Chapter 6: Gooooooooooooal!

Posted on by Mama

It took almost seven full months, but I finally reached my Weight Watchers official goal weight! Yay! Sure, I wished it had been a shorter journey; but let me tell you, summer has been a little tougher than I first imagined. With multiple vacations, VBS preparations and a general summertime mentality I have found it much more difficult to meal plan, eat right and stay the course. There has been a lot of ups and downs on the scale, but I think my secret weapon was perseverance. Even when I fell off the wagon food truck, I picked up my sad little self, wiped off the road rash, jumped back on the Freestyle plan and went scurrying back to my awesome Tuesday night support group.

Speaking of support, I have oodles of it and I believe this has made a huge difference in my weight loss journey. My husband has been one of my biggest cheerleaders since the day I joined and my mom loves (or at least she acts like it) to get my Tuesday night post-meeting phones calls with my latest stats. My sister even joined Weight Watchers a few months ago, and we exchange new WW friendly foods, recipes and struggles.

Other than my immediate family, I have one tremendous support system that is a big part of the Weight Watchers philosophy– the friendly folks at my weekly meeting and weigh-in. I usually see several familiar faces at my Tuesday night meetings and our leader has been awesome. There is no shortage of support, useful tips, food exchange ideas and camaraderie at these events. If you are absent, they will notice. If you are discouraged, they will listen. If you hit a milestone, they will celebrate. You, and I, are not alone!

So yes, I reached a huge milestone this week and guess what, one of the familiar faces at my Tuesday meeting asked to film my weigh-in because she knew I was getting close to my goal.  I am so glad she hit the record button, because this was a big moment and now I can relive this exciting experience from the other side of the scale. Of course if I had known, I would have added some makeup and dressed differently, but this works too. *grin*

So after seven months, reaching my goal and feeling good, here is my thought on the Weight Watchers Freestyle program:  If you use it, you will lose it.

STARTING WEIGHT:  168.2
JANUARY 2018 :  -8.6
FEBRUARY 2018: -5.8
MARCH 2018: -6.0
APRIL 2018: -2.6
MAY 2018: -4.6
JUNE 2018: -2
JULY 2018: -4.4
CURRENT WEIGHT: 134.2

Something’s Fishy!

Something’s Fishy!

Posted on by Mama

We added three new faces (and fins) to our family this week with the addition of our son’s long-awaited little fish. This boy has been begging for pet fish for weeks, and with our 10-day vacation earlier this month and a super full summer we managed to put off the purchase for quite some time. But let me say, this child was patient and persistent! So when we finally had a free evening earlier this week, we made the leap splash back into fish ownership, even if on a small scale (no pun intended).

fishy

We purchased a petite round tank from Wal-Mart with a fun color-changing light and small filter. We then picked out three small cold water fish, including a goldfish, black and gold fish and a tiny minnow. It wasn’t really the fish fantasy our son had in mind; but as the beginner that he is, we thought our choices were pretty smart.

As the former parents of a seriously old goldfish, hubs and I were comfortable setting up the tank for our new fishy friends and we went through all the necessary steps to make the transition as successful as possible. . . including the emphasis to our son that fish are tricky and sometimes die without obvious reason.

fishy

Watching three fish swim around and around in a round tank can be rather mesmerizing and my son and I spent at least half an hour snuggled up on the rug watching the little guys (or girls) swim off their little fins. Unfortunately, in just the brief period between fish freedom and bedtime two of the three fellas swam behind the filter and became stuck. . . as in seriously sucked to the intake grill. Yikes! We unplugged the culprit for the night and resigned ourselves to returning the first tiny tank and purchasing a new one. I cannot have that kind of fishicide on my hands!

fishy

After one last look at our fishy pets, their new guard cat (just work with me on that), and our sweet little sleeping son I drifted into a deep dreamy sleep of my own. The next thing I heard, at a quarter ’til six, was my son frantically calling his dad to help his goldfish stuck under a rock!

Footsteps, footsteps, flush and footsteps.

I quickly jumped out of bed to find a sad little face watching only two fish swim around and around in a round tank. *sigh*

 

A Little Red, White and Blue Love

A Little Red, White and Blue Love

Posted on by Mama

red, white and blue

Did you proudly fly your flag yesterday? Our house was decked out in its finest patriotic prowess, but I have to confess that I may have gotten a little jump on my Americana this year by decorating on Memorial Day way back in May. I figured I could get just over a month of patriotic punch if I started early, and who doesn’t love a little red, white and blue as we tumble headlong into the sizzling months of summer. Between Memorial Day and Independence Day, falls Flag Day, so the reasons to celebrate just keep coming.

Here’s a little peek at what my family has been looking at for the last several weeks. I actually appear not to be behind (for once).

I crafted this large wooden flag out of old fence pickets. A simple wash of paint shows off the weathered wood grain.

red, white and blue

I purchased this patriotic sign for just a few dollars after Independence Day last year. It complements the large wooden flag on the back deck.

red, white and blue

I really don’t know why I’ve hung onto this tattered plastic flag for so many years, but it’s the perfect addition to my red geranium on the front porch steps.

red, white and blue

This oversized paper ribbon adorns our front door, and you can learn how to make your own right here at Small Talk Mama.

red, white and blue

I love this fun fabric banner hanging from our fireplace. You can whip up this cheap and easy project just in time for Independence Day.

red, white and blue

This red, white and blue bunting hangs from our front deck railing and welcomes everyone with a big ol’ punch of color.

red, white and blue

Of course we also proudly fly our American flag from a pole at the front of the house!

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