Weekly Weigh In: Heading Back in the Right Direction

I'm back down two pounds! So, total for the first month is minus two pounds. I was hoping for a bit better progress, but still, it's better than nothing!

Okay, so tracking my meals brought forth fruit the first day. In an effort to keep my snacking healthy, I mixed up my own trail mix using peanuts, raisins, and whole grain cereal. The trouble was, I under calculated the calorie count by half. So I started just halving my meals. I'd have half at the usual meal time, and the other half for a snack.

Let's say I was going to have a Texas Scramble with a slice of whole wheat toast spread with a couple teaspoons of low fat vanilla yogurt and sliced strawberries for breakfast. I'd have the toast with yogurt and strawberries when I got up around 6:30, and I'd have the Texas Scramble at 9. I still keep my blood sugar on an even keel, and I end up saving 300-600 calories a day.

Now, if I can just figure out what has triggered my insomnia again in the past couple weeks, things will really start moving.

Discovering My Audience

I must have asked myself what the hold up is on Right of Succession a thousand times over the years. I mean, I started on the thing about this time of year back when I was thirteen, and I'll be 29 in a few months.

Filled with the self-assurance of the immensely amateur, at first I was sure it was simply the time eaten up with class and homework holding back the rate I could write. Then my family bought our first computer my freshman year of college, and I began researching publishing online and participating in writers' groups. After a couple of years and many blows to the ego, I realized I had a lot to learn about writing in general, let alone readable fiction.

Then I had one of those life altering moments.

During all these years, I wrote and rewrote Succession four or five dozen times. It improved with each new draft, but something still wasn't working. Trouble was, I couldn't name the issue. So, when I came across a group looking for a new writer, I requested membership. Even though my time with them was shorter than I would have liked, I am grateful these ladies welcomed me into their group.

They called themselves the Snark Mamas. All were working on young adult novels, and they provided critiques with encouraging comments and snarky remarks alike. At the time, I was revisiting my first attempt at fiction, Ben the Unlikely, with an eye toward self-publishing a reprint of it as a middle grade novel opposed to the unillustrated short story version printed on The Writer's Hood children's page back in late 2000, if I remember correctly.

These ladies had me feeling completely inadequate. Their voices were unique and sure, and I felt I hadn't really developed my writing voice at the time. Carrie Harris had me nearly tumbling out of my chair giggling with each new chapter. Humor writing is something I've always wanted to do, but like poetry, it's largely outside my skill set. Elise Murphy and Amelia Nichols work had this quality about it that made you want to curl up next to a fire with a cup of cocoa as you read their stories. And I'm still hoping Michele Thornton's take on the Odyssey is published, so I can get it for my girls when they start studying Greek Mythology.

Over the months I was with the group, I learned more than I did in the college writing courses I took. Reading their work, their comments on my stuff, and what they had to say about each others work and discussing some issues back and forth was fun, frustrating, and educational by turns. Yet, no matter what I tried, Ben the Unlikely wasn't working. I don't remember exactly which lady brought it up. For some reason, I keep thinking it was Carrie, but I'm not sure. But she stated that while middle graders would be interested in the subject matter, Ben was at first too young and later too old for the age group to care much about him.

The comment stuck with me.

I honestly obsessed over it for a few days. Several facts clicked into place for me for the first time, and I began to realize why I had been so uncomfortable writing since I graduated college. I was writing for the wrong audience. My natural inclination runs toward the darker side of things. Now I know YA fiction gets fairly dark now and again, but some of the topics begging to be talked about in Succession especially are a bit beyond what one would find in the YA section. I'd been holding back for years, trying to cram the story into a mold it didn't fit.

I was asked to leave the Snark Mamas to make room for another YA writer after I finally found my audience. This upset me quite a bit at the time. I'd come to think of these ladies as friends. I didn't have much of a social life at the time, so loosing what little adult conversation I had at the time was a blow. (Let's be honest. Out of control pregnancy hormones probably didn't help either.) But I understood why they wanted me to step aside.

Writing for the correct audience has made all the difference.

A little over two years later, I can be more objective about it than I could then. Things have calmed down, and I'm slowly but surely getting a life again. Hubby's health, and mine, is so much better than in 2007, and it makes getting out and about as well as just thinking so much easier! I feel I've found my voice. I have a plan, and I'm working it. Succession has come a long way since I've let it bloom into what it was meant to be in the first place.

It's funny how inspiration can be so far removed from realization. When I started writing it, I was too immature to imagine the depth the story would eventually take on. Even just taking the villain. That first version of Ralic seems like a fluffy puppy compared to the one I'm envisioning now, especially after the video idea prompted character study. Advances in science have made some of the ideas I had originally more plausible given a few centuries between the present and the Galaxia's exodus from the Sol system, and they've also pushed my imagination past those original concepts.

Then the review by Editorial Anonymous pointed out an issue with my writing. I was honestly expecting more of a snarkfest when I submitted the first page to the first pages clinic. Being told my prose was still a bit purple was a relief. It was something I could fix.

I took my wordwacker to the pages, and the "something's off" feeling is gone when I read those first few chapters now. Once the e-book is done, I've a feeling I'll be querying Succession within a few months.

Berries and Cream Oatmeal Bars

I have lots of variations on these make ahead and reheat breakfast bars. They keep in just a Ziploc baggie for up to four or five days, reheat in thirty seconds, and travel well. It's an ideal solution for Hubby most mornings. He doesn't want to spend a lot of time preparing his breakfast, so he has time to enjoy it with a cup of coffee before heading out the door.

The girls like them because it's oatmeal that's really easy for them to eat. Plus they like helping me make up new flavors.

Berries and Cream Oatmeal Bars

3 Cups Rolled Oats
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 Cups Skim Milk
1/3 Cup Water
3 Tbsp. Milled Flax Seed
2 Tbsp. Light Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. Baking Powder
1 1/2 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 Cups Sliced Strawberries
1 1/2 Cups Blueberries
Zest from One Lemon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, flour, flax seed, brown sugar, baking powder, and lemon zest. Stir until evenly blended, making sure to break up any lumps. Stir in milk, water, and vanilla. When wet ingredients have been incorporated, gently fold in berries. Spread in a thin layer on a sprayed cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 12 servings.

* I know they look a little craterific. The berries shrank up more than I expected. Cutting them finer than I did should correct the problem if the appearance is a bother. And that's a toddler sized plate in the picture. They aren't gigantic.

Follow Friday: 5 Minutes for Mom

If you've never heard of 5 Minutes for Mom, now is a great time to check them out. They'll be hosting their annual Ultimate Blog Party in just a couple of weeks, and I know you don't want to miss that.

These ladies consistently publish funny, interesting, and informative blog posts and tweets as well as listing links to hundreds of other great blogs.

What's the Ultimate Blog Party? It is a week dedicated to bloggers coming together to read and comment on each other's blogs. I found dozens of new blogs during last year's party I'm still following today, and I know I'll discover new ones this year.

So stop by their blog, or check them out on twitter. They're worth a follow.

Boo Bear, My Tiny Personal Trainer

A few days before the Plus Size Bloggers competition began, a twitter party was held. Two workout DVDs were given out as door prizes, and I was lucky enough to win one. Actually, I was the first winner picked, so I got to choose one of the videos, which was lucky because I already tried the other one.

While I enjoyed the Biggest Loser DVD, and it was definitely effective, it's also not so easy to do with two very small children at home without someone else home to watch them. The moves are big and hard hitting, and my girls tend to like to get right up beside me while I'm following a workout DVD for some reason. I tried doing it while they were asleep, and lucky me, I'm apparently still heavy enough to sound like a herd of elephants stomping and kicking around. I kept waking them up a few minutes in, and Hubby doesn't get home until late most days.

I've learned the hard way, exercising past 6 p.m. is guaranteed to keep me awake until midnight or later.

I wasn't exactly hopeful when I popped in Walk Away the Pounds Express. Sure walking two miles three to six days a week kept my weight in check throughout high school and college, but I've been busting my rear for years now with very little result. How much could walking in place do?

I gave it a test run using the two mile brisk walk while Mom had the girls on Friday. I wasn't very happy with the impact of the video, but it seemed easy and tame enough that I might be able to get away with using it while the girls were up and about. So, I decided to add my ankle weights to the equation, and see if it improved the workout for me any.

So, the next day, I strapped on my two pound ankle weights and gave the one mile walk a try. Boo Bear and Sneak came in to see what I was doing. Before I knew it Boo Bear was standing a couple feet away following along, and actually keeping up, while Sneak marched in circles around us. Because we never moved more than one large step in any direction, this didn't cause a problem. With the weights on, I started feeling a burn by the end of the video, which made me a lot happier with the workout.

Apparently Boo enjoyed the workout and has decided she is now my pint sized trainer. Each morning about 8:30 or 9, I hear her saying, "You gots to do your workout, Mama." And you better believe she'll repeat the statement every five minutes until I start the DVD! So I'm currently doing the one mile walk once in the morning and once in the afternoon, with ankle weights, and then following that up with some upper body and core strength training on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. And I do the two mile walk at least once, twice if I need an energy boost, on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

The only drawback? I now continually have the songs used in the video stuck in my head. They're not bad, but any song gets annoying after four or five days straight.

* Neither company has contacted me. I simply feel obligated to put up a link if I mention a product in the blog.

Nearly Wordless Wednesday: Spring Break

She didn't have the easiest time scooping the potting soil, but Boo had a blast starting her first science project.

Putting the seeds in the dirt was her favorite part.

No pictures from the library itself, but here's Hubby reading one of the books to the girls. Yes, he was home all week believe it or not, just usually either behind the camera or getting something from another room.

We were just a tad nervous about letting Sneak play with the clay the first time, but she didn't try to taste it. We about didn't get it back though.

She spent the majority of her time pretending to roll out and cut biscuits. Yes, she has become that fascinated with cooking of late.

Why let cold, drizzly weather keep us from having a picnic?

This kind of tray is the best way to get them to chow down on raw, undressed veggies. And yes, that tray is for all four of us.

We attempted playing this jumbo sized Candyland game, but with Sneak up and about, we ended up just letting them play pretend with the pieces.

Unschooling?

One thing I've come across using StumbleUpon, amongst the recipes, parenting blogs, science and homeschooling articles, gardening tips, and resource websites, is numerous articles on unschooling. When I checked homeschooling as one of the interests I wanted to see material on, I never expected to see such a thing.

What is unschooling? It's a type of homeschooling where you basically let the children learn the way they do naturally. Almost completely self-directed learning if you will. The parent helps only by providing materials, opportunities to explore, and assistance working through information as needed.

As long time readers know, I've been covering the preschool basics with Boo Bear at home. She knows her colors and shapes, she can count to ten, and she knows about half her alphabet so far. Well, this is what we know she knows anyway. You see, I've mostly been doing "school at home" as it's put on the unschooling sites. We would sit at the table or at Boo's little desk, and we'd drill using books, puzzles, and flash cards. Boo gets bored with this almost as soon as we get started, and she'll give answers she knows are wrong, hoping I'll get frustrated and give up.

This is why we were seriously considering having her tested for color blindness until, in desperation, we had her "teach" Sneak about colors when Sneak was only a few weeks old. She knew all her colors, but since the subject didn't interest her any longer, she refused to pay attention until it was her responsibility to teach her sister.

So I'm trying a different tack, at least for the next year or two. I tried it the unschooling way starting last week. We broke out the play dough, and I gave the girls cookie cutters in the shape of letters and numbers. Boo got her first library card, and she was loosed on the local public library. (She's somewhat obsessed with animals at present, and is picking up information on different animals, classifications like herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore, and animal behavior wherever she can find it. And yes, she knows what those classifications mean.) We planted some seeds we're growing in old egg cartons on the windowsill before planting in the garden. We baked bread and made freezer jam, lentil dip, and peach butter.

So what did she learn, other than basic domestic skills? We worked on letters, how to spell her name, fine motor skills, and refreshed her memory on the primary colors and basic shapes with the play dough. She learned first hand what a library is, and having her first card will open the door to any subject she wants to study. Hands on science is the longest remembered. What better introduction to biology than observing nature at work?

The kitchen is a learning powerhouse. Cooking is a practical application of math, chemistry, and nutrition education. Boo wanted to know what every ingredient was when we added it and why. I was able to explain to her the nutritional benefit of each food and what effect it would have on the finished dish. Even at 3 1/2, she's old enough to help me measure and stir. Measurement is a basic component of math and essential to scientific experimentation. Stirring allows a perfect opportunity to witness how adding liquids to dry ingredients changes them, the way adding baking soda makes batter bubble, and how heating strawberries makes them shrink as they loose their juice while it makes pancakes go from liquid to solid.

I want to hear from other parents out there. What are some things you've done with your little ones? Have they taken away some surprise lessons?

Weekly Weigh In: Bummer

I'm very unhappy with the scale this week. I'm up a pound and a half, so I'm a half pound heavier than I was when the competition started! At least I'm still under the 200 lb. mark...barely. Lord knows it took me three years to get that far, I'm not going back without a fight!

I don't get it. I ate better. I worked out more, and I remembered my water at least most of the time. Hubby and I did go out for a lunch date on Friday since we had a babysitter for the whole day without having two days worth of errands to run, a rare occurrence, let me tell you. But I loaded up on water and increased my workouts Friday and Saturday. So why the backward movement?

I do feel a great deal better this week, however. I've had tons more energy, even the one night I slept horribly and woke up far earlier than normal. I haven't had the urge to nap mid afternoon, and I went all the way to Friday without having cravings. After the lunch out, I did start craving sweet junk, but it seems to have faded. Best of all, I've had better concentration this week. Whether this is from making almost everything we've eaten in the past week, the new vitamin D and 5-HTP supplements, or a combination thereof, I don't know.

I'd love to just completely forget about the weight thing and just concentrate on moving and eating well to feel great, but it's kind of hard to stay in a weight loss competition without stepping on the scales. And it's difficult to forget about the number on the scale when you have a weekly weigh in. Make that impossible when you blog about it for anyone interested to see.

I suppose I'm just embarrassed. It's not like I haven't lost three or four pounds then gained them back and lost them again in the same cycle for a few months now. This is just the first time anyone other than Hubby's heard about it.

Maybe I'm not adding my calories correctly. I brushed off my SparkPeople account yesterday to calculate the nutrition information for the summer spaghetti recipe posted for Sunday Sides and Suppers yesterday. I'll start logging my food again, and see if it makes a difference.

I just hate what a time suck it is considering I usually only have two to three hours or so a day to tend to all my business on the computer, which seems like a lot, but it's not when you have a couple of articles to write, marketing to do, and networking. Plus an old project I'm still trying to rebuild for a friend after 2/3 of it were dumped in December's hard drive death. Then again, maybe it wouldn't be such a time suck if I wasn't always having to add the nutrition information for my newest recipe. Trade offs, I suppose.

Summer Spaghetti

Today's recipe is one of those discovered when you grab everything that sounds good and throw it into the pot. I wanted a way to prepare spaghetti that was healthier than your run of the mill marinara or meat sauce. I was also looking for a way to use some of the vegetable broth I'd made up a couple weeks before and froze.

I baked some chicken, cut up a bunch of veggies, and then roasted them. I thickened up some of the broth with spices, and the rest is history. The family gobbled it up. Even the baby and the suddenly uber picky preschooler were pleased there were lots of leftovers.

Summer Spaghetti

3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast halves (Baked)
1 lb. Whole Wheat Spaghetti
1 pint Vegetable Broth
1 c. Onion (diced)
1 c. Bell Pepper (diced)
1 c. Celery (diced)
1 c. Broccoli (chopped)
2 cans Diced Italian Tomatoes (drained)
2 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp. Basil
1 Tbsp. Oregano
1 Tbsp. Rosemary

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place vegetables together in a large casserole dish, cover with tin foil, and roast in oven for 20-30 minutes or until tender.

In a medium sauce pot, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil over high heat. Stir in two or three tablespoons flour and cook for about two minutes, just enough to loose the uncooked flour taste. Pour in vegetable broth, add in garlic, basil, oregano, and rosemary, and lower the heat. Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally until thickened.

Cook pasta until just shy of al dente while you cut the chicken to half bite sized pieces. Drain pasta. Drain and add vegetables. Add in chicken, and pour the sauce over. Toss until well combined. Makes roughly 12 servings.

I've added a new feature this week. Click on the dish name to see nutrition facts via Sparkpeople Recipes calculator.

* Sneak's not the greatest fan of pasta. She mostly picked out the veggies and chicken, but I'm not complaining.

Follow Friday: Fed Up with Lunch: The School Lunch Project

If you're interested in what our public schools are feeding the nation's children, make sure to check out Mrs. Q over at Fed Up with Lunch: The School Lunch Project.

Mrs. Q is a public school teacher who is eating cafeteria lunches each day through the 2010 school year. The day's meal is photographed and blogged each school day, and the weekends are devoted to discussions regarding nutrition, waste, policies, and possible solutions. The posts are simple but thought provoking, as is easily seen in the comments for each post.

Reading the blog and commenting has caused me to give greater consideration to many things I am doing with my family. Thinking about how schools could improve their nutrition programs and education gave me ideas for projects and lessons to do at home with the girls. It renewed my passion and interest in revamping our diet at home, paying attention not only to how healthy and tasty the food is, but how appealing it is visually. Because, as Gabriella put it on Sid the Science Kid, "If it's not pretty, I'm not interested."

If you have children, especially girls, you know how true this statement is.

So if you're concerned about our national school lunch program or just interested in health and nutrition, head on over to Fed Up with Lunch: The School Lunch Project and check it out. Or follow Mrs. Q on twitter @fedupwithlunch.

* The picture is Mrs. Q's profile picture and used in lieu of a logo.
** Note: This post was planned before Mrs. Q added the blog roll last weekend. It was in my brainstorming notes from March 4. I just didn't have a chance to post it last Friday as planned due to computer issues and time constraints.