Wednesday, December 19, 2012

(UNHEALTHY) HOLIDAY EATING TIPS!

This is technically a guest post, although she doesn’t know that she’s posting. My sister, Margee, sent this to me the other day. I’m telling you this so that you don’t think that I, a Weight Watchers advocate, would pass along this advice. Let me say that again: THESE ARE NOT MY EATING TIPS!!! Nevertheless, they made me laugh, and right now, we can all use as many laughs as possible, so here is Margee’s guide for Holiday Eating:

10 diet tips to get through the holiday season:

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they’re serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it’s rare. In fact, it’s even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can’t find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It’s not as if you’re going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It’s a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It’s later than you think. It’s Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they’re made with skim milk or whole milk. If it’s skim, pass. Why bother? It’s like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people’s food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year’s. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you’ll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don’t budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They’re like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you’re never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don’t like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it’s loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don’t feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven’t been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Happy Holidays – and happy eating!

Thanks Margee!

Karen

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

What I’ve Learned This Holiday Season…

This holiday season, I have learned three things.  First of all, I learned that as much as I like it when my husband shares things, I DO NOT like it when he shares his nasty ol’ cold with me.  Being sick over the holidays is NO FUN.  And he actually had the nerve to say, “How do you know you got it from me?”  Um, hello?  Really?  I got it three days after you, I have exactly the same symptoms as you, and oh yeah, I SLEEP IN THE SAME BED AS YOU.  Enough said.

santa clausThe second thing I realized is that I am SOOOOO going to miss it when my kids stop believing in Santa Clause.  Having grown up Jewish and not having participated in the whole Santa experience (we were just told that of course there’s no such thing, but don’t spoil it for all those silly little friends of ours who believe or we’d be in BIG trouble), this has been such a magical experience, watching it through their eyes.  But they are 9 now, and I fear that this will be our last year.  Of course, I thought this last year, so you never know!

Lastly, I learned that as a mother, I must have done something right over the past 9 years with my boys.  No, really!  When they were finally allowed to wake us up (strict orders not beforechristmas presents 7:00!), they ran down and opened Santa’s gifts, but before they would open any of the mounds (and I do mean mounds, thanks to Dad) of gifts from us under the tree, they insisted I open the gifts they made for me.  Even when I insisted they open theirs first, they refused until I opened mine.  I don’t think I was ever prouder of them than at that very moment.

I love my kids!

Happy New Year to you and your families!!!

Karen

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

happy holidays

Happy Holidays to everyone! This includes Merry Christmas! Happy (belated) Chanukah! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy First Day of Winter! Happy I’m-An-Atheist-So-Leave-Me-Alone Day! Happy I-Don’t-Really-Celebrate-Anything-But-This-Is-A-Good-Time-To-Take-A-Few-Days-Off Week! Happy WHATEVER you want this time to be for you!!! (Did I cover everyone? Did I offend anyone? Whew!)

Melissa and I will be taking some time off also to celebrate whatever we celebrate with our families, so you will not hear from us until after the new year.  Actually, probably not until after our kids go back to school, to be honest!

So Happy 2011 to all of you. And once again, thank you for reading our little blog!

Karen

Friday, January 1, 2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

ALMOST time to relax. All we need to do now is take down the holiday decorations, then all reminders of this past month will be virtually erased. laundry

HA! Who am I kidding? As much as I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the holidays, I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE when they are over! Am I the only one? I feel like I have accomplished absolutely nothing of my REAL life over the past month. (I’m surprised I even got laundry done, but that was purely out of necessity and the constant nagging of naked children!)

WHAT HAPPENED TO DECEMBER???

messy-office-03Melissa and I had all those lofty goals to be finished by the end of the year. HA! I was going to clean out my office and have the kids clean out the basement while they were on winter break. HA! HA! I HAD PLANS, DARN IT!!!

Okay, I’m composed now… somewhat. I just need to remember that the kids had a great winter break, Christmas was awesome for them, we all had a wonderful visit with their Grandma and Aunt from out-of-town (okay, actually I did, as they are the kind of people who like adult time more than kid time!), we all stuffed ourselves silly (back on the healthy bandwagon for me!), and all in all…

LIFE IS GRAND!!!

fireworks1So who cares if they house got cleaned, or the bills got paid, or our new book got completed? December is all about family and friends and good times, and if everything else got pushed to the back burner, no worries. In 3 more days, life returns to normal, and things have a way of catching up and getting done in their own time.fireworks2

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM KAREN AND MELISSA AND KARMEL PUBLISHING!

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

BUT I WAS DOING SO WELL…

WHAT HAPPENED?

I was SO on top of things. DH had bought 90% of the boys’ gifts on line (thanks, honey, but really, did you have to go WAY overboard?), I didn’t make Holiday cookies this year because of the whole Weight Watchers thing (I know myself, and cookie batter is one thing I have absolutely no control around), friend and family gifts were purchased, Christmas dinner was planned, decorations were up, cards were sent out… I was ROCKIN’!!!

Then Monday rolled around, and suddenly I realized “OMG, I HAVE SO MUCH MORE TO DO!”

HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?????

So now of course I’m in panic mode. I still have to finish wrapping the gifts, taking care to use different wrapping paper on the gifts from Santa. Since I didn’t bake cookies, I need to get cookie tins or something of the sort for DH’s employees, and that needs to be done today since this is their last day of work until after the holidays. (I know, you’re wondering why this is my task, and not DH’s. Don’t go there, okay?!!)

Hey, wait a minute. That’s all I have left to do? Whoa! I got more done Monday and Tuesday than I thought. Yay for me! I’m not in panic mode any more.

ONCE AGAIN, I’M ROCKIN’!!!

So here’s hoping you have all your errands run and all your holiday tasks completed so you can sit back and relax and ENJOY your holidays!

Happy Holidays!

Karen