. Loss of Control.

I am calling this my Sugar Crazed Week. Everyone's allowed to have at least one in their lifetime (or one each year if you're a chocoholic like me). I had my last piece of cake tonight. Or so I said before I had 2 more. Anyway, it's time to move on. I lost control but now am back on track. It helps that the cake is (almost) over. Maybe now I can move on with my life and let my jeans love me once more.

I can hear the Siren's call. Dang! I'd better get out of the kitchen before it's my undoing. Loss of Control - no more....

Food Tracking 101

2009-02-03T15:24:00.000-06:00

There are a couple of ongoing Budget Challenges that I’ve been following in January. Since February is a relatively short month I’ve decided to embrace the Food Challenge for this month. 28 days, $300 for groceries, take-out and restaurant eating for both the Hubs and I.

Given that Feb 1st was Superbowl Sunday and I hosted the viewing party since the Cards were playing I do start with a built-in advantage ~ enough dips and cheese to last almost the entire month if we’re good. I’m not gonna include it in my Feb spending though since it’s not an extravagantly large dollar amount. I’ve already started with pizzas on Sunday though and our share (plus the last minute milk, juice and water run) was approx. $20. The good news is between pantry staples and leftovers we should be set for the rest of the week.

With any Challenge there’s got to be a Reward of sort’s right. If we can stay within the $300 total the plan is to put the Savings towards the Health Budget and get both of us a Heart Rate Monitor. I know you can get basic ones for about $40 but I’m looking into the ones that track your calories burned. I’ll try posting my totals weekly and depending on how much we have saved at the end of the month will post my reviews for the HRMs once I have some narrowed down.
Ready, Set, FOOD…..

Goal Update

2009-02-02T12:54:00.004-06:00

Financial:
1. I have set up my 401 (k) deductions to max out by (almost) my next-to-last paycheck of 2009. I could have averaged it out for all 24 checks (we get paid on a twice-monthly system) but figured I’d rather have 1-2 paycheck buffers in case of several scenarios that include my taking several weeks of unpaid vacation this Summer.
2. I have set up the Vanguard account for the Hubs & I with an initial deposit but we haven’t finished selecting which Mutual Funds we want to contribute towards. That should happen when Hubs is back in this weekend.
3. I’ve made the Refinance call. Now just waiting for the paperwork to finalize. I stuck with Wells Fargo for several reasons including Zero Closing Costs. Given that my mortgage amount is relatively small – its now in the 5 figures all the other banks I approached were adding on 1% over & above the going average rate. Talk about Zero Advantage Loans…
4. We’re getting the documents together for our Dallas home refinance. Hopefully we should be able to accomplish this by end Feb.
5. The Budget is an on-going task. While I have been fairly good about putting receipts into the envelope I haven’t figured out how to account for last month’s Utilities and Bills. And lets just say that this weekend there was a nasty incident between me and my card. MC insisted on purchasing way too much food for the Super Bowl party. I tried to fight it but lost. The result ~ a bunch of unhealthy food in the refrigerator. I plan on bringing it into work this week & making my coworkers eat some... Spread The Fat I say :)

Health:
6. I had my Health Exam last week and Dental exam by the end of Feb. Vision should be ok for now since I went for my eye Exam back in November. A little bit of a shock with the Health Exam was my Bone Density Test. In this you basically lie on a bed while a scanner passes over your body analyzing the density of your bones. While I am within ‘normal’ parameters for the moment the graph trend indicates that I’m likely to develop osteoporosis in my mid 60s if I do not take action. Luckily age is on my side so if I start stepping up my Calcium and Vitamin D intake I should be fine. Plus, the Doc suggested I do weight training and increase my Cardio to help build stronger bones. Great ~ just what I need ~ the Doc joining my exercise bandwagon!! I’ll post my Health check-up numbers if there are any surprises once I get the results.
7. I LOVE MULTI-VITAMINS!! Actually, not really but I have been taking them. I’m one of those people who HATE taking medicines of any kind (one of the reasons I intensely dislike getting sick) and Vitamins usually come in fairly large capsules. I recently switched to the Nature Made brand however and with smaller size tablets they’re a little easier pill to swallow…

Losing Weight:
8 thru 11 - I have to admit this is one area in which I’ve been slacking off a fair bit. I have been (mostly) keeping my Food Diary though updating on the weekends is hard since I tend to munch too much and then feel guilty about it and then munch some more and then forget what I’ve eaten since I occasionally ‘forget’ to bring the Diary home from work… it’s a vicious cycle!! I have been hydrating a lot – too often sometimes – and mostly getting 7 hours of sleep a night. The exercise on the other hand has been hard. Since my Trainer quit on me I haven’t looked for a new taskmaster as I thought I’d see if I could go it alone…. No such luck yet. Apparently I really need someone to kick my butt!! I have finally unearthed my workout DVDs though. So I plan to give it another week. If I haven’t done some form of exercise at least 3 times this week then I will try & find another ass-kicker…. The good news though ~ despite my exercising (or lack thereof) I’m down 1.8 pounds for the month. Just another 10 to go….

P.S. So all my bloodwork came back great to normal. Cholesterol levels are all within the Good to Excellent range, no diabetes risk, no Thyroid problems. So now it’s just me against the Scale….. Round One Begins *Ding!*

So Close...

2009-02-01T22:04:00.002-06:00

Super Bowl 43... The first time the Arizona Cardinals made it to the Finals and unfortunately the first time they lost... For about 2 minutes when the score was 23-20 Cardinals Fans everywhere (and I definitely count myself as one of them) held their breath & dared to dream of the unthinkable... Unfortunately we couldn't follow through and the Steelers literally threw themselves into the annals of fame becoming the first team to win 6 Super Bowl victories....

Life is full of tales like this - victory snatched from the jaws of defeat.... almost there stories... so close but no dice... its up to us what we make of our own tales... do we accept whatever cards we're dealt and move on or do we decide to write our own destiny and change fate.... Cardinals fans everywhere will avow over the next few days that Sanantonio Holmes did not have both toes on the ground when he caught that pass... but the fact that he played his heart out going for the catch is still an inspiration...

We all need to look for our inspirations in both the ordinary and extraordinary... For me its in the wag of my dog's tail as she trots on ahead on our walks.... its the movie we saw at work Darius Goes West about a young guy who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.... its in reading a poem from the hubby that's written just for me and its in looking at how far the Cardinals came this post-season...

So close.....I'll be rooting for 44.... Go Red!!

Cold Weather Blues...

2009-01-27T09:31:00.003-06:00

My normal routine involves taking our darling dog for a walk twice a day. It’s something I love doing when it’s warmer. It gets me out there smelling roses, fresh cut grass and of course dog poop as I clean up after her. In winter however, taking her out for a walk becomes quite a chore.

The first thing I do soon after waking up is turn on the Weather Channel to check on the actual temperature outside. Depending on that number I don several layers including thermals, long sleeve t-shirts, sweaters and the final topping ~ the hubs ski jacket. At the end of it all I look about as round as I am tall – a perfect sphere. Besides the fact that I am now waddling with all these layers on I’ve also lost several minutes of walk time in the morning. So Jo and I have to do a quick waddle down to the lake where she does her business. Then comes the fun part – maneuvering with all these layers involves a semi-squat, bracing my hands on the grass, scooping the poop and righting myself back up again all the while trying not to get a whiff of what can sometimes be a fairly smelly mess. The only upside to this in winter ~ disgusting as this may seem ~ is that compared to the cold weather around my blue doggie bag of poo is steaming hot. I know, I know ~ disgusting right?

I am so grateful for the days that the hubby is in town and takes it upon himself to take Jo for her morning walk. That little lie-in I get to enjoy is wonderful – particularly since he usually wakes me up with a steaming cup of chai after he’s back…. Needless to say since he’s been gone for almost 2 weeks now I’ve definitely got the blues…

Resolution 2009

2009-01-21T10:47:00.002-06:00

Yes, I know it is more than 3 weeks into 2009 but given that yesterday was a monumentous day for the United States & the rest of the world I figured this would be the perfect day to list my goals for 2009. So here goes:

Financial
1. Max out my 401 (k) ~ the IRS limit has increased to $16,500. Given the current Economic situation while it is tempting to not contribute at all I’m trying to remember that my contributions will buy me a whole lot more than in years past. Once I have this set up it should be fairly routine to check balances every 3 months and adjust future contributions.
2. Set up a Vanguard mutual fund and automatic contributions. While it is impossible to time the market reading all the financial advice out there indicates now is not a terrible time to start investing. Again, this should be routine once set up.
3. Refinance the mortgage on my Phoenix house and continue paying down the mortgage. The good news is that with my friends as tenants I know the house is being looked after and the basic mortgage is being taken care of come what may. However since I was on an ARM I do need to refinance with minimal closing costs before the ARM expires in April. While my contribution to the Principal varies each month depending on how much I have spent otherwise ~ in general I’m going to aim to paydown $250 each month. That will accumulate to a healthy $3000 for the year – not too shabby.
4. Refinance our Dallas home and start paying down our mortgage. Since we’re looking to stay put in this house for at least another 3-5 years refinancing makes sense particularly since we can shave just over 1% point from our current rate. Paying our mortgage down is something the hubby and I need to discuss. We know we want to accomplish this but we haven’t talked numbers as yet.
5. Ideally we’d like to get a handle on our Budget. In general, we do spend less than we make and yes, we do save a fair bit but at the end of the month we’re still not sure where the money’s going. I recently picked up a multi-pocket folder for stashing receipts from target for 1$. My goal for the next 2 months is to stash every bill/receipt in the folder at the end of the day. Hopefully that should give me some idea of where our money’s going.

Health
6. Preventive Health Measures – Schedule Annual Physical, Dental & Eye Exams for 2009.
7. Keep the bottles of Multivitamins readily visible so that we remember to take them every single day. While we do try to eat nutritionally rich food its hard to have every meal be a balanced blend of vitamins.

Losing Weight
Yes, this gets its own heading even though it is tied into Health. Watching all the new diet and fitness oriented TV shows out there has made me realize that achieving a healthy weight is extremely beneficial to my stress levels, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and all around well being. In an ideal world I’d love to lose about 20 pounds ~ that would however involve a whole lot of sacrifice on my part. Since I’m not quite at the mental stage to aim for that I figure I’ll start with 10 pounds. These goals should help me get to that number by my April birthday.

8. Keep a Food Diary. I’ve struggled with keeping this up but have finally found the perfect solution – a cute graphic book that fits into my purse that I take everywhere!! 3 weeks into the New Year and I’ve only missed (1) day.
9. Drink lots of water ~ Drinking water keeps you full longer, has ZERO calories, and most importantly is relatively Free. I have to admit that I do occasionally get bored with drinking plain H2O so I will have to get some of those Crystal Light sachets to add to my bottle…
10. Get 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Scientists have proved what I’ve been saying all along ~ I need my sleep. Women who get less than 7 hours of sleep a night are more likely to gain weight and have a harder time losing… enuf said….
11. Exercise 3x30 minutes a week. I do take my dog out for a daily walk (sometimes even twice daily) but that definitely doesn’t make me sweat. I need to start some serious Cardio and/or Strength Training. Right before the end of the year I was working out at least twice a week with a trainer at my local gym. Unfortunately she left the gym & I’ve yet to find a new trainer. Without a commitment to meet someone at the gym (friend, trainer or workout buddy) I find it much harder to succeed & I suspect I’m not the only one. Self-motivation isn’t exactly my cup of hot chocolate :)

11 GOALS ~ Whew!! I think I need a chocolate chip cookie to comfort me…. Nah, just kidding….. I’ll keep updating these Goals through the year though so watch this space. Let's hope I can win the Cookie War!!

It's the End of the Year

2008-12-30T16:28:00.001-06:00

(as we know it) to paraphrase the song..... 2008 is coming to an end and I just realized not only have I not posted in the past 4 months I have also not managed to Step Away From the Cookie.... Oh well, the end of the year is all about new resolutions and resolves & I'll try & get my list up in a day or 2... In the meantime -

Here's hoping 2009 brings everyone Love, Peace, Prosperity, Joy and Health!!

The Evil Cookie Attack

2008-08-29T10:17:00.001-05:00

I stepped on the scale this morning & the good news was I’m down a ½ pound… must be all that eating at home & packing lunches for the past 3 weeks…. I haven’t been exercising as much as I should but hopefully once I finish some organizing this weekend & clear off my treadmill (currently there are boxes of old clothes, wire hangers & Jolie’s toys sitting on it) I can finally get on it!! The teeny-tiny number win of course meant I was a little more susceptible this morning - the battle was on - Friday Breakfast Club Pecan Coffee Cake, Fresh Fruit, and a Boxful of Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter & Sugar Cookies vs. Lil Ol Me….. You know who won - THE EVIL CHOCOLATE CHIP SUGAR RUSH COOKIE….oh well, I have the 3-day weekend to get back on track…..

The good news is that Appu is coming back tomorrow - one week early from Vietnam…. I’m so looking forward to a relaxing 3 day weekend with him….. Actually, relaxing may be from my perspective… he’s going to be put to work cleaning my car & our study… I really should take Before & After pics – you never know when they might come in handy…

The $250 Challenge

2008-08-18T12:39:00.002-05:00

As part of our endeavor to figure out where our paycheck goes each month we’ve been trying to figure out how much we spend on the necessities – food, utilities, gas and the like. While the hubby takes care of our one humungous bill – the mortgage, we trade back & forth on utilities & such. It’s pretty much a “whoever gets to it first” situation – occasionally its Appu but usually me. The months the latter happens I sometimes feel like I’ve spent my paycheck even before it hits my bank account. Between bills, eating out, the stuff I buy to try & get my stuff organized (Container Store anyone?), and my one weakness – Barnes & Noble - I’m never quite sure how much I spend in any given month….

Since I do most of my bill paying online I do at least have a handle on what our more or less fixed expenses are. Electricity, water, trash, phone, landscape & swimming pool maintenance guys, groceries and the occasional housecleaning visit are variables. In any given month the total for these hits within a $100 plus or minus range… Sure, we could be a bit more mindful of these expenses as well & shop around for better deals but that’s going to be the subject of another post. At the moment my first priority is figuring out how much I spend on the fluff stuff…

To that end I have decided to take a $250 challenge. There are numerous variations of this on the Internet ranging from $100 all the way up to $1000. I figure $250 is a good round number to start at. The timing couldn’t be better – Appu’s in Vietnam till after Labor Day. So my 4 weeks started the day he left – August 7th & ends the day he’s back - September 5th. I hit the ATM last weekend to withdraw my challenge amount in cash – when it’s gone, so will be my fluff spending for the month. Of course as with any challenge there will be some rules – so here goes nothing:

1. Defining Fluff – Anything that isn’t absolutely necessary for day to day living. This includes but is not limited to - movie tickets, all meals out, all entertainment expenses; books, shoes, clothes; haircuts & mani-pedis; gifts; all alcohol; home organization & improvement (with some exceptions)
2. The home improvement exceptions are the guest bathrooms – I have been planning to redo these for the past few months. I’ve finally selected my wall colors & have been window shopping for new lights, and faucets. Now I just have to get the electrician scheduled to change out the lights & then I can get to work stripping the existing wallpaper & painting them my chosen colors.
3. Gas – Given that coming to work is a necessity, gasoline is not a luxury item. However, with the ongoing energy crisis it would behoove me to be mindful of my mileage. To that end gas is going to be included in my fluff list. However, if I have an empty gas tank & no fluff cash left at the end of the month I will go ahead & fill my tank with my “overdraft” allowance.
4. Charities - I usually give to causes that are near & dear to my heart. National Public Radio, the Humane Society, the Leukemia Marathon in Bath (my cousin runs in memory of his sister) & Breast Cancer research. Apart from that if any of my friends and family are conducting fund raising activites I usually try & contribute. Also, every once in a while we get middle & high school students knocking on our doors for their fundraising activities. If I get "hit" for anything this month I'm not going to let my fluff limit hold me back.

Lets keep our fingers crossed and see how long my challenge money lasts....

The Chocolate Overload

2008-08-14T16:43:00.001-05:00

It’s been 2 weeks since my last weigh-in…. I stepped on the scale this morning only to startle poor Jolie with a resounding shriek…. I think the batteries on my scale must have given out ~ after all, what else can explain the 3 pound weight gain??? It can’t be that I come home in the evening, barely exercise and then flop down on the couch & grab the remote….. With Appu back in Vietnam for the past week there’s been no one to keep tabs on me & my good intentions disappeared under the onslaught of chocolate…

First up this week were dessert trays brought in by a colleague – Damn you, chocolate fudge!!! Soon to follow – the last spoonfuls of icecream in the tub in the fridge, innumerable cups of hot chocolate to fight the sugar slump in the afternoon at work, and finally today – a ginormous chocolate chip cookie…. Oh chocolate, you will be the death of me…..

Ok, time to crack the whip… I have 3 weeks till the hubby returns to Dallas & another week thereafter till my parents hit…. That means a potential 4 pound weight is needed to avoid the ribbing I might receive from the familia… Hmm – is it doable, yes…. Shall it be achieved – ummmm – lets cross our fingers…

The Long Goodbye

2008-08-14T16:42:00.000-05:00

A dear girl in our friends circle lost her battle with cancer… It had been a while coming – she had been trying to fight this for the past year & a half but M’s body could no longer take the onslaught…. Her husband S is a dear colleague & friend of Appu’s – I met them last year just before the cancer returned (she had fought it before) and really admired this amazing, gracious, courageous woman …. The tests, the chemo, the radiation, the drug cocktails – they tried everything till her organs finally started giving way…

Sups & I went over last evening to meet S… I have never seen anyone look quite so bereft – he truly seemed a ship without an anchor – …. After being married for 16 odd years with an adorable 10 year old I just can’t imagine what he’s going through… Appu & I both pray that S & his daughter will find the strength & courage to carry on & live their lives the way M would have wanted….

Adieu M – we’ll meet again someday

Feed a Cold...

2008-07-29T08:58:00.002-05:00

So I woke up last morning feeling like c**p on toast... I had finally come down with the summer cold I'd been trying to avoid.... Allergy levels in Texas are at an all time high & while I refuse to acknowledge that I may have a problem, between the high pollen levels, being around sick people at work & play & helping our friends R & S clean out their house I was bound to come down with a slight case of the sniffles....

After sneezing & coughing my way through most of the work day I sneaked home a wee bit early for some much needed rest on the couch... A pot of hot tea, Vitamin C aplenty, a plateful of hummus & pita chips, a few oatmeal & raisin cookies, and a handful of almonds later I was feeling a teensy bit better.... I guess the adage does hold - Feed a cold, and starve a fever... of course I had to make sure the second part of the the hypotheseis held true too.... a few hours later I took my temperature and at a shade over a 100 it was back to hunger mode...

Given how sick I was feeling I decided it would be wiser not to venture into the kitchen & called the hubby to pick up some Taco Hell on the way home... Poor Appu - he came home early to find a cranky wife, an excitable dog, dishes piled high in the sink & tissue paper balls everywhere... For a split second I could see him wince before putting on a cheery smile....

The good news is that I woke up feeling a lot better this morning... my sexy, 'man' voice is almost gone & I can breathe through my nose like a regular person.... The house of course looks like a tornado hit... its in dire need of cleaning.... Maybe tonight...

Cookie Breakdown

2008-07-27T15:45:00.000-05:00

It finally happened - my good intentions met an oatmeal raisin cookie (ok, several) and you can guess who won!! The irony of it is that I'm not even that fond of the aforementioned cookie. Give me a chocolate chip, or a chocolate macadamia nut, or a chocolate espresso (can anyone see a theme here) or even a black and white cookie and I'll be far happier....

It just happened to be one of those days - "that" time of the month, my need for something to munch with my coffee and the fact that the box of cookies just happened to be in the house. Ostensibly I had bought the cookies for my friends kids who had come over to swim last week but with all the fun we had in and outside of the pool I completely forgot to give them any....

To compound it all we went out for dinner to Brio's last night - a really amazing Italian restaurant with the fluffiest bread, olive oil and sun dried tomato dip and these mini desserts in espresso cups..... Did I manage to step away from all of that... what do you think?? The good news is that since these were really miniature servings divied up amongst several people it wasn't as bad as it could have been... Lets keep our fingers crossed and see what impact this has on my weekly weigh-in tomorrow....

Sunday evenings are usually about getting set for the rest of the week... since both Appu (the hubs) & I are in town this week I'll be cooking up a storm - or at least enough to last us thru Friday.... now lets go see what's in the fridge...

The realization.....

2008-07-25T12:35:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had that moment where you step on your weighing scale and think - wait a minute, that just can't be right!! Occasionally you can blame it on "that time" of the month but more often than not it is what it is... too many treats, mindless snacks, and definitely not enough exercise...

I have been having that moment on a fairly recurring basis for the past year... The numbers go up, go down & come around.... While I'm not quite ready to divulge my tipping point yet - lets just that the hubby and I are now pretty much the same in weight and if I don't do something about it really soon there's going to be a whole lot more of me to love....

So welcome to my journey - its about weight loss for sure, but also about stepping back every so often to take a good hard look at life, finances and love - just remember you should never take any of those for granted....