Lick the Bowl

Admittedly, some days are harder than others.   Frenetic schedules, family emergencies, carpooling, and to- do lists a mile long.   When you need Monday-Thursday to catch up from your weekend, there’s definitely a problem.   I also admit that I am prone to letting little things get to me, even though I try not to let that happen, but, alas, it does.   I know I am not alone in this world when I say, “Calgon, take me away,” (yes, I am dating myself with that expressionl).   Even if I could sit in a bubble bath, alone, on a different planet, without children screaming through the door for advice, homework help or snack, I would probably compile lists in my head regarding the groceries, meals, and upcoming camp preparation.   Before you know it, the bubbles have fizzled out, and I realize, “Wow, I still need to lose those 7lbs!” Ugh. Nevertheless, this is what life is, a careful balance of carpools, rehearsal schedules, afterschool activities, variety...

Remember Little Debbie’s, with all that yummy cream centered between two chewy oatmeal cookies? Ah, yes, soooo delicious. I went through a Little Debbie phase back in grad school where I just couldn’t get enough of them.   At the time, I was weaning myself off Pop Tarts; my sugary, hydrogenated laden, cholesterol building, fat inducing toaster pastries. After I came out of Pop Tart rehab, however, I was pulled right back into another addiction.   I guess I wasn’t strong enough to resist the lure.   No, I didn’t take up smoking, or even alcohol.   Instead, I became heavily addicted to….Little Debbie Oatmeal Crème Pies.   On closer glance however, innocence is shattered because they are bad…really bad. Yes, such an innocent name for such a potent snack cake.   The very first ingredient is Corn Syrup.   Shame on you cute Little Debbie!   Three different hydrogenated oils follow this.   At this point, your cholesterol is rising by jus...

  It has been exactly one week and three days since I started my 7 lbs in 7 weeks campaign. I have a number of observations about my spring challenge and I bring them to you uncut, unedited, painfully honest, embarrassing, out there, but hopefully, motivational. The Ugly Never set your expectations too high.   For example, I am going to lose 30 lbs in a month.   Clearly, this is an impossible expectation with doom written all over it.   However, I put out a very reasonable expectation, 7 lbs in 7 weeks.   This would undoubtedly be a healthy method-1 lb per week. Yes? Of course the answer is yes, but in my brain, deep within it’s coffee soaked crevices, I had an alternate plan.   I figured since 1 lb a week seemed soooo simple, then, I would probably lose more than that, hailing me as the goddess of weight loss.   My alternate plan was very convincing in my brain, even though my realistic plan was the one I set forth on paper.    Now, ...

I rarely have the television on when the kids are home, and for good reason.   At 5:30, I was blissfully living inside my temporary domestic bubble.   My husband wasn’t travelling and thus, able to take our son to karate, leaving me an hour of luxury to actually make dinner, as opposed to slapping something together.   As I stood in the kitchen, chopping onions, relishing the quiet as my daughter studied nearby, and looking out the window at the tree coming to life with its yellow pom- pom blossoms, I actually felt, peaceful.   I didn’t need to rush anywhere, no one was asking me for anything, and I was totally engaged in my task. I even think I was humming.   Very- rare- indeed. The telephone pierced my silence. I almost didn’t pick it up because my hands were a little wet from the onion. Of course, I was out of paper towels, even though I had just gone to supermarket on a $300 run, but forgot the one item that propelled me to go in the first place. ...

Spring Unveils a Diet Challenge-7 lbs in 7 weeks As many of you know, I was born and raised in Queens and consider myself a native New Yorker at heart.   When I moved to Maryland twenty-two years ago, (I still can’t believe it has been that long) there were a few things I had to get used too.    First off, I walked like the roadrunner on speed. I was like the person who races down the people mover at the airport while everyone is casually standing on the belt.   My speed was a testament to my NYC roots until my roommate told me to slow down .   Second, nobody…and I mean nobody, wore their purse strapped across their chest.   Harkening back to my subway days where you always had a purse around your chest and one hand resting by the zipper or opening.   Third, everything closed really early (especially in the burbs) and opened later than I was accustomed too.   What do you mean I can’t buy a gift for the teacher 10 minutes before I’m suppos...

The Best of Years, the Worst of Years Wow! Can it be that I haven’t written to the blog-o-sphere in close to a year? Yet, my final entry date was June 6, 2012…the last time I put fingers to keyboard to express a public opinion.   Writing in a blog is definitely a commitment, no doubt about it, but when life gets in the way, the commitment sometimes gets broken, even when the whole purpose of the darn thing is to expound on how, well….life gets in the way.   I am sure , you have been waiting with bated breath to find out where we left off in Rachel’s life.   Therefore, I am providing you with full disclosure of all that I have experienced this year in an effort to catch up, so, we can return to our regularly scheduled blogging sessions The Year in Review It was the best of years and it was the worst of years. It was a year full of anxiety and it was a year full of peaceful moments. Change taught me to be stronger;change isnt always what it's cracked up to be...