Kids, I have been doing an experiment at home with NS breakfast foods.  Ever since they got rid of the eggs, breakfast has been an issue for me.  Now, don't get me wrong, the eggs did leave a little to be desired and I am not a fan of the fritatta, but the other choices - pastries and cereals - seem to start me (personally) off on the wrong path.

Here's what breakfast was like when I started NS in October 2008:  NS scrambled eggs with cheese (which I made on the stove with peppers and green onions), milk, half a grapefruit, water and coffee.  Then they discontinued the eggs...breakfast was about the same except I had a NS apple scone or a bowl of NS cereal.  Then an hour later I'd be craving bread.  In my body ingestion of carbs leads to craving of carbs.  So...what to do.

I changed to all cereals which I then dumped into non-fat Greek yogurt (eliminating the glass of milk, but still getting calcium and a whopping 22 grams of protein per serving).  This works pretty well.  However, I have learned that nothing works so well as the eggs.  There is something about the long-lasting effect of the egg - releasing its protein slowly - that keeps me from craving carbs and allows me to concentrate on whatever I am doing until it is time for the next meal.  Lately, I have been keeping boiled eggs at-the-ready in the fridge and making them for breakfast.  I feel more food-stable this way.  Anyone else?

NS:  BRING BACK THE EGGS!

Peace and joy ~ Shannon

P.S.  The college appeal is in the mail.  Wish my son luck, please. 

I actually need to blog so I don't explode...

My son was not accepted to the college of his choice.  I know many other kids are in the same boat - 24,800 for this particular school to be exact - but I'm not the mother of those kids.  Several of his friends were accepted to this school...kids with lower grade point averages and lower SAT scores.  There are lots of reasons schools pick kids, but explain that to your 17 year old whose heart is set on one particular location.  So, we have set the appeal rolling - his letter, transcripts, a recommendation letter from a teacher, contacting everyone we know who could help.  The recommendation leter was requested on Monday and promised for today...but it didn't happen.  ARGH.  I know teachers are busy, and I know the letter will be great, but an appeal is time-critical...yeah, I know...take a chill pill.

SonBo finally got all of the signatures for his Eagle project and that went in the mail yesterday along with my letter in support of him.  Five others will also write letters for him and one is already sent by his client.  It is a relief to know it is out there.

So, yesterday, the painting contractor calls to say he can't come, but he said he would be here today.  He is.  So that's good.  Then another electrician came to give us a bid and, although it is higher, it is much more comprehensive work and HusBo hired him.  I wonder how we will manage all of this...it's really stressful, but it has to be done - all of it - because maintenance is so much less expensive than repair.  But I am still about as stressed as I get.

I am reading this over and think it sounds like a spoiled brat whining.  But I'm not.  I'm a middle-aged woman with a kid trying to get into college, a little house that needs lots of work so it doesn't fall apart, stalled weight loss, a dog who"loves" our contractors just a little bit too much, a load of work piled up in front of me from a client who has killer deadlines, not enough sleep, and piles of laundry and grocery shopping to do.  CALGON!

You know what I am craving through all of this?  Cabbage.  How freakin' weird is that?  I made it for St. Patrick's Day and put the leftover cabbage in the fridge.  The next day I put apple cider vinegar on it and it was tangy and sweet together...now I can't get enough.  Heck, I could eat a whole head of it for about 50 calories.  Yay!

OK.  I have to tackle the next thing.  I think that's grocery shopping.  Wish me luck.

Peace and joy ~  Shannon

Just coming up for air for a moment...

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
May the rains fall soft upon your fields,
And, until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Still buried in house renovations, college appeals, electricians...I'll be back soon.  Staying on NS track, though...

Peace and joy ~ Shannon

My blog contributions over the next couple of weeks are going to be minimal.  The train of life is coming straight at me down the track and, apparently, I am tied to those tracks.  ARGH!

I'll check in when I have a second and I am staying 100%...I just can't do it all just now.

Peace and joy ~ Shannon

with Jillian Michaels 30 day shred.  Today HusBo and I went out for office supplies and lunch, and afterward I felt inspired to get the DVD.  I think skiing this past weekend makes me want to get into even better condition for next year.  I feel pretty good.

My gym doesn't offer aerobics classes - no Step, no CardioFunk, no Zumba...so I either treadmill or spin or find another place to work out.  Luckily, I actually have been a fitness instructor for much of my life (really fit, then really fat), so I feel that kicking in again.  Let's see if Jillian can kick my butt.

Speaking of butts, it never ceases to amaze me that whenever there is something dangling from the dog's butt I hear, "Honey?" or "Mom!"  It's good to be needed, I guess.  ;-)

Peace and joy ~ Shannon

Some of you are thinking right now...is it running? Yes.  Running is fantastic for weight loss.  Is it walking?  Again, yes.  Walking is terrific for weight loss and it's gentle on the frame.  How about cardio classes?  Absolutely.  Treadmill?  Sure, why not.  Bicycling and/or spin class?  Awesome calorie burners. 

What about strength training?  Well, of course.  That's an important component to weight loss - more muscle mass burns more calories all day.  Hiking...is that in there?  Yes, indeed.  Hiking is a great way to soak up some Vitamin D and get a sweet aerobic workout. 

But what about DVDs - like Leslie Sansone and all of the exercise DVDs out there?  Well all of those are beneficial.  You need them as alternatives if you can't get out in the weather, too.  Is ballroom dancing a good exercise?  Yes!  And it's fun and social. 

How about martial arts?  Wow - glad you mentioned that - those are magnificent aerobically and for strength training.  Fencing, bowling, swimming?  Yes, yes, and yes!

But do you want to know what the PERFECT exercise for weight loss is?  You do?  Come a little closer and I will whisper it in your ear...closer...closer...

IT'S THE ONE YOU WILL DO CONSISTENTLY - NO MATTER WHAT IT IS.

Exercise is exercise, my friends.  We all have different goals and capacities for it.  Some are trying to incorporate exercise for the first time, others are getting back into it full swing, others are challenging themselves to new heights.  BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU CHOOSE.  Just move!  Guaranteed any exercise is going to benefit your body.  Housework, gardening, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking your car farther from your destination, walking the dog...what can you think of?  How about getting it yourself insterad of sending one of your kids to do it?  Anyone else guilty of that?  LOL!

So, there it is.  Just move.  Once you get the hang of it you'll probably want to do more.  I do.

Peace and joy ~ Shannon

I just had - bar none - the best 4 day trip with my son.  We went skiing at Lake Tahoe for the first time in 4 years and we had a blast.  We were lucky to ski at a resort we love (Homewood) which is very small yet challenging.  Lucky for us the day we skied was a slow day and we didn't wait in a lift line even once!  Unfortunately, for SonBo anyway, was the fact that it was 32 degrees and snowing the entire time and by the end of the day the wind had kicked up and it was a white out.  I have skied in this type of weather before and love it because every run is virgin snow and it's really powdery...but for "I love spring skiing" boy it was a bit much.   He's such a great sport though that it worked out fine.

For the very first time in a very long time all of my equipment was perfect.  Let me tell you that skiing in boots that a) fit like a glove, b) keep your feet exactly the right temperature, c) cost practically nothing because you bought them at the summer sale at 1/4 their original price PLUS a 25% discount, is the best thing ever.  Plus my skis (same deal, btw) were fantastic.  It was worth waiting out this equipment for 3 years.  (Yeah, seriously, 3 years.  I am nothing if not patient with not-exactly-necessary retail purchases.)  Anyway, the best part was the fact that I had another pair of skis that I'd bought years ago but only used once (they were an awesome close-out, but they were slightly too long) are perfect for SonBo!  So, he's got brand new skis (be default) and now we will wait out the summer close-out sales for his boots and poles.  We don't ski really often, but one day of it can wipe you out if you have to rent stuff on top of lift tickets!  And the kid's gonna be a poor college student next year... 

Let me remind everyone to check the internet for deals on any activity you do - whether it's skiing or dining out orANYthing.  There is always a discount available if you look hard enough.  We are all on the internet anyway, so we should use it for getting a break! 

Here's another thing we did...we took all of our food up and ate NutriGruel at the cabin!  It was so easy and convenient.  One $20 shopping trip for milk and veggies.  So, even though I haven't gotten on the scale yet, I know I ate right, exercised, and drank way more than the water I usually do (altitude = dehydration).  It was a healthy trip and I feel fantastic.

Also, I came home to wonderful HusBo and MinBo and my garden popping with red tulips...so all is right in my world.

Peace and joy ~ Shannon

Well, after school today, SonBo and I are headed to the snow.  I'm loading the car with ski equipment and we are looking forward to 4 days of snow play and skiing.   There is so much snow this year at Tahoe that we should have a blast.

Sadly, HusBo and MinBo will stay home - HusBo is training for marathon #2 and has a big training run on Sunday.  We'll miss them...but we'll try to suck it up and have fun anyway.  ;-)

I don't think I'll be blogging this trip.  I'm going to unplug...let's hope the universe doesn't implode.  LOL!

Have a great weekend!

Peace and joy ~ Shannon

P.S.  I packed NS meals for the entire trip.  ;-)

"...they have knives, clubs, and metal pipes..."

This is part of a message I got from a student at UC Santa Cruz this afternoon.  There is on campus rioting over tuition increases.  She is both frightened and angry.  Her point?  These rioting students are destroying school property, endangering others' lives, smashing car windshields...to what end?  They end up costing the school more money in repairs and law suits which does nothing for their plight.  Measured discussion and negotiation would be much more productive.  Also, if they think rioting is the answer (which we all know isn't), shouldn't I get involved as the parent of a prospective UC student who will have to pay this increased tuition from the get-go? Yeah.  I didn't think so.

I live near the UC Berkeley campus (go Bears!) and there has been rioting in the streets causing damage to local businesses.  nothing has been accomplished, people are not able to study or get to work.  It is so counterproductive.  I am a little stressed about all of it.  Even when I walked through Berkeley on Saturday I was concerned to see distress in the students and the reduction of vendor business (there is a huge ongoing outdoor market along the street leading to UCB).  It's just sad.

So, this has nothing to do with NS...except that stress has been my weight loss nemesis in the past.  So, instead, today I am guzzling water and heading to get the oil changed in my car.  Then either the gym or a walk - can't decide which yet.  But something to clear my head, you know?

Have a great day - and if you know any UC students, remind them to stay safe.

Peace and joy ~ Shannon

I am certain someone out there is going to be awfully jealous...but remember...hating gets you nowhere.  Why?  Why would someone be jealous of the day I have in front of me?  Let me spell it out first...then you'll know.

In about 15 minutes I have to move all of the furniture out of the living room and stack it in the tiny front hall so I can clean the carpet my dog barfed on.  Try to control your envy, people.  I know how many of you want to slap me for the excitement and joy I am about to experience.

After that I have to move the furniture back in and clean the other two area rugs ('cause you just can't let that Rug Doctor rental go to waste, you know?).

When I am done with the rugs (and the requisite pre- and post- vacuuming and floor cleaning), I get to go to the grocery store to stock the fridge...and I did it again - EIGHT days between shops!  Wahoo!

Once the grocery shopping is done, I'm taking on the laundry, and while that's in I'm making an attic run to get more stuff for Salvation Army.  Our attic is so stuffed with things we should not have kept over the years that we're afraid it's going to crash in on us!  Anyway, we're getting it cleaned bit by bit.

So, jealous?  LOL!  Don't be.  Volunteer to be part of the fun!  I welcome you all - maybe some of you can get out there and pull those weeds that keep coming back.  ;-)  Hey, it burns loads of calories!

Have a great day.

Peace and joy ~ Shannon

Courtesy of Phase One Photography

Le Whif offers its inhalers in three flavors — pure chocolate, mint chocolate and raspberry chocolate. The company plans to launch a coffee-flavored inhaler this March.

Published: March 01, 2010

by Andrea Shea

Eating chocolate can be decadent, sensual, blissful, even addictive. I mean, have you ever just wanted to inhale the confection? Well, now you can with a new chocolate invention known as Le Whif.

Sounds wacky — like something Willy Wonka would have dreamt up. He had the Scrumdidlyumptious bar, lickable wallpaper and the river of chocolate that ran through his factory.

Well, move over Willy Wonka and meet Harvard University professor David Edwards, the not-so-mad, biomedical scientist behind Le Whif.

"We have created chocolate in a new form," Edwards says.

Breathable Chocolate

That new form is an airborne variety that people can inhale instead of eat.

Edwards knows lungs well. He usually works on designing inhalers that deliver medicine. But last year he and his lab students decided it would be fun to invent breathable chocolate. They broke it down into particles that float.

But does Le Whif satisfy?

To find out, Edwards headed to Cardullo's Gourmet Shoppe in Harvard Square, where they have an obscene selection of chocolate.

Edwards busted out his little box of Le Whif. It comes in tubes that look like lipstick or shotgun shells or some other kind of illicit paraphernalia.

"If you're really experienced with the Whif you can actually do it with one hand," Edwards says. "You open it up, put it in your mouth, and you breathe in. And you get a nice flavor. You can close it when you're done, and then later on you can open it up again and you can "Whif" again. There's about eight or 10 puffs per Whif."

'It's Kind Of Fun'

But what about the taste?

Store co-owner Francis Cardullo is a major chocolate junkie and the perfect guinea pig to taste test the invention.

"That's a nice light whiff of chocolate," Cardullo says. "It's kind of fun. You get the full flavor of the chocolate."

After experiencing it, Cardullo says he wants to add Le Whif to his shop's extensive chocolate selection.

"It's different," Cardullo says. "One doesn't replace the other. I think it's a compliment to chocolate."

And that's the point, according to Edwards, though he admits he's even had to defend Le Whif on a few occasions.

"This is not against chocolate anymore than eating bars of chocolate means I don't eat a chocolate milkshake," he says. "This is just a new way of experiencing chocolate, and it's sort of an addendum to how we normally eat chocolate."

Le Whif is something of a sensation in Paris, where it's currently sold in stores. For now, Americans can sniff it out online. A box of three tubes costs about $8. It launches on Harvard's campus and New York City in a few weeks.

Even better news for serious chocoholics — Le Whif is virtually calorie-free. Copyright 2010 National Public Radio