I truly delight in knowing that “fun” means:  watching kid movies, dinner with family, bedtime stories, singing silly songs, long cuddles, a messy house, being in bed by 10pm, and hearing a little voice say “I love you, Mama”.

Becoming a parent doesn’t change you, it makes you realize that the little person/people YOU CREATED deserve the very best of your time!

Mentor, encourage, support and lead them by example with morals, values, ethics and The Word of God. ♥

I am so blessed and thankful for the gift of my son.

I noticed my May post about weight loss and am happy to report my efforts are continuing to pay off.  Since May, I’ve dropped a few more pounds and was even down around 137 for a few weeks.  Now I am back up a little but not feeling too bad about it.

My new weight:  140 (and it seems to be holding! )
Height: 5′ 9″ (at least I’m not shrinking yet)

Hope you are experiencing success in your weight loss endeavors!

To adjust to the idea of attending preschool, we have been having regular conversations about school.  He seems to be very comfortable and excited about what school will entail.  Probably the biggest change will be our schedule.  While our basic routine will remain in place, the only problem I saw with the onset of school was my little man wouldn’t be able to sleep in until 8 AM any more because school starts at 7:30AM.

Instead of forcing him to go to bed by a certain time, I’ve taken the approach to wake him up at 7AM.  This seems to be working really well and his internal clock is resetting itself.  Bonus — he is definitely ready for bed at an earlier hour than in the past.  (BTW, he hasn’t been taking naps for several months now.)

If I can carve out a little time to post on this blog more often, I’ll keep you posted on how things are progressing.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cover cookie sheet with foil.
2. In a bowl, toss chicken in pesto to coat.
3. Place on foil lined baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes.
4. Remove from oven.  Top each chicken breast with 2 tomato slices and sprinkle with cheese.
5. Bake another 3-5 minutes.
6. Serve with a prepared box of angel hair pasta and herbs and French bread.

As should have been expected, my life went into a total upheaval again and EVERYTHING changed including location and a 4 day drive across the U.S. with my now 3 year old – who is the best little traveler on the planet – we’ve landed back in a safe place.

During the 4 day trip, I didn’t eat.  Stress and the fact that I don’t like to eat while in the car let alone while driving.  By the end of each 12 hours on the road, I just didn’t feel like eating.

Back here and being on a limited budget, I basically buy only  the essentials at the grocery store.

The weight has pretty much fallen off and  I’ve maintained this for almost 2 weeks now.  I’m getting the cautionary – that’s too much weight loss, too fast – however, I do feel better.

My new weight:  145
Height – no change: 5′ 9″

Still hoping to drop at least another 5 pounds before bikini season : )  Is it acceptable to wear a bikini when I’m 46 years old?

Best to you!

Even at 43, after I gave birth to Jack, the pregnancy weight dropped off incredibly fast – within a couple of weeks after delivery (or should I say extraction!).

Last September, people/friends were commenting about my being underweight and looking a little scary.  Then things changed – my scale broke so I couldn’t weigh in daily as always, I moved, changed my eating habits, found myself drinking a few beers at the occasional holiday/social event, stopped my moderate but regular exercise routine, and no longer had a daily direct view of myself in a full-length mirror.  I think all of these contributed to the recent weight gain.  To my astonishment, I was confronted by the number on the new found scale which screamed out my weight gain of about 12 pounds  since the last time I checked!  YIKES!

Because I don’t think too many people actually read my posts, I’m not too concerned about listing my actual stats:

Date: 3.4.2011
Age: 45 (until next Monday!)
Height: 5′ 9″
Today’s Weight: 155

Ideally, I like the way I look at 135-140 pounds.  Others would say that is too thin for my height/frame, but I know how I feel in my skin and right now I feel like an overstuffed sausage!

My plan is to make conscientious choices when it comes to lifestyle and food consumption.  Thinking more effort placed on eating regular meals that include enough carbs and crunchiness plus moderate treats of dark chocolate or a sweet something to keep me satiated.  I know me and hate to feel deprived.  If it’s too hard or doesn’t satisfy me, I won’t stick to it.

Also, I need to get up from my desk more often.  Being a busy virtual assistant, I find I get wrapped up in projects and don’t get up to stretch, move, even to get the blood flowing – sometimes for hours at a time.

Alrighty, now I’m sending this post out to the universe and/or public display to motivate and inspire me enough to knock off these excess pounds.

Wish me luck!
Best to you.
Jan

I saw a neighbor chase her ~6 year-old daughter into the street, grabbed her and while standing in the street the mother smacked her daughter’s thighs about 6 or 7 times while screaming at her.  What occurred next was the action that really got me in the pit of the stomach  – the mother than smacked the child across the face, once, then twice. 

I don’t know about you, but I had to do something!  Was my reaction unnecessary?  When/should one intervene?  Your thoughts?

Best to you,
Jan

Now a mini-plug – they have great jewelry, housewares and more all backed by a 100% guarantee!  .:.  regardless of your physical location… if you are interested in shopping the latest offerings via my Avon website, please go to: www.yourAvon.com/JanClark and contact me to talk about free shipping anytime.  THANKS!

Way to go, Avon!
Jan

As a virtual assistant, I’ve been in the thick of SMNs for several years now and help my clients set up their networks.  It is an exciting way to share information with the masses and an exceptional tool for business owners to market their business.  Friends and family members are connecting here, too, more readily than via email these days.  However, when utilizing this for personal engagement, especially those with teenagers need to be fully aware of what information is being posted for public consumption.

Reinforcing this thought is this Yahoo news link I found this morning.  Thieves have found a way to guess pertinent information via information posted on SMNs like your Social Security Number 8.5% of the time for people born since 1989.

My advice, remove or hide key information on your SMNs.  Need help?  Contact me and I’ll help you protect your information.

Best to you,
Jan