Setting Goals

In reading through other blogs, it seems that September is full of challenges and goal setting!  I LOVE THIS!  Brooke over at Brooke: Not on a Diet, Kelly over at No Thanks to Cake, and Mariana over at Project Unfluff have some great ones going on, some personal some to join in with!  My favorite challenge though that I have read seen though I think is from Ashley over at Coffee Cake and Cardio. 

Basically Ashley lays it out there, just live it!  We all worry and stress over everything (some things  more then others), but in the end we need to be happy.  Take last night for instance.  As I posted on the W&M facebook page it was my big girls birthday yesterday.  I am still in shock at the fact that she is twelve.  I just, wow.  Twelve.  Anywho, I digress...I knew going into the birthday that we would be indulging.  Some things are just worth it though!

My sweet girl chose to go to The B Spot.  This is the yummiest burger place ever!  It's owned by Chef Michael Symon (yep, THAT Michael Symon) and it is the reason I hesitate to consider going vegetarian even though I know it would be a better health choice for me.  I knew going in that it would be bad for me...but in that mind-blowingly tasty, juicy, lick my fingers clean kind of bad. :)  I ordered the Lola Burger, my fav there.  The Lola burger is a burger with a sunny side up egg, bacon, pickled red onions, cheddar & mayo.  My mouth is watering just remembering.  We shared an order of his delish rosemary fries and an order of onion rings as a family.  I actually told my fam that I wanted to take a pic of my plate for you all, but once that burger was in front of me, I had to delve in. 

So as we sat eating, my hubby and I said that we needed to get serious.  We knew we had birthday fun, and there is still a LOT more of that to be had this month (both the mini and me have them coming up), but when you are 12, you want a good meal out for your birthday.  It was a nice way to send off our bad eating habits and start to embrace change. 

I can do this!  We can do this, but we need to enjoy life too and not feel guilty if we indulge every once and a while or miss a workout.  Life is too short to not enjoy it, so the challenge I am going to work on for September is Ashley's JUST LIVE IT!!

You better not pout

So my sweet little baby bear is ALL about the upcoming holidays.  Every ornament that was unwrapped and placed on the tree (all at her eye level of course) was welcomed back for another year of holiday merriment and fun with an "Oh my God Mommy, this is so beautiful."  I don't say this as an exaggeration, she literally said it to EVERY ornament.  It was adorable.

We have also been having fun with ideas from pinterest.  My initial plan was to make some gifts for family, but can't seem to pick anything I'm willing to give away yet.  This is what we have so far:

Sorry for the glare on some of them, my phone is not the BEST when it comes to taking pictures.


Then once Dadoo was done hanging lights outside, we went out for inspection and he was thanked with a "Dadoo, it's amazing!"  It feels like it has been so long since my oldest was this age.  It's exciting to see the excitement and magic again.  Speaking of my oldest....11 going on disgruntled teen, we had to beg her to detach from her Wii and come down to at least hang her baby ornament.  I hope that since she is going through this angst now, that maybe, just maybe, she will be an absolute delight as a teenager.  Oh my delusions of grandeur right?!??!  She has her moments.  I think she sometimes feels torn between being a kid and being a "junior high schooler."  We did have a nice afternoon as a family at the Rain Forest/Zoo...and I was able to capture this cute scene afterwards:

my beautiful big girl snuggled up for a nap with her kitty cat

So, along with the entire holiday season, from October-December.  October you say?!?!  Yes, in my house the extra treat enjoyments seems to begin once the Halloween candy is bought and lasts through the last few blissful sips of the new year, anyway I digress.  Along with the holiday season comes the annual resolution pondering.  Which this year is exciting because it also signals a full year of sharing and caring with all of you!  I can't believe its almost been a year already since I started blogging.  I have had lots of ups and downs this year, but have been trying to keep myself in check...especially since the holidays started and am quite happy to say that I am down 4 more pounds than I was before Turkey Day!  It's a great motivator for going into the next few weeks.  I am game planning with the hubs about workout schedules at home, ordered the Weight Watchers cookbook from the library to try out over my holiday break from work, and found out that my boss is gifting me for Christmas a month long membership at the fancy gym. 

I am excited and feeling good that I feel like a have a plan for the holidays and that I am seeing the scale move the direction I want it too so far. 

What are you planning for the holidays to stay on track?