My house is being taken over by Bionicles and other assorted Lego products. Sage is turning ten, and for his birthday, guess what he wants? He already spent all of the money he had saved up on a whole new crew of Bionicles. This has been going on since he was four years old. Every Christmas, every birthday, even the tooth fairy got in on it a couple of times. I wonder what he’s going to do with it all when he’s a teenager?

Since they’re the sort of plastic that never goes away, I suppose they can be passed down to future generations. That is, if kids are still playing with toys in 15 more years.

I hope. I just put a couple of pounds of diced chicken in the crockpot with some curry powder, raisins, a can of reduced fat coconut milk and a ton of cauliflower. I really hope that it works out and everyone likes it. The last time I made something similar, I used curry powder that had sat in the pantry too long, and everyone just tried to be really polite about it. It wasn’t very thrilling, believe me, although it was at least edible.

This time, I’ve got fresh curry powder. I just wish I could have found the paste. And I probably shouldn’t have added the raisins, since they are loaded with sugar. The rest is fine. Of course I don’t get any of the rice I’m serving with it. I don’t feel too deprived though. Rice is something I’ve always been able to take or leave.

I’ve been on a total sock buying spree lately. The Belks near my house had a great sale on Hue socks, which are my favorite, and I stocked up. They were $1.99 a pair from $8.00, so I was just crazed. I found some particularly wonderful tweedy ones that I just love, and go with my open backed clogs really well. Did I just say clogs? I mean, sleek clogs. I really don’t know what on earth these shoes are called. They have a bit of a heel, and don’t look too cloggish, meaning they don’t make my size 12 feet appear larger than they really are.

At any rate, I’ve found another wardrobe item besides purses that is satisfying to buy when you can’t buy pants and shirts. I’m getting a huge sock collection. I had to clear out an entire drawer for them all.

I am so excited. I ordered this purse off of eBay and I finally got it! I don’t usually order designer things from eBay because of the possibility of fakes, but this item was for real. I have to admit, I usually don’t pay hundreds for a purse. But this one really caught my eye. It’s pink, it’s quality and just generally very nice. Anyway, as mentioned previously, I’m not too thrilled about spending money on clothes right now. The purse won’t be too tight or too loose. It’ll be JUST RIGHT!

That is the question. I’ve went down a size, but I’m by no means skinny. How I’ve been handling it thus far is by purchasing a couple of pairs of pants at Walmart and wearing them over and over. I’m hoping not to remain at this size for much longer, so I don’t want to sink money into clothes. The situation is made more complicated, though, by the fact that I wear a tall in everything, and that can be difficult to find at discount stores.

I suppose not being able to buy clothes right now is a good motivator. It gives me time to save money so I can buy things like that darling Ann Taylor outfit that I found. That one is listed as “work casual”. For me, it would be “work dress up”. And I’d have to hope that I didn’t have to deal with any kids throwing fits.

Although taking a kid down would probably burn some calories. No, nope. Don’t wanna.

I’ve been doing a lot better on the diet since school started. The thing is, I haven’t lost any more weight, but I’ve stuck to the slow-carb thing (pretty much) and I feel a lot better. I’ve discovered a new trigger food, though–sugar free ice cream. My husband bought me some butter pecan and I ate waaay to much of it. Then I felt awful because of all of the sugar alcohols that are in the stuff. It sure does taste good, though.

The thing I’m really struggling with is the need to eat for comfort or because I’m bored. That’s the most difficult thing about this way of life. At least I’m not eating Cheetos when I’m stressed though. That’s a good thing.

It started when we were in Houston and went to a French bakery. I couldn’t resist an almond crossant. From there, I started eating sweet potato chips on some pretty shabby rationalizations. After that, it was easy enough to totally cheat during the entire Christmas Break. Strangely, I haven’t gained any weight, but it does seem as though I’ve lost some muscle, because my clothes are a bit tighter, and my face looks fat.

Honestly, it’s easier to stay on track when I’m at my job and “trapped” there with the healthy lunch I’ve packed. That is, unless they’ve brought brownies or it’s somebody’s birthday. Ack.