down 10

Just thought you should know...

I lost 10 pounds! 

Woo! I'm a big fan/believer of Weight Watchers. For realz. It's SO simple to do and isn't really /hard/ to keep up with. I went on it after I had Jillian to help lose {all 37} pounds of pregnancy weight I put on. I stopped for a few months and wanted to keep going, so I decided to go back on it last month to lose an additional 18 lbs. And I'm (over) halfway done! Eight more to go! Well, who knows, maybe even more after that, we'll see.

I would post a picture or something...but I'm lookin' jack nasty right now, so I guess you'll just have to stay tuned for the before/after 8 pounds from now. :-)  

Even if you're not on WW and just looking for some yummy and healthy recipes, this site has some super delicious things that you can't even TELL are "healthy".  

Cheers.

favorite spaces in mi casa

Speaking of things in Spanish...all of the husband's family is from Argentina. When we were first married, James' grandma would make me say things in Spanish because she thought it was "cute"...I'm sure she made fun of me later...Anyway, one night after dinner I said something to the effect of "la comida es muy rico". Then she made me repeat it to each member of the family, "Look! Look what Whitney can say!" And then I stopped saying things in Spanish.

Moving on. I never really posted house pictures since we bought our place. Mostly because most areas aren't all clean at the same time. But I'm definitely way more invested in the decor of this place than any of our apartments. Especially the apartment we had with hunter green carpet and linoleum (vomit). Thought I'd post a few pictures of my favorite spaces in the house though. Just for funsies. 

This particular spot in the kitchen. E-A-T paper mache letters spray painted with hammered metal spray paint (an anthro look alike) and indoor herb garden with chalkboard labels. Also complete with dirty dishes, it's the personal touches that make your house a home.

Our bedroom. The bed used to look much, much fluffier until we took the duvet out of the cover. Junk is too hot for summer time, y'all. Lovin' white bedding right now. James also likes to keep a lot of crap on his nightstand..
 

I've never had a home office before. Ehh..scratch that...I did in our first and second apartment, until the kiddo came along and my office was the first to go. I guess I should say I've never had one I liked so much! Is it weird I think my favorite parts are the clock and trash can?

Aanndd the picture of Jillian's room turned out weird, thanks phone camera. Her room was so fun to do! (And I think the room I was most anal about). 'Twas also featured here.
 

And there you have it. My favorite places in our house. Come over some time. I'll make cookies.

baby-taining

It's been a busy one folks. This morning I though, "hmmm I' haven't blogged in a while..." Almost a month actually. Is summer really almost over?

I finally had some days this month though where I did absolutely NOTHING and it was awesome. Well, nothing except play with Jillian and her baby toys. She's gotten used to me being home all summer and spending lots of time with her, because now any time I try to do ANYTHING she follows me and tugs on my legs to be picked up. Which was cute, like the first two times. :-)

So I'm realllllyyyy hoping this whole "work from home" thing doesn't get royally screwed due to an uncooperative toddler. We'll work on it. Lots. 

Oh yeah! I don't even think I mentioned on here that I landed a job with Provo eSchool! I'll be working mostly from home with kids that are home schooled. It will still be busy and challenging in a new way, I think, but there is SO much stuff I won't have to worry about anymore (shout out to my teacher friends finishing getting ready this weekend!). But I will miss my old school TERRIBLY. I'll probably go back and volunteer occasionally.

Which reminds me of my New Year's Resolutions...

1. Lose the rest of the baby weight..plus a few! (6 more pounds until pre-prego weight, and 10 more until the goal weight) *Current: -3 lbs from pre-prego weight and 11 more til my new goal weight. Wa-hoo!

2. Be a little kinder. Hopefully? I dunno...probably not...I actually completely forgot about this one.

3. Hopefully land an online teaching position for next school year. Check, check!

4. Be a better listener. Not that I'm DONE with this one, but I really think I've been working on it!

5. Make at least half of the crafts and recipes I've pinned on Pinterest.  BAHAHA! 

So back to this whole "entertain a toddler" idea. "Baby-taining" as I call it. I don't know what I was thinking, but for some reason I got it in my mind that in order for her to be entertained, I had to be the one doing the entertaining- at least lately any way. She used to be REALLY good at entertaining herself, then just stopped, out of no where. BUT THEN I started perusing Pinterest (where all things GOOD IDEA are found) and I had the biggest AH-HA moment. Make her stuff to do!!! I know some of you are like...uh, duh? But when your brain is on full on summer vacation mode, it happens. 

So I found some GREAT ideas that I'm going to make TODAY (because school starts Tuesday). A lot of them are for older toddlers and involve smaller things, which Jillian will eat, so I had to pick and choose several things and come up with a few of my own that would be good for a 12-18 month old. These aren't meant to replace their toys, but will be busted out when she gets bored with her toys, which yes, happens. That's when she goes into destructo-must-have-mommy-mode. (Also why I recommend rotating toys every week or two, just switch out their bins). But here is what will start my:
 

(The links take you to the original site with a picture example..I'm too lazy for pictures)
 

1. Small chalkboard and chalk-non-toxic chalk, preferably... 

2. Fuzzy craft balls and different sized containers (she LOVES taking things out of containers)  You can also cut a whole in the lid of a container and they can "stuff" it in the container.

3. Stickers- all kinds, all sizes. You can also provide paper or a coloring book to stick on, but chances are with a 12 month old, they'll just stick them all over themselves and the floor, and that's okay too.

4. "I Spy" bottles  Fill a clear bottle with rice and "hide" objects in the bottle for them to shake and see.

5. Discovery bottles Fill a water bottle with glitter and/or confetti. Shake. Enjoy.

6. Homemade shakers- Easter eggs with Cheerios or other snacks inside

7. Sponges and bowl of water- You could also use foam shapes or "shaped" sponges. Ooo also those magic expanding washcloths ..all found at the dollar store.

8. Sliced pool noodle and string or wooden dowels String them, stack them, throw them, it's all good.

9. Box of tissues- get one from the dollar store, because when they're done with it, it will just be shreds, so at least you won't feel like you've wasted too much money. But this is a serious entertainer.

10. Box of Q-tips- same as above. Jillian just likes pulling them all out.

11. Shaving cream + food coloring in Ziploc bag- use the white foamy shaving cream and duck tape the top of the bag closed. You can also put paint in the bag for mess free finger painting.

12. Cooked spaghetti- No need to cook all at once, just a little at a time. Cook, drain, cool and give to toddler in a giant bowl. Best done in the kitchen.

13. Ball of yarn- although it's rather cat-like, they really like "unraveling" things. Same with a roll of toilet paper.

14. Pipe cleaner toy- Punch holes in the lid of a cylinder container, kiddo sticks in pipe cleaners. You can also add colored hole reinforcer stickers so they can sort by color when they're older 

15. Edible play-doh (most homemade recipes are)

16. Play-doh balloons  - Fill balloons with playdoh for a squishy bag thing.

17. Deck-o-cards- Yep. Just a deck of cards. Tried. Proven.

18. Caterpillar- tie beads on to a piece of yarn. I tied about 10 off each section so they don't all clump up on one end.

19. Straws in spaghetti box- Goes back to the whole "pulling things out of containers" idea.

20.  Coloring book + crayons

21. Objects in a small zipper pouch, I used giant plastic coins from the dollar store

22. Rubberband/shoebox guitars. These are fun to play, and fun to make. Just a couple of shoeboxes with rubber bands around them create music (but not too loud) and lots of opportunity for exploration. 

23. Stacking cups- seriously a good investment. Jillian LOVES making towers and knocking them over. This also helps with spatial reasoning development. 

24. Magnets- On the fridge or on a cookie sheet. I got some ABC magnets (NOT any small ones- choking hazard people). 

25. Family pictures- Jillian (13 months) is to the point where she loves looking at pictures and identifying people in them. Even though every time she sees me in a picture, she calls me "Kiki", which is my sister's name. It's all good. I only gave birth to her. *Put in a photo album if you're worried about them tearing them up.

26.  Stack of Post-it notes. They're fun to pull apart, even more fun when they realize you can stick them...everywhere. 

27. Math manipulatives- those blocks that snap together 

28. Ping pong balls

29. And if it comes down to it, Baby Einstein videos on Youtube. Discoveryeducation.com also has picture books on video.

 And hopefully keep her entertained enough so I can get SOMETHING done every once in a while. Oh, I put several activities in a giant 5 gallon Ziploc bag and will pull one bag out at a time.

There is a BAJILLION more you can add to the list when they get older and don't tend to eat so many of their toys, but I've found these to be good for this age! 

Check out my other "kid" stuff on my Pinterest board, because these people are ridiculously creative:

Here's to starting school next week, cheers! 

crazy jar lady

My mom is obsessed with mason jars. It's true. Her fridge is stacked full of them, she carries one in her purse, it's like borderline I'm-going-to-submit-her-to-some-TV-show. (They're not empty, mind you...that would be much, much weirder). 

When she came to visit, she brought the jars- well, bought them actually (for me!). She cuts up all her veggies after she buys them and stores them in the jars. She makes oatmeal and yogurt for breakfast and stores them in jars. She stores leftover omlets in jars. ...I think they've just replaced Tupperware completely for her. 

But, she's actually on to something. It totally works. She did it when she was here and I loved it! Everything stayed fresher for MUCH longer, and it was already washed/cut up so eating everything before it went bad wasn't such a hassle and it cuts meal prep time in half! And since they're in jars, they don't get smashed under other produce (which tends to happen in my produce fridge drawer).

Apparently it awoke some kind of jar beast inside of me, because I'm totally on the crazy jar train (though, I haven't started carrying one around in my purse...)

Fresh veggies! 

Finally got my indoor herb garden going.

Kitchen spoon holder (held together with twine).  

Jars, jars, jars, jjjaaaaaarrrrsssssss! 


By the way, I'm also obsessed with these Martha Stewart reusable adhesive chalkboard and dry erase labels. They are heavenly. A teacher's and OCD organizer's best friend forever.

holy #$)(!*#$~!

Nothing good comes from girl's nights...you usually end up with a crazy idea by the end of it. 

It started as a regular night- The Bachelorette, Cafe Rio, a nasty dessert...and then the way most of our girl's nights end up: talking "married girl" talk. 

One of my friends started talking about how she gets waxed- all the way- the whole enchilada- the mother of all waxes- the Brazilian. I think our next conversation must be like when a bunch of guys together when they're about to try something really stupid...

"Okay...I'll do it if you do it.." "You will?" "K let's do it!" 

It pretty much went like that. "Let's all go get WAXED!" 

...

Well, two of the girls couldn't end up making it the day of, so it was Jen and myself. I made her go first. What a champ. Hardly flinched. 

My turn.

Nothing like "dropping trow" to a stranger. I was so nervous my body was literally shaking (more about the future pain I was about to put my body through than the fact this girl was staring at my uncovered crotch). 

On goes the wax, RIP goes the paper, SCREAM goes the Whitney. Not so much of a scream as a yelp. What sucks is that once you start, you can't really just stop in the middle. Can't go all asymmetrical style..weird. 

About 30 RIPS later, I felt like I was riding a horse, bareback, and the saddle was on fire. They should provide you with that burn relief spray you get after you have a baby. Better yet, when you're having a baby (epidural style), you should get a complimentary wax. Because THEN you wouldn't be able to feel it. What a great idea.

Hopefully I don't run into anyone I know tomorrow. They'll be like..."Why are you waddling?" And I'll be like, "Well, I went horse riding. Naked. And the saddle was on fire." "Why did you do that?" "Because my girlfriends said it would be a good idea...duh."

And then they'll look at me the way you would look at a guy who just did something really stupid because he said, "Well, everyone else was doing it.."

Dear Jillian (1 year)

Dear Jillian,


WE MADE IT! Your Dad and I have managed to keep you alive, thriving, and mostly happy for an entire 12 months. In the words of a comedian your Dad heard once, "I know a hamster, bird, and a fish that wouldn't be very happy if they found out." 

It's amazing to me how much you have changed not only in one year's time, but especially in the last few months. You're definitely growing out of the "baby" stage...something that makes me happy and sad all at the same time.


You talk SO much. Not always in words that we can actually understand, but you definitely know what you're talking about- especially when you pretend to read books, it's probably my favorite thing that you do. The REAL words you say are: mama, dada, shoes, snack, night-night, hi, juice, uh-oh, no, stairs ("strs"), and cheese ("chs"). You also say the phrase "who is it?" a bajillion times a day- any time you see a picture or hear a phone ring. It's pretty cute. You TRY to say lots of other words too. Today I said "delicious" and you said "is-us". Good effort, kid. More than anything it surprises me how much you understand. You know when I tell you to go to the stairs, to your high chair, the bathtub, where someone is, if we're going outside, and other stuff like that. 

You're definitely in no hurry to walk by yourself. You're still too afraid to balance. Although we were at a pond with your cousins the other day and you let go of my hand and stood there for a solid 5 seconds by yourself, which is the first and only time you've done that. But you definitely cruise around the house using furniture and walls to help you out. You'll get there soon enough. You've always been further along intellectually than physically. :-) It's all of those books you've been reading...The Hungry Caterpillar teaches a lot...


What little hair you have is FINALLY long enough to put into two teeny tiny pig-tails! The front is still pretty short though, so we work with what we have. Most days you rock the piggies with a skinny headband. I think you'll have a full head of hair...when you're 3. 

I'm not sure where you learned to be so dramatic, but you've learned to throw quite the tantrum when you want to. It only happens when I take something away from you that you shouldn't have or move you away from something. You either arch your back and scream, or throw your face down to the floor and bury your head in your hands, and scream. I'm not sure how to tell you that me not letting you play with the light socket is actually a good thing. You just don't believe me. (Oh, and we have those safety plugs, but you've learned to pull them out). 


You LOVE being around other kids. It's funny because you think you're one of them and try so hard to keep up with them (but the whole not walking thing kind of gets in your way). It's so fun to watch you around your cousins Milly and Eliza. You even tried to say "Milly" today! I hope you girls stay close as you grow up.



You hate being fed. You'd much rather do it yourself. Lately you chew everything and spit it out, so most of your meal ends up on your bib or back on your tray. It's not because you don't like the food (I think), I think you just try to chew it with all of your teeth in the front and it just slips right on outta there. Speaking of teeth, I think your 1 year-old molars are coming in because you are a drool factory! 


It's been one of the hardest, yet best years of our lives. You've helped me grow and learn so much and I can only imagine that you'll continue to help me do that (especially when you get to those teenage years!) You are one of the greatest blessings and we just adore you!


I love you!
Mom

birthday redo

Saturday was Jillian's official first birthday, so we decided we'd try the whole cake thing again, hopefully getting a better reaction than vomit.

Apparently she just doesn't like the Happy Birthday song:

But she does really like sugar loaded store bought birthday cake:

Happy Birthday, Jillian! Glad today went much better for you. :-) 

put..the cookie...down

I have no self-control when it comes to cookies. Seriously. Sometimes I think I'm literally inhaling them when they are present (which is why I don't make them lately). 

Well, lucky for me, last night I made weight watchers chocolate chip cookies that are only 1 point each! Cookies for one point?! *inhale

Weight watchers? Si. I signed up! Me and Jennifer Hudson will be rockin' out on the next commercial they produce so watch out ;-) I've done it once before, to lose the 37 pounds I put on during pregnancy (yes, thirtyfreakingseven). Well, technically I didn't have to lose that much because I lost 17 pounds the day Jillian was born (and she weighed 7 pounds...so...10 pounds of "other stuff" came out with her..gross!). 

Anyway, I liked it a lot and it worked really well. I was working on dropping a few lb's before I got pregnant, was 9 pounds away from my goal, then got pregnant, and grew to the size of a small planet. So I feel like I'm picking up where I left off (sort of...I gained 3 pounds the week my family was visiting. Blergh.).  

Time to get back on the horse though (and not break the horse while I'm on it). So my new goal is 18 pounds away. I'm shooting reach it by Christmas time, which should be very doable. 

Anyway, back to these cookies. I made them last night. I told my sister they were only 1 point and she said, "that means absolutely nothing to me." I told her it was like right next to zero, and celery is zero, so that's good. Well, because of my cookie problem, like 8 cookies later she said, "Hey Whitney, 8 is not close to 0, it's close to 10." Oops.

So if some random cookies show up on your doorstep sometime in the future, know that instead of exercising some self-restraint I'm avoiding it all together and letting you do it instead.  

Here's to the next 6 months of weight watchers cookies.

celebrating jillian's 1st birthday

Since my family was in town, we decided to celebrate Jillian's first birthday when they would all be here! 

(I just noticed the phrase on the invitation "and see the big mess i make" would take on an entirely new meaning...keep reading)

A lot of thought and pinteresting went into the planning of this party. Everything turned out exactly the way I had planned. 

(Shout out to my adorable friend Danielle for making the cute dessert labels!!!)
Except...except that Jillian woke up sick on Saturday morning. She most definitely caught a bug from Uncle Spud who spent Friday night at the cabin throwing up into the sink. She barfed once that morning and once right before the party started, but since everything was already into the works of happening, we decided to party on. 

This is where Murphy's law meets Newton's law. Murphy's law: what can go wrong, will go wrong. 

Jillian was holding it together quite well up to party time, but to play it safe, we decided to sing to her first and get that out of the way. I forewarned the crowd of her fear of loud noises, and despite their hushed singing, she still wasn't putting the "happy" in "happy birthday":

 (James was holding her because she didn't even want to be put in her high chair). 

Enter in Newton's law: Every object continues in its state of rest, or of uniform motion in a straight line, unless compelled to change that state by external forces acted upon it.

In this case, the "external force" would be that little taste of frosting that James put into Jillian's mouth, thus disrupting her state of "rest". About two seconds after the video stopped recording, Jillian spewed a most awful spew all over James, her birthday outfit, and the floor. Naturally, when all eyes were on her. So the whole "watch the baby make a mess of the cake and be cute" thing didn't happen, at all. She had no interest in any of it.  But, like I've said before, if there is anything that I've learned in one year of having a child, it is this: expect the unexpected.  

Oh, and I've also learned I probably shouldn't put SO much time/effort/money into planning a child's party, because she'll probably just throw up during her shining moment and spend the rest of the party asleep upstairs in her bed. :-)

At first I found myself disappointed in how things went, but I quickly realized 1) there was no room to be disappointed when I had a sick baby to take care of, 2) it'll make a pretty good story for later, and 3) in a disgusting/ironic kind of way, it was kind of funny.

It was still fun being with everyone there, though. We've decided we'll do another "cake smashing" party on her real birthday, the 21st, with probably just us. Then she probably won't cry, and maybe won't even barf! 

We DID manage to capture a few smiles though:

hang time

There's this place in Provo called Hang Time, that is essentially a giant warehouse filled with trampoline floors and foam pits. So we decided to check it out, naturally. 

It. Was. Awesome. I wasn't sure how Jillian would do, but she even liked crawling around on the bouncy floors! 

I tried taking a picture of Mich doing a toe touch...none of them turned out...but the tries were even more hilarious: 

What I learned: jumping that long is incredibly exhausting, foam pits are ridiculously hard to get out of, and I'm too much of a wuss to try flipping- even on a trampoline.