Saturday, March 26, 2011
Luci On Death
When I told Luci about her grandpa, her first response was a look of shock and she asked, "Did dinosaurs eat him?" I could almost hear Dad laughing his big full belly laugh at that. Once I explained to her that Grandpa was very sick and he just fell asleep and didn't wake up and that he was gone and we would put him in the ground, she just seemed to take it at face value. She told me her bunny has a pretend grandpa that I can borrow. Then, a few days later, I was crying and she told me "Don't cry Mommy, be happy. There are still lots of other people who are not lost that we can love." then she also tells me that I can borrow her Daddy because I don't have one anymore. She has been remembering things like "We went bowling with Grandpa when he was not dead." She is so sweet and I am so glad I have her to help me through things.
My Father's Passing
My father passed away on Monday, March 21st, 2011. He was only 54 years old. They say the cause of death is cardio-pulmonary arrest because they did not do an autopsy and he had so many cardio-pulmonary issues to begin with. He died at his home, on his porch, and I saw him there. It is still so surreal. It has fallen to me to make all the arrangements and so far everything is falling into place fairly easily. He was cremated yesterday and we are having a service for him on the 2nd. I am basically at peace with the entire situation. He had a heart attack in 2003 and I have been preparing myself for his death since then. The way I see it, he had an additional 7 years with us and he got to meet Luci. He didn't die in the hospital, which he was afraid of, and he had a great day on Sunday. We met him and Jackie up at the bowling alley and he was doing really well. Everyone keeps saying how surprised they are at how well I am handling this all, but I'm not sure how else I'm supposed to be dealing. He's gone, I can't change that. I know he wouldn't want me to sit in a hole crying my eyes out over him. Dad always said life goes on, celebrate life and grieve well. He didn't want people mourning over his shell and I wish everyone else could take his words to heart.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Review
I was just reading over entry #1 of this blog and a few things have changed. Nothing much really, but Grei turned 41 on February 13th, Mister White passed away followed closely by Mister Blue. We will likely be getting replacement fish this week once we figure out the pH balance of the tank. It's very difficult to maintain a 1 gallon tank properly. And yay! I'm officially in the 270s, even if it is just barely.
Miss Katie, the dance teacher, informed us last week at tap class (we were the only ones that showed up) that she is expecting baby #2. She has not been to class twice now. The first time Miss Stephanie taught the girls, this time she just cancelled. She's supposed to reschedule so we'll see how that goes. Luci really loves dance class and Miss Katie :)
Also, our apartment is in desperate need of a Spring Cleanout. I've already given away something like eight large black trash bags full of things to Goodwill. Mostly Luci's things. I really must stop buying this kid toys. Speaking of buying things for her, she decided that she wants a Rapunzel bike for her birthday. Maybe I'll learn to ride a bike afterall :)
Miss Katie, the dance teacher, informed us last week at tap class (we were the only ones that showed up) that she is expecting baby #2. She has not been to class twice now. The first time Miss Stephanie taught the girls, this time she just cancelled. She's supposed to reschedule so we'll see how that goes. Luci really loves dance class and Miss Katie :)
Also, our apartment is in desperate need of a Spring Cleanout. I've already given away something like eight large black trash bags full of things to Goodwill. Mostly Luci's things. I really must stop buying this kid toys. Speaking of buying things for her, she decided that she wants a Rapunzel bike for her birthday. Maybe I'll learn to ride a bike afterall :)
Top 10 Cooking Basics
You don't have to be a domestic diva to be able to cook your own healthy, delicious meals. Follow our top 10 tips for kitchen success.
With our 10 basic tips for using the greatest kitchen techniques, you'll be well on your way to success.
1. Gear up Invest in a set of cookware that has a nonstick finish. This will enable you to prepare foods with little or no added fat. In addition, you'll want to pick up some cooking spray, so you can coat your cookware with it for even less sticking potential.
2. Cook it right Prepare meat, poultry and fish using low-fat cooking methods such as broiling, grilling and stir-frying. And remember that both fresh and frozen vegetables taste great either steamed or cooked in a microwave oven.
3. Soak in flavor Marinate meat, poultry, and fish in low-fat marinades such as salsa, teriyaki sauce, orange juice or Dijon mustard. Marinades add lots of flavor without the addition of fat.
4. Spice it up Fresh or dried herbs are excellent substitutes for butter or oil; their addition only adds flavor to your recipes. Try adding dill to steamed carrots, saffron to brown rice, cilantro to baked fish and ginger to stir-fried chicken.
5. Skin it Remove the skin from chicken, turkey and Cornish hens before you eat it. This is a great way to ensure your choice of meat is lean and healthy.
6. Skim it Skim and discard fat from hot soups, stews, or chilies. Or chill the soup, stew or chili, and skim off the solid fat that forms at the top.
7. Trim it For most recipes, you can trim the amount of fat called for by 25 to 50 percent without affecting taste or quality. For example, substituting fat-free milk for whole milk in mashed potatoes still makes for creamy comfort food. You'll be surprised how delicious soups can be without cream, or how good your vegetable casserole tastes made with fat-free cheese.
8. Make it sweeter Add a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg instead of sugar to fruit cups or beverages to help increase the sweetness.
9. Switch out the meat Replace one-quarter to one-half of the ground meat or poultry in a casserole with cooked brown rice, or cooked and chopped dried beans. You'll cut back on fat and boost fiber.
10. Just ad spuds Instead of flour, cornstarch or cream, try thickening sauces, gravy and stews with pureed potatoes.
With our 10 basic tips for using the greatest kitchen techniques, you'll be well on your way to success.
1. Gear up Invest in a set of cookware that has a nonstick finish. This will enable you to prepare foods with little or no added fat. In addition, you'll want to pick up some cooking spray, so you can coat your cookware with it for even less sticking potential.
2. Cook it right Prepare meat, poultry and fish using low-fat cooking methods such as broiling, grilling and stir-frying. And remember that both fresh and frozen vegetables taste great either steamed or cooked in a microwave oven.
3. Soak in flavor Marinate meat, poultry, and fish in low-fat marinades such as salsa, teriyaki sauce, orange juice or Dijon mustard. Marinades add lots of flavor without the addition of fat.
4. Spice it up Fresh or dried herbs are excellent substitutes for butter or oil; their addition only adds flavor to your recipes. Try adding dill to steamed carrots, saffron to brown rice, cilantro to baked fish and ginger to stir-fried chicken.
5. Skin it Remove the skin from chicken, turkey and Cornish hens before you eat it. This is a great way to ensure your choice of meat is lean and healthy.
6. Skim it Skim and discard fat from hot soups, stews, or chilies. Or chill the soup, stew or chili, and skim off the solid fat that forms at the top.
7. Trim it For most recipes, you can trim the amount of fat called for by 25 to 50 percent without affecting taste or quality. For example, substituting fat-free milk for whole milk in mashed potatoes still makes for creamy comfort food. You'll be surprised how delicious soups can be without cream, or how good your vegetable casserole tastes made with fat-free cheese.
8. Make it sweeter Add a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg instead of sugar to fruit cups or beverages to help increase the sweetness.
9. Switch out the meat Replace one-quarter to one-half of the ground meat or poultry in a casserole with cooked brown rice, or cooked and chopped dried beans. You'll cut back on fat and boost fiber.
10. Just ad spuds Instead of flour, cornstarch or cream, try thickening sauces, gravy and stews with pureed potatoes.
The Weight Loss Journey
I started Weight Watchers 3 weeks ago. Well, this is my 3rd week on the plan. My first weight was 286, then 281, now 279 so things seem to be working out pretty well for me. I hope to be down to 250 by Luci's birthday party in early May but I'm not sure that will happen. I have to say, the most difficult thing for me is remembering to eat. Second to that is avoiding starches. Now don't get me wrong, I eat cereal, crackers, pasta and all those wonderfuly tasty things. The problem is that they are my addiction. I was doing really great until yesterday when I went over my allotted food points by 24. That's usually what I eat in a normal day before forcing myself to have another small meal at the end of the day to reach my given points. I think the problem yesterday was that I've run out of fruits and veggies and most of my healthy snack food options for lack of money to buy food so I just ate some popcorn and that set off the starch beast and I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich followed by an ice cream bar "points be damned, I want it." I'll have to watch myself extra carefully the rest of the week and do my best to go for a walk every day. Up until yesterday I hadn't gone walking in over a week due to the crap weather we've been having, so yesterday's 30 minute walk was nice, if a bit chilly.
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