Thursday, July 22, 2010

So sorry I haven't posted in a week......


But I have been hangin' out with these two cuties! We are busy hitting the beach and playing playmobils at home. Today we are heading to Gozo and then to the Blue Lagoon on Tuesday. We're are having a great time but there isn't a lot of time for blogging. I will be back soon!
Love and Hugs

Monday, July 19, 2010

Portion Distortion

Good Morning Everybody! Monday is weigh in day for me on my new Weight Watchers plan. It's been a month since Mom and Dad and I have been on this journey. I am happy to report that I have lost a total of 4.4 pounds! Whoooohoooooooo! And to tell you the truth it hasn't been that hard. (well except fot Jillian Micheals and her asskicking workout video from hell that I have been doing for the last 2 weeks) But honestly WW is awesome! I really feel like I am eating all the time and even splurging quite often and still losing 1 pound a week.

The main lesson I have learned is portion sizes. I've always heard people blab on and on about it. Like a chicken breast should be the size of your palm or a deck of cards blah blah blah. I just put what I thought was healthy on my plate. Boy was I wrong! Holy small chicken breast! Holy small steak serving! Holy small bowl of cereal! It wasn't until I bought a small food scale that I realized how really humongous portion sizes I was feeding myself for all my life! It's incrediable! Have you really and I mean really checked out how friggin small a real serving of grilled chicken is? I buy a regular size skinless boneless size chicken breast at the store (honestly nothing too big, I thought it was a healthy "diet"size) take it home measure it and then have to cut it in half!

After I cut in half and eat it I am full though. Honestly. So I guess the Portion People were right. Cut everything in half, you will be full and you will lose weight. End of story.
Love and Hugs

above image of trucker dude with Portion Distortion is from :http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/1103/images/gaz11.gif

Friday, July 16, 2010

Cause the boat was not enough!



Happy Friday Everybody! Last night we took Vince out on the boat so he could use his new wakeboard. I think he's pretty awesome! Take a look and tell me what you think.
Have a great weekend!
Love and Hugs

Thursday, July 15, 2010

I am the Captain of my soul.

Good Morning Everybody! I was wondering what words speak to you? Do you ever hear someone say something or read a phrase and then feel it ring out deep inside of you?
We watched Invitus last night. It's a movie about Nelson Mandela's first year as president of South Africa and their World Cup rugby championship win. Mr. Mandela speaks about a poem he used to read to himself while inprisoned that helped him keep standing when he just felt like giving up. It's called Invictus by William Ernest Henley and it goes lke this:


Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.



This speaks to me so intensly. I am not in jail or a prisoner or even have a very hard life. But I do struggle with depression, aniexty and panic on a daily sometimes minute to minute basis. When I am low I can't leave my house or see anyone other than Vince. I don't answer the phone or return emails. I let these demons enter my soul and take up residence with their negative/ terrifying thoughts and words.
When I am strong I AM the Captain of my soul and the master of my fate. I tell the depression and aniexty and panic to leave me the hell alone. I will determine my happiness thank you very much! I will leave the house when I god damn feel like it. You will not tell me what to do today.
This might sound a little freaky and weird to you or it might make complete sense. Either way it's the truth for me and I am excited to hear what is the truth for you. Are you the Captain of your soul?
Love and Hugs

photo from:http://loyapower.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/nelson_mandela_return_to_cell.jpg

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Why I email everyone back as soon as I can.

Good Morning Everybody! Have you seen this blog yet? It's so hiliarous! I just can't stand it! Go over and visit Allie at her blog Hyperbole and A Half and check out the rest of her drawings! I especially love the one about what to do when confronted with a close talker! Brillant!

Love and Hugs


Here she is writting and drawing about why she will never be an adult....





I have repeatedly discovered that it is important for me not to surpass my capacity for responsibility. Over the years, this capacity has grown, but the results of exceeding it have not changed.

Normally, my capacity is exceeded gradually, through the accumulation of simple, daily tasks.

But a few times a year, I spontaneously decide that I'm ready to be a real adult. I don't know why I decide this; it always ends terribly for me. But I do it anyway. I sit myself down and tell myself how I'm going to start cleaning the house every day and paying my bills on time and replying to emails before my inbox reaches quadruple digits. Schedules are drafted. Day-planners are purchased. I stock up on fancy food because I'm also planning on morphing into a master chef and actually cooking instead of just eating nachos for dinner every night. I prepare for my new life as an adult like some people prepare for the apocalypse.

The first day or two of my plans usually goes okay.


For a little while, I actually feel grown-up and responsible. I strut around with my head held high, looking the other responsible people in the eye with that knowing glance that says "I understand. I'm responsible now too. Just look at my groceries."

At some point, I start feeling self-congratulatory.


This is a mistake.

I begin to feel like I've accomplished my goals. It's like I think that adulthood is something that can be earned like a trophy in one monumental burst of effort and then admired and coveted for the rest of one's life.


What usually ends up happening is that I completely wear myself out. Thinking that I've earned it, I give myself permission to slack off for a while and recover. Since I've exceeded my capacity for responsibility in such a dramatic fashion, I end up needing to take more recovery time than usual. This is when the guilt-spiral starts.

The longer I procrastinate on returning phone calls and emails, the more guilty I feel about it. The guilt I feel causes me to avoid the issue further, which only leads to more guilt and more procrastination. It gets to the point where I don't email someone for fear of reminding them that they emailed me and thus giving them a reason to be disappointed in me.

Then the guilt from my ignored responsibilities grows so large that merely carrying it around with me feels like a huge responsibility. It takes up a sizable portion of my capacity, leaving me almost completely useless for anything other than consuming nachos and surfing the internet like an attention-deficient squirrel on PCP.


At some point in this endlessly spiraling disaster, I am forced to throw all of my energy into trying to be an adult again, just to dig myself out of the pit I've fallen into. The problem is that I enter this round of attempted adulthood already burnt out from the last round. I can't not fail.


It always ends the same way. Slumped and haggard, I contemplate the seemingly endless tasks ahead of me.


And then I rebel.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

I want to be a Motorcycle Momma!

Good Morning Everybody! I saw this video on my Mom's facebook and just fell in love. Sometimes I feel so frigin'far from home and this brings me right back. The beautiful vocals and lovely feeling of Nova Scotia brings tears to my eyes...literally!
I miss you Canada and all your gorgeous talent and warm friendly fuzzies!!
Love and Hugs

Monday, July 12, 2010

Oh Monday!



Good Morning Everybody! I feel a little sad today. So I decided to take a look at the funniest pictures of the funniest woman I know. Don't these photos just kill you too? I absolutely can not look at them without laughing out loud!
I miss you Mom!
Love and Hugs

Thursday, July 8, 2010

What are you drinking this summer?





Goodafternoon everybody! Man it's really getting hot out there and since I am on WeightWatchers I have been thinking a lot about what should be my summer drink. Apparently Champagne (and in my casa Cava) is only 90 cals a glass! Since I have started WW I have been sticking to light beer which is 1.5 points or a vodka soda which is 2 points.
BUT I was reading on That's Fit about Sangria being about 80cals a glass as long as you make your own and omit extra sugar and I was like Hell Ya! I love to make Sangria! Especially the white kind! I found this one blogger who adds white cheeries and apricots to hers! Now that sounds like a summer drink plan to me if I ever heard one! What about you? What's on your drink roster for this summer?
Vodka, cran and soda is also low on cals and reminds me of my sister in law.....Britt hurry up and get your cute ass over here and start chopping fruit and I'll get the pitcher out!
Love and Hugs

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Thankful Tuesdays

Dear Jillian Michaels,

Thank for being a scary bitch and kicking my ass all the way to sunday in your workout video this afternoon. You inspire me to work harder! See you tomorrow...if I can get out of bed! ;-)

Love Always,

Samantha

Me and Mom's favourite new snack


Mom and Dad and I have been on Weight Watchers for the last two weeks and are actually having fun with it! I know right?! Anyways we have found a new awesomely tasty snack, fat-free ricotta on crusty bread. I add a tsp of honey and torn up basil on mine and Mom likes hers with sliced tomatoes and cracked pepper. And it's only 3 points! I use whatever bread I have and Mom likes the german wheat bread that comes double packed in saran wrap at the store. But once I used Wasa crackers and it was only 2 points! Whoohoooo! Seriously try it and fall in love.

Gozo





Goodmorning everybody! I know I promised pictures of Gozo a few weeks back but we've been busy man! Lots of visitors! So finally here are a few. We went to the west side of the island to a little town called Xlendi. Pronounced Shlendi. It was so beautiful! We arrived in around 4pm and went straight for the beach. We mingled with the fishes, played a few rounds of frisbee and had a couple of apres-swim beers. Later we ate dinner near the coast and called it an early night. Overall Gozo is perfectly peaceful and I can't wait to go back! Come on over so we can go together!
Love and Hugs

Monday, July 5, 2010

I'm a loser baby!


Hi guys, I thought I would give you an update on my weight loss progress. I have been on the plan for two weeks now and have held myself accountable for all the food and activity and am having a great time! The first week saw me lose 1.3 pounds and the second week I lost 3.3pounds. So that's a total of 4.6pounds! Whoohooooo! I am not sure if you know how WW works but basically you have a set about of points allocated to you per day depending on your height and weight mesurments. (I have 28points per day) This daily balance is designed to make you feel full and still lose 1 pound a week. I have been sticking to my daily allowance and even going over it a few days. The nice people at WW also give you an extra 35 points a week for treats and you better believe I use all those up as well.
The big thing I have learned so far is portion size. I never knew that one cup of cooked pasta was so small! It's crazy! I have been eating 4 full daily servings of pasta before at one sitting! Also a normal chicken breast for me is double the intended size to fill me up. I just can't believe how much I was overeating and here I thought I was so healthy!
What have you guys been doing lately to stay healthy?
Love and Hugs

Vince's sweet Cousins



Good Morning everybody and happy Monday! We are feeling the emptyness around the house again after Vince's cousins left yesterday afternoon. Helene and Edouard Klein are from Nancy France and stayed with us for 8 days. We did mostly beaches as the weather is getting pretty unbearable over here. At night we went dancing to please Helene's insatiable need! We even did some salsa lessons one weds night at Fuegos! Thank goodness there is no photographic evidence! We had a great time and it was so nice to meet more of Vince's big family! Can't wait to see you at the wedding next year Helene and Edouard! Thanks so much for coming and sharing a great week together!
Love and Hugs

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Happy Birthday Canada!

Good Morning Everybody! I found these little Canada beaver cupcakes on canadaliving.ca. Aren't they cute and a little freaky? I just love how they are waving their little flags! Go Canada!
So what are you all doing on this fine holiday? BBQ in the backyard? Having a few beers? Making beaver cupcakes?
Well I am here in Malta loving my country from a far. I miss it so much. All the hugs and friendly smiles and space you could ever want! I miss you Canada but don't worry you are never far from my heart!
Love and Hugs