I took a 6 month break and all I got was this lousy title.

It's been almost exactly 6 months since I posted here on my little corner of the web. Actually,  I took a small sabbatical from the Internet in general. Well, except Facebook. I AM human, after all. 

So much has happened in those six months. The main thing that happened is that I took a good look at my eating habits (after watching Forks Over Knives)- realized that they were almost comically unhealthy, and changed them.  I started exercising, eating right, getting enough sleep, stopped drinking pop and eating fast food and completely changed my day to day life. I should have done it years ago.  Being in good health has had so many benefits. I look better. I feel better. Best of all, something ELSE happened that I have been waiting and praying for 9 years for.

 I got pregnant.

I wasn't going to share this information here. Mostly because I have a lot of friends that are currently living with (and trying to overcome) infertility.  Dealing with those same problems for the last nine years I know how incredibly frustrating it is to hear about YET ANOTHER person becoming pregnant. I know that while you try to be happy for that person, inside you wonder why it hasn't happened for you yet, then you feel guilty that you aren't just genuinely happy for the other person. I know. BOY do I know.  I have shed more than a few tears over negative pregnancy tests over the years. It's a terrible feeling.

I don't want to cause any pain by sharing my news, which is why I initially decided not to mention it here, but then I realized that I have to share this news, if for nothing else, than to give those other struggling people hope.  If it can FINALLY happen for me, maybe it can FINALLY happen for them too.

So, there it is. I'm going to have a baby.  I'm sick day and night and still more than a little shocked, but ecstatic beyond belief.

How have YOU been these last six months?

No TV or Eyeball Herpes Avoided

My family doesn't  watch TV.

Thank you Google Images

Don't get me wrong, I am not  an anti-television hippie or anything. In fact, we don't watch because we all like the tube a little too much. We would sit and watch all day if we had it, getting up only to use the bathroom [if that] and to replenish our potato chips.
So, a few years back, the husband and I decided to disconnect the television- which completely sucked at first but is now no big deal.

As good as it is for my family, there are some cons to this TV-less existence.
For starters, At one point in my life, I was hopelessly addicted to a little television show called Lost. You may have heard of it? To watch it, I would drive 15 miles to my mother's house and  hijack her TV.  I don't think she liked the show at all, but she let me do it anyway. What a gal.

Another weird thing is when people find out we don't watch. There are a few common reactions.
1. {GASP} You don't watch TV?!? What do you do all day?

and

2. Well, good for you. (which sounds nice, but most of the time the 'good' is said with two syllables which makes this normally nice phrase sarcastic.)

and my personal favorite

3. But you do watch American Idol (or insert any currently hot program) though, right? RIGHT?

Also, my mother (see above) who has known for almost 4 years that we do not watch any form of TV, will still call me and say, "Did you just see the news story on Channel 9? I think that girl went to your school!"
and my answer, of course, is- Yep. Sure did. She graduated the year before me...

It's just easier that way.

Another thing is that I rarely know what people are talking about around the proverbial water cooler and regularly have to Google things like:

Is "the Situation" a person? 

answer: Yes, a STD riddled one at that.  

Is Mariah Carey pregnant?

answer: Isn't EVERYONE pregnant right now? {way to answer a question with another question, Google.}

Who is Bristol Palin and why should I care?

answer: nobody and you shouldn't.

Is Donald Trump still an insufferable ass hat?

answer: a million times YES.

Thank Goodness for Google.

It's  hard impossible, in fact I REFUSE to avoid TV when I spend time at a house that has *oh dear lord* Cable.

My standards weaken and spend many hours of wide eyed watching. Sucked in by shows I never knew existed.

Hoarders.

Say Yes to the Dress.
Cupcake Wars/Cake Boss/
What NOT to Wear

And some crazy couponing show where these amazingly weird and wonderful people buy 6 trillion dollars worth of groceries for $3.18. I believe this show is called  Hoarders on a Budget. Or possibly Hoarders with coupons, or even Hoarders with better money skills.

 It's like a crazy-horrifying-wonderful-scary-hilarious train wreck and I love it.

Katie + Crazy Coupon ladies = True love forever.

There are also perks that go along with this lifestyle.
1. I have never seen an episode of Jersey Shore. That right there is like, the best perk EVER. According to Google, just watching it can lead to herpes of the eyeballs. This could be a lie, but you know, better safe than sorry.

2. My son does not ask for toys he doesn't really want, but was told to want during commercials at Christmas time. I believe we have saved tens of thousands of dollars on Zhu Zhu Pets alone.


3.The boy is also an amazing reader and has a fabulous vocabulary. He is the actual writer of this blog.
TA DA!! 
Ok, so that was a fib, but seriously, the kid is smart and I know he didn't get that genetically. It HAS to be the no TV rule.

4. We read a lot. Before I found blogs, I would read about a 60 books a year. Which is pretty cool because I know people who haven't read 60 books in their whole life so I feel very  accomplished, comparatively.

5. My house is always hospital-standard clean! (those of you who know me in real life can just keep your comments on this one to yourself.)


So yeah. Life in Casa Opportunity may be TV-less but I'll  say it again.
I HAVE NEVER SEEN JERSEY SHORE.
You're welcome eyes. And brain cells. And stomach.

 So tell me -Do you watch?
Do you not?
What else do I need to Google?

Almond Joy Candy Bar/0 - Katie/1 (I'm winning!)

As many of you know, for the last month or so, I have been working on changing my death by cardiac arrest ensuring lifestyle into a don't be an unhealthy fatty forever type of lifestyle.
It's been going relatively well. As yet, I have not hit any large scary snafus.

This is not to say that I haven't had a bit of a hiccup in the plan now and again (Almond joy candy bar- how can I resist that? I can't. Not yet. That being said, I only had one as opposed to one bag full as the old me would have done and not given it another thought.)

I still sometimes make a poor decision about what I put in my mouth (insert dirty joke here -pervert) ahem, I mean where food choices are concerned. But slowly, ever so slowly, I make more and more good choices about what I eat.

I have dieted countless times in my life. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't but one thing remains true about all the diets I have ever been on. I WASN'T READY for them: I wasn't ready to make a change in not just my diet, but my life. Until I was mentally, physically, and emotionally ready (like I am now) those diets were doomed to fail. And fail they did. And with pizazz. Over and over again.

I read this post The Accidental Addict over at Good Golly Miss Holly. It's a great post and it got me thinking about my addictions to food. I constantly use food to feed my feelings.

Sad? Cupcakes will make me happy! (through the first bite)

Angry? A great big bowl of Cap'n Crunch will cheer me up. (Until my jaws hurt from chewing)

Jealous? A candy bar and a huge glass of Coke will pacify the jealous streak! (Until both are gone and I feel worse about being such a glutton in the first place. Then I feel worthless because of what I've eaten, then guess what? I have another emotion to throw food at. It is an ugly, never ending cycle)

I have learned to allow myself to actually FEEL my emotions instead of trying to diminish them with calories.
I have learned its okay to be sad, angry and jealous. Now I feel what I need to feel, deal with the emotion and move on. Like a healthy person.

Like the healthier person I am learning to become.




I update the tab up top less weight = more Kate every Tuesday after I weigh in - if you would like to keep up with my journey.

If you have changed your lifestyle and would like to record your success here, please let me know. I would love to have a group of people here to support each other.

I would love to hear your stories about weight loss and the lessons you've learned that have made a big difference in the quest for weight loss or better health.

Also, go visit Lucy and link to her FAT TO FIT blog hop.