Jul 31, 2014

What's MY excuse?...


This week has truly worn. me. out.

It started with an hour and a half of house cleaning, followed by an insanely long kickboxing/HIIT workout the next day. Then it was weightlifting on Wednesday and another killer kickboxing/HIIT workout today. Now add in basketball practice a couple times a week for my son, gymnastics for the princess, summer activities and play dates. Oh, and a sprinkling of groceries and errands...

All week I have felt exhausted and just wanted to find my trusty butt print on the sofa and not move. Somehow though there was a push inside me that kept me going and made sure I had a smile on my face doing it! (OK... most of the time, not all of the time! lol) I am not too familiar with this feeling, since this is the longest I have ever been committed to a healthy and happier lifestyle. Usually the sofa would win. The pizza delivery would triumph. And the half chocolate cake would draw me in. I would always, ALL WAYS, find some kind of half-ass excuse as to why I couldn't keep going. My emotions reigned over my food choices and my unfit body would convince my mind I just didn't have it in me to work out.

What did I have?
Mostly a bad attitude!

Physically, I have always had something that would interfere with my efforts...
Let's work our way down...

  • Head: I suffer intermittently from Vertigo. That means, if I make a wrong turn in bed at night, the world starts spinning uncontrollably and it takes anywhere from a couple of days to a month to work itself out. It also means I can have trouble driving or doing burpees... it's the sudden up/down motion.
  • Torso: In 2005 I was rear-ended and because I saw it coming I tensed up and my lower back took the shock of the collision. Physical therapy didn't do much for me. Add to that the large belly I was lugging around and the outcome now is a very sensitive lower back region. Once in a while it will still tweak unexpectedly (like when I am peeling a pineapple and turning the wrong way brings me to my knees suddenly... ouch!). This area is always a problem when lifting weights if I am not careful.
  • Backside: Sciatica. Thanks pregnancies. I really needed this! (not). Another monster that rears its ugly head completely out of nowhere!
  • Legs: Charley Horse in the calves. Thanks again pregnancies. If it wasn't for you I would be able to stretch like a normal person and not fear painful cramps in my legs. Something I need to be careful with if I walk too much or do too many calf raises.
  • Legs: Knees. Well, just one of them really. I am not sure where this pain came from actually. OK, if I had to guess, it would be the weight they have been asked to carry around for such a long time. That, and trying to catch a lizard on a rock in a plastic bag when I was 9 and abruptly falling on both knees and needing to be carried into the house. Aah... childhood!
  • Feet: Thanks to my flat feet I have had Plantar Fasciitis (or Joggers Heel) for many years now. Joke's on them.. I don't jog! HA! Again... too much weight... for too long. This I feel daily, especially if we run a lot during a HIIT workout or we do a lot of walking when we are out on the weekend.
  • Internally: I have Hypothyroidism and Borderline Diabetes. Both of which I take medication for. Also, if I let my blood sugar drop too low, I will pass out. The end.
  • I'm a Gemini, continuously at war with the side who wants to eat well and exercise and the side that wants to order pizza and watch TV. It's a big problem! ;)
So, there it is... my list of excuses why I can't do it. And even though they are all true, they are also all just that... excuses! And I used them. Every. Day.
You know what else? I still have all the above issues, but I have decided to be more than that. Stronger than that. And not give in. So this week, when I felt like I had no energy and no motivation, I said 'NO'... shut up and go do it! I find when I give myself the time to feel good about a workout I pushed through or a healthier food choice, I also give myself that boost I needed to know that I am better than my excuses. Physical or mental. 
I won't be an excuse anymore. 
I will be the reason!

peace out. ;)




Thank goodness for rest day tomorrow!
:)

Jul 25, 2014

Busy Hands: Homemade Lollipops

These were so quick to put together and make.
The kids loved that they had just made their own candy!

Homemade Lollipops!

What you need:
 - Jolly Ranchers hard candies, unwrapped
 - mason jar lids or cookie cutter shapes
 - lollipop sticks
 - cooking spray (for goodness sake, please don't use olive oil or some such flavor, your kids will never forgive you!)
 - parchment lined baking/cookie sheet




Yesterday the kids were out in the pool since it was almost 100 degrees out and that was the only sane place to be, so I brought the necessities out to them and let them build their own before taking it in to bake.
My son had a friend over, hence the 4th lid... and mommy wanted to try make one too! Duh!
I sprayed the baking sheet lightly with the cooking spray as well as the inside of the lids.
Do. This. Step!




This is what they looked like after baking in a 350F oven for less than 10 minutes. I kept my eye on them (and the kids in the pool!) the whole time. Even though the lids were flat on the baking sheet, these little suckers still 'bleed' all over the place if they feel like it, so don't get your heart too set on whatever shape you have used.




I immediately used one of the lollipop sticks to swirl the colors together. In all honesty, these could have used another minute or two in the oven. They were still a little thick as I was trying to swirl them around.
Oh, and they harden VERY quickly!

Next, it's time to remove the lids. You want to do this as soon as possible so that it doesn't harden with the candy. My tool of choice: nearby scissors. Yehhhhs... they were clean! This looked pretty cool too. Keep scrolling down to see the artwork that came from this step ;)




Then I swirled the lollipop sticks into one side of the candy. It was already hardening, but still warm enough to get the stick in.
SO COOL!
Yes, I'm shouting! I get super-excited when something actually works the way I wanted it to! heeeeeeheee




I let them cool in the fridge until after dinner and before basketball. Ha, you see what I did there?... sugar AFTER dinner but BEFORE burning it all off at practice. Anyway, they only managed to eat a quarter of it before it was stored in plastic bags for the next day.
Sneaky mama!




Now... check this out!....
These are scraps of hardened candy I had after cleaning up. 
'aint it pretty?!




And this is what I was referring to earlier... the lid of pulled candy.
I want to live in here!




His lollipop...




'Mommy, mommy... take a photo of mine too please!'




Happy Creating!
:)


Thanks to http://www.playathomemomllc.com for the great idea!

Sweet Potatoes this way

I never liked sweet potatoes.

I still don't.

Unless, of course, they are prepared like this...

Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes

What you need:
 - sweet potatoes, peeled and diced evenly
 - carrots, peeled and sliced
 - onion, peeled and roughly chopped
 - salt & pepper
 - 2 tbsp. oil
 - garlic powder*
 - dried basil*
 - turmeric*
 - paprika*

What you do:
Preheat the oven to 425 F.
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Transfer to a baking dish and spread evenly.




Bake for about an hour. You will have to stick a fork in a couple pieces to see if they are tender enough for your liking. I also have a seriously old-ass oven and it takes faaa-evah for something to roast in there.

I could eat this every day. Every. Day.
This is what it looked like on my dinner plate that night...




Let me know what you think!
:)

*I really just eyeball these amounts. Everyone has different preferences, but if I had to give an educated guess, I would say I put 1/3 tsp of each. Turmeric and paprika can become a little bitter if you use to much, so start with a little at first. 
That wasn't a very big help was it?!
lol

Jul 24, 2014

Busy Hands: Salt Art

Hello mess.
How are you?
I haven't missed you. At all. But my kids have... so, let's...

Salt Art!

Every Tuesday and Thursday I try to carve out an hour or so for the kids to get crafty, use their imagination and their hands to create something. Here is what we did on Tuesday...
(this is by no means my own invention but as hard as I looked to find the origin of this idea when I searched for it I couldn't find it. Sorry)

What you need:
 - paper
 - liquid glue
 - pencil (optional)
 - salt
 - watercolors and paintbrushes

What you do:
My son decided to plan ahead a little and used a pencil to draw a design/picture onto the paper. My daughter went with a more laid back resolve and just let the glue fall where is may :)




I opted to put the paper in an old baking sheet because I also opted to not have to sweep up salt off the floor later.
Pour it on. Don't be stingy with it!






Gently pick up the paper and let the salt fall to the pan, or whatever you use.






You'll be left with fuzzy, fat white shapes that you will be so tempted to stick your finger in to. Don't touch! Especially you, princess. As you will soon find out, with tears in your eyes that 'it tastes yucky mama...'   :(
Sorry, bunny!

Now comes the really fun part... painting!
Using a VERY water and paint saturated paintbrush, gently tap the salt. The color will immediately begin to spread. Along with the ooh's and aah's. Now, this wont work if you don't have enough paint and color on the paintbrush. You should literally be able to barely tap down on the fuzzy line and the salt will just grab the color and soak it right in. 




She had a bit of a hard time not applying too much pressure but the effect of the paint spreading fascinated her :) lol




Finished product. He used a bit too much water, but I always look at how much fun was had. Not how well the rules were followed. Especially when it comes to being creative!




It looked even cooler the next day!




Happy Creating!
:)

Jul 22, 2014

Transformation Tuesday

So, I know I am not at all near my goal and I have not 'transformed' my body yet, but I thought I would put it into perspective a little. Even just for myself. Just to see...

The first photo was taken in August 2009. I weighed close to 260 pounds. Unfortunately my weight crept up even more after that trip. I felt ashamed and disgusted when we got home and I saw this picture of myself. I had to convince myself I really was looking at me. It's so crazy the image you have of yourself in your mind and then the one that the world really sees. I was so blind. By choice!




This second photo is me... today at 215 pounds. It may not seem like a bug change physically, but today there is something there that was nowhere to be found in the me of 2009. Today I took this picture with pride, confidence and a gentle appreciation and acceptance of my body and the woman I am.
I didn't suck anything in. I didn't judge or criticize. It's just me. Happy me.




So, no... I am not at my goal but I AM on the right path. Which is more than I could say for the me of 2009!

Not giving up.


Jul 18, 2014

S.O.S... Save Our Summer!

So, this is my first summer home with 2 kids.
In previous years we would send Noah to a summer class or two and I would be home with the baby princess. Or before that, I was at work and he would be at a summer camp full time. So, yes, I was absolutely dreading a full time summer with a 3 and 10 year old. The age gap is also a challenge since learning the alphabet with macaroni art is not a 10 year old's idea of a good time.

I began my research for how I would keep sane during the summer 3 months before school was out. I looked online for ideas on how to keep 'em busy and how to prevent brains from turning to mush during such a long break. I ended up incorporating a few different systems/techniques I found into one happy summer schedule.

We have been using it now for over a month and I have to say, it is working wonderfully!
Here is the secret...

The kids think they are in charge of what we do!

*insert evil laugh here*

Before summer began I had a group of moms and their kids over for a small birthday party for Maya. They happened to see the board up in the kitchen (I had put it up early so my kids could get used to it and ooh and aah at the activities we would be doing... something to look forward to!) and asked if I would show them how to make one. As is always the case, trying to get busy moms in one room for an extended amount of time without their kids is like trying to herd cats... Aint. Gonna. Happen. We are all pulled in too many directions. SO... here it is... from the comfort of your own home. Or office. Or bathroom.
(wherever you may be hiding for a moment to yourself)
(I wont tell)
;)

This is the finished product. Don't worry about the white cards just yet. I will get you there :)




Phase 1: Pen & Paper aka The List Phase
This is not gonna look pretty. Just keepin it real here...

The first thing I did was make a rough outline of our days. What was our day going to look like? When did I want things to happen? What was non-negotiable? (uh... naptime!duh!). This step took some tweaking. I didn't want to micromanage the day and then freak out when they were still building with blocks or coloring and the schedule says it's time to move on to the next thing.
I wanted some structure but also some freedom for them... and for me!
After jotting it down, I noticed my day would be divided into two halves where I would need to find an activity for us to enjoy. 
(I say enjoy loosely... there is nothing about a Chuck E Cheese outing I enjoy, but I did it anyway)  lol




Next, 
I decided on which activities would take place every week. Missing from the list here is Maya's gymnastics class and Noah's basketball practice twice a week. This is also a good time to list things that you know the kids have going on and you cannot schedule over. Dance, sports, standing weekly appointments, etc...




Okay. Next was 'The List'. 
This was basically a list of things I thought would be fun to do over the summer. Some things were free but I knew I wanted some other fun outings that I would spend a little money on. Nothing extreme of course. Disneyland and Magic Mountain are not in our budget as weekly outings!
I just began listing places I knew the kids enjoyed and even some mama would enjoy too.
I also added weekly necessities, like cleaning, running errands and getting the groceries. 
I put a 'W' next to the activities I knew I wanted to do weekly: parks, beach, summer movies at the local cinema, play dates...
I did a quick count of weeks to see how long summer vacation would last (10 in our case) and with that number in mind I went through the list again to make sure there was an outing per week. The painful-for-mom/more expensive/time consuming activities I marked with a '*'. They totaled 4, which meant I needed 6 more activities (preferably indoors during CA summer afternoons!). Those I marked with 'in'
Weekly fun outings - check!




Phase 2: Let's fill in the calendar!




I sketched out a quick 10 week calendar (weekends not included. I didn't think my husband would appreciate having a schedule to stick to on his days off work... lol).
Now that I knew what was happening weekly and the times I couldn't change, I started filling in the blanks.
Examples: I knew I had a workout class every Tuesday and Thursday morning from around 9:30am to 11:00am, so that would take up most of the morning on those days. I knew the boy had basketbawl practice every Tue & Thu in the afternoon. And gymnastics for the little princess was on Tuesdays too (but before his practice). I also knew that I would be taking them to the $1 summer movies every Wednesday morning and that groceries would be done on a Thursday or Friday. 
When I was done filling in the 'have-to's' I could see where I had blank spaces of free time. 
So I scheduled foot rubs, massages and bubble baths for myself on all those times. Har. Har. Har... just kidding!
At that point I could decide when I wanted to do the other weekly things, like parks and beach visits or play dates, etc. and again what would leave an opening on the calendar. 
I also kept in mind that my day was mostly divided into morning and afternoon activities. 


Enter Phase 3: Let's Focus on the Weekly

Here is where I have done the job of 'designing' if you will, what the final schedule will look like. It took some trial and error and a lot of simplification. I didn't want the kids staring at something they couldn't make heads or tails of. It needed to be user-friendly! I won't spend too much time explaining here, since the finished product says it all. But this was a good place to visually see how the week would play out and again, where I had 'free' time.
(btw... as a mom, I don't think that the words 'free' and 'time' actually belong anywhere near each other, but lets just entertain it this one time, shall we?!)




I could now see my week and what I still needed to work on and what I needed to shift around. I could play with the schedule and make sure there was time for gymnastics and movies and outings and beaches and...
I also realized that I hadn't planned on arts and crafts anywhere and my kids thrive on that. They love creating or building or getting dirty or making crap that I need to find wall space for. I knew that after my workouts on Tue and Thu I had an hour before lunch (and needed that time for a shower too!). So, I decided that would be the perfect time for an easy craft.
Hence, another list was born...




The list on the right is 20 easy crafty activities I could set up for the kids. Two per week for the ten weeks of summer (something both ages would have fun with). The list on the right were some ideas for morning entertainment on their own, but I never used it. They are on their own in the mornings for free-play time. And mommy-needs-to-wake-up-on-her-own-time-dammit time!
lol :)


Phase 4: Card Me! aka printing time




I had some Avery Business Cards that I wanted to print all the options of what we would be doing on. You know, make it look all cool and stuff...
Above are examples of some of the 'fun activities' we have planned for summer. These are my weekly Wednesday afternoon choices. 
Below are examples of the arts and crafts the kids get to choose from on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
I also printed out the names of the movies we would be watching and the date it was showing, so the kids knew when to put them on the calendar. I looked up 10 parks that we either hadn't visited in a long time or had never been to before and printed those out too. I did the same thing with a list of beaches not more than 20-30 minutes from the house.
I also added another option... Edible Fun! I don't usually keep desserts around the house, so I thought Fridays would be a good time to make something fun and edible. Some of the things on this list were brownie in a mug (controlled portions!), Lego jello, cookie pizza, art frames, cake in a jar, etc...




Oh, I decorated the cards with whatever stickers I found that the kids had. Just to fancy it up a little... lol.


Phase 5: Putting it all together... 'bout time!

Since I am completely impulsive and have almost no patience, I dug around an old art folder and found a big enough yellow poster board that I could use. This one happened to be approx. 20 inches wide by 27 inches tall. Turned out it fit perfectly! Whew!
I snapped a photo of this half way through our week. When we are done with an activity we throw away the card. Other than the permanent things we do, like basketball, gymnastics and play dates. Those stay on there every week.




So, working from the bottom up, I began measuring the space I needed for each line as well as the bigger spaces to fit the business cards I had printed out. I used a Sharpie to make sure no one would mess with my design. Yeah, I'm anal like that. And also Sharpie'd in things on our daily schedule that wouldn't change.
Tip: I used a long piece of clear packing tape across the sections where the kids would be taping the cards, so that we didn't rip the board every time we removed a card. We use the very advanced technique of wrapping a piece of regular tape the 'wrong' way round to create a cheap version of double-sided tape. 
Ta-daa!




Finally, I stuck 6 envelopes to the top of the board and put the printed cards in each one.
The kids now know that for the blank space on Monday morning they go for the green envelope (the one that says Mon - Park AM). And so on until the week has been filled up.

So, like I said at the beginning of this post... the kids feel like they are in control of the week. They are 'choosing' the activities. But in reality, mama has made sure to pick the places to go that will least make her want to drink heavily that night and she has picked out the crafts that take the least time to prep and explain and bake it and clean up after. She has also made sure that no one touches her or calls for her during quiet time and that there are bananas left out on the breakfast table in the morning so no one keels over from hunger until she comes downstairs!

Enjoy!


Some questions I have answered about this system:

Yes, it works. Like a charm. The kids love it. The obsessively organized anal mom loves it too!
It empowers the kids to feel like they have a say in what they do and also gives them some things to look forward to.

We do have some rules/consequences in our house about this schedule. For example, for my son: If he hasn't read in the morning and completed his workbook pages for that day then he doesn't get to rot his brain for the remainder of quiet time with the Playstation. Today, driving back home in the car, he said he just wanted to come home and do his workbook. I asked why (alarmed, of course) and he said, 'Well, then I can play on the PS4!'
Hey... whatever works.
I also haven't assigned a ridiculous amount of work for him to do. Reading takes 20-30 minutes in his room in the mornings. He is an early riser. The floor creaks something fierce in this house and wakes the dead. I don't want to hear it until 7:30am. He also needs to write three sentences for every chapter he reads, so I know he isn't staring blankly at pages for half an hour. We use Summer Bridge workbooks. He is three days away from finishing the one we got him. I told him I would give him a week off but since there are still 5 or so weeks left of summer he has to do another book. His choice though. He chose a Math book. I am not very strict with his work, but the answers should mostly be right and he has to redo a few things here and there.
My son is also a master 'deal-maker' so today he wanted to skip a day and do two tomorrow. I agreed. He is good about keeping his word at least.

The little princess has a workbook too, but we found it to be a little too advanced for her.

Yes, the kids still have plenty of down time for twiddling their thumbs or free play. Even time to be bored... *gasp*... it's a good thing! I have made sure not to over schedule them (or me) and leave plenty of time for playing in the pool, lazing on the couch and just being a kid enjoying summer!

Yes, we do sometimes skip or miss an activity. It's usually a craft or maybe even a beach day. When this happens I don't dismiss it completely unless the kids decide they don't want to do it at all. I give them an IOU that I have to complete by the end of the week. That means, if we didn't have time to do Popcorn Art on Tuesday and we put it on the wall off the calendar, mommy has until Sunday to have them do it (if they want to).  This also teaches them that their choices matter to me and I will only throw it out if they have agreed. Some Fridays we may be too tired to go to the beach, so we have asked daddy if he wants to come with us on the weekend as a family outing. Sometimes it works, sometimes not so much. But I try. 

Most importantly... this is a SUMMER schedule. If you all don't want to go to the park one day... DON'T!
Have fun. Be flexible. Let it go! Spend quality time together. Enjoy each moment you have with them!

If you have any questions please write to me and I will try to answer as best I can.

How do you plan for your summer?

Jul 15, 2014

How did I get here?

Yes, indeed.

How did I get here?



I am honestly not sure how much I weighed when I was born, but I was definitely no lightweight!
I have two older brothers who were already out of the house when I was born and since I was the only child of two people in their second marriage and came late in their life, I was spoiled.
We didn't have much money, so I wasn't spoiled with gifts so much as with food as a reward. Everything we celebrated revolved around food. Naturally. And as is always the case, fast food and unhealthy choices are always cheaper and easier to come by than whole, healthy fare.




From the beginning of when I can remember I was always the chubby little girl but I don't think it was until I was about 10 years old that I actually realized that I looked different from the girls around me. My mom was an incredible cook and there were always baked treats around and home cooked meals. There was no calorie counting, no specific dietary needs and also not much health food awareness.
Before I reached puberty I had no problem putting on a swimsuit in public or wearing shorts in summer. But when it finally hit me around 11 years old, it was like someone had lifted a dark, heavy curtain and I was seeing the world and myself in a completely different way.
I was suddenly embarrassed of wearing a mini skirt, which in the 80's was standard issue uniform (with a scrunchie) for most girls. I wouldn't go near a pool unless it was in the company of family only, but even then my brothers would throw out little remarks that were meant to be funny, but almost always hurt.
Thunderthighs... yep.
Another number they did on me, without realizing of course, was 'checking' my food. One would make sure the orange juice 'was fresh', and drank the entire cup. Another would tell me Magnum P.I. had just blown up and as soon as I would turn my head, my chicken would vanish from my plate.
Enter eating problem #1... Eat fast cause someone might take your food!

In my teen years I was no better.
I was the fat girl. It was no longer chubby or pudgy, now it was plain old... fat.
I never got asked to any dances and the road of the heartbreaking 'she is just a friend' began here.
I hated my body and felt ashamed but mostly I hated myself for not changing it. I would cry about it often and then go eat some doughnuts. My mom tried to help and offered me numerous diets and pills to try. They never worked.
It was not yet my time. This was also the time when I honed in on a special skill... Don't let them know you're suffering. Smile. Make a joke. Be the funny one. It will be ok.
Or so I would make myself believe.



When I was about 17 I spent a year away from home in a community where I studied and did a lot of physical work and was at a somewhat OK weight. I don't remember how much that was since I was always too afraid to weigh myself, but nothing was jiggling, overlapping or hanging back then. When I moved back home I continued to exercise twice a day for half an hour. Nothing extreme, just a little aerobics here and there. I didn't even own weights. I was also a vegetarian.
No, no... wait a second, before you assume that's why I was healthier. I was a no chicken or meat vegetarian but I was very pro pasta, bread and carbs. Mr. Atkins hadn't found me yet!

When I met my husband in '98 I moved to the US and was introduced to the world of fast-fast-food!
I dropped the vegetarian act and took on burger challenges with my husband (ten McDonalds burgers. And GO!). It was awesome. He loved me. I loved food. He loved food. All was good in the world. There were doughnuts here too... and soda... and fried shit... and Chinese food... and Mexican... my taste buds were in nirvana.
There was a slight oversight on my part while I was in my food-coma... my husband had the metabolism of a hummingbird. I, however, did not.

The weight slowly crept on. I would cry about it again. He would tell me he liked my butt. We would eat out... rinse and repeat. Like 633 times! I was disgusted with myself. How could I have gotten here? Had I really eaten this much? How could my body have changed so much without me even noticing?!

Seven years after we met, we had our gorgeous little boy. It was incredible. I remember being at work and boasting that I could now eat whatever I wanted. Heck... I was feeding two now! It was glorious. I think I put on 35 pounds with my first pregnancy. And then I kept it. And you know... added more.

In 2010 I was at my all time heaviest. TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FIVE POUNDS! Ka-pow!
I must have put a little half-assed effort into it because right before I was pregnant with our little girl, I was down to 240lbs. I had to be very careful with this pregnancy as I had developed gestational diabetes and was really watching my sugar intake. Two months after the little princess was out, I was at 218lbs.
Lowest.
Weight.
Ever.

But again, as has always been for me, the weight crept back up again. In Feb '13 I was back at 254lbs.
I began clean-er eating and healthier habits in April '14 but it wasn't until my marriage was on the rocks and my mother passed away that I had my Aha! moment and realized that no diet in the world would work for me. So, instead I have committed myself to changing my relationship with food and creating a new healthy reality for myself that I can live with forever.
Not just until next Monday.

Jul 11, 2014

An Interview with... Me!

Hello. Who are you?

Oh hi!
I am a wife and mom of 2. I sometimes go by daughter, sister, in-law, cousin, niece, aunt and nag. I am also a 38 year old woman who thinks it's high time to get back to happy and healthy. Maybe even dig deep and find the person I am proud of saying is me again.

(Wow. OK, that escalated quickly!)
So, why did you start this blog?

That's a great question. I don't have a great answer.
To connect with other lost souls?
*shrug*
Oh, wait... It's because I wanted to... no, that's not it either.
I think I just wanted to do... ugh...
Leave my stamp on the interwebs?...
How about I come back to that one.

Alrighty then. Obviously you haven't dug deep enough on that one, so let's just move on.
Can you tell a little about yourself?

Yes. That I can.
I grew up in South Africa until I was 17. Then we moved to Israel. I met my husband on line and then moved to sunny California where I have been married for 15 years and have given birth to two babies. I am currently in the process of bringing my sexy back. (Train wreck fans should stay tuned!). I fail often but I also never give up - a strange mix, but nevertheless, I am no quitter. No sir!
I am also artistic but not artsy-fartsy and I love almost all art from the old masters to crayola coloring books. I have no patience however for artists who drop a wad of blue paint on a beige canvas and call it something stupid like 'Exuberance'. A little effort, man!
I love to cook. I hate to clean. I love to organize and am also super lazy. Bohemian chic speaks to me. Laundry does not. I want more babies and a big family but I can only handle it for short periods of time. I love to dance but know for a fact that I got the moves like Jagger exclusively in my head. (I would love to go dancing in a club that isn't a meat market but am afraid I will end up like Leslie Mann in Knocked Up when she isn't allowed in - crying with snot on my face and sitting on the sidewalk rejected).
I love movies, TV, reading and long walks on the beach. No kidding!
I am also a cheese-ball and goofy at inappropriate moments. I woulda made one heck-of-a diamond digging dwarf if they needed an eighth.
I also ramble on and on. And on.
And on...

Quite right.
So, what will you be writing about here? (if there is anything left to actually add)

Everyday life. My kids. My husband. Things. Stuff.
Bringing my happy back. Oh, and my sexy!
I would love to be described as sex-aay. Not porno bombshell or Vegas stripper sexy. That's not my version of it. For me, sexy means fit, healthy, happy and confident. And I will be trying to keep it as real as I can on my journey there. It may not always go as planned. Things rarely do. But I am stubbornly committed to doing the best I can.

Great. Anything else to add?

Nope.

Nothing?

Fiiiiiine... Just to get it all out there...
I am also an obese woman working to save my marriage, while at the same time grieving for my mom/best friend who I lost on Mother's Day this year.
There.
I said it all.

Good.

I guess so.
I don't like pity parties. There is too much to be grateful for. And I am!
So let's just get this party started, shall we?!...