What I'm loving...Parties!

I am totally obsessed with my son's upcoming first birthday party...I know, it's 5 months away. BUT, you have to think WAY ahead on these things or you won't have time to plan, calculate costs, then plan again b/c what you want costs an arm and a leg...

My theme is "Will's Wild Wild West". I love the idea of little cowboys and cowgirls running around all dressed up! I think it will be so cute to have Will in a cowboy hat and a little sheriff badge! I LOVE searching Etsy to see what goodies I find to match my theme...let me know what you think and if you have ideas for me to incorporate!

I really want to have someone take pictures for me! I am no good at taking pics and I think a first birthday deserves good documentation. Of course I want the normal pics, but I also want to have a western style backdrop for families to take pictures in front of.

This? I found these two in an Etsy store called LollipopBackdrops. The first one is $50 (measures 3.5 x 3.5 feet) and the second is $85 (measures 4 x 6 feet). Here’s a link to her shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/LollipopBackdrops?ref=seller_info

I found some fabric that is wood grain patterned, so I guess I could stretch it over canvas to make my own? But who has time for that? Maybe I can talk my mom into doing it for me…ha!

And how about these photo props?? I think I’m going to get cowboy/cowgirl hats for all the kids that come. Ha! Can you see parents holding up a mustache on their baby with the cowboy hat on?!?! How cute! The idea is to have the pics posted on a common website so that the families can download/buy the pics. These are from the Etsy shop FunnySideofLife. $24 for a dozen! Pretty good and well worth it! Here’s the link to their shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/FunnySideofLife?ref=seller_info

How about this for food? I love this idea! Chili is both easy and cost effective. And doesn't this cornbread look delicious?!?! I probably won’t end up using the mason jars for the chili b/c I don't see me making 50 of these! Hello paper bowls! Maybe red bandana patterned?

I’ve been thinking about favors, and I would like to do a cloth bag, maybe several different patterns, some western, some geometric, maybe some burlap mixed in? Or maybe these simple bags with something cute stamped on? I want to have folks fill their bags with candy from a candy bar, which will be located in The General Store J.

Yes, I want to have a mock General Store! Imagine this sign saying General Store. I also want to have a Saloon where the beverages are! Since I won’t use the mason jars for Chili, maybe I’ll use them for lemonade?

ok...enough for now! Please let me know if you have any western type ideas for me!

Britt

Wonder Woman....

Today, I feel like I can conquer the world! I haven't felt this good about myself in a long long time.

Before I was a mother, I don't think I realized how much a woman can do.....I mean really, I take care of the baby all day (and if it's a cranky baby day...whew! Tough!), keep the house cleaned, make my son's baby food, cook for us almost every night, cook meals ahead and put meals in the freezer, find time to exercise, go on mommy adventures with other mommies, and I still have time to work on my paper stuff! Mommyhood has given me more internal power and self worth that I ever thought possible...Hello Wonder Woman!

Ahhh...Superman...My super man's name is Cory Darling! I know, I know....so cheesy...but so true.

Counting Calories-aka-STARVING!

Like I need one more thing to keep up with during the day... Yes, I have decided to start counting my calories. Yes, I am crazy. Yes, it is hard. No, I really don't feel like I'm starving, but it was quite a shock to actually eat just one serving of cereal. Did you know that one serving of Honey Nut Cheerios is 3/4 cup?!?! Whhaaaaa? That one serving is 110 calories. Once you add 1 cup of milk (110 calories), you're up to 220!

This has been my breakfast for the past two mornings. Yes, I actually measured it out. If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it right! About an hour after my cereal, I eat a yogurt...110 calories.

Let me back up and tell you why I started this in the first place... I do not think I am fat. I'm back down to my pre baby weight but it is not distributed like it was before...ha! So, I do have a few pounds that I would like to get rid of. My eating habits as is aren't that bad. I don't eat a ton of sweets (I would if I bought it, so I don't even bring it in the house). The overall goal is to have a healthy relationship with food and a good understanding of portion size and what my body really needs to operate from day to day.

Let's face it, too many of us eat until we're full and then some, especially if it's a meal outside the home. Restaurants are the worst if you're trying to loose weight! And snacks, don't get me started on a bag of Lays...they will be gone within a couple days once opened. Throw in the famous Shelley Darling dump dip (this dip is fabulous...it has cream cheese, ketchup, and Catalina dressing...you mix it all up in a food processor and...BAM...heaven in a bowl!) and you have a real weight disaster! I love snack foods, pretzels, cheezits, salted peanuts, chips, anything really!

The thing is, if you think "hmmm....I want a snack, maybe white cheddar cheezits!" So, you go grab the box, sit on the couch, and start chomping. How do you know when you've eaten a serving? When do you stop, when half the bag is gone? In case you didn't know, one serving of white cheddar cheezits is 25 pieces and is 150 calories. Once you count them out (yes, for the past two days, I have been counting out servings of my snacks), it doesn't turn out to be too many!

So, the plan is to document my calories for the next two weeks. I'm allowing myself 1,500 per day. Supposedly, someone my age and weight burns about 1,300 calories a day just by doing nothing. I got this info from the Biggest Looser website. Since I am active, I'm allowing a little more than the 1,300. I'm being very strict about my snacks. In the morning, I'm counting out my pretzels, peanuts, and cheezits and putting them in sandwich bags for the day. I've noticed that it's harder for meals that I cook. But, I'm going to try my hardest to be as accurate as possible!

I'll update you guys in a couple weeks with my results! I challenge you to do the same...and let me know how it goes!

Britt

I heart couponing!

Hi! I just want to say that this couponing thing is really fun! I actually enjoy looking through all the coupons in the newspapers and online and comparing them to what's on sale in my local grocery store!

On my last shopping trip, I saved $48.02! This is using the stores sales along with coupons. I even got a couple items for free! That's the most I've EVER saved, and I was super proud of myself! Woo hoo! I told my husband that I'm taking it up a notch and buying 10 papers this weekend...ha!

Look out Bi-Lo, Brittany's coming!