Here I go to a land down under

I'll be off now until around the 20th but I will be sure to take many pictures for you! I will also investigate cuisine in New Zealand. I think I should try both the healthy and non healthy options, to be fair. ;)

The man is on his way so I have to go.

Much love!!

Lula Mae

A Rant

Good morning lovelies -

I was on my way home this morning, pretty early to get ready for work and spend a little time with the kitties, and I went on the hunt for coffee. I was on a pretty major road so it wasn't hard to come by but I also knew I wouldn't have a lot of time for breakfast at home so I thought I would try one of those egg white flat bread breakfast sandwiches. This drive through has a sign up "no sandwiches between 6 AM and 10 AM" bastards! Obviously they are against me and wanted me to eat a doughnut. I would have parked and gone in despite the cold had I known that but I was already more than halfway around the building in a one way parking lot on a one way street. Not an option. I ordered my coffee and said very sweetly "could I please have an egg white sandwich?" the lady barked at me! Well, not really but it was close enough. May I add that there was no one behind or in front of me and it was 6:15. So I decided just the coffee (WOOOOOO! That's actually a really big step for me) and pulled up. I got to the window and took the coffee, and the outside of the cup is covered in sugar. I'm actually not a rude person, even early in the morning. I just asked "excuse me, this is just skim milk right" because I can't even deal with sugar in my coffee any more. I got used to it without sugar and now if there is any sort of sweetener I make a Bill Cosby face as soon as I drink it. Anyway, dunkzilla barked at me again and when the coffee cooled down from boiling I learned that she wasn't lying. But as she handed me my receipt something inside me still made me say "I hate you". For those of you who know me you know I am telling the truth for I cannot lie. I thought I had my inner monologue on but it must be broken. It's going to be an interesting day.

Seriously though, I have worked in customer service before and I've had to swallow my pride and deal with mean people plenty of times. There is never a reason to be rude to a customer, especially when they are not being rude to you. I understand that she couldn't make me a sandwich but I didn't think it would hurt to ask sweetly.

Now I'm home with my coffee and oatmeal with a kitty and my computer on my lap and my coffee is almost gone, and that mean lady is probably only starting to deal with the rude people. Karma.

I do have to go to work though.

Love,

Lula Mae

Puppies!

If you're like me and do not particularly enjoy football I have a solution for you.

Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl V

It is by far the cutest show ever created and way more fun than watching a game that stops to reset every 5 seconds. I'm sorry, that annoys me. The puppy action never stops. There are only whistles if one has to go to the bathroom or if they're changing the lineup. There's also a kitten half time show.

That's right. It's Superbowl Sunday and I will be watching Animal Planet with my cats! They love to see other animals on the TV I can't wait.

Kitten Half Time

Weekly weigh in: 159.5 - chip chip chipping away. I'm bloated today so I usually don't even weigh myself this week of the month. I did it for you. I wanted to show you that even with a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2 weeks actually but that's not the book title), during which time I did not always stick to the healthy eating plan, if you don't give up you can still succeed. I have to remember that it's not a diet. I choose not to eat food that is bad for me most of the time. It's a life change. I choose to exercise more. The weight loss is a bonus and will put me at a lower risk for heart disease, diabetes (which runs in my family), and I just don't want to let go of myself. I want to wake up in the morning and try to look good. I want to go to the doctor for physicals, get my hair styled by someone who knows what they're doing, keep working with my therapist towards a mentally healthier me with less medication. I want to embrace life. And watch the puppy bowl.

By the way I'm so over the bad time at work, it's dropped. Oddly enough monkeys and the man really helped me out there. Long story. But I realized that if I put my head down and work hard for a while longer this job can open up so many opportunities for me that will make many of my dreams come true. Right now I could have a job that I liked going to every day but it would probably be a volunteer job. In the future if I stick with school and work I can have a job that I love going to that they pay me for. That's pretty friggen sweet.

I really have to pack now. I was using all of you to procrastinate. Don't feel too dirty.

In the meantime I would like to know if you have life goals, and if you would mind sharing them with us. Large or small doesn't matter. Inquiring minds want to know.

Love you,

Lula Mae

When everyone is beautiful no one will be

I know it's late but I finally found a YouTube post of my favorite Twilight Zone episode and I wanted to share it with you. I apologize that it is in three parts. It's called "Number 12 Looks Just Like You". I spoke about it in my first blog entry.

This is something that really speaks to me and says that it's ok not to be perfect. I want to make sure that it's clear that I am trying to promote healthy eating and exercise to promote a better life, not so that you can fit into some Hollywood mold. Though I am working and plan to work harder to take care of my body, I never plan on getting plastic surgery. Veneers are something I would consider, but that's about it. I understand that sometimes people need plastic surgery but I think it's being abused as depicted in this episode which came out in 1964 and was way ahead of it's time.

Because I love you

Every time I put salsa on my eggs or yogurt on my waffles I think of you. That sounds weird. What I mean to say is that I wanted to talk about alternate toppings. I think they make a big difference.

Alternate topping # 1 - Salsa (replaces Ketchup, BBQ Sauce, etc. Also makes bland food better)

Eggbeaters, on their own they're ok. Put some salsa in there and they are fan-friggen-tastic. Any sort of vegetarian Patti like a chicken puck or a veggie burger, better with salsa. Pretty much any time anything needs to taste good I use a spoon full of salsa. It's really not bad for you at all and it spices everything right up. I believe they say spicy food helps you digest things better but I'm going to have to look that one up for you.

Alternate topping #2 & 3- Baby food or Yogurt (replaces syrup, or sugary jelly)

That's right, every once in a while I treat myself to two Eggo's but instead of butter and syrup I put a little baby food (peach) or Yogurt (vanilla Stoneyfield Farm. I think it actually tastes better. It's not really that far of a reach, diners cover French Toast and Waffles in fruit all the time. If I have fresh fruit available that is also an option but for some reason I like a little soggy on the waffle.

Baby food is also good on it's own. Very underrated. This stuff is packed with vitamins and protein that your body needs and comes in a variety of flavors. I also use it in the place of ice cream when possible. I have always stuck to the fruit flavors, and read the labels to make sure they aren't trying to pull one on me by sneaking in sugar. It's always important to read labels.

Alternate topping #4 Tabasco sauce - (replaces salt)

I don't put Tabasco on everything. The point is that I taste what I'm eating first. Watch next time you are out at a meal. You will be surprised at how many people put salt on the food without tasting it first. How do they know it needs more salt? I often add a little pepper or Tabasco if I find something bland but rarely salt.

I also have a good friend with a theory that if you are at an Italian restaurant with more than 3 people at least one person will order chicken parm. So far he's been right and it's been like 4 years. You can't tell the other people the rule before they order obviously. It's just how things happen. This has nothing to do with Tabasco sauce I just like people watching.

Alternate topping #5 - small amount of peanut butter (replaces butter on English muffins)

It's good and good for you. I said a small amount.

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I also keep a little jam around at all times because I buy the Stoneyfield Farms Yogurt in bulk. You know, the big container of plain or vanilla? If I'm feeling saucy I mix a spoonful of jam in there and ta daaa flavor.


In other news I'm just getting ready for my trip. It may be hard (or nearly impossible) to post while I'm gone but I'll make up for it and take a lot of pictures.

Today's sharing story is about nervous habits. When I'm stressed out I pick my face until there are spots that look like they might have been zits but are now just red ugly spots. True story.

Ok ladies and gentlemen, I would love to know of any alternate toppings you have discovered and if you feel like sharing any nervous habits you are more than welcome. Mine was mildly disgusting so there's nothing to fear.

Much Love,

Lula Mae

I'm the Mommy that's why

I'm sitting here eating my oats and banana slices with a side of cranberry juice and I decide no time like the present to write a blog. The cranberry juice was actually my inspiration for this entry. A lot of people will tell you on diets not to have too much juice because of the hidden sugars. While this can be true there are certain juices that do great things for you. I make sure to buy 100% cranberry juice (the cocktail is actually more grape juice) with no sugar added. I drink a small glass every morning with my medicine. This all started with the Man's Mom.

She is the kind of woman who's advice you listen to. The first time I met her we got along instantly and our friendship grew over the week I was there. By the end of the week she had me following her basic rules.

1) One glass of cranberry juice a day to maintain a healthy UT (hey, I read about people with severe bladder infections all the time so I think it's a good plan)

2) One glass of milk per day to keep my bones strong and avoid Osteoporosis. I try but don't always stick to this one. I do make sure to have my dairy every day.

3) 1 multivitamin in the morning with possible extras like E for me since I have such dry skin.

She also showed me the way that she cooks to keep her son and husband in great shape. She puts love into everything she does and truely cares about those around her. I had such an amazing bond with her that when we had to leave we were both in tears. She was more upset about the Man leaving I'm sure but still.

I don't have a long time this morning but I wanted to share those things with you. It might seem very obvious to some, or things that we have heard before. But do you do it?

Has anyone given you unconventional wisdom that you stick to?

Love you,

Lula Mae

There is no Spoon

Hello again -

I have discovered that if I set my coffee pot to brew at 6:45 it is much easier to wake up. If it's easier to wake up it's easier to get my morning work out in before work. Thank you Black and Decker for making a 4 cup coffee pot with a timer. You are helping me on my road to healthy.

This morning was a little tough because the man was over. It is always harder to get out of bed when he's there. I would much rather stare at him for 30 minutes willing him to wake up snuggle. If only snuggling burned calories. As I mentioned earlier I could smell the coffee so I was able to drag my body off the bed and into the living room for a little Wii Fit. I like to do the Free Step in the morning for a half hour and watch Good Morning America. After a little relaxation after work I strapped my weights onto my legs and did some floor exercises, then some squats. I am determined to have a nice ass someday.

The good news is that even with the stress of last week and the bloating of PMS I am down to 159.8 Hey, it may not be much but I'll take a half pound. I also broke the 160 barrier. Woooo! I always lose the most in the first week so this is common. I will have to tear the pounds off little by little now.

I'm very sorry if this is not a good entry. I try not to talk about work or to have a positive attitude about it, and during the day I think I am succeeding. It's just been much worse than usual lately. I am trying to find different ways to suck it up. I realize the economy sucks and that I am lucky to have a good job. Every morning starts off well but by 2:00 the day is dragging. Bobble heads help. I think of goals for the future and what this job will do to help them. Today I also hung up Magritte's "La Trahison des Images". I have no idea why I find it soothing at work. I guess I could say "This is not my life" as he writes "This is not a pipe". His is a painting, mine is just a job. I don't know if that relation makes sense to anyone but me. Luckily I'm the only one who needs to be soothed.

Sorry to be so off topic today. Maybe it will be fun. What pieces of art and poetry have inspired you in your life? You can just pick a couple if there are many. You don't have to be able to explain why they inspired you, I understand that sometimes those things are hard to put in words. For instance I went to the MFA around the holidays and saw this painting for the first time up close. My heart felt like it was being pulled right out of me and sucked into the painting. I have never had such a strong emotional reaction to art. Please keep in mind that it is much more vivid in person. In case the picture doesn't work it's Van Gogh's "The Ravine".

Time for bed, beauty rest and all that.

Much Love,

Lula Mae