A Recap in Pictures

I can't believe I posted this pic...oh well let this be a before shot of me :)

Hubby made our Sunday Family Dinner as always!

Zach enjoying lunch pool side.

Zman and his cousin.

"Mom no more pictures!"

Love enjoying her lunch pool side.

My mom and my aunt...who is responsible for this wonderful trip!

Me

My cousin Matt and Love

The kiddos enjoying an ice cream

Great kids!

Hubby and I having a great time at the "quiet pool" which had a separate area on the lawn right next to the water.

Hubby and Zman in the water

My bestest friend!

The cook and his "assistant"

Lot's of "techy" stuff going on all weekend...everyone either had a lap top, Iphone or I pod.

Love having fun...as always!

Me "winning"

Hannah and her Nanny

Impromptu family photo

Love and her cousin.

Homemade funnel cake

A Weekend Away

This weekend in observance of Labor Day, the family and I are heading up to a beach we haven't explored before...Palm Coast Florida. I'm looking forward to absolutely nothing; no plans, no place to be except pool or beach side relaxing. Now we currently live in SW Florida and live 7 minutes from the beach. However, my aunt thought it would be a great idea for her to rent a 5000 sq ft house on the beach and invite our family, my mom and her brother and his family too...what was I supposed to say "no?"...I didn't think so!

I will be taking lots of pictures and sharing here.

What are you plans this weekend?

Eat your veggies...or Salad.

On my quest to lose weight and more importantly eat healthy I have discovered these quick and delicious salad

Can you tell it was good?

It's portion controlled which I like so I know how many calories I am eating. My favorite salad is my own special concoction which includes greens, feta cheese, sliced pepperoncini, black olives, cucumber, tomatoes and Good Seasoning "Mild Italian" dressing with half a splenda...so good.

Today is the first day of many changes needed in my life...I will document all of these changes along with the blood, sweat, tears that will go into it...stay tuned.

Gotta Try This One

Image Courtesy of www.jlohr.com

I'm not a wine drinker...I like my rum. However, this past weekend we had dinner with new friends. These friends whom we met are serious wine drinkers...I mean they had their own wine refrigerator where the temperature could be controlled. This J. Lohr Cabernet Sauvignon was the BEST wine I have EVER had. So I just had to tell you about it.

Go out and buy you a bottle and curl up on the couch and enjoy! Or have a glass with dinner.

This is from their website: "A particularly dense vintage, this wine is red-purple in color with a bright hue. Aromas of black currant, plum and black cherry are lifted by a bouquet of vanilla, toasted pastry and spice from a year of barrel aging. The palate is bursting with primary fruit and a broad, rich tannin structure."

I have no idea what that means but it's GOOOOOD!!!!

One Bad Apple Spoils the Bunch

In an attempt to eat more "healthy" and to get my kids to each more fruit, I paid $3.99 for a package of 5 ready to eat apple slices w/grapes. This is what I found in my pouch...


I have to say it's been a challenge with staying on the healthy track...but I am determined to not give up. I am going to lose weight and be healthy. We have also taken the kids to see a nutritionist as well to talk to them about what foods to each and what to stay away from. I have to say it was eye opening learning about alternative choices and picking the right food.

My lil Love is overweight too. It's not her fault, it's our fault as her parents. We discovered that her whole life has some how always focused around food. My hubby is Italian and does all the cooking; pasta, home made meatballs, coq au vin...she loves it all. We also learned that we would put focus on food when it came to her...for example: We would go to the grocery store and pick up her favorite something and bring it home and say "we got you a surprise" and she would see what it was and then say "oh that's my favorite" or "I love that...thank you". And we were not meaning to hurt her or make her have this unhealthy attachment to food we just had no idea.

I am writing this because I know other parents are dealing with the same thing. We are making better decisions when we are at the store and not bringing the stuff into the home. It's challenging because she walks around the store picking up everything asking if it's "healthy or whole grain"; she is learning but she is 6 and still trying to grasp why she can't have fruit snacks, ice cream, sugar filled yogurt etc...but we are doing it as family which I think has made it a lil easier. Zman lost 7 lbs just by not eating chips and junk...not that he needed to lose weight but he really listened to what the nutritionist said and followed it. Love and I will go this road together...because I'm her influence and I know she is paying attention to me and I want her to be healthy and I want to be healthy too!