Good Girl.

Adam and I really try to use positive reinforcement with our kids. So, we try to praise them when they do something without being asked, tell them they had a really good day when they only fight 50 times instead of 100...you know, that kind of stuff. Well, Ellie is like a little shadow around the house...she follows anyone who will have her from room to room and tries to "help" in any way possible. Recently, she has taken to praising herself and it is really too cute. If she closes the door, she will then stand there for just an extra second and say, "Goooood Giiirrrlll." If she runs to get her shoes when I ask her to, she hands them to me and then looks at me and says, "Goooood Giiiirrrlll." You get the point...well, here is a picture of my good girl...Can you believe she actually held up her empty bowl and said, "Gooood Giiirrrlll?" She has turned into quite the eating machine. She will snack all day long if I let her and eat all of her food at every meal time...she likes to hang in the kitchen with me when I am cooking and "help." Most of the time I have to shoo her out because she can only "help" if she is standing directly under my feet.

Well, I have not forgotten about my going lean side bar...I just got started a little later than I had hoped...I have been at it about 3 weeks now for real...you know "for real," right? Anyway, I am running and am back up to 3 miles although slow ones and am eating good. I have lost 5 pounds and I have 10 to go...

In addition, I have buckled and have indeed gone green...you can say it, "goooood giiirrrlll!" I bought the grocery bags and used them for the first time...I bought 5 and they held almost all of my weeks worth of groceries. I cannot believe it has finally happened but my family is so large now that biweekly trips to the grocery will no longer suffice. Can I just say I hate (I know, such an ugly word) the grocery store! But, I am enjoying trying out new meals and maybe over time as I experiment more, I will come to love Publix as well. One can only hope.