Vote for Us?

It's that time again! Top Baby Blogs has reset their numbers and we need your help to get back to the top. Wink wink.

Thanks to you guys, Brock Paper Scissors was in the top 25 the entire last go round! Cool, right? I've been told that many of you found this blog through TBB and I'd love to stay here so that other readers/bloggers can find me as well.

So, if you wouldn't mind, could you take a second to vote for us? Just click on the link below, then again on the owl to the left. That's it!

You can vote once every 24 hours. Also, there's a button on my left sidebar that you can use to vote anytime. Thanks frands! Y'all really are the best!

Weigh-In Day: My Fitness Pal {Week 7}

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I've now been doing My Fitness Pal for a total of 7 weeks. This week I lost...

Weight Lost This Week: 2 lb.

Total Weight Loss: -7.1 lb.

At least this is how much I think I lost, anyway. I had lost 2 pounds as of Saturday morning, before I broke my ankle, so I guess we'll just go with this number. To be honest, I'm not sure if I'll be doing these weigh-in posts going forward, as I'm not really sure how I'd go about doing 'em. I do have a message in with the dietician to see how they plan (if they plan) on doing my final weigh-in with a cast on. I'm thinking if there's some way I can get an accurate weight with a cast, then I may continue with these posts, but we'll just have to see.

For the time being, my main concern is getting through ankle surgery and recovering from all of this. But, this doesn't mean I haven't been and won't continue to diet. At my appointment last Wednesday, the dietician had me reduce my calorie intake from 1590 to 1200-1400 kcal/day. This, along with my workouts 3+ times a week was supposed to ensure I lose the weight I needed to over the next month. However, due to this ankle setback, I won't be able to work out. This doesn't mean I still can't lose the weight, it just means it's going to be a little harder. Since Wednesday, and up until now, I've been doing 1400 calories a day, but since I won't be burning extra calories at the gym, starting tomorrow, I'll be reducing my intake to a flat 1200 calories. Also, per the dietician's instructions, I've started having a protein shake (I drink this one) at lunchtime in place of food. Initially, I thought this would be really hard, but so far, it's not so bad. In fact, it's actually pretty filling, and kind of yummy, too!

To say it's been a trying week would be an understatement. Mainly because I'm worried about the unknown. What if they won't let me do my final weigh-in until after the cast is removed (which could be up to 2 mos. from now)? If so, this'll really suck because I can't schedule surgery until I've done my final weigh-in and lost the 10 pounds. From what I've been told, there is around a 2-mo. wait once the surgery is schedule. So, if the cast does, in fact, have to be removed before I can do my final weigh-in? It's gonna push my surgery from August to around October of this year.

Ugh. This whole situation is just very frustrating. Thankfully, everyone will be back in their office tomorrow, so I should have some answers by then. And, assuming the swelling in my ankle's gone down by my appointment in the morning, they'll be able to do surgery to realign my bones. I've been told that after surgery I'll be in a lot less pain, so if you don't mind, could you keep your fingers crossed that they're able to do it tomorrow? Because, if not? Well, my mind can't even go there right now. Either way, I'll be sure to keep y'all updated on what happens.

I've Fallen & I Can't Get Up!

So, early yesterday morning, before we were going to head out to Six Flags/Hurricane Harbor, I ran up to the hospital on base to have a quick ultrasound of my gallbladder (another prereq for weight loss surgery). I was told the whole process would take less than 30 minutes - no big deal, right? Wrong. This would've been the case had I not decided to try and be all cute in my new shoes I picked up at Target the day before.

Long story short, as I was walking back to the ultrasound room, I misstepped and fell off one of these all-of-a-sudden-not-nearly-as-cute shoes. Of course, an embarrassing fall wouldn't be enough, oh no. Instead, I had to take a major effing spill, causing me to break my ankle in not one, but TWO places. Now I will admit, I don't have the greatest tolerance for pain, but you guys? That shit hurt. And not in a squeeze-my-hand-and-talk-me-through-it kind of way. We're talking screaming, crying, the whole shebang! It was seriously the worst pain I've ever experienced. Like wouldn't wish on my worst enemy type of hurt.

Unfortunately, this isn't even the worst part. What sucks ever more is that I'm stuck at home in a splint until Tuesday, at which time they'll decide if the swelling has gone down enough for it to be operated on. Yeah, that's right. I have to have surgery to fix it. Did I mention that it also happens to be my driving foot? Yep, no driving for at least two months, which is gonna make it hella difficult to get Nico to and from school (not even sure what we're gonna do about this yet). Oh, and let's not forget about the fact that I was in the process of trying to have a weight loss surgery when this all went down. Obviously, I can't work out with a broken ankle, which is going to make it more difficult for me to lose the 7.8 pounds I need to lose by the end of June. I mean, I know I can do it, but how will they accurately weigh me if I'm in a cast? I'm just really hoping that they'll be understanding about this and not make me wait until after my ankle's healed to have the surgery. Because if they do? I'll be one pissed off lady! Sigh.

Okay, I think that's about all the complaining I have in me at the moment. The only thing that's made all of this somewhat tolerable is my husband, who's been super supportive throughout this whole nightmare. He's been so helpful, basically waiting on me hand and foot (see what I did right there?). I seriously don't know what I'd do without him. In case you're reading this: I love you, babe! You're the shit.

I'm not really sure what the point of this post is, other than to warn you to be careful if you're wearing big shoes! I literally lived in platforms and wedges during high school and college, but as the RN told me yesterday, "you're not a teenager anymore!". And that's a truth bomb right there, folks. Words of wisdom, if I ever did hear 'em.

Friday Favorites {5.25.12}

Well, hello there! Did this week go by crazy fast or what? I'm actually pretty darn excited because the husby works a 1/2 day today + is off Monday. What what! We'll be heading out to MD on Sunday for a retirement party for one of Dan's coworkers. Also, we have plans to kick it with some neighbor friends of ours, but other than that? No obligations. We have been toying with the idea of doing a boat tour in D.C., but that'll probably have to wait until next weekend after we get PAID. Funds are tight, yo.

Anyway, here are my favsies of the week...



1. I totally did a dance recital (jazz) to Madonna's "Vogue" as a kid. It wasn't nearly as awesome as this, though.

2. All I have to say about this open letter to Marie Claire, is "word".

3. Some wonderful tips for dressing your little dude!

4. Eeep, I can't wait to find out what this family's new addition will be! I'm thinking boy.

5. A bunch of easy vegetarian & vegan meal ideas all in one place? Yes, please!

6. I'm thinking we need a chalkboard wall like this a-sap!

7. If you've got kids, there's a good chance you're familiar with these carseat positions, lol.

8. I'm gonna have to agree with this statement. No shame.

9. A great list of fun activities to do with your littles!

10. Dog + cat + baby fox? Pretty sure I just died from the cute.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend, everyone! See you guys next week!

Wordless(ish) Wednesday: Pool Time!

It's been awhile since I've done a Wordless(ish) Wednesday post, so I thought, what the heck! Besides, I have some photos from the kids first swim of the season that I've been meaning to share. And when I say "swim", I really mean stand and kick water around in a baby pool for a few minutes before deciding it's too damn cold to be doing this ish! But hey, it was fun while it lasted.

Here's a photo of each of them before they were totes over it...

We'll definitely have to attempt this again when it gets a bit warmer. We recently picked up one of these, which we can't wait to try out. Bring it, summer! We're ready.

Linking up...
And Then, She Snapped
Baby Baby Lemon
Project Alicia
The Naptime Momtog
The Paper Mama
Live & Love Out Loud
Jenni from the Blog

Weigh-In Day: My Fitness Pal {Week 6}

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Today marks 6 weeks that I've been doing My Fitness Pal. This week I lost...

Weight Lost This Week: 1 lb.

Total Weight Loss: -5.1 lb.

To say I'm disappointed that I only lost a pound this week would be an understatement. I just really don't get it. I worked out three times, followed my diet, and still only a pound? Not cool, My Fitness Pal, not cool. I know a loss is still a loss, but with just a little over a month to lose the weight I need to? This isn't gonna cut it. Something more drastic needs to be done. Therefore, I've decided that if at a week out I'm still not down the 10 pounds I need to be? I'll be doing a liquid diet. Because I'll be damned if this is going to prevent me from having the surgery! Besides, the dietician has encouraged me to try the protein drinks now, anyway, since I'll be on a strict liquid diet 2 weeks pre-op. This way I can figure out what I like and don't like, beforehand.

Yeah, so that's the plan. I know it's probably annoying coming here and reading about my weigh loss when it's barely existent. But, I do think it'll be good to have all of this documented. Someone mentioned awhile back about how cool it'll be to compare my weight loss now and after surgery, and I have to agree. It'll be nice to look back at these posts when I'm a skinny bish and be like, "See that right there? That's why I did this!". I cannot wait.

Friday Favorites {5.18.12}

Yay for Friday! I thought this week was gonna be super chill, but then it wasn't. Is it ever when you have kids, though? Oh well, at least it went by pretty fast. And the weather? Uh-mazing. Much like it's supposed to be throughout the weekend. Huzzah! Not sure what we'll be doing just yet, but hopefully something outdoorsy. Oh, and somewhere in between all the fun, we'll definitely need to get Nico a haircut. Trust me when I say, "it's time".

So favorites? Yes, let's.

1. Not gonna lie, I teared up a couple of times during this short film. Pretty sure this kid is a genius.

2. Some of the prettiest clutter I ever did see!

3. This is totes me on Mother's Day and my birthday. Just can't live up to the hype, yo.

4. Love this thrift store skirt turned curtain!

5. This animal garland would be perfect to hang across Nico's bed. So cute!

6. A gardening guide full of useful tips to get your green thumb going, whether you have a yard or not.

7. Now that the weather's warming up, I can't wait to pimp my lemonade!

8. And speaking of drinks, how good does Drea's chocolate cashew milkshake sound? Yum.

9. These little bubble wands are such a great idea! So fun!

10. Check out the sweet giveaway going on over on HOTTLT!

Weekend Fun

This past winter while visiting Texas, we purchased season passes to Six Flags. Since we have one near us in MD, it seemed like a no-brainer. And I'm so glad we did because it's such a great place for kids! So far, we've been twice since they opened in April (once for Nico's birthday and then again this past weekend), and I definitely see many more visits in our future during the coming months.

Our trip over the weekend was cut short because a certain little man had an epic (and I do mean epic) meltdown. Unfortunately, this comes with the territory of having a 4-yr. old. Thankfully, we were able to get a good couple hours of playtime in before this all went down.

Here are some photos from our day...



The fountains were definitely a big hit. Lola was drenched from head to toe by the time we left, lol. The weather was perfect and we had such a good time. We can't wait to go back!

What's Cookin'? - Jo's Mocha Frap

So, if you've been reading my blog for awhile, then you know that I've been doing this dieting gig for quite some time. Some weeks have been better than others, but I've continued to count calories for the most part. Over the course of this journey, I've had quite a few of you ask me to share my diet-friendly recipes (some of which you can find here). Today, I'll be sharing one of these with you, a treat actually. In fact, it's my absolute favorite drink ever!

Before I do so, though, I have a secret to share. Guys, I have a serious sweet tooth. Like, for real. When I was pregnant with Nico, I could go through a pint of ice cream in one sitting. You heard that right, a pint! It was BAD. I dreamt of cake, cookies and anything sweet you can imagine. Oftentimes, I made these fantasies a reality, which is probably why I gained 70 lb. during this pregnancy.

Thankfully, the second time around, when I was preggo with Lola, I was much better about this. I tried to limit the amount of sweets I consumed and was pretty successful. However, my sweet tooth didn't entirely vanish, so I learned to make things that were tasty, but much lower in calories. One thing I used to sweeten these treats, and that I've continued to use since then, is COOL WHIP Whipped Topping.



Why? The real question is "why not?". Have you ever had COOL WHIP? It's yummy! And at only 25 calories a serving, it's definitely my #1 go-to topping when I'm in need of something sweet. Which, if we're being honest, is pretty often.

Some of my favorite things to top/eat with COOL WHIP:

• Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownie
• Strawberries
• mixed with Nutella (it turns into the consistency of a mousse)
• Angel Food Cake

I could go on, but you get the point. I really, really like it! So much so, that I use it daily to make my favorite drink: Jo's Mocha Frap.

See, I really like frozen coffee drinks, but the high calories + large price tag of purchasing them at a coffee shop? Not so much. Which is why I came up with a recipe of my very own. A recipe with less than 1/2 the calories, but every bit as delicious as a drink you'd purchase. Sounds too good to be true, right? Wrong.

Here's what you'll need to make this:

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp espresso
• 2 cups ice
• 1/2 cup milk (I use regular soy)
• 2 tbsp light chocolate syrup
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• 1 dollop COOL WHIP

I actually have a frappe maker that makes the espresso and blends everything together for me, but assuming most of you don't, this is what you'll need to do.

Directions:

1. Make espresso as directed.
2. While this is brewing, add ice, chocolate syrup and sugar to blender and blend until you reach your desired consistency.
3. Add espresso to mixed drink and blend together.
4. Pour into a cup/glass, top with COOL WHIP and serve!

Enjoy! And be sure to let me know how you like it! It's good, right?!

Sponsored posts are purely editorial content that we are pleased to have presented by a participating sponsor. Advertisers do not produce the content. I was compensated for this post as a member of Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all my own.

Weigh-In Day: My Fitness Pal {Week 5}

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I've now been doing My Fitness Pal for a total of 5 weeks. This week I lost gained:

Weight Lost This Week: 1.2 lb.

Total Weight Loss: -4.1 lb.

Yeah, so weight was gained this week. Not exactly the goal when dieting, but shit happens. This week was actually going quite well...until yesterday. I made it to the gym 3 times and even managed to stick to my allotted calories. In fact, before this day of terrible decisions, I was actually down a pound. But then we had the idea to eat breakfast at IHOP for Mother's Day. Then, since we skipped lunch and were starving by dinner time, we made the poor choice to get Chipotle, which I immediately regretted. Alas, what's done is done and I'm paying for it now. Womp.

If nothing else, my eating mishaps just reiterate the fact that I've made the right decision to have this weight loss surgery. Despite my efforts, I'm just not all that great at this dieting thing. Not that I won't keep at it, because as I mentioned last week, I have to lose 10 lb. by the end of June in order to get the surgery scheduled. Which, if my calculations are correct, leaves me around 8-9 pounds to go (since my first weigh-in with the dietician was a couple weeks after I started My Fitness Pal). So, until I get there, I'll keep on truckin'. And trying my damnedest not to let my cravings get the best of me (gah! so not worth it!).

Here's to a better week this week!

Friday Favorites {5.11.12}

So, my mom wasn't able to come out this week after all. Womp. Her back has been bothering her lately, but hopefully she'll be able to come out in the next couple of weeks. Also, my dad and stepmom are gonna wait to come out in early June instead of next week because my dad's had some health issues come up (hopefully nothing serious). It actually ended up working out because they had a last minute opening at the sleep clinic (another surgery prerequisite), and since my mom wasn't visiting, I was able to do it. The sleep study was, er, interesting. It's never a good sign when the dude ahead of you comes out of his room and says, "Can I open a window? It smells like dirty pee pee drawers in here!". Luckily, I didn't have that issue, but I did have a major problem getting to sleep, which is kinda weird because I'm usually an asleep-as-soon-as-my-head-hits-the-pillow kind of girl. Wednesday night, however, was just off. Maybe it's because I had like 5468 monitors glued to my head, face and body? Or that I was forced to sleep on my back, which I never do? Whatever it was, it was seriously the worst night of sleep I've had since my stay in the hospital after having Lola. I think I finally dozed off around 2:30am and then woke up around 5am. It was bad (thank baby Jesus for Starbucks!). I'm a just praying they don't come back and say I have to do it over because I didn't sleep for long enough. Because I'm pretty sure I would cry. Like a baby.

On top of all this sleep study hoopla, the kids and I have come down with a cold. Thankfully, after our all-day pajama party yesterday, we're all feeling a bit better. I'm hoping by Monday we'll be back to business as usual. Because I have way too much coming up to be all sick like!

Alright, so here are my favorites from around the web this week...

1. Words to live by, if you ask me! Get the free printable here.

2. Some great tips to creatively organize your space!

3. Get in my mouth, cold Thai noodle salad!

4. Being that I've battled with this myself, I can really relate to this post.

5. Why must I be tempted by these oatmeal cookies?! NOM.

6. Love these weekly parenting ups and downs posts.

7. Check out all the vintage goodness in this pop up shop!

8. Some good suggestions for decorating outdoors.

9. With these tips on hosting a book club, I may just have to start one of my own!

10. A smart list of photos to keep in your phone's photo album.

Have a great weekend, everyone! And if you have a sec, would you mind sparing us a vote? Just click on the link below, then again on the owl to the left. Thanks!

Insta-life {May 2012}

Here's what we've been up to lately, according to Instagram (username: brockpaperscissors):

from left to right:

up too early | Nico in my glasses | sweet boy | brushin' dem teeth

nommin' | cool shades | 4-yr. check-up | stylin' in Harajuku Mini

yawn | stuck in the chair | sleeping on Daddy | waiting to see Mommy's doc

man down | sweet girl | watching TV while we wait | hand holding

Weigh-In Day: My Fitness Pal {Week 4}

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I've now been doing My Fitness Pal for a total of 4 weeks. This week I lost...

Weight Lost This Week: -1.2 lb.

Total Weight Loss: -5.3 lb.

Yes, it could've been better, but I still lost weight, which I'm happy about. I did go slightly over my calorie allotment on two of the days, but, for the most part, I stuck to it. I definitely did much better than last week, that's for sure! 

Something I will be changing up this week is that I'll no longer be adding my workouts to MFP. On the days I add exercise, I'm given more calories, but at this point, I think I'm adjusted enough to the program to be okay without them. Besides, I'm fairly certain these extra calories have been what's slowing down my weight loss. The first week, because I wasn't working out, I didn't have these extra calories, yet, somehow, I lost the largest amount of weight. I met with a fitness specialist on Friday (one of the prerequisites for surgery) and he seemed to agree that this is probably the case.

Not sure if I mentioned this before, but one of the requirements for getting a weight loss surgery (at least where I'm going) is to lose 10 pounds beforehand. In fact, the doctor won't even sign off or schedule the surgery until I do so. In the seminar, they told us it's to shrink our liver before the surgery, which makes it easier for the surgeon to operate. Apparently, even a weight loss as small as 10 lb. will do this. So, yeah, I got weighed at my first appointment with the dietician a couple weeks ago, and I'll need to lose the 10 lb. by my 3rd (and final) appointment scheduled for the end of June.

Last week, I went to my first support group meeting (another pre-surgery requirement). While there, I spoke with several other women and the types of surgeries they're planning to have. I found it strange that all but one of them were opting for a gastric surgery over the lap-band, so I probed them further to find out why. It turns out, they all know people who, for one reason or another, didn't have success with the lap-band. After hearing this, plus talking with three women there that had great success with the sleeve surgery, I decided to do some research of my own. I mean, this is a big deal and I want to make sure I'm making the right decision, you know? I was already starting to second guess my choice because of the maintenance of the lap-band. Under normal circumstances, the monthly adjustments wouldn't bother me, but, the hubs isn't planning to stay in the Navy. This puts me in a bit of a pickle because what if our new insurance (knock on wood that we'll even have insurance!) doesn't cover this? Then I started reading about the low percentage of long-term success rates. And then about cases of erosion and needing to have it removed. And then I decided that the lap-band probably isn't the best option for me. After all my digging, comparing and researching, I've decided to go with the sleeve. Yes, it's a little riskier of a surgery, but I think it'll be the best option for me longterm.

Anyway, this is where I'm at with everything right now. Other than having to get an endoscopy to make sure I'm a good candidate for a gastric surgery (totes not looking forward to this, btw), nothing much will be changing in terms of the process to get there. I was told they're scheduling surgeries for July, so if all goes as planned, I could be having the surgery this summer!

Wow, this was a long post! High fives if you managed to get through all of this!

Friday Favorites {5.4.12}

Phew, what a week it's been! I've seriously been busy from morning till night each and every day this week. I'm so ready for some R&R, it's not even funny. And yes, I just said R&R for probably the first time ever. Let it be know, I'm getting old, people. Anyway, this weekend? We're hoping to take it easy, at least for the most part. Oh, and clean. As I mentioned yesterday, my mom's coming in town next week and then my father and stepmom the following week, so we'll definitely need to clean our house beforehand. Other than that, I'm hoping to play backyard with the kids in our new little pool we purchased, do a little reading and maybe work on a scheduled post or two, since it'll be all crickets around here for a bit when my folks are in town. Not gonna lie, I'm pretty stoked about taking a little bloggy break. Sometimes blogging on top of life, on top of everything else going on is just too much. It'll be nice to clear my head and regroup. Then I can hopefully come back with some quality posts, instead of just rambling on endlessly, like, you know, I'm doing now.

So, favorites? Let's do this.

1. How dreamy is this hanging chair from Anthropologie? If only it didn't come with a $500 price tag.

2. So, so happy for Janel's adoption becoming official!

3. This is a great list of tips for adding green to your home.

4. I love Mandy's High on Thrifting Thursday posts. Definitely plan on linking up next time.

5. These skinny enchiladas look delish!

6. Like most parents, I'm sure, I can totally relate to this post on redefining date night.

7. This cover of "Creep" by Radiohead? Uh-mazing!

8. I wish we had the yard space to do something like this!

9. I really want one of these cell phone shoulder bags. So pretty!

10. Chalk to remove clothing stains? Who knew?!

Okay, I'm off to get ready for yet another appointment! Have a lovely weekend!

Currently...

The cherry blossoms in our front yard right after they bloomed.

I really love reading the "currently" posts Danielle does over at Sometimes Sweet, so I thought I'd do one of my very own. In case you're not familiar with these, I'll be sharing what I've currently been up to. Pretty self explanatory, right? So shall we? 

Reading: 50 Shades Darker. It's part 2 of the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy, and I'm hooked. I downloaded the first book last weekend and read it in 2 days. This book is taking a bit longer to get through because my reading time during the week is limited to nap time and after the kids go to bed. But, if I had it my way, I wouldn't put the book down. It's seriously that good! I will say, there is quite a bit of sex in it, and weird sex at that (I believe the book may even be classified as "erotica" ::blush::), but the story is just so intriguing. I love the two main characters, Ana and Christian, and can't wait find out where their relationship goes next!

Watching: Tiny Furniture. Ever since Girls aired on HBO a couple weeks ago, I've become slightly obsessed with Lena Dunham, the creator and main character of the show. I just feel like we could be total BFFs. Anyway, her movie Tiny Furniture was on Instant Netflix, so, naturally, I watched it over to weekend. If you can appreciate the humor in Girls, I suggest you watch this film. I thought it was really, really good.

Thinking About: All the stuff I have to get done before the doctor will sign off on my surgery. For the past two weeks, I've had 3 appointments/meetings a wk, and this is going to be the case for at least the next month or two. I know this may not seem like a lot, but on top of being a mom and keeping up with everything at home, working out, blogging, etc., it's a lot. I know once I get into a groove, it'll get easier, but right now it's a bit overwhelming.

Loving: Working out. I know I touched on this during my weekly weigh-in post, but I'm really and truly loving my gym time. Right now, I'm only able to get to the gym about 3 times a week, but I'm hoping once everything slows down, I'll be able to increase it to 4 or 5 times. These workouts (sans kids) have done wonders for both my body and mind.

Anticipating: The next couple of weeks. My mom's coming in town next week for a couple of days, and then my dad and stepmom are planning to come stay with us for a week the following week. Being a military wife, and, therefore, living far away from my family, I miss them dearly and am super excited for them to come visit!

Listening to: Some Nights by Fun. I have to say, when I first heard this album as a whole, I wasn't sure what to make of it. It's definitely very different than The Format. I was all, "I didn't know Elton John (specifically during the Lion King soundtrack era), Queen and Mika made album together!". But it's starting to grow on me - some songs definitely more than others, lol.

FUN. "We Are Young" by GrillMarketing

Eating: I've finally caved and started eating Lean Cuisine's for lunch a few times a week. I was really hesitant to do so because I'd much rather be eating healthy, whole foods than some frozen crap high in sodium. But, they are relatively low-cal, and I've even found a couple meals that are pretty tasty.

Feeling Thankful For: My supportive husband. In the beginning, Dan wasn't really on board with me having a weight-loss surgery. Especially since he's had such an easy time losing weight with exercise alone (if only it were this easy for everyone, right?). However, in the past couple weeks he's really come around. In fact, I'm happy to say that he's now fully supportive of my decision. I love this man!

I have to say, it was a lot of fun reflecting on what I've been up to lately. In fact, I may just have to make these posts a regular feature! What are you currently doing?