Dear Jennifer Hudson (Week 24)

Dear Jennifer Hudson,

I can't believe it is already Tuesday again! I can't believe it has been a week since the last time I wrote to you...it feels like it was just yesterday! Anyway...

I was mostly good on my diet this week, and I was mostly consistent in my exercise this week, but midway way through my weekend camping trip, I stopped being super restrictive on my diet. I didn't go crazy with my eating, but again, I put my guard down. I enjoyed an incredible wine tasting event that my Aunt put on at our camp site...although, I didn't consume hardly any wine (not my fave)...I mostly enjoyed the post-wine-tasting horse devours...pure deliciousness! Once we got home from camping, I had a wisdom tooth pulled the next morning. I wasn't allowed to exercise...and I was allowed to drink milkshakes and smoothies...which I did. ;0)

So I'm sure you guessed it...I gained weight this week. I gained 4.2 pounds. But I gotta say, I'm not stressing over it. This is the difference between PMS-ing and NOT, lol. 2 weeks ago I was crushed over my weight gain, but this week I have confidence that I can tackle this gain in just a few days. No worries. :0)

Here is something fun I baked this week...

In preparation for our camping trip, I had some old bananas, and I thought it would be nice if I made some banana bread/muffins for us for breakfast while we were gone. I plugged the very generic recipe into my WW online program, and it turned out that each muffin was 8 WW points! :-0 I did some reconfiguring of the recipe by eliminating the nuts, cutting out 3/4 of the sugar, and substituting the oil with plain yogurt instead...they now were just 3 WW points!!! Oh my word, they were so moist and DELICIOUS!!!

And finally, a couple of weeks before our camping trip I came across a fun camping idea/recipe/activity in a magazine! Basically, it's like apple pie on a stick...I tried it out! :0)

You first skewer an apple on a stick/hanger, and then you roast it over the campfire...

You roast it until the skin starts to crack (and we discovered that the pressure let off a super fun whistling noise!)...

Then, you peel the skin off with a fork, and finally you roll the fleshy fruit in cinnamon sugar...enjoy!

The recipe was ultra tasty, the activity was super fun, and with the apple being zero WW points, and the sugar being maybe 2 points, it was a GREAT WW treat to have at the campfire!!

So that's it for me this week J Hud. I'm feeling like my tooth/gum is healed enough for me to get back in the gym tomorrow, AND this is the first weekend in I can't remember how long that we don't have ANYTHING planned! I should be able to demolish the scale this week! :0)

Chat with you soon.

Your Biggest Fan,
Elizabeth

Swimming, and Camping, and a 4th Birthday, Oh My!

Our week started off fairly ordinary...

Painting nails in our house is considered ordinary... :0)

We had a swimming play date with 2-B and her crew...

We finished up our 3rd and final week of swimming lessons...HOORAY! But we sure will miss seeing our besties almost everyday :0(

We had a dentist appointment...which generated additional dentist appointments in the coming weeks. :0( I will be having a wisdom tooth pulled this week, and Wyatt will have a cavity (booooo!) filled in 2 weeks. :0(((( The only one who checked out PERFECT... :0)

As a family of 4, we celebrated Beatrice's 4th birthday at Corvette Diner...

And finally, on Beatrice's actual birthday, we headed out (without daddy :0( ) to the annual "family camping trip" with my extended family. This year, we kept our tent and sleeping bags at home, and for the first time, we went in on a rental RV with Grammy! :0)))

So instead of having a big birthday party at home for our Bea, we brought the Hello Kitty party to camping! :0)

The best part about a *camping* party: it's expected to be low-key! We had a little cake...

...we added a little sherbert punch...

...and then BAM!, you've got yourself a par-tay! :0)

After we said Good-bye to Hello Kitty while camping, we could be found at the splash park (not pictured), chillin' in the luxury of an RV...

...flying kites...

...snuggling in a stroller...

...being posers on a Moped...

...Playing cards (not pictured), or playing football...

...riding on a tandem bike!!! (thank you Myke & Pam for fixing it up for our pleasure!)...

...competing in the Annual "Children's Division" Hot Dog Eating Contest...

(Zeph is the winner!)

...competing in the Annual "Female Division" Hot Dog Eating Contest...

(You had to sing "Happy Birthday" for the win)

(Nailed it...2 years in a row!!!)

...We could be found being silly with our family...

...making memories by the campfire...

...OOOOOOR, my personal fave, (although there was a CLOSE 2nd...a long run in the morning with my sister's dog...but more about that in another post, lol)...you could find us at my Auntie's first ever wine tasting party!!! Wine is actually one of my least favorite alcoholic beverages, but the time and effort that my Aunt put in to this experience, made this event SO MUCH FUN!!!

She had several wines for us to taste, and score (after hearing a colorful description of each wine)...

...and then she provided SO MANY wonderfully delicious appetizers and treats for us to enjoy after the wine tasting! There were fine chocolates, and cookies, and spring rolls, and fried rice balls, and different cheeses, and breads, and, and, and...

...my absolute favorite was the Caprese Salad...IN.CRED.I.BLE!!! Thank you Auntie!!!

We had such a wonderful week!

I loved celebrating another year of life and milestones for my *passionate* * affectionate* *mama-loving* * Twinkle Toes Shoes Wearing* *Social Butterfly* *4 Year Old* Beatrice Bellini!

And I had a wonderful time spending another weekend in the Summer camping with the VERY BEST family that any girl could ask for!

(And to think I'm getting a tooth pulled in the morning....sigh.....)