Old habits are hard to break

It doesn't take much for me. I don't have an extreme amount of self control. I give in to the Easter candy. I talk myself into allowing an extra serving of rice. I eat Mexican food. Twice. I eat some Italian food. And I allow the excuse of being extremely busy with two major fundraising events in a time frame of nine days deter me from getting to the gym. And what happens?

I gain three pounds. Simple math, right? But yet why was I so surprise to step on the scale with the trainer tonight to see that my weight is almost exactly where it was three weeks ago. No progress but a step in the wrong direction. And why was I suprised that the trainer chose tonight to kick my ass in training? Shouldn't she? Don't I need a decent ass kicking to kick myself back in gear?

Indeed I did need it.

And now every muscle in my body is pleading with me to not forget this simple math again. Just because Heroes and Handbags Dallas is this Friday is not an excuse to eat whatever I want and neglect my diet. Just because I'm stress doesn't mean I can't find a better alternative to the Easter candy I so love (seriously--why did that damn Easter bunny think Reese's peanut butter cups were a good idea for this little one??).

Don't you wish that broccoli tasted as good as chocolate? Or that boiled chicken magically tasted as yummy and delicious as fried? I dream about it. Sadly, it has yet to happen.

And so, I return to the diet. Becuase only a little over a week of cheating and I've gained three pounds. Must get a handle of this before it begins to multiply into six and then nine. It does have a tendency to do that.

In An Attempt to be Cooler

I've mentioned before that I was never part of the popular crowd as a kid. I most definitely was not the cool kid in class that everyone wanted to be friends with. I tended to be well liked enough to discuss a topic in English class, but not hang out with in the lunchroom. I got along with most people, but never found my niche. Well, that is until junior year of high school when I found a kindred spirit.

I don't keep up with the times--always slightly behind on the trends though catching up eventually. Didn't get a Hypercolor shirt until it was just on the tailend of being popular. Bummer too--it was pink and I thought I looked pretty sharp. No surprise that I didn't get to order the shoes until everyone I know in Highland Park not only has a pair but an assortment of colors (oh, by the way--they came in finally. They don't fit--wrong size. So, it continues).

And now my friends, I am finally jumping on the bandwagon of another trend. At our board retreat, I was one of few not pulling one out of a purse or pocket. I didn't have it to check at meetings or whip out during a lunch appointment. So, enough was enough. I envied at Jen and Amy for having one. I borrowed my husbands on occassion thinking about how cool I could be. If only.

Now? I can feel myself getting cooler by the second. Well, that is after Andrew sets it up and shows me how to use it.

Maggie Saw a Who!

In the words of Dora the Exlporer--we did it!! Tonight, we decided to go for it and head to the Studio Movie Grill tonight for a movie. I was a bit apprehensive about it, but I don't know why--girlfriend was AWESOME!! She could not have been better. We ordered popcorn and ate dinner too. She was glued to the screen. It was such a blast! I sat there watching my beautiful girl gazing at the screen with nothing but pride. How did she get so big? How did she go from the precious little tiny baby in my arms to this big girl sitting in a chair watching a movie? Oh, my how the time flies.

I was in Houston this week for Heroes and Handbags. What a HUGE success! I don't have final numbers yet, but I will say that it was incredible and I'm very pleased. Of course, when gone like that, I missed my sweet girl. Picking her up at school was such a delight today. She was with her teacher getting her face cleaned up. She didn't see me sneak in the room. I was able to sneak up and say hi to my baby. "MY MAMA!!!" she squealed as she ran into my arms and hugged me. Really, is there any better greeting? Is there any better love than that? Not for me, that's for sure. According to her teacher, she has been a bit out of sorts since I've been MIA for three days. She talked about missing her Mama and wanting to see me. I just have a few more weeks of our busy time at work, and then things will settle down. I just need to make sure my little girl feels her love from me as much as possible!

I'm whooped!! I'm exhausted from a very busy week with work and a stomach bug I caught on Monday. Time for me to crawl into bed. I have oh so much more to write about, but it will have to wait for another day.

Weekend Pictures

The Easter bunny came for a hunt at Maggie's school. The school was closing at noon and the hunt was set for 11. Since Andrew had the day off, we decided to let her have an easy morning at home while i worked from the couch. Because her parents couldn't totally get it together and she had to throw a few fits, we were 15 minutes late. We ran outside to join her friends right at the tailend of the hunt. Very little eggs to be had for Maggie. There is a little girl that is allergic to most of the candy, so the mom gave some to Maggie in her basket. That's ok--she still ended up having a hunt at Ga Ga's and one at Nana's with us. And boy did she ever enjoy decorating the eggs!
Here are a few pictures from the weekend. Scroll down to the post from last night if you want an actual update...




Not phased that she missed the hunt. She still loved it!



Giving her favorite friend at school a little love.



With her teacher, Miss Brandi.

Getting silly while decorating the eggs.

Mama being a little silly too. yes, that is a sticker of Belle on my nose.

A pretty princess decorating her princess eggs. Have I mentioned that she only refers to herself as "Magarella?" Becuase she is a pretty princess like Cinderella, you see.

Our family.

Mama and the princess

Papa Jim and Magarella

Hunting for eggs

Tasting the yummy chocolate (which she calls "cockie")

What to blog about?

Every night this week I have come to this page on Blogger to create a new blog. I take a look for a second, then close it up. I can't think of a topic. Then I come back a few hours later thinking I've come up with just the right thing. And what happens? Nada.

According to my stat counter, people are still coming to read. Sorry, dear readers, I've not forgotten you all. Just let myself slack on the blogging this month. So, what's going on with the Scotts? Let's see...

* Maggie is getting a little nicer to me. I'm not public enemy #1 quite as badly as I was three weeks ago. Of course, she still favors Daddy, but I've simply resigned myself to that is the way it is.

* Both family vacations for the year have been finalized. Sea World for a weekend with my mom (for a planning meeting for Camp Discovery, but it's a great reason to get the family to San Antonio!) and then Jackson Hole later in the summer with his side of the family for a week. We're so excited! Of course, I will also have my week gone for Camp Discovery as well.

* Heroes and Handbags is life at the HFC office. We have Houston Handbags this week and Dallas Handbags the next. Hoping for tremendous success!!

* Brandy is all healed from her leg. She still walks with a slight limp that we are told she will have for the rest of her life. She'll be seven in two weeks. I can't believe it!

* Maggie is obsessed with the twins, Baby Ella and Baby Beck. She talks about them constantly. Her teacher at school overheard her with a friend playing dolls, "Do you want to see Baby Beck and Baby Ella?" as she motioned to two baby dolls. She loves seeing them and is so gentle and sweet.

* Sure that makes me think about having another baby, especially when I see how sweet she is with the twins. No, it doesn't mean we're having another any time soon! In time, maybe. Now is not the right time for us though. However, I have been having a few more dreams about babies lately!

* I've lost 11 pounds! The Easter candy is kind of killing me right now, so I wasn't my best today. Make that 10 pounds maybe. I have a work out with my brother tomorrow at the gym. We're trying to do every Sunday. He's kicking a little booty on his weight loss--down close to 40 pounds!! I'm so proud of him.

* My dress for Houston Handbags finally fits comfortably and Deb and I shopped for a new dress for Dallas. Couldn't find a picture of it online, but I love it. A little Jackie O style. Black sheath dress, cream jacket with large buttons. I just need the big sunglasses.

* Speaking of sunglasses--Maggie likes to wear Andrew's sunglasses when she rides in his car. When she does, she laughs and says, "Hi, I COOL CLARKY!!" For those of you with Wiggle obsessed toddlers such as my little one, you will know that is a character of one of the pirates on the S.S. Feathersword. Maggie is totally into the Wiggles. We have three movies, two CDs, one t-shirt, and we watch at least an episode a day. It's bad when the parents compare which Wiggles song they had stuck in their head at the end of the day! We can't wait--the concert is Aug. 2nd here in Dallas. She will go crazy!! Tickets aren't on sale yet, but I check continuously for the date of the presale to make sure we get good seats.

* Andrew and I have been debating on whether or not the Munch can handle a movie in a theater yet. We both think she might like it, but neither of us are feeling quite that adventurous just yet.

* As always, Andrew is the rock in this household. He is the constant. He doesn't stress much, doesn't get flustered (easily making him the calmer parent), and doesn't seem bothered by the little things. He certainly doesn't "sweat the small stuff." Good thing he is married to me. Brings me a little balance. I'm the first to admit my tendency to be on the high strung side.

Well, I think that about sums it up for us right now. I'm off to bed!

Large Variety of Expressions

Notice a pattern?? I can't get the kid to take a picture without this very same cheesy smile yelling CHEESE at the top of her lungs while scrunching her face. Still pretty damn cute though.

A Day Late and a Dollar Short

That's my life, people. I've been meaning to post for days. But then there's the whole issue of working getting in the way. Or maybe it was the trip to Houston? Or the exercise, diet, or that lovely thing called motherhood?? Well, whatever my excuse, I didn't blog. And I have things to blog about. However, my brain is mush. I can't remember what happened yesterday. Maybe tomorrow. We'll see.

Bye Bye Pounds

As of this morning....

9.8 pounds GONE!!! Need to kick up the cardio to help lose in the belly area. Only four pounds from where I was two years ago with the dress. I have 2 and a half weeks to fit in that dress. I can do it!!

Handbags, babies, and snow--Oh My!!

1. Last night was our live auction and underwriting party for the Dallas Handbags event. We "sold" twenty laptops towards our Laptops for Love program (including a joint purchase from great friends). We had a great time! I met with many new people getting acquainted with Heroes for Children, and had the chance to visit with some great supporters that we've had throughout the years. The Mansion was the perfect location for this event. I haven't been there in over 12 years. I went one other time in my life, wearing my prom dress that I had just gotten. It was my 18th birthday and this cute guy that I was dating was treating me to a special evening. 12 years later, that cute guy was standing by my side last night at the party. And then dinner with Weintraubs and Franklins afterwards? The best ending to a fantastic evening. Sorry, Tracey--I told them the texting needed to stop--they don't listen well to me!

2. Ella came HOME today!! Due to the weather here in North Texas tonight, we chose to stay in and not drive on the potential ice (people, Texans are freaks when we have an ice storm--only once a year, but we act like it is the worst thing you've ever seen). Maggie, Andrew, and I babysat Beck Tuesday night. Not since Allie have I met a calmer, sweeter, easier going baby. He is the most laid back little man EVER. Love him. We can't wait to hold sweet Ella tomorrow night!! Maggie is a little obessed with the babies now. She currently has a baby doll that she has just taken interest in. Her name is Baby Ella, of course, and goes with us everywhere now. This Baby Ella is about three times the size of the real little peanut! Oh, and if you haven't check out the slideshow of the twins on Deb's site, you are missing out. Breathtaking!

3. Been a while since I've posted some pictures. We had snow on Tuesday morning as well. No ice, so it wasn't bad. Before heading off to school, we put on her rain boots and headed out to the backyard. Maggie loved her first snow experience and Brandy was a complete spazz. She freaks in the snow, running around like a wild woman. Some pics of Maggie with the cool little man as well.


Our sassy girl

Our worst critics

A conversation in our office yesterday in preparation for the big stress of "what to wear" to our Live Auction/Underwriting party at the Rosewood Mansion tonight--

Me: I was going to wear that dress I wore last week, but then I saw the pictures of me. Why didn't anyone tell me that I looked so fat in it? I thought I looked good, but I looked horrible!

Christi: Well, I saw the pictures of me and saw how white my legs were. I should have definitely wore those hose. It was bad.

Larissa: Well, I saw the picture of me and wished that someone had edited out my lines by my eyes. I looked terrible.

Got to love the joys of being a woman. In the end, I emailed the pictures to my Posse and asked for the honest truth. Yes, girlfriend, you don't looked good in that dress. Yes, you need to find something else. I found three options and ended up with a little black dress and a red necklace.

I'm sure I'll hate the pictures later. And I have three more weeks to fit back into the dress I want to wear to the Houston Heroes and Handbags event. I was about six pounds lighter back then, so it is just a little snug! Wore it two years ago in Dallas, so I want to wear to the Houston event. No clue what to wear to Dallas (trust me, I can't wear something I've already worn). Oh, the stress!

Slowly but surely

Three weeks after being told I was officially obese, I was measured again tonight. It's slow moving, but I am seeing good improvements. I've lost at least half an inch everywhere, lost 3% body fat, and 6.8 pounds.

And every muscle hurts. Muscles I didn't know I had hurt. My hair hurts. And yet, I have more energy, my jeans that were too tight now fit, and I feel a little better about myself. Bikini ready? Nope. Out of the old size of pants? Not quite yet.

I hate the weight battle. It sucks that my butt grows just looking at the ice cream I love so much.

Chopped Liver

Maggie is Daddy's Girl through and through. If asked who she wants, she chooses Daddy every.single.time. I know it's a phase, but hearing your two year old yell, "NO, not YOU!!" when you try to join in the playtime starts to hurt after a while.

An example from this morning--during snuggle time with all of us in our bed, I told Maggie that I was going to hug Daddy. "No, mine!!" as she shoved my face away and hugged her Daddy as tight as possible. So, then Andrew professed that he loved me and wanted to give Mama a big hug. Did she tell him "No, mine?" and hug me?? Heck no! Instead, she hugged him and said, "well, I love Dada! No, Mama!"

It doesn't help that I have had night meetings and workout times at the gym that have taken me away from home. The Mom Guilt? Yeah, it hit an all time high this week. I had a bit of a meltdown (spurred by "My baby hates me!" talk to Andrew). So this weekend? I shut down from work, even avoiding talking about it with Andrew, and we've made it family weekend! We've been to the Wiggly Playcenter, gymnastics, shopping, out to dinner, the park, and if weather cooperates with us this morning, we're going to spend a few hours at Six Flags to play in the kids area (Andrew bought us cheap season passes).

But, knowing Maggie and how things have gone this week, I won't be riding any of the rides with her. She'll probably just want her Daddy.