Thank you for reading my blog and being awesome FRIENDS!! Thank you for allowing me to be ME and to learn what the hell it means to be Jen!

Last week: 195.4 {actually this was from 2 weeks ago}

This week: 198

Change this week: +2.6

You may have noticed that Saturday Scale Time did not happen last week! You can thank the wonderful snow storm! I found at today, that I was not the only one who did not make it to WW last week!! In fact, WW canceled the meeting and closed the building!

I must admit that going to my WW meeting was not the first thing on my mind when I climbed out of bed this morning! I had one hell of a belly and head ache!!! I truly think I had a sugar hangover. I love Christmas and part of my traditions include certain foods. We have made somethings healthier but I truly believe in enjoying certain things certain ways and I do not feel guilty about that!

Every year on Christmas we go to my mom’s house for our non-Italian take on the Feast of Seven Fishes! OMG! Calamari and shrimp and crab (jumbo Lump) and Ahi and Alaskan Salmon and Scallops and more crab (Kind Crab Claws)! Last year, we turned it into Seven Fishes Tapas! The appetizers are so yummy and plentiful that we are so full that dinner is almost a waste! This year we only had appetizers and it was perfect!!

Christmas is MY holiday. I do not go crazy with decorations or anything like that! When I was a kid I hated any holiday!! My parents were divorced and the schlepping from one family to the next and all that anxiety in between ruined most of the experience for me. When Q was a baby and I left her sperm donor and came home to my family, the holidays were almost as bad as when I was a kid. I schlepped me and my kid all over the place and I hated it!! When I met Big Man he changed everything about holidays! We were a new family and he helped me make traditions to enjoy the holiday. Our first Christmas together was 6 years ago but our first Christmas living all together was the next year. That Christmas, 5 years ago, changed everything for me! We did not leave our house but invited everyone to “pop” in anytime during the day. I prepared buffet-style, easy picky foods and casseroles so everyone could eat but I didn’t have to spend all day cooking. I have gotten much better at cooking and my meals have evolved but this is how we spend every Christmas now!

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!

The food has gotten healthier! But the tradition is there!

This year, I made chocolate chip cookies at 9:30pm on Christmas Eve. I know I have a problem with cookies!! ESPECIALLY, fresh from the oven chocolate chip cookies!! I cannot control myself! I had a ton of cookies (enough to gain 2.6 lbs)!! A TON OF cookies I ate yesterday! And they were so yummy!!

And then…

I woke up with a belly ache and a head ache!! I swear I had a chocolate chip hangover!!

But…

I went to my WW meeting anyway! and I gained 2.6 pounds! Phew!! I thought I was gonna gain about 7 pounds.

and this is where I confess…

I have not been tracking and I have not really been working out! I have been a slacker! But, I went to my WW meeting anyway!!

It may sound crazy, but I think those cookies were good for me! I think waking up feeling lousy was good for me!! I know going to my WW meeting was good for me!!

I am feeling very reflective!! I am also feeling very much in need of some change! Earlier I tweeted it out about taking some time away from blogging and I was hit back with the sweetest and most supportive tweets:

1. PatBarone

   *@bwJen What a great time of year to retreat, play and plan next year! I did a mini retreat for myself Dec.23 to plan next year! about 1 hour ago from web

2. LowFatKat

   @bwJen Heck no! Your blog, your journey. You should take all the time you need! We read bc we like you, not bc you owe us content! about 1 hour ago from UberTwitter in reply to bwJen

3. chivetalker

   @bwJen morning, friend! Hope you had a lovely Christmas! Taking a break is necessary sometimes to refocus. about 1 hour ago from web in reply to bwJen

4. ComplicatedMama

   @bwJen absolutely not.. I did the same a few weeks ago, sometimes a break is good. about 1 hour ago from web in reply to bwJen

5. brimil

   @bwJen absolutely not! that sounds like a good idea actually about 1 hour ago from web in reply to bwJen

6. Fitarella

   @bwJen NOT AT ALL! take time for yourself and figure out what YOU need about 1 hour ago from TweetDeck in reply to bwJen

7. debroby

   @bwJen NO. Actually perfect time to do so. Many fewer readers/less activity this week than any other all year. about 1 hour ago from web in reply to bwJen

I will be taking a little trip to the Poconos tomorrow! Me, the Big Man and the karate kid will hit the road sometime before noon and it shouldn’t take up longer than 3 hours to get to our cabin.  We will be home Wednesday night! I cannot wait for 3 nights in a cabin in the mountains with my favorite peeps! I need to get away from everything and (with permission from my tweethearts) I am also going to step back from blogging this week. I need time for reflection and refocus and change!

Stay tuned!! I will be back very very soon!! [There will be a Mindful Menu plan posted tomorrow]

and you all know I LOVE

On the menu this week:

Sunday: Spicy Seafood Stew On Friday night, before the snow hit, we all went to the grocery store. We just got some essentials in case we got hit. The seafood department had a great sale of scallops and they were beautiful! I came home and looked for just what to do with scallops. As the snow started I found this stew recipe. I added a shredded zucchini and a couple chopped up garlic cloves. I will tell you all about it after dinner!

Monday: Pork Cutlets with mashed potatoes and broccoli

Tuesday: Chicken something! I was gonna just wing this one but I have too much to do this week to not plan as much as possible!! I looked through some cookbooks and found a recipe called “Grandma’s Chicken and Dumplings” in a slow cooker cookbook! This particular cookbook is a Healthy Exchange book so it is a bit healthier – this recipe is under 300 calories. I will post a recipe and pictures if it is as good as it should be!

Wednesday: Sirloins

Thursday aka Christmas Eve ~ Dinner of the Seven Fishes at my mom’s house. I am not Italian but my mom’s last boyfriend was very Italian-American and he introduced us to the Italian Christmas Eve tradition and while he may be gone the tradition stays! Oh I can’t wait!! I love seafood and this is like seafood yumminess overload!! Seared Ahi, Fried Calamari, Salmon, Crabcakes, Mussels, Clams, oh my!!

Friday aka MY FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR aka CHRISTMAS: I love Christmas. It is the best day! I have food all day and family and friends visit all day. Food is easy, non-fussy picky foods. The day will start with a brunch that I will have pretty much prepared ahead of time. Lunch will be cookies & more brunch and dinner will be a Glazed Ham and crockpot Macaroni & Cheese and coleslaw.

Saturday:  I am figuring this going to be a busy day. We are going to the mountains on Sunday so we have to pack. We will be staying in a cabin so we will have a menu for next week and I will prep as much ahead of time as I can!

Menu Planning, are you doing it?

I cannot believe how many benefits there are to menu planning?!?! It has helped my family stay on budget and it has helped to lose weight. I never realized how much we ordered out… I had no idea how often we were scrambling with the “what are we gonna make for dinner?” … I have since learned that the grocery store is not as evil when you really have a plan and a list!

Planning my menu has helped my family in many ways and I owe it all to Jenna (@chivetalker) and her Chive Talkin’ Menu Roll.

What?!?!

You haven’t joined Jenna’s menu roll?

What are you waiting for?

Check IT out and I am sure you will not regret it!!

This week: 195.4

Change this week: -0.2

Change since 11/8/08: -47.2

Change since back @ WW (10/10/09): -4.o

Summary of week: In the last two months I have lost 4 pounds. That is 2 pounds per month.  I would like to see more movement on the scale but I am also ecstatic that the scale is still moving.  In fact, I am on a losing streak – I have lost for the last 5 weeks.  School has been busy. Home has been busy. and I have made excuses for not working out.

Hot 100 Update: I made too many excuses this week. I have nothing to say for myself! I was extremely half-assed about working out this week. I know what happened…the weather changed and got cold – almost wintery – and I went into hibernation mode. Menu planning has kept me eating wonderful nutritious foods but all the planning in the world can’t drag my ass out of bed.  I am however, doing great on other goal areas – I am getting more organized and as I get more organized I find planning and scheduling is my biggest helper.  I always knew making exercise a priority and actually exercising regularly would (and is) the hardest part of the weight loss journey. I am still unsure why I resist exercise so much – I know that I feel better when I workout but I do not push myself to actually do them. That is going to change. BY THE END OF THE YEAR!! I still have 19 day!

Goals for the week ahead:

• I know what has to be done!! It is time to do it!!
• Track every day
• Workout consistently!
• Walk 15 miles
• Try Tae Bo
• add 10 minute yogo or pilates 3x per week

Thoughts for the week ahead: Tony, aka the antiJared, blogged about the Brilliance of Day 1 - Go read it!! Trust me! I found myself agreeing with a lot Tony “said” in this post. Day 1 when I joined Weight Watchers I was on my “best behavior” and everything was so fresh and exciting and I wanted to be so good at the “new rules.” Week 1 was such a positive week. I am going to keep Day 1 and Week 1 in my mind every day!

There is so much to be done with less than two weeks til Christmas. I have bunches of cleaning to get done tomorrow so we can put out tree up tomorrow or Monday night. Tomorrow will be busy – cleaning and lesson plans and cooking.  Big Man and I are going to surprise  the kid with a Christmas Get-Away. We rented a cabin in the Poconos – we will head up there on Sunday after Christmas and hang out in the mountains for 3 nights! I can’t wait but there is much to prepare between now and then. LOTS to prepare between now and Christmas!! I will get exercise in – no matter how busy life gets!!