First day of school! And huge NSV!!

First day of school for my girlies!  I think this is right up there with one of my favorite days:  everything is bright, shiny, and new...and everyone is happy.  They were all up early and no complaining or arguing over clothes or bathrooms.  And I get my Monday mornings back :)  I don't go in to the office on Mondays, even though I do work and might do some home visits to foster kids.  But I enjoy my quiet mornings and am able to get some stuff done.

3rd grade, 8th grade, and 6th grade

Lord help me...two in Middle School this year!

Oh, and the huge NSV?  I had so many moms coming up to me (and one was shrieking across the school campus) that didn't recognize me or exclaim how good I looked.  I have lost over 50 lbs. this summer (I lost around 25 before school let out).  It was such a nice feeling, not being the "fat mom". I felt good and looked good.  That is priceless on sooo many levels!  Going to be a great year!  It's already been a good day :)

In a good place

Last night, hubby and I were able to go on a date!  Woo hoo!  I probably won't see him much now that football season has started.  He is the head coach for the High School freshman team.  They practice really late and get so busy.  It was really nice to spend an evening with just us...it was lovely.  We were able to share dinner, going out for the first time since we were both sleeved.  We shared a grilled fish taco and a shrimp taco with a side of pinto beans.  He only ate the fish and some beans, I ate 4 pieces of shrimp and then some of the insides of the taco (cabbage and dressing) and some beans.  There were some left over (tortillas and salsa and veggies, and lots of beans), but we were both full.  We are going to be cheap dates :)

I am really enjoying the sleeve right now.  It is a wonderful tool!!  I am actually feeling full for the first time...ever!  It is a nice feeling to eat only a few bites and be done.  I am also in a good place with my weight loss.  I am losing a pound around every third day lately and I am thrilled with that!  I was down again this morning, which leads me to 75 lbs. lost!!!  Yay!!!

My clothes are literally falling off and I am really going to have to go shopping for some new ones.  I have a few that I can still wear, those that I haven't worn in years, but I am going to need some new ones.  I am getting comments all the time and I am liking the way I look :)  This is really fun!

My husband is doing very well, too.  He is now almost a month out and has lost 40 lbs. total, 20 of which is since surgery. Crazy!!  He is very competitive and really wants to catch me, ha ha!  He is looking good (rowr!! lol!) and feeling better every day.  He is anxious to get off mushies and is getting bored with his limitations, but he is a trooper.  I am SOO glad we are doing this together.  Makes a world of difference!!

Love my Saturday mornings!

I love my Saturday mornings!  I get up semi-early and head out to the Farmer's Market for fruit, vegetables, and fresh flowers, and then the local Henry's Market for cheese and deli meat.

I also stopped by Starbuck's for my skinny vanilla latte, too...and ran into Shelly (Eggface) and her mum :)  What a nice surprise!

I took my middle daughter with me today (and met up with my parents), as my youngest is at a sleepover and my oldest is at football practice with my husband (13 year old girl...why does she want to be at football practice?  To help my husband?  NO! 14 year old boys!  I am not looking forward to these teen years!).  We had a really good time, and I need to make sure I spend quality time with each of my daughters.  They are all so precious :)

Later today we go school clothes shopping.  NOT looking forward to that.  Ugh.  I cannot believe school starts in a week.  Two middle-schoolers and a third grader.  Lord, help me!

OH, and earlier this week I passed the 70 lbs. lost mark!  Woo hoo!!  So glad the scale is moving again!!

Yummy breakfast!

I was in the mood to try something new this morning, so I searched the WLS blogs and cooking websites and decided to try Shelly's Ricottage Pancakes.

• 1/4 cup Ricotta Cheese (I used whole milk ricotta)
• 1/4 cup Cottage Cheese 
• 1 Egg
• 3 Tablespoons Multigrain Pancake Mix 
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Pudding Mix, dry (I used vanilla)
• 1 Tablespoon Unsweetened Coconut, toasted

Mix all ingredients together.  Spray pan with non-stick spray. Cook on low till golden, flip, pat flat, cook till done. Nuke Shelly's Super Special Syrup (2 T. sugar free maple syrup with 1 teaspoon Torani syrup, I used caramel flavor) for 25 seconds so it drizzles well. Serve each pancake with a drizzle of warm syrup. Makes 4 small pancakes or 8 silver dollar size.  

I then sliced some bananas on top...YUM!!

I made about 6 pancakes with the batter and used almost half a banana.  They were very good, but by my calculations they were only 8 grams of protein for 1/3 a serving and around 7 grams of carbs.  Not the greatest in terms of what I need for breakfast, but more protein than my usual egg and very tasty :)  I probably will have some yogurt in a little bit to add more protein for the morning.

On another note...by husband is doing fantastic!  He simply amazes me.  He is not having any problems at all and is drinking all his liquids like a champ.  He came home on Thursday and has been following our doctor's protocol to a T.  He over did it a little on Saturday, attending a car wash fundraiser for the football team.  He decided to stay home from church on Sunday to rest, admitting to staying out in the sun too long.  He is back to work today, on a limited basis.  His football team has "hell week" starting today.  He is going, but assured me he would delegate and stay seated (ha ha ha!).  He goes back to teaching next week.

Also, I am officially out of my stall!!!  Since I last reported my stall two weeks ago (a 5 week stall...grrr!), I have lost 6 lbs!  It is so good to see the scale move every morning again, even if it is only a few ounces.  I also have been seeing people I haven't seen since the school year, as activities are starting and back-to-school is happening (High School starts next week, Middle School and Elementary start on the 15th).  I have had so many comments on my weight loss and it is sooo nice to hear!  The sleeve is working (and I am working hard, too)!  Feels good :)