Football Sunday... time-out with my kitchen

Are you ready for some football?  It’s Sunday morning and to be honest with you, I have very little knowledge of how the game is played.  You’d think with two sons and a husband who are avid followers, I would have picked up something.  I haven’t.

But, the part I do like about Sunday football is the fact that we sit around the television as a family unit.  The guys are jumping around from one game to another, mostly yelling at the television.  I, on the other hand, catch up on my reading.  I sit with the group, but I leaf through the magazines and catalogs that have piled up on my coffee table during the previous six days. 

When it comes to the snacks that go with the games, I am totally out of the picture.  Both before and since joining Weight Watchers, I have avoided preparing, serving or cleaning up the food.  It’s the day I turn the kitchen over to the guys and let them do whatever they feel like doing….another reason I like Sunday football.

I hear a Crate & Barrel catalog calling my name. 

Talk to you soon.

Disneyland is the place...even without the kids

Wow, Disneyland was a good time.  My sister lives about 40 miles north of the Park, which was three hours driving time in LA traffic.  Our plan was to arrive late in the afternoon and stay for the fireworks.  It’s Halloween at Disneyland, so the decorations were in full bloom.

Our first stop, before parking, was at a McDonald’s outside the Park.  We had not had our lunch yet, but we knew that the food in Disneyland had to be more expensive than the food at McDonalds.  So, I had a grilled chicken wrap for six points.  It turned out to be a good move.

The Park was jammed, and when it came time for dinner, which we started searching for at 8:30, we found lots of places to eat. Unfortunately, there were also lots of people waiting on lines for the food and very few spots to sit down.  We lucked out and had a great dinner at River Belle Terrace, home of the carved turkey. 

Taking Claudette’s advice about ordering the Kid’s Meal, I had a terrific turkey sandwich, grapes, apple slices, and a bottle of water for $6.99.  Not a bad price considering the venue.  Best of all, it was served in a plate shaped like Mickey, ears and all.

I’m back at home now and reliving the experience through pictures.  It’s amazing how much fun three adults whose combined ages total 156 could have on a day out.  Can’t wait to go back!

Talk to you soon.

Mickey mouse...and me

I have a date with a mouse.  I’m on my way to Disneyland, for the first time in my life, and I am almost as excited as I imagine I would have been 50 years ago.  It’s a one- day adventure, complete with fireworks and the Halloween extravaganza. 

When I told Claudette, our meeting leader, that I was heading south for my day with the Disneys, she gave me some tips that I intend to follow.  I will be visiting the New Orleans outdoor scene for the shrimp salad.  And, the Dole pineapple area seems to be on everybody’s list of a great place to stop for no points’ treats.

I’d love to stay and chat, but “it’s a small world, afterall,” and I have to go tackle it.

Thanks for sharing.

Talk to you soon.

What to do with a giant pancake

When I visit my sister, we have a tradition of going to breakfast at the wonderful Griddle Café, in Hollywood.  Famous for hundreds of varieties of pancakes, French toast and other goodies, I begin salivating as we drive towards our destination.

Today, was that day.  Before leaving the house this morning, I remembered the discussion we had at Tuesday’s meeting, led by Scott, on the point count of pancakes versus waffles.  What Scott didn’t factor in is the size of a Griddle Café pancake. 

Coming in at 10” in diameter, it is a pancake on steroids.  A “normal” order has three of them, which no human being can really finish without a food-induced coma. But they will sell just one.  And if you travel with my sister, you get to split the one pancake in half. 

So, she and I split a fresh raspberry and lemon pancake.  She used the butter and the real maple syrup because she is skinny.  I savored every bit of my pancake without those added points because the pancake stood its own.

Add the French press coffee to this picture, and you know how I spent the first part of my day.  And, I’m still awake. 

Thanks for telling others about the blog.

Talk to you soon.

Bye, Bye Airline Food

I waived good-bye to my Weight Watchers buddy and son, Alex, yesterday and headed to the airport with my husband.  Alex will be tracking his points under the supervision of our two Labrador retrievers who have been instructed on healthy eating while Alex house/dog sits them. 

As I boarded the Southwest flight, I started thinking about the pretzels and peanuts that come with my seat.  Even though the total amount of flying time is under one hour, something weird happens to me when I fly.  I immediately begin worrying about getting hungry.  Since I know that I always exhibit this behavior, I brought my own snacks for the flight.  A package of Nature Valley Oats n’ Honey Granola bars and the airline’s diet coke, and I was half way to LA and ready for a quick nap.

When we landed, my sister was there to greet us and to drive directly to Randy’s Donuts for a walk-up jelly treat.  Her treat, not mine.  I smiled, said no and remembered my granola bar.  I wasn’t hungry anymore.

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Talk to you soon.

Weigh-in day...victory!

I have to admit that I was a tad nervous about going to my Weight Watchers meeting today.  Remember, last week I had gained a pound.  I told you that I expected that week would arrive based upon my historical knowledge of ….me.  I followed the program perfectly, tracked my points and it still happened.  Although I was disappointed that I didn’t show a loss on the scale, I was proud that I was in control of my eating.  And I certainly wasn’t going to eat a bunch of junk after that weigh-in because I was feeling a little sorry for myself.

I am pleased to report that the pound I gained last week fell off along with another 1.4 pounds.  So, 2.4 pounds lost this week and a total of 6.6 pounds gone since I joined on September 15.   I am also proud of my son, Alex, who has lost 5.8 pounds in the two weeks since he joined.  We make a good team, both in planning our meals and as walking buddies. 

The team is now going to eat lunch and toast our weight loss success with diet cokes.  Go team go!!!

Thanks for sharing this blog with your friends.

Talk to you soon.

Excitement...the antidote to hunger

There is definitely a correlation between excitement and eating.  This is not a scientific study, although it probably has been written about many times before.  This is my observation about me.

When I am in a celebratory state of mind, my desire to raid the refrigerator disappears.  It’s the opposite of what happens to me if I am “down in the dumps.”  Although, now that I pay attention to what is motivating me, thanks to Weight Watchers and this blog,

I am in total control of my hands and mouth.  I am my own puppeteer.

Time to share the reason for the excitement with you.  Some of you know that I wrote a book that was published by Simon & Schuster in June. Today, What’s a Mother (in-Law) To Do?  5 Essential Steps to Building a Loving Relationship with Your Son’s New Wife, was selected as the winner of the National “Best Books 2009” Awards in the category of self –help/relationships.

If you read my previous blog about gold stars, you’ll understand why this gold book seal turns me on. 

Thanks for sharing my blog with anyone you think might enjoy it.

Talk to you soon.