Snack Attack

As I have mentioned before, I am not a huge fan of big meals.  I am, however, a huge fan of snacking! I actually rarely eat a "real" meal.  I don't like eating a lot at once and I hate feeling full.  So I would rather snack allll day long.  I would say I eat something at least every 2-3 hours.  

I have also been talking about trying to gain weight.  I have 5 pounds to go :) Some of these snacks aren't the healthiest, but they are yummy and I like them!!

 Oh my are these tasty! I found them at Walmart. I haven't been able to find them anywhere else! 

I am like the biggest fan of Pop Tarts! They come in so many different flavors.  I am pretty sure I have tried just about every kind.  The fruit ones...meh...not my fav.  I definelty prefer the "desserty" flavors.  I got these bad boys at Aldi. Last box on sale! Probably won't see this flavor again until next Christmas so I will be sure to enjoy each and every bite :)

 I do love my protein bars.  These are absolutely towards the top of my list!  Probably even top 3.  Chocolate pretzel with sea salt.  What more could you want?? Perfect combo of salty and sweet.  I would even take this over a candy bar.  They are that good!

 I have been into dried fruit lately.  I am always on the go with my job, so it doesn't always work to bust out a banana or apple.  These are perfect to just throw in a little bag and take with me wherever we go...story time, park, library, mall, movies... Healthy and yummy. Got these from Sam's Club.

 More dried fruit.  How have I never tried dates until just recently?? They are yummy! I love them with a little cream cheese! They are kinda hard to actually stuff, but even just dipping them in cream cheese tastes just as good.  

 Ok, not so much a snack.  But this is some delicious tea! I really love the Tazo teas.  

 Yup, Sponge Bob Square Pants edamame.  I am a nanny remember...These are great because they come in little individual bags.  Pop them in the microwave and ready to eat.  I don't love them just by themselves...but on a salad or in a stir fry. Nice little protein boost!

 I have always been a fan of Wheat Thins.  Probably my favorite cracker.  Between these and Ritz crackers...that's a tough call.  This flavor is really good.  Pairs nicely with some cheese slices.  And a little extra fiber never hurt anyone :)

Yes, these are called kidzels.  Pretzels in the shape of fun things.  Once again, I am a nanny... I pretty much love any pretzels.  These are fun and yummy.  They have a little touch of honey too so they have that wonderful sweet and salty combo.  

Welp, those are some of my favorite snacks lately.  

Do you prefer to snack or eat "real" meals??

Hello Life

I need to start this post with a HUGE thank you to a fellow blogger! Her name is Shira.  She has an amazing blog called Hello Life: A Year Without A Scale.  It is about her journey through eating disorder recovery.  All I can say is that she is truly inspirational!! I only wish I had found her blog earlier because she is just about finished with her 365 days without a scale.  Don't worry though, I am working my way through all her past entires.  The thing I absolutely love about her blog is that she is REAL.  She doesn't sugar coat things.  She is honest and so motivating.  I love her "Hello Life" idea. She sent out bracelets to others who are struggling with ED.  I requested one and it made my day when it arrived!

It is such a great feeling knowing that Shira, and many others are wearing this same bracelet and struggling through similar situations.  I cannot express how amazing it feels knowing I am not alone in this crazy disease.  

THANK YOU SHIRA! 

On another ED related topic...I went to the reproductive doctor today.  Since my last visit (about a month ago) I am up 2 pounds.  That means only 5 more to go :)  I can honestly say I feel OK with the number I saw today.  ED gave his two cents...but I did a pretty good job of telling him to "Shut It!"  I feel even more motivated now to gain the next 5 pounds.  

I went to the grocery store after my appointment.  Like I was hoping, I was feeling extra brave.  I even had a coupon for these gems.

Of course ED was screaming NOOOO! But ya know what?! These are delicious!! I had the red velvet today and really enjoyed them :)  Are they the most healthy thing? Hell no! But I have eaten super (crazily) healthy for pretty much my entire life.  We all deserve some fun and yummy food!

Another pretty awesome thing happened today.  I got a FREE haircut!! That's right! I also got some highlights thrown in.  I have this super talented friend who is a hair stylist.  She did my hair for wedding and I always go to her when I need a cut.  I texted her to see if she was working today because my hair was getting outta control.  She wasn't working, but she was interviewing a potential new stylist.  He moved here from New York and was asked to bring a "model" to show his skills.  Since he didn't know anyone, my friend asked if I would want to volunteer.  For a free haircut?! Count me in!  Wash, highlights, cut, styled for FREE! I cannot stress the free part enough.  Anyone who goes to even a somewhat decent salon knows that haircuts are not cheap.  I did give him a nice little tip :) I hope he gets the job! I was a happy customer. 

Overall I would say today was a pretty good day.  I am trying to keep a positive attitude with the whole weight thing.  One day/meal at a time :)

What is the best thing you ever got for FREE??

Minor Freak Out...

Anyone who has personally had to deal with ED will probably relate to this post.  Those of you who do not have such a close relationship with the dreaded ED may think I am crazy.  Oh well...

Since last meeting with the reproductive specialist I am seeing, the doctor agreed to move forward with the next treatment if I gained a total of 10 pounds.  Originally she had said I needed to gain 15.  I told her how hard it has been physically and emotionally.  She still wants me at a higher/healthier BMI because the next treatment option is pretty extreme.  Sooo that means I only have another 7 pounds to gain instead of 12.

I have been meeting with the doctor about once every 3-4 weeks for a weigh in.  Just so they have documentation of my progress.  I have been weighing myself at home about once a week.  Now, this is where ED gets really loud!! When the scale and ED get together, it is always disastrous!! If the number goes up, I get upset.  If the number goes down, I get upset.  If the number stays the same, I get upset!! You really can't win with the scale when ED is in your head.  I know to move forward with infertility treatment I need to gain weight. And I want more than anything to move forward with things!! BUT the idea of gaining weight, buying bigger clothes, possibly looking and feeling different freaks me out! Like WOAH! Anyway...here is when the minor freak out takes place...

I was the same weight for 2 weeks in a row.  So this past week I really increased my calorie and fat intake.  Since I only had 7 pounds to gain, I was getting extremely motivated and telling ED to "shut it" when I was eating things normally "not allowed".  I prepared myself mentally before stepping on the scale.  The scale even does that dramatic 3...2...1... and there flashed the same number!! ED seemed happy, but Kim was very discouraged! How could I not have gained anything with how much more I was eating??!!

Then my husband comes up and says the scale always shows him different numbers.  He stepped on the scale 5 times and did get different numbers.  Uh oh! We realized the battery had never been changed and we have had the scale for a while.  So we change the battery and I step on again.  It was 4 pounds higher!!! I stepped on and off about 10 times and it was the same 4 pound higher number! It was like I had instantly gained 4 pounds.  ED was going crazy in my head! I knew I should be happy but I couldn't help freak out.  It was like I instantly felt bigger, my pants felt tighter, and I wanted to skip my next snack.

I even went and got a 15 pound weight to test it.  The scale was accurate.

So now I don't really know what to think?? I have been trying my best to keep eating more.  Even if the higher  number is correct, I still have about 3 pounds to gain.  I know what I need to do and am doing my best to ignore ED and all his craziness.

I go tomorrow to meet with the doctor again and get an official weigh in.  They have one of those super fancy scales so I know it will be accurate.  Hopefully then I can trust the number and do whatever it is I need to in order to move forward with things.  I wish I didn't focus so much on the number.  It is hard now because I need to get to a certain weight so I do need to step on the scale and face the number.

I suppose that's enough rambling for now! Fingers crossed for a "good" number tomorrow.  Ha, whatever that means!! :)

Sunday Funday

Most people would not refer to working on Sunday as "Sunday Funday". But, most people don't get to do what I do at work. I usually don't work weekends, but every now and then the dad will ask me to. I get paid extra so it's a win win! 

Kiddos were still in jammies when I got there and actually didn't even get dressed until about 1! Eh, it's Sunday! Sunday is a day for staying in jammies and baking! So that is just what we did! I found a simple cupcake recipe and we got to work. The kiddos love to help measure, pour, and mix everything together. They also insisted on watching the cupcakes bake in the oven.

Yes, they waited there for about 16 minutes! 

Turned out good and ready to decorate!

I love using those little bowls for toppings. Makes it easier for them to decorate.

He is so proud! Awesome decorating skills!

Silly face! Future baker?!

When we are done I always give the kiddos a spoon with some icing and extra toppings to lick. Probably the best part!

Turned out wonderfully!! 

Green frosting, chocolate chips, marshmellows, and sprinkles! What more could you ask for??

We also did some coloring, eating of grilled cheese sandwiches, and watched the ever so famous "Curious George". Not a bad day at "work"! :)

What is your typical Sunday like??

Sweethearts!

I don't think I have mentioned this before, but my parents own a cookie bakery. Awesome I know! It's called Country Cupboard Cookies. Check out the website.

http://www.countrycupboardcookies.com/ 

I work there part time, especially around the holidays. It's pretty fun :) I especially like decorating cookies. 

For Christmas we were super busy. You can still order winter gifts.

Christmas is in the past now though. We are already getting things going for Valentine's Day!

Mini sugar cookie hearts. So fun to decorate!

I love the colors! Pink and white. Red and white.

It is a little tricky writing words. I am working on my writing skills!

We are also trying something new this year. Sugared Valentine Hearts.

I love the bright colors! And they are bite sized so you can easily eat two or three :)

What is your favorite Valentine's Day treat??

Just a Bit on the Chilly Side

The past 2 days in Pittsburgh have been just a teeny tiny bit cold.

I don't think anyone in the area had school. The two kiddos I watch were both off. 

I usually wouldn't complain about the snow and cold. I do live in Pittsburgh and it is winter so I expect some weather like this. The problem is when the house you work in has a broken heater.

It is set at 70 but is actually only 56 degrees here! That is cold for being inside!

Luckily the family I work for owns a Keurig. I tried two new yummy flavors.

Both soo good! Even while sipping a hot drink, my coat remained on...all day...

Luckily I packed some warm slipper socks because the tile floor was freezing on my little piggies!

The kids were feeling it too...

We all snuggled up and spent a few hours watching this classic.

End the day with making some rice krispy treats. Except we didn't have enough rice krispies so we made do...mix in some honey nut and chocolate cheerios! Yum :)

Soo goooey!

What do you like to do on a cold and snowy day?? 

Kids Books are Waaay better than Adult Books

Today was pretty much a typical day in the life of a nanny. And by typical of course I mean awesome :)

My day started by picking up one kiddo from pre-school. It is a cold and snowy day here so we decided Barnes and Noble would be a good place to spend the afternoon. 

Of course we got goodies first.

That is one GIANT rice krisy treat! 

I tried a new flavor of tea. Now I forget what it was called... Ha it was good! I think it was coconut vanilla ginger something? It warmed me up and tasted good so that's all that mattered.

We don't usualy buy books here. We just find a cozy spot to read some books while finishing our goodies.

Any parent, babysitter, nanny, or person with a young sibling must know about the pigeon books! They are pretty hilarious! Kids enjoy them and so do I :)

These were all great! I recommend them to anyone ages 2-30!

We also decided to take some selfies in between books.

Also a sad selfie...

A silly selfie...

And an angry selfie...

Welp, that was the excitement of the day! The rest of the day was spent eating grilled cheese and goldfish, coloring, and watching some Curious George. Overall, I would say it was a good day :)

What do you love/hate about your job??

I love that I get to do super fun things each day and basically be a kid!

I hate that I don't have any co-workers and sometimes I crave a little adult interaction! I guess co-workers can be a bad thing too... Depends on who they are!