Are You Wearing Your Green?

Two posts in one day? Oh my!

Well, just a note to say Happy Guinness - ahem - I mean, Happy St. Patrick's Day!

When dropping my daughter off at daycare, there was a boy that was not wearing any green. One of the girls looks at him and says, "You're supposed to wear green today. If you're not wearing green, you will get punched!"

My how the rules have changed since I was in elementary school.

Weigh-In Wednesday #10

No change this week. Zip. Zero. Zilch. Better than gaining, right?

I actually worked out really hard to the point that my body was sore this entire week. And let's not forget AIRobics! So, if I really worked out that hard, why didn't I lose any weight? Let me introduce you to Brooklyn Brothers Pizza. Now, let me clarify that I like pizza, but it wouldn't be in my top ten foods to eat before I die. But goodness gracious, Brooklyn Brothers really knows how to make a pizza! And their pizza would certainly be on that list.

Knowing that I was going to eat pizza for lunch, I went to the gym on Sunday morning and worked out for a little over two hours. Throughout the day on Sunday, I managed to eat six slices of their Bowery pizza. SIX SLICES. Normally, after I eat poorly, I regret it and say that it wasn't worth it. Sorry, fellow dieters, it was totally worth every pound not lost.

Weight: 209 lbs.
Reason for weight-loss: Kicking your own stomach while on the stationary bike is so not sexy.

Trampoline Fiend!

Dull workout routine? Try something outside the box.

We have found the funnest workout EVER! Trampoline AIRobics! Sky High Sports in Bellevue is a trampoline arena. You need to seriously check out the gallery on their website and you might understand how much fun I had last night. It was an hour long class of sweat, laughter, some pain, and pure childhood fun.

I haven't been on a trampoline for at least the last fifteen years. I am a scaredy cat, which is why I have never done any sports or ever been athletic. I am afraid of basketballs, baseballs, footballs, soccer balls ... you get the picture: No team sports for me.

But OMG, this was such a fun time and anyone can do it! Well, at least anyone 10-years-old or older. But you don't have to be an athlete in any way, shape, or form. The moment that I stepped onto the trampoline, I was stiff and scared. I couldn't do the simple jump, land on your bottom, push up with your hands, then land on your feet. I watched my two friends, Lauren and Germaine, have no issues with this routine. I paused and watched them to see how I could emulate their movements. The major difference I noticed was that they were relaxed and not stiff. The second difference I noticed was that they were full on landing on their bottoms. I was too scared to land on my bum that I would angle forward instead of back, causing me to land first with my heels, then legs, then finally bottom. By the time I had landed, there wasn't any momentum left to land back up on my feet. So I wiggled out the stiffness and I went for it, and I did it! It was a small feat at the time, but it really helped me for the duration of the class. The key was really to relax and just jump with abandon!

There were two breaks during the class. By the time the first break came around, I had sweat dripping down my face! That hasn't happened in forever either. On the days that I go to the gym, I always end up doing an hour of the elliptical, the cross-trainer, or a bike/treadmill combination. Since no one is pushing me to go! go! go!, I tend to do just enough to keep my heart rate up. Plus, let's face it, an hour of the same machine is monotonous and B-O-R-I-N-G. But AIRobics was awesome because I was working out harder than I do at the gym without even noticing it. My mentality was that I was playing, not doing cardio.

Hopefully you can find something like this in your area, because it is really worth it!

Weigh-In Wednesday #9

Oy vey. One week on, one week off - I gained 1.4 pounds. The working out four days a week has been a bit of a problem for me. I am barely doing two days a week. But I finally ripped open Jenny McCarthy's Your Shape for the Wii and tried it at 5:00 a.m. on Monday morning. Thanks to virtual Jenny, my quads were sore all day yesterday.

For those of you that don't know, Your Shape uses a camera instead of a board like the Wii Fit. Your image is displayed on the TV right next to virtual Jenny. Actually, it is a virtual image of Jenny, but it definitely isn't her voice. I am still brand new to this, so bear with my vague description. When you first start your personal profile, your body is scanned from the front and then on your side. A sillhouette of your body is created and then you can choose problem areas to either burn, strengthen, or tone. Not all of the areas allow you to tone, which was a little weird. After you have completed your profile, you can start your workout or put in workout goals for the future. You have the option to choose the length of your workout (15 minute increments), and which problem area you want to work on that day or go with virtual Jenny's suggestion. The good thing about this game is that you can incorporate your own free weights, stepper, or balance ball.

The down side is that the scene is really plain; like a blue background with Jenny to the left and you on the right. Come on now, give me at least some kind of outdoorsy scene, something nice to look at other than myself bouncing unattractively.

Weight: 209 lbs.

Reason for Weight-Loss: I bought my bridesmaid dress this past Saturday. I ordered it one size smaller than what I wear now. Dun, dun, dun!

Spur Gastropub

*Disclosure!!! By no means am I a culinary expert. I enjoy what I enjoy and I like to put in my two cents for, well, basically everything. So take this "review" with a grain of salt!

This past weekend, I went to a new restaurant. I love trying new places and love it even more when the restaurant is amazingly awesome. Trust me, Spur Gastropub was amazingly awesome.

Their menu is available on their blog and it changes each month, but it seems they have a few staples that stay on the menu. I went with two girlfriends and we split these four dishes from Spur's February menu:

Parmesan Gnocchi
parsnip. hedgehog mushroom. brussel sprout.

I didn't think to take pictures until I took my first bite. Or maybe the food was just that good that I knew I had to blog about it! So the picture is the Gnocchi dish three bites in. Oh holy deliciousness. My mouth was engulfed in yummy happiness! The gnocchi was a wonderful texture and size, it looked to be pan seared before being bathed in their lusciously light cream sauce. I could have eaten two bowls of this to myself and still not had enough. It was that good.

Steamed Mussels

potato. leek. bacon.

This dish was good, but it was my least favorite of the four. My judgement, however, was compromised from their outstanding gnocchi. The sauce served with the mussels was good, if a bit salty. Definitely scrumptious enough for me to have left no shell unturned though.

 Pork Belly Sliders

celery root. apple. mustard.

Oh. Good. God. The name really says it all. Who wouldn't like a crunchy square of pork belly sandwiched between two toasted mini buns? Top it off with a fruity glaze, and I am your love slave for eternity. Being Filipino, I know the combination of savory pork and sweet sauce is a match made in heaven, but I still was shocked at how yummy this dish really was when combining all the ingredients. Aah, that's amoré!

Sockeye Salmon Crostini

mascarpone. caper. pickled shallot.

Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the Salmon Crostini, which was as beautiful to the eye as it was to my tastebuds! It probably had something to do with the glass of wine I had finished. I am such a lightweight when it comes to alcohol - oh why can't that statement be true in relation to my weight? (says the girl blogging about food). Despite the generous amount of mascarpone, this dish was very light and almost summery feeling. My friend, Germaine, put it best when she said that she enjoyed this as our last dish because it was so fresh tasting. It cleaned up the palate from the meal." A perfect ending. 

Funny moment: we were so excited with how good our food was that when we saw a dish walk by we would check it out, you know, to see if it was taste-test worthy. Germaine spots a dish with a substantial amount of food on it and when the waitress walks by us, Germaine asks with unabashed excitement, "Excuse me, what was that?"

The waitress responds, "A side of fries."

Aah, yes, with all these delectable and intricate dishes before us, we covet the ultimate dish: a side of french fries.

Weigh-In Wednesday #8

Slow and steady wins the race! I have dropped a very satisfying 3.2 pounds this week! My weight loss is surprising considering the Red Lobster biscuit excitement on Friday, the drinking and pork belly sandwiches on Saturday, the Costco pizza on Saturday (AND some leftovers on Sunday!), and the 800 calorie salad on Monday. How the heck did I lose any weight?

Thanks for asking, I would love to answer! First, I low-carbed it on Monday and Tuesday. I meant to do carb-free, but I just can't eat dinner without some kind of carb!

Second, I worked out really hard last Thursday and then yesterday too. I mean hardcore stuff. And I am not talking about just working out my body. My patience was tested for an hour last night at the gym.

I hopped on one of the elliptical machines located at the front of the gym, right in front of a wall of glass. Everything started out fine. Ten minutes into my workout, there was man at the machine behind me that starts breathing heavily. Twelve minutes into the workout, he starts doing this barking/honking/hacking/sneezing sound.

Every.

Two.

Minutes.

That man was either sick (thanks for exposing the entire gym to your illness), he was about to pass out from elliptical exertion (get off the machine and do a brisk walk on the treadmill please), or he had Tourrettes. The Tourrettes would be forgivable because he couldn't help that. But if it was any of the other two reasons, I am banishing him to gym hell! Good for you for working out Honking Man, but please save the rest of us our sanity and buy yourself an elliptical so that you can bark in the privacy of your own home.

Gosh that is obnoxious, right? Well, it doesn't end there.

At the 24 minute mark, a girl walked by me, set her stuff down in front of the windows, and got onto an elliptical, two machines down from me. I was surprised anyone would want to be in my area because of Honking Man, but whatever. Twenty-four minutes and 52 seconds later, an offensive smell enters my olfactory epithelium. I instintively blow it out of my nose. Then nature calls for me to inhale again. There it was again. The smell. It was the distinctive scent of a woman who showers but only once a week. I believe I caught her on day six of her showering cycle.

So there I am, with Smelly Lady to my right and Honking Man directly behind me. Honk, wheeze. Stench. Honk, wheeze. Stench....

Why didn't I move machines? Well, because I am the type of person that has to keep going, otherwise I don't get that feeling of gratification for doing the elliptical for an hour straight. 

Because I was being stubborn about moving, I had to do something else. To save my nose hairs from burning off, I started breathing through my mouth. Then I concentrated on the swish-swishing of the elliptical to drown out the sound of Honking Man. I was Yoda. Peaceful and zen.

Bullshit.

It was 40 minutes of pure torture. But overall, a torture I imposed on myself by not moving machines. Thank goodness I lost weight, otherwise last night would have been for nothing. This was a good week. We are back on track! (I hope!)

Weight: 207.6 lbs.
Total Weight Loss: 22.4 lbs.

Omigod! Omigod You Guys!

Welcome back to work everyone! Hope your weekend was fabulous because mine was! My weekend included trying a new yummy restaurant that I will blog about later on. I also went to see Legally Blonde The Musical at The 5th Avenue Theatre last night and seriously, to take a quote from the soundtrack: Omigod! Omigod you guys!

This musical was effing awesome! Super cute and hysterical! Ok, enough with the exclamation points.The main reason that we bought season tickets to the theatre was because of Legally Blonde. I have been so looking forward to this play because I love the movie so much. But with such high expectations, I was worried that I would be let down. I couldn't have been farther from the truth!

It was funny (maybe even funnier than the movie!) and had really great songs and the actors were great singers. We had a whole list of understudies for our show, but after it started I didn't care. One of the regular cast members, Rhiannon Hansen (who managed to make it to our show last night), was actually a contestant on MTV's Legally Blonde The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods. Sadly, she was one of the low points of the musical because I couldn't understand half the things she was singing/saying/blurting out.

One of the cool things about the play was that they used actual animals to play Bruiser and Paulette's dog. They were too cute! One of the other highlights was Paulette and her UPS loverrrr. The actor who portrayed the UPS guy played the part perfectly and nearly had me in tears. A must see in my book!

Ok, I am back to exclamation points. Time to end post here.

Step 1: Become a Walker!

How fabulous are these rain boots?!

They can be purchased here and I am hoping these will fit because my calves currently hold the record for largest circumference in the Guinness Book of World Records; therefore, I have the hardest time finding knee high or mid-calf boots. It runs in my family.

I recently met two other receptionists that work at another building who have inspired me. They walk every single day during their lunch. Even in the winter of 2008, when Washington State had huge snowfall, they still went trudging around. The only time they don’t go is when it is windy and rainy, because at that point, nothing you do will keep you dry. But if it is just rain, they walk. Just wind, they walk. Just snow, they walk. I  actually enjoy walking around outside so I have decided to become a walker. But I am ill prepared for life outdoors in the Seattle area and need to stock up on weather appropriate shoes and coats. I know, living here, I really should have every piece of rain proof wear out there, but I don't. I am more of an indoor cat. Was more of an indoor cat.  

Weigh-In Wednesday #7

As feared, today's weigh-in did not go so well. I gained two pounds. Suffice it to say, I will not make my goal of being under two hundred pounds by next Wednesday. In truth, if I work really hard at it, I could possibly lose the ten pounds. But I am a firm believer that if you lose the weight super fast, it comes back just as fast.

Weight: 210.8 lbs
Total Weight-Loss: 19.2 lbs
Reason to lose the weight: I am tired of this struggle. I want to lose the weight already and just have to worry about maintaining. I want more out of life than just worrying about my weight. I want to be able to put all my extra energy on writing my stories. I. Am. Tired. Of. This. Struggle.

And the Extra-Curriculars Have Begun!

Last Monday, I took my daughter to a trial class at a kid's gymnastics place. It started out pretty rough. Mama had to run the warm-up lap with the rest of the 4-year-olds because Bella was too timid to jump into the class. I could hear the snickers of the other parents who were posted up on the viewing deck.

Luckily, Bella warmed up and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of class. I signed her up right away! It is a weekly class held on Mondays. I was bummed becaused Mondays are usually my good gym days. But ultimately, this works out:

5:00 Off work (HALLELUJAH!)
5:10 Pick Bella up
5:30 Go to gym and do 45 minutes of cardio
6:15 Leave gym and head to gymnastics
6:30 Arrive at gymnastics right on time because Mommy didn't allot for us to dilly dally.
6:31 Mommy perfectly sitting on a bench, writing her second book feverishly for 45 uninterrupted minutes
7:15 Leave gymnastics for home!

I haven't been doing much writing lately. Life just gets in the way. I have been working on my second book (which I have temporarily titled America's Match-Up) for over six months now and am only 9,000 words in. I am really excited about being able to pick up on book two because I really didn't think I could come up with a better story idea than Mix Tape, but I am really starting to fall in love with the way the story is progressing in my head for America's Match-Up.

That's it for now. See you tomorrow for Weigh-In Wednesdays! Oh mama is nervous about tomorrow's weigh-in (types the bad dieter as she eats a McDonald's cheeseburger). Not looking good. But I have managed to stay off the scale this entire week (I am an obsessive weigherer - real word? No? Should be). Unfortunately, I have also managed to stay out of the gym, except for Sunday. My pecs, triceps and shoulders are still screaming in pain! 

Weigh-In Wednesday #6

Any weight loss is good, right? Ok, how about 0.2 lbs? No? Yeah, I don't think so either. I have no excuses. Just didn't stick to The Diet as is advised in the book.  

So I have a challenge for myself: I will be under 200 by March 1st (yes, 199.9 counts!). It isn't a challenge I throw out there easily. Nine pounds in under two weeks is a huge feat - especially with the weight-loss numbers I have been throwing out there lately! But I think I can do it. (I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!)

I read somewhere (don't know if I have shared this before) that you should eat the same thing for lunch everday as variety causes one to over-eat. I agree! I just have to find something that I like enough to eat everyday. Turkey sandwich maybe? Turkey chilli? Any suggestions?

I will also eat the same thing for breakfast most days. Sundays is when I like to cook a big family brunch, so that will be my "off" day. But while I am at work, it will be either a banana or fruit oatmeal.


Weight: 208.8 lbs
Total Weight-Loss: 21.2 lbs
Weight-Loss Reason: I had commented to my mom once that I feel like my stomach is bigger now than when I was pregnant. Without hestitation, my mom replied, "It is."

Blog Award!!!

Ok, day late and a dollar short... Here is the post that I had ready for Monday, but didn't have time to put all the links to the blogs:


Finally, my post about my precious blog award. Highly anticipated, I'm sure :) It was presented to me by Anna from TheShoppingGirl. Why thank you! I accept! If you haven't read her blog, you should! She recently started, so if you follow her now you are pretty much on this journey with her from the beginning. I don't know about you, but I like to find interesting blogs by people who recently started. It's fun to start a journey with someone than trying to catch up from two years ago.

So, onto my blog award! Here it is in all it's shiny, happy glory:

Ain't it gorgeous?

To accept this little slice of sunshine, here are the rules:

• Put the Logo on your sidebar, or within a post.
• Pass the award onto 12 Bloggers.
• Link the nominees within your post.
• Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
• Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.


Here are the 12 blogs that I would like to send a shoutout to:
1.) See Pam Write, See Pam Run - Love her blog for several reasons, the main one being that she is on a quest to get published (like me!) and that she is on a fitness journey (like me too!). She started around the same time that I started my blog, and she recently changed the formatting of her blog which includes a detailed description of her dream literary agents - Love It!
2.) Straitjackets Are Slimming - I have blogged about this one here. Seriously must read sarcasm in every post!
3.) BlogBaby - The cutest blog you will ever come across. Show her some love, her family is going through a rough patch!
4.) Bobby Pin Blog - I am new to her blog, but think it is retro-awesome!
5.) Ex Hot Girl - Talk about weight-loss inspiration! Plus she is a photographer, and they always have the best blogs.
6.) Make-Up by RenRen - It took me a long time to find a good blog on makeup - my absolute favorite thing in the world - but I finally found one! Plus, I gotta represent - she is Filipina just like moi!
7.) The Shoe Girl's Blog - Legitimately THE shoe girl. She was practically born into the business and is a shoe designer for some brands that you have certainly heard of.
8.) Apparently! - She is the author of the teen fantasy novel Wings, which was published within the last year. I started reading her blog right before her book was released and she is just very informative on the whole writing/editing/publishing process. Fun Fact: She is friends with Stephenie Meyer.
9.) Not So Humble Pie - She was recently a Blog of Note and I started following her right away because she is a fellow Washingtonian! Plus her pictures are beautiful and everything she makes looks delish.
10.) Janet Reid, Literary Agent - I am sure that anyone trying to publish a book knows this woman. Enough said.
11.) Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent - Love him because his posts always seem to be so upbeat and he really spends a lot of time on his blog. Plus he hosts some great writing contests! Oh, and did I mention that he watches America's Next Top Model?
12.) Absolute Write Forums - Ok, this might be cheating a bit, but I really love this site. It is a wonderful forum for amateur authors. I found it surfing the internet looking for reviews of agencies. Really a must for writers.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! I know, it's early yet, but flowers are starting to arrive at the office (still hoping I get a surprise delivery for myself!).

I know that I promised to post yesterday about my awesomely cool blog award, but I have been busy getting stuff ready for my daughter's Valentine's party at her preschool today. Monday, I promise!

Sunday is going to be an awesome day because 1.) It's actually Valentine's Day and we may watch the eponymous movie. 2.) We purchased a loveseat recliner and it is scheduled to be delivered (how appropriate for a loveseat to be delivered on V-day!) 3.) It is my last day on week two of Phase I. Yay!

If you recall, I had stated that I was going to endure Phase I for the entire month of February. Well, my body is telling me that it needs a banana, and I always answer the calls of my body!

Weigh-In Wednesday #5

Color me upset! Oh, and happy! I'll explain...

This week, which saw me through one full week of the dreaded Phase I of The Diet, I lost weight. This past week I have experienced banana withdrawals, attempted diet sabatoge by TWO people, survived a super bowl party with lots of yummy food I couldn't have, and constantly feeling hungry because of the lack of bread in my system. But I pushed through! I made it through week one! All of the pain was worth it for an astonishing - you ready for this? - ZERO POINT FOUR POUNDS!

Wait.

What?!

One week of pure torture to not even lose a pound?! Not even half a pound?! I really don't even know what to say. I was pissed! All that hard work for shit. Sorry, profanity is totally called for at this point! The only explanation that I can think of is that I have gone to the gym only once in the past week whereas my body was used to at least three days of cardio. But my eating habits were insanely good this past week! I haven't eaten vegetables this much since, well, since the last time I tried to do this diet.

So, should I just give up on this diet and torture myself with something else? No. I am a new woman with a new outlook on weight-loss. I will not consider this a setback (even though deep down I really do!) and will keep on trucking. Onward to week two of Phase I!

Ok then, onto happier news! My fellow bloggess, TheShoppingGirl, has awarded me a blogging award! Ok, so we're friends and it is more a personal thing, but whatever, I will take it! I don't really have time to post all about it now, but I will for tomorrow's post! See you then!

My Cheaper Side and South Pacific

Happy Friday!!!

Ah, I made it through my first five day week since the week of January 4! It was tough, but I came out the other side just fine. Of course it is early yet!

First, I wanted to share with you what a cheapskate I am. Yes, I am a self-declared shopaholic, but in order to feed that addiction, I must be frugal in other areas. For example, my hand sanitizer:

There was just a small amount left in one bottle - not enough to reach the bottom of the pump, but too much to just throw away. And yes, I do this with my body lotion as well!

Hey, I gotta save money somewhere, right?

Ok, onto other goings-on. Last night I went to The 5th Avenue Theatre to watch South Pacific. I had high expectations because South Pacific was the first play I ever saw in the theatre when I was 10-years-old and I really liked it. Plus, I keep hearing on the radio how lively and wonderful this revival is.

Yeah, not so much.

We had the understudy for the main character, Nellie. She should've stayed in the chorus where she belongs. She wasn't lively and seemed to be holding back on her movements. Aren't you supposed to exaggerate your movements on stage? However, she did have a beautiful voice.

The actor that played Lieutenant Cable had an amazing voice as well. Very manly and powerful, and he just had a really pleasing tone. But I had a problem with him too. His character was obviously supposed to be the ultimate hunk of a man; and while the actor was tall and slightly muscled, I had this vision of him as a skinny little twerp in grade school. Superficial, I know. But isn't that a big part of show business? Fitting the part both physically and mentally?

Oh well, I should've just closed my eyes and listened to the singing.