Now that I'm finally done having kids, I'm trying to shed the last of those post-baby pounds.  I'm sure quite a lot of you, like me, have some weight you'd like to lose.  And perhaps, like me, you need some encouragement.  So - I'm going to be hosting a weekly link-up - Think Thinner Thursdays!  We can all link up this week's post about our weight-loss journey.  You don't have to link up every week, but it's a chance for us to keep track of, and encourage each other as we're all trying to think a little thinner. Please be sure to follow and comment on at least a few other blogs -  get to know the girls (or guys) there and bring them some encouragement.  You can post about anything weight-loss related at all.   I'll usually be doing a brief intro, then linking up with my weight-loss blog here.  But for today, here's my story:
When I was a sophomore in college, I bit off a little more than I could chew - figuratively speaking.  I was stressed to the max, and dealt with it by controlling my intake of food - or lack thereof.  For most of college, I weighed 95-100 lbs.  I look at these pictures now and just cringe. 

When I had kids, however, I gained a lot of weight.  By the time I hit 9 months with my third baby I was almost 70 lbs heavier than my college weight.  And the weight has been sloooooow coming off.  I was never really into exercising, and since I know that starving myself isn't healthy (and is also impossible when I'm in my kitchen all day), I'm having to re-learn weight-loss all over again. 
Today I'm around 125 lbs.  It's not bad, but I'd like to lose another 15 lbs.  Especially now that we're watching The Sarah Connor Chronicles and I spend an hour a night staring at this girl.  I've set my goal for New Years 2012.  We'll be seeing our friends from college, and I'd like to be looking thin again.  But this time, I want to do it the right way.  I've got a copy of 30 Day Shred, and I have an elliptical  - I want muscle and endurance, not skin and bones.  So, we'll see how it goes. 

My goals for this week are:
1) Get the tortillas out of the house.  My daily cheese quesadilla habit is NOT helping me lose weight.
2) Work out for at least 20 minutes every day, even if it's just chilling on the elliptical while I watch tv.
3) Make one healthier choice per day - doing extra sit-ups, skipping chocolatey desserts, adding extra veggies - anything at all.

And that's it.  Hope you'll join me in the link up and feel free to comment with your best 'get fit' advice!!
 
The past couple of weeks we've been reading lots of fall-themed books.  And since Halloween and Thanksgiving really are just around the corner, we've been focusing on those topics a lot. 
The Runaway Pumpkin by Kevin Lewis is one of my favorites.  Its lilting rhymes and rhythms are a lot of fun to read, and the colorful pictures are very engaging for squirmy youngsters like mine.  And who doesn't love a book that ends in pumpkin pie?
Arthur's Halloween by Marc Brown is a great story for children who might be a little spooked by the holiday.  In this story Arthur, who's very timid about the scary aspects of Halloween, winds up making a very mature and empathetic discovery in the end.  It's a familiar tale (the Berenstain Bears tell it almost exactly the same way), but has a surprisingly generous twist at the finish.
And last but not least is Dora's Thanksgiving.  My boys are a little Dora crazy at the moment, and they beg to have this book read repeatedly at bedtime.  They love to feel like they are a part of Dora's family and that they are welcomed at her Thanksgiving table.  And I love that my kids are learning a wee bit of Spanish as we read. 

We've pretty well cleaned out the fall section of the library the last few weeks, and these books are tops with us.  What are some of your favorites?
 
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My Grandmother introduced me to this recipe.  She had spice cake for her birthday every single year.  It has now become my favorite fall "company" cake. It is especially good served with hot or cold apple cider. I often bake it as cupcakes and decorate with halloween or fall-themed sprinkles for the kids.


Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour*
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
3/4 tsp ginger
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tbsp vinegar
1 8oz package cream cheese
1/2 stick butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar pecan halves (optional)

For Cake
1) Grease and flour two 9" cake pans. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.
2) Combine milk and vinegar and let sit.
3) Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla and mix well. Beat in eggs one at a time.
4) Alternately add dry ingredients and milk to butter mixture, mixing well.
5) Pour into prepared pans and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

For Frosting
1) Beat butter and cream cheese on med speed until smooth
2) Add powdered sugar one cup at a time until well combined. Place first cake layer on plate and frost top. Top with second cake layer and frost top only. Decorate top with pecans halves if desired.


* to make this cake gluten free, use 1/2 cup potato starch, 1.5 cups rice flour and 1 tsp xanthan gum instead of all purpose flour

Tip Junkie handmade projects
 
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    We are big fans of Sandra Boynton in our house.  (Ok, correction, the kids and I are big fans - hubby thinks she's too 'cutesy' - but we have a whole stack of Berenstain Bears for him).  Not only is she a prolific writer, but her characters are engaging, her rhymes are catchy and fun, and her books are the perfect size (and sturdiness) for tiny hands.  The Going To Bed Book was a bedtime staple for my kids for a long long while.  They loved to see other kids going through the same bedtime routines they did.  The books have helped my kids learn colors, opposites, routines and animals, among other skills.  AND she doesn't just write books.  You may have read my post about how much I love her family calendar.  It is the one thing I depend upon to keep me organized and to get us where we're going on time.  Oh, and did I mention her music cds?
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    Her adorable stories and rhymes have been set to music and performed by some incredibly talented, incredibly famous people (think Kevin Kline, Laura Linney, Scott Bakula - please tell me I'm not the only Star-Trek-watching mama out there...).  If you're into more contemporary tunes, check out Dog Train featuring the likes of Hootie and the Blowfish, Five for Fighting and 'Weird Al' Yancovich. 
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    Our very favorite cd is Grunt: Pigorian Chant- an entire album of calm, soothing chants sung in - what else - pig latin.  If you're not paying strict attention, you just might miss the "e-i-e-i-os" and think you were listening to the real thing!  I love how much it calms down my kiddos before bedtime - and the included book of 'translations' is pretty hilarious as well. 
    My kids' Christmas lists are still full of her books and cds and we're adding to our collection regularly.  They were great 'on the potty' reading for my oldest and we even have a scrub-able Sandra Boynton book to take in the bath!  Her books and music are all, without a doubt, stuff I love.
 
And the winners of the Renuzit giveaway are: 

Cindy H, Jessica R, and Lacey N.  Congrats all, you each win a coupon for a free air freshener.  Please drop me a note here with your mailing address and I'll get them out to you asap!
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