Hot Giveaway from hotSACKS

Jane 4 girls is having a giveaway over on her blog! She is giving away a set of hotSACKS and meshyHOTSACKS!

These reusable bulk bags, Meshy hotSACKS, are strong enough for a dozen apples yet versatile enough for your favorite wrapped candies. They can be used countless times, making them a great alternative to disposable plastic produce bags.


Go over to http://jane4girls800dollarannualbudget.blogspot.com and check it out.

Dieting Disaster!

*Sigh* Well, J's birthday weekend was definitely a "Dieting Disaster" for me. I went into it strong, but by Saturday I was eating everything in sight :(

So here I am, it's Monday, and I'm starting fresh! And I also was thinking - I seem to be eating almost the same thing every day, it must get pretty boring for anyone else to read. So here's a cute picture! It's just the whale and birds from when Twitter.com goes down for a break, but I always thought it was adorable. I'll try to find something better next time.

Breakfast ~ Iced Coffee Calories ~ 50
PB Crackers Calories ~ 140

Lunch ~ Soup at Hand, tomato Calories ~ 120
2 snack pack of crackers Calories ~ 200

Snack ~ Jello Sugar-free cup Calories ~ 10

Dinner ~ Chicken Patties Calories ~ 260
Corn on the cob Calories ~ 180
Cookie Pack Calories ~ 100

Total for the Day ~ 1,060

Breakfast ~ Crystal Light fruit punch Calories ~ 10

Lunch ~

1/2 Bad today

Well, today's calorie count will be a little different...

Breakfast ~ coffee & PB crackers Calories ~ 150

Lunch ~ Fresh summer rolls Calories 256
Sauce Calories 200

But for dinner I won't be counting my calories. My Hubby's birthday is tomorrow, and tonight we are doing a "mini-celebration" by ordering pizza and wings. Saturday will be his real party with the whole family, so I won't be counting on Saturday afternoon, either!

I will definitely try to be sensible about it, though. I am thinking that I might just eat some wings, and no pizza. Who knows. Please god of the diets, give me strength to resist too many tasty things. I just have to remember... This probably won't be my last meal of pizza and wings, so I don't have to overdo it - I could order them every night if I wanted to! I just have to remember that I don't want to - I would rather eat lower calorie foods. Er, at least I am trying to convince myself of that :)

Breakfast ~ PB crackers Calories ~ 140
Crystal Light fruit punch Calories ~ 10

Lunch ~ Soup at Hand Tomato Calories ~ 120
Jolly Time Popcorn Calories ~ 100
Hersheys Snackster Calories ~ 100

Dinner ~ Cottage Cheese Calories ~ 100
Chicken patty Calories ~ 130
Corn on the cob Calories ~ 180
Cookie Calories ~ 100
Gum Calories ~ 5

Total for the day ~ 985

ADOPTION NEWS

So, completely unrelated to dieting...

I got a call from our social worker yesterday. She was calling to tell me that our homestudy and background CORI got approved!!!! YAY!!! Now we are legally certified to foster or adopt in the state of MA.

Now we just have to sit back and wait for a kid! YAY YAY YAY!

Day 8... OCTOPUS DAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Today is a very special day in my diet... It's the 8th day, therefore Octopus Day! No no NO! I don't mean to eat them...

Breakfast ~ Iced coffee with milk and Splenda Calories ~ 50
Peanut butter crackers Calories ~ 140

Lunch ~ Chunky beef & potato soup Calories ~ 260
Rice Crispy Treat Calories ~ 90
Drink Calories ~ 5

Dinner ~ Chicken breast with seasoning Calories ~ 130 <-- Perdue single
Corn on the cob w/ 0 cal spray Calories ~ 140
Hersheys snacker pack Calories ~ 100
Gum Calories ~ 10

Total for day ~ 925

1 Week!

Well, here it is, a week after I started my diet! Wii Fit says that I have lost 4 pounds, but I don't really know if that is accurate, because I was wearing different clothing than the previous time I used it.

I think I am going to go to Subway for lunch today. I need to drop off a package for work at the Fedex center, and it's only a couple of doors down from Subway. Did you know that I used to work there? Yup. Age 16-18, I was your sub girl from 5PM-9PM. No, I never got sick of eating there! I actually got the job because I would come in almost every day after school to get a sub for dinner.

I am going to have to check their website to see what kind of deliciousness I can get for the least calories. I am thinking maybe a roast beef with no cheese. I gotta have my mayo though! IIRC, the mayo is "lite" and is only 20 calories per serving on a 6 inch.

Breakfast ~ Coffee with milk and spenda Calories ~ 50
Granola Bar Calories ~ 100

Lunch ~ Subway Veggie Patty 6" Calories ~ 430 <-- I asked for extra mayo!

Dinner ~ Subway Veggie Patty 6" Calories ~ 430
Cottage Cheese with salsa Calories ~ 130
Diet gum Calories ~ 5

Total for the day ~ 1,145

Lunch ~ Lean Cuisine Mac & Cheese Calories 290
Ketchup (yes, I need it!) Calories 45

Dinner ~ Ramen with a hot dog & onion Calories 550 <-- YIKES!
Ketchup (yes, I need it!) Calories 45
Crackers Calories 70
PB Cookie pack Calories 100
Gum Calories 10

Total for the Day ~ 1,110

Wow, I guess I kind of over-did it with the Ramen & hot dog combo. I guess the difference is, I used to eat it with TWO hot dogs, AND an egg mixed in. So I am progressing :)
Those little 100 calorie snack pack dessert things are saving my life! I absolutely have to have something sweet after dinner, and these are great! As I was going through the coupons from the paper today, I clipped one for 100 calorie packs of Twinkies!!! YUM!!! I am going to have to see if they have them next time I'm at Stop & Shop.

My first Dieting Saturday

I've gotten myself back on track for today! Not only did I have a low-calorie lunch, I also broke out the Wii Fit and dusted it off. It said it's been 40 days since I used it, and it would bo correct! I stopped using it around Tanksgiving, I think.

I'm not sure what to have for dinner, usually on Saturdays we either go out somewhere, or order pizza in. I plan on going out later on after I clean my aquarium, maybe I will stop by Stop & Shop and pick up something tasty and low-calorie. Maybe.

Lunch ~ Single hot dog (no bun) cooked with onions Calories 170
Cottage Cheese with tomatos Calories 160

Dinner ~ Dinner ~ Fresh summer rolls Calories 256
Sauce (They gave me extra today.) Calories 350
1 sip of Hubby's drink Calories 15
2 pieces diet gum Calories 5
Cookie pack Calories 100

Total for the day ~ 1,056

Bad Dawn, BAD BAD!

Today I broke down and ate Mexican food with the guys for lunch!!!!!

However, as bad as that was, I didn't eat any breakfast or any dinner or any snacks... So hopefully I didn't ruin all of my progress for the past week.

Wish me strength for tomorrow and Sunday ~ I always eat the worst on the weekends.

Day 4

Well, here I am on Day 4, yay me!

Last night was really difficult for me. Hubby had brought home a giant bag of turkey that his Mom had sent home with him (they work together) and he was eating it in front of me, and he kept asking me if I wanted some. Cruel. However, I persevered, and didn't eat any!

I am worried about tomorrow ~ On Fridays everyone in my office goes out to eat lunch together. Normally I am really excited to go, and I go around and ask everyone where they would like to eat that day. But I don't even know if I should go tomorrow or not. My willpower is really not very good, so if we go to one of my favorite places I don't think I will be able to get something "diet" like a salad or veggie plate. Also, we always split the bill evenly, and it usually ends up being $20-$25, and I don't want to pay that much for a salad I didn't want in the first place!
Fridays are usually like a "bonding time" though, and I don't want to miss out on anything. Maybe I will eat before we go, and just get a drink.

Huummm.... So what have we learned from today's rambles? I'm fat and cheap. That's okay. If I keep doing well on my diet eventually I will just be cheap! Haha!

Breakfast ~ Granola bar Calories 100
Iced coffee with milk Calories 50

Lunch ~ Chunky Steak & Potato Soup Calories 260
Crackers Calories 140

Dinner ~ Mac & Cheese Calories 490<--- BAD!
Ketchup ( for M&C ) Calories 45
Cookie Pack Calories 100


Total for day ~ 1,185

Day 3

Breakfast ~ Crackers (4 peanut butter) Calories 140
Drink (energy Fizz) Calories 10

Lunch ~ Soup Chicken Noodle Calories 200
Crackers (from Japan) Calories 50
Cookie (from the Netherlands) Calories 50

Dinner ~ Chicken/rice Healthy Choice Calories 380
Cottage Cheese w/ tomato Calories 150
Cookie (Oreo 3-pac Calories 100

Total for the day ~ 1,080

WOW! I am pretty proud of myself so far. I have managed to write down everything I ate and come record it. I guess it wasn't that much of a feat, since I am not eating very much :)

I still really don't have a set goal of calories for the day, but "in my mind" I am trying to hit somewhere near 1,000. When I used to diet back in high school and my early 20s, 1,000 was always my calorie goal for the day. I was seriously strict about it, and it was a lot harder to do then, because now they have a lot of really good 100 Calorie snack packs.

Today after work I went to Stop & Shop, and they are having some really great deals on diet-type food:

Progresso Soups are 10/$10
Nabisco 100 Snack Packs are 2/$4
Lean Cuisines are 6/$12 !! That's a pretty good deal.

Breakfast ~ Large sweet tea Calories 230

Lunch ~ Soup Calories 200
Crackers Calories 140
Drink Calories 10

Dinner ~ Fresh summer rolls Calories 256
Sauce Calories 200

Snack ~ Piece of gum Calories 20


Total ~ 1056

New Year's Diet

Well, What are they??!

My goal is to lose 20 pounds. I didn't start my diet on New Year's Day, because I know myself, and I know that I wouldn't have lasted 5 minutes over New Year's Weekend with all of the leftover Christmas treats.

So I started my diet today, Monday the 5th of January, 2009. I don't really have a set goal of what I am going to eat... Just less food, and less fattening food. I am going to try and record what I eat here as often as I can ~ But again, I know myself, so I probably will forget for a few days, then be too lazy to catch back up.

So here we go:

Breakfast ~ Medium iced coffee with milk and splenda Calories 20

Lunch ~ Chunky beef & potato soup Calories 280
Saltines Calories 70

Dinner ~ Mashed potatoes with chicken Calories 600

Dessert ~ 1/2 a bowl of granola with soy milk Calories 170

Total for the day ~ 1140

Our "fact sheet" to give to social workers at adoption parties!

Last Year's Christmas photo

So I recently discovered "Sea Kittens" on the PETA website. Normally I find PETA to be really extreme and wacky, but the sea kittens are really cute.

Paperback Swap Meeting

Saturday was a great day!!! I met the girls from the MASS chapter of Paperback Swap for lunch at Panera, then a few of us went to the discounted book store. I have been on PBS for a while now, but I had never been to a meeting before - it was really fun! I got to make a few new friends, too, and I am really happy about it. While I was at the bookstore I got a "Learn to Crochet" kit for only $9 - and a book called "I Love Crochet" for $6. Last night I learned how to chain stich!
For anyone who isn't a member of PBS yet you should give it a try - as long as you like books hehe!!
Please visit DawnOctopus.com for all of your kawaii stationery needs.

Tiny Polyclay Foods

I have been asked by a few people recently to see my little tiny polyclay foods...Here are some pictures I took tonight of little cookies, cakes, melty ice cream, and cupcakes!