I'm a loser...

;)

Well, I feel like I'm at a point in this journey to blog about it now. I didn't do it earlier because I was afraid that I would jinx myself, but now that I'm about a month in I feel like I'm in the clear and committed to my goal.

I've been eating right and working out...and, here's the kicker, it's actually working!!! I have lost 5 pounds thus far. I am now under my pre-pregnancy weight!

Back in November I signed up at Spark People. I didn't reallly stick with the program then, but just randomly tracked my calories and exercised on the rare occasion. I was not serious about my goals (the holidays may have had something to do with that).

Then right around Christmas and New Years something clicked. I can't pinpoint what that was, but whatever happened it really made a difference. I'm tracking all of my meals and snacks and I workout 30 minutes 4 or more times a week (this week it was 6 times). I weigh myself daily to keep myself focused. If my weight stays the same or is lower than the previous day I know I'm doing something right and to keep going. If my weight is up I know that I've let myself slack a little and need to refocus.

I'm very proud of myself because I have been struggling with this for about 7 years (since I left Texas), and now I feel like I'm really making a difference. My goal isn't to only lose weight and look great. I also want to set a good example for Henry, and any other future children we may have. John also seems to be encouraged by the example that I'm setting as he had me set up his own Spark People account today.

For those of you who have never heard of Spark People, it is a FREE online service that helps you set your weight loss goals and gives you guidelines on how to achieve them. It's really great, and there's also tons of online support in the community message boards.

Kitchen Windows

Since our kitchen has been completed our windows have been bare. Meaning that when we're walking around in our pj's at night or in the morning people driving by can see us. So, a couple of weeks ago we bought some window coverings. Per my mom's request, here are pictures of the new coverings in our kitchen:

A new experience in the job hunt...

Well, I've never done that before. Turn down a job, that is.

It all started last Tuesday when I got a random call from a company looking for tax season help. First of all, I did not contact this company prior to this phone call. They had found my resume on an online job database. So, we set up an interview for the next morning.

Wednesday comes and I'm early to the interview. No big deal, I can wait and it shows that I'm on time. I end up waiting 10-15 minutes for the interviewer to arrive. Again, no big deal it's January in Michigan the roads aren't exactly clear. Interview starts and this guy (who is maybe 1-2 years older than me) proceeds to talk about the job (normal) and then outlines his career (maybe normal?). He says "Ass" a lot, "Kick-Ass" and when he says "Shit" he apologizes for his language (????? Maybe the other words he used aren't bad?).

Anyway, he talks about having a lot of pull in the office and that he can do pretty much anything he wants, blah, blah, blah...works really hard during tax season but in May you can find him in Vegas or in Kentucky at the Derby. He's not sure what kind of money I want to make one day, but if I think $100k is a lot of money then I could be really happy there.

So, I leave thinking that the interview went pretty well (aside from the cussing and the superior opinion he has of himself). Later that day I start to replay the interview. Hmmm, he hardly asked me any questions. The only question that he seemed really concerned with was whether or not I would feel comfortable meeting with clients to go over their tax return. Apparently last years assistant would get the shakes anytime they wanted him to talk to a client.

I get the call on Friday that the job is mine if I want it. A bittersweet feeling sets in. First I'm happy that after a year out of college I finally got a job offer, but then I see Henry and I am quickly saddened. Ugh, do I really have to make this decision?

The rest of Friday I spend talking to my Mom, John, John's sister and my step sister in law (who is a CPA). Overall conclusion: They gave me a low-ball offer and the guy seems like an ass (oops, forgive my language!).

Saturday I do some online research and the company doesn't have the best reputation. It was founded in 1998, and in 2003 one of the co-founders began embezzling money from their clients. Awesome. Found another online source about how an employee was treated very poorly. Again, awesome. Found a comment somewhere else about their "scam jobs". Woohoo, where do I sign up?

By this time, I've made up my mind. But to be sure I give it the rest of the weekend to sink in and do some more thinking/research. Everyone I have asked has either never heard of this company, heard bad things about the company or had a bad experience themselves with the company.

Anyway, long story short is that I turned them down and the job search continues. It all worked out anyway because I just found out that the daycare we wanted to send Henry to is full.

Kitchen Follow Up!

Now that we've been using our kitchen for a couple of months I thought it was time to add some artwork to our blank walls. I happened to find some great deals at Kohls (buy one get one free) and ended up with the two pieces currently hanging in the kitchen.

We also just bought some blinds for our bare windows, but I will take and post pictures after I've had a chance to clean the kitchen up. :)