Operation Tubetop

Happy May Day! Wow, April was a long month... and not in a bad way but it felt like it went on forever. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that the first week was like 0 degrees and at the end we got up to 27 degrees. Body seasonal clock is mucho confused. Even though today is a holiday, I hit the gym and did 45 minutes on the crosstrainer. I think I was motivated because I am re-reading an awesome book on my Kindle. Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster. In general I really really really like her books. She's funny, and even though we are not on the same page politically, I enjoy her writing. This book is about her trying to lose the weight. It is fun and actually kind of motivating. Anyway, I wanted to post my recipe for tortilla chips that I made the other week. Here in Austria, the chip selection isn't as varied as in Canada and the Great U.S. of A. I have to admit though, it has improved dramatically. When I lived here back in the 90's, they had like only two ...

I was pming with a friend last night and after a couple of glasses of wine, I asked her what the secret to weight loss was (she's a nutritionist). Her answer was "veggies". I had hoped cheese and bread but alas, no, veggies. Of course she's right and I'm happy to say that I have really upped my veggie intake. But I could always do more! So there you have it, veggies are the secret! Crap. Tonight I am making veggie wraps with a fat free joghurt ranch dressing. Last night we had tortillas with eggs and side salad. Not sure what we're eating tomorrow since it is a public holiday and I was thinking of taking the Kid and the Husband to a local pizzeria that boasts a playground. We're trying to expand his horizons and restaurants are our Everest. So far today I've hit the gym, dropped the Kid off at daycare, bought groceries, Zumba'd and folded laundry. Soon I will head out for some Bubble Tea. And then I will work on my book, clean up a little and t...

Onto week 4 and I am happy to say I hit the gym once again this morning. This week will be interesting because Wednesday is a public holiday and Friday the day care is closed.. So there will be less Zumba but still gym time. I have to admit that I am a little annoyed this morning. A little tired too. Last Thursday we went to get the kid's eyes checked and it didn't go so well. He was awesome in the waiting room. My purse was filled with all sorts of crap; a Toys R Us and snack bar in one. We kept him distracted and ignored the looks that God forbid a child is in the waiting room. Listen, I've been there. Kids can annoy me too. But we are doing our very darndest to make this a pleasant stay for everybody involved. He's two and he likes to talk (babble, mostly) and we are really putting on a show for him. I even break a sweat. We always try to make the earliest appointments and constantly feed him to keep him quiet and well, it worked pretty well until the receptionist ...

On Tuesday, a friend and I set out to another country to get a little boday maintenance done. We visited a place named Wabi, just a few minutes from the border. I had looked at the website before and was amahzed at the prices. At one point I even considered a nose job but we didn't have that much time. We pulled up to a large building just off the main road and noticed that there be only Austrian cars in the parking lot. Guess that's their target group. We didn't have appointments so we walked up to the reception and "ordered" a mani, a pedi and microdermabrasion. After a quick coffee we were called in for our pedis and the ladies got to work on my terrible gnarled feet. I always feel a little guilty when I get a pedicure. A little like "bow down to your queen and take that dead skin off!" and I try to smile and make eye contact and convey "I'm very very sorry.". Manicures are different, I can totally pretend the woman across from me is a...

I have never perfected the perfect fake tan, but  I am getting better. Last year I went and got a spray tan which you can read about  here   fun fun. Next week I will actually attempt self tanning at home for like the billionth time. Why is this time different? I got some good advice from this lady I found her via Pinterest and she has some pretty good tips to get a sunless tan and she be pale like me. Soul mates? I will be updating my attempts. In the mean time I will exfoliating like a woman possessed. Here is her link  for her awesome tips! In other news, I went to Hungary yesterday with a friend for a spa day. I don't have much time today, but in the next couple of days I will write about it... All I can say is that my nails are pretty pretty and I might have lost a pound of skin. Weight loss at its finest. Stay tuned.

Week 3 and off I go! Was a good weekend eating wise (except Friday night but whatevs, date night). This week I will be working out a lot again and I am introducing smoothies as part of my day diet. At night, the meals will be healthy. I have a lot a lot a lot to do this week but I am all pumped and ready for it. Here are the dinner plans for the week: Monday: Chicken fajita salad Tuesday: Egg burritos with salad Wednesday: Quiche and a salad Thursday: Out Friday: Burgers on the bbq! Saturday: Friends are coming over for a late lunch Sunday: Grilled Chicken Classic from Burger King Go week 3!

Last week's stats: Monday to Friday Gym visits (40 minutes on the crosstrainer): 4 Zumba sessions (Wii, 45 minutes each): 3 Walking: 6 hours Dropping kid off at daycare: 5 Hours of watching CNN: 10 Deep clean and organisation of rooms in apartment: 1 Chapters completed of book I'm writing: 1.5 Average calorie consumption (minus last night) 1400 It was a pretty successful week. Yesterday I spent the majority of the day watching CNN regarding the search for the second bomber. I haven't had a CNN day in years. I need to wait another few years to do that again. It gets me all riled up and makes me want to throw things. The Kid spent the night at the inlaws so the Husband and I decided to have a low key night in with beers and a spicy American style delivery pizza. It was fun to have the evening alone and to sleep in. Bliss. The Husband will go in a while to retrieve the Kid and I can't wait to see his adorable face and get bossed around. Next week should be pre...

Yay New Zealand! You legalised gay marriage! I have always been an advocate for equal rights; race, gender, shoe height and of course for gay marriage. It is hard to believe it is 2013 and we still are having this debate. I remember when I was 5 a friend told me one day that she had heard that men were marrying men and women were marrying women and my response was "really? oh." and then I think I continued playing with My Little Ponies or designing a dress for Barbie. It didn't phase me. Love is love and why is that such a hard concept to grasp. The very idea that gay marriage is a threat to straight marriage is laughable, unless we're talking about a bidding war for a fabulous wedding planner. It truly boggles the mind that in this day and age we are still not allowing people to marry whomever they want to marry. And yet, people bring their 12 year olds to a Bieber concert and that's a-ok? I want to just give a shout out to lovely New Zealand! A friend posted t...

This morning I woke up at 4:30 and couldn't go back to sleep. I finally got up and turned on the Internet and was devastated by the attacks in Boston. It makes you realise how very precious life is and to never take for granted every second you spend with your loved ones. Every time something terrible happens I hold my son just a little bit tighter. This world is awesome but there are times that it sucks. My thoughts go out to the amazing people of Boston and I hope the scumbags who carried out these atrocious attacks are caught. Sickening. I have to turn off the news or I will spend the day in tears and so I am distracting myself today with cleaning, Jewmba and writing. In the afternoon I will take a walk and search for solar lights for my now fabulous balcony. Holla! Last night I made burgers on the bbq. Today I will have sushi again for lunch and for dinner I am making a veggie pizza with low fat mozz and a salad. Tomorrow will be chicken burgers and homemade fries (sushi ...

Oh wow oh wow oh wow! I got to meet Margaret Cho on Saturday. My friend got tickets a couple of months ago and I was like, "yeah, I'd like to go." I've seen Margaret Cho in clips and on shows and I think she is pretty funny but omg, I did not realise how incredibly funny she is. She did her show for over an hour and a) she's itty bitty skinny and adorable and b) omg, so funny. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time and my ribs are still hurting. Workout. After the show, thanks to a friend, we got to go backstage and meet her and she is so incredibly gracious and nice (to be honest, I always imagined her to be a little intimidating) and she took the time to take pictures with us and she even complimented my necklace. I believe she has the same one but to tell you the truth, it was a big fabulous blur. Margaret Cho, you've got a fan for life. Thank you for being truly awesome! The rest of the weekend was normal and not star studded. This morning I w...

Yesterday, since I didn't hit the gym, I decided to do a mid length Zumba session on the Wii. I chose the Miami location. We were on a boat, strangely enough not docked. Something illegal is going on. It was a good workout and I definitely broke out in a sweat. In the morning, yesterday, after I dropped the kid off at daycare - and by the way, a backing up huge truck means you must stop with your boy toddler and watch. And then, when a garbage truck came around the corner, he just lost his shit. I don't get the appeal but his enthusiasm was awesome - I headed to the awesome outdoor market nearby. I was jonesing for artichokes but go figure, they aren't in season. Blergh. So instead I bought some red pepper and bärlauch (a herb-leaf thing that is kind of garlicky). I picked up some ciabatta and low fat mozz at the supermarket as well. And for dinner, I made this: Roasted Red Pepper Bruschetta Slice a red pepper and a couple of onions. Put them on a cookie sheet and bak...

I didn't go to the gym this morning. My body is sore sore sore. But later I will get a Wii Zumba class in and a long solo walk in the afternoon. Todays's exciting plans are: Fixing the Sun-In bleach terribleness that is my hair. I blame yesterday's viewing of Episode 2 of the Real Housewives of OC and my lack of patience. I will be blonding it today with an ash blonde to hopefully kill the patchy orange. The Husband hasn't noticed yet. Bandanas are awesome. As mentioned, a little animated Jewmba. A little writing. A little ironing. I'll iron the Husband's shirts and then he will be all like "thank you dear" and then that is the perfect opportunity to bring up my plan to paint all our doors in the aparment white. A visit to the market to purchase artichokes, corn and peppers. Making artichokes, corn on the cob and roasted pepper bruschetta for dinner. Working on my passport application. A little bit more writing. And some more walking....

So, as I mentioned yesterday, my sister is all into Zumba now and in the past, a few friends have done classes. I have always wanted to try it out but my time is limited for now. And well, I have now discovered another reason why I have postponed attending a class - apparently I have the moves of an overweight howler monkey on crack. I am so glad I was able to give it a whirl at home, alone, with the curtains drawn. I picked up the Wii Zumba 2 yesterday and got the one that comes with the belt. Anything that comes with an accessory is a-ok with me. What I didn't know is that you actually do need the neon World Wrestling Champion of the World belt to hold the remote thingy motion detector. I started off with the short class. They have a couple of different animated instructors. One looks like a soulless Olivia from Jerseylicious and the other one looks like Jlo circa late 90's. Also soulless and with a tramp stamp to boot. The background is eerily similar to those random So...

Top of the morning to you all! I already feel amazing and relaxed and fit... I've been up for four hours and I am just bursting with energy. Could be the sun shining? Or the fact that I am not working? Or my new hot pink work out shirt? Who cares! I'm happy! I hit the gym this morning at 6 and did 40 minutes on the cross trainer. Took a quick shower at home and woke the Kid up. I spent a little more time with the Kid this morning which pretty much entailed chasing him with his toothbrush and hairbrush. I brought him to daycare and tried not to feel like gefilte fish when he went running in all full of piss and vinegar without a backward glance.. To be honest, that behaviour is a lot more awesome than him hanging from the bars at the door screaming "MAMAMAMAMAMA!". So that is a win. I headed to the supermarket and picked up groceries and then headed to the multimedia store to buy myself a Wii Zumba game (my sister has inspired me. She's a Zumba instructor now a...

I'm free. No work for four months! That is madness!!! I will enjoy this weekend and then Monday is Operation Tubetop all systems set on blast. I will be dying the hair, applying the gel nails (tutorial included), self tanning, trying healthy recipes, hitting the gym, taking long power walks, spending more time with the kid,  paying attention to the Husband once in a while, home re-decorating, closet re-vamping and dropping this winter weight and making sure y'all are all along for the ride for the next 4 months. This time off also perfectly coincides with the new season of the Real Housewives of Orange County so I feel motivated and ready.. I'm going to be drinking beer this weekend and then I will say good bye to it for a little while. Tova, it is time. Let's do this!

I have a few open secrets. I thought I would share because hey, I am an open book. So here we go. You have my permission to judge me on the following: I love WWE wrestling. I was obsessed for years but never really told anyone. You have tickets? I will come. And I will buy you beer. I will wear pearls, too. The Rock will always have a place in my heart. I love Formula One. This isn't such a secret. But it is a fact. I have watched it since I was about 13 thanks to a friend of mine. The Husband loves it too so that makes us like perfect together. I will only watch Nascar if I am drunk and know that they will show the fans. I would go to Nascar too. The fans be awesome. Love you Bubba! I have a ridiculous crush on Eric Roberts. I know that that is wrong. I can't help it. I am obsessed with tornados. I have been in a couple and every time there is a documentary about them, I must watch it. One of my dream holidays is to tornado chase. Dead serious. I watch the film Twister...

Easter was about chocolate. I'm over it now. Time to move on. I have 4 more days of work and then I am off for 4 months. Oh the things I will do! But for now, it is about getting back on the horse and eating well. Here is this week's eating plan: Tuesday Breakfast: coffee with skim milk Snack: low fat joghurt Lunch: Crackers  Snack: Wasabi peanuts Dinner: Chicken paninis Wednesday Breakfast: coffee with skim milk Snack: low fat joghurt Lunch: Crackers and fruit  Snack: Swedish cracker bread stuff with laughing cow cheese Dinner: Taco salad Thursday Breakfast: coffee with skim milk Snack: low fat joghurt Lunch: Soup Snack: Swedish cracker bread stuff with laughing cow cheese Dinner: Falafel wrap Friday Breakfast: coffee with skim milk Snack: Swedish cracker bread stuff with laughing cow cheese Lunch: Soup Snack: Swedish cracker bread stuff with laughing cow cheese Dinner: Chicken curry with rice Saturday Breakfast: Chai latte with skim milk Snack: Fruit salad Lunch: Mi...