Tag Archives: Mickey Mouse

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A Day of Charming Choices

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Day 56 in my marathon to mambo with Mickey

Victory number one today: we met Jake and Eliza at Walker Brothers Pancake House in Highland Park.  I ordered the “Healthy Plate.”  It consisted of scrambled egg whites, fruit, and wheat germ granola pancakes with sugar-free syrup.  It was delicious!  I left two of four pancakes on my plate and some of the egg whites.

Victory number two: today’s plan was to walk for twenty minutes.  Because Emi had some shopping to do at Target, I stood and walked for 35 minutes!  Mischief managed, dear readers!   Or done deal, Dudes!

Victory number three: while we were there I shopped for the ingredients for “Weight  Watchers Chili.”  So good!  Tomato juice, black beans, dark red kidney beans, green beans and pinto beans tonight.  I usually include lean ground beef or ground turkey, but Emi is a vegetarian, so tonight’s version will just be extra beanie.  🙂  And I usually add a can of bean sprouts, because it’s like having noodles in the chili, but they didn’t have bean sprouts at Target.  Plus I’ll sauté onion and garlic first and add spices: chili powder, oregano, basil, red pepper, black pepper.  I don’t add salt to the pot because of the salt in the tomato juice and some of the canned beans.  I did manage to find some low-sodium beans though.

So all in all another fabulous day in Lake Bluff.  A special shout out to Jake and Eliza who are running their first 5K tonight…in the dark…through a graveyard.  Sounds about like a 5K that Jake would run, hey?  Love it!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

 

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Respectable Rewards

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Day 55 in my pilgrimage to the Magic Land of Mickey

What a wonderful, joyous day, dear readers.  My daughter Emi is here, so we went in for a real pampering today.  Emi, my daughter-in-law Eliza, and my dear fried Joan: there we were, the four of us, like pumpkins on a fence, all lined up for manis and pedis this morning at Graphic Nails.  It was complete luxury and a delightful reward for the hard work of living a healthier life.  About 55 days ago, my rewards were filled with sugar.  Cupcakes, candy bars, ice creams, brownies, mochas, pumpkin spice lattes, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate…  And I used plural words because I ate and drank plural amounts of copious foods to satisfy a hunger that could NOT be satisfied by sugar.

No more.  Instead I’m going to be good to my body.  So today my plan was to trade in rotten rewards for some respectable rewards…and I did.  I enjoyed delightful conversation with some of my favorite people in the world while being massaged, scrubbed, clipped and painted.  It was bliss!  Then off to a very healthy lunch with Emi and Joan.  (Eliza had a previous lunch commitment with Grandpa Toser.  Hi to Tom!)  Wildberry.  Do you know it?  Delicious, organic ingredients in dishes that you can build yourself.  I had a veggie, omelet, rye toast and fruit.  Now I’m home feeling completely sated and pampered.  It was a respectable reward, and  I am so grateful for this day.

Love to you and yours, dear readers.  Blessings on you, too.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Prioritizing Celebrations

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Day 54 in my race to rendezvous with Mickey at the Magic Kingdom

Today is a very exciting day!  My daughter Emi is coming in for twelve days from Bristol, England.  She is married to a very wonderful Brit named James, so she lives there.  (Wish you were coming to visit too, James!)  I am jacked!!!  (Of course, I did also drink a cup of caffeinated coffee from MacDonald’s this morning.  That probably isn’t helping.)    🙂

I began this Disney quest, because I want to thoroughly enjoy our trip to Walt Disney World in October 2015 WITH Emi & James, Jake (our son) & Eliza, Mike (my husband) & me.  I want to be able to walk around and really relish the parks with my family this time.  What a celebration it will be to have the whole family together in such a fun place!

Today is also a day of celebration.  When Emi comes we always celebrate by going to The Silo for dinner.  It is our local watering hole, and they make the best pizza I’ve ever tasted.  So here’s today’s plan: I will drink Diet Coke or iced tea or water this evening, and I will order a salad for dinner.  The BIG celebration next October has to remain my main goal, so I will make healthy choices tonight and save the pizza for another day.  I can not eat pizza today.  I can do that for this one day.  (Thank you, Jesus!)  And who knows?  Maybe I’ll enjoy a slice in Florida.  🙂

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Research Reading Round 2

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Day 53 in my Disney quest to meet Mickey at the Magic Kingdom

I am happy to report that I took my 20+ minute walk after work yesterday, and it did not bust me!  Hallelujah!  My honey Mike dropped me off at the end of the long stretch at Crab Tree Farm and I walked home.  Talk about incentive!  I knew that at the end of that walk I had a tall glass of cold water and my recliner waiting for me.  And sure enough they were there waiting when I arrived.

Today’s plan: I will continue my research in Birnbaum’s Disney World, The Official Guide and The Skinnytaste Cookbook.  I barely scratched the surface yesterday, so I will dive back in after work today.

And I will attempt to resurrect the remaining filling from our Leftover-Turkey Quesadillas that we had a couple night’s ago.  They were so good, and I don’t think it will be too hard to bring the filling back to life for round two.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Rampant Research Reading

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Day 52 in my moves toward meeting Mickey

Today’s plan is a no-brainer.  I received in the mail “Birnbaum’s 2015 Walt Disney World” The Official Guide.  Am I excited?  Oh, yeah!!!  I will look it over and begin to read it in earnest tonight.  Then I will begin to plot our parks schedule for 2015.

I also received “The Skinnytaste Cookbook” by Gina Homolka with Heather K. Jones, R.D.  In previous blogs I have mentioned the website skinnytaste.com.  I love the light recipes that I’ve found there, so I am pretty excited about the new cookbook.  I will also give this book the once over tonight to start getting some new ideas.

It’s a very chilly 55 degrees here today, so settling in with two good books sounds just about right for this evening.  First though, I am going to go for a walk when I get home, 20 minutes or bust…I might just bust.  🙂  No more fear!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: The quesadillas last night were outstanding!

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Working on Work Days

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Day 51 in my destiny to dance with Mickey

Today’s plan is all about the lifestyle:

  1. I will remain sugar-free.
  2. I will move more often at work.
  3. I will cook us a healthy, nutritious meal tonight.  (I think “left-over turkey” whole-wheat quesadillas with a salad)
  4. I will spend some quiet time reminding myself that I am precious in God’s sight, therefore, I have value as a human being.  (In other words, the work is worth it!  And if God loves me, then maybe I can love me, too, by taking care of myself.)
  5. I will visualize myself walking around the Magic Kingdom, as I take a little walk after work today.

This is pretty much the way my work days look now.  So different from just 50 days ago!  And so much better!

Thank you for reading, dear friends.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Shopping and Walking…Walking and Shopping

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Day 50 in making my way to meet Mickey

Today’s plan is to go grocery shopping and pick healthy, low-sugar, low salt products, and to take a walk.

We had breakfast at Denny’s this morning.  They now have a a FitSlam which is egg whites scrambled together with fresh spinach and grape tomatoes, plus two turkey bacon strips, English muffin and fruit.   I only left one half of the unbuttered English muffin and half the fruit.  It was a delightful find.

Then we shopped at Trader Joe’s for our groceries.  We found everything except olive oil (They only had EVOO which is not great for cooking.) and a few specialty items.  (unsweetened pumpkin puree, unsweetened shredded coconut and vanilla powder)  Off to the health food store for me this week.

When I finish my blog, I’m going to start walking to the farm for a sauna.  Mike will pick me up in 20 minutes this time.  However, far I make it, I make it.  Period.  It’s a warm, beautiful day here today, about 78 degrees and sunny.  Actually a bit warm for me, but bring it on!  No more fear!  [I talk so tough, hey?  🙂  ]

Wish me luck/blessings, dear readers.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: Shout out to Jean.  I am really enjoying reading “Trim, Healthy Mama” by Pearl P. Barrett and Serene C. Allison   I don’t understand it all yet, but I am in there swinging and learning all I can.

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Whistling While I Work (Around the Soreness)

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Day 49 in my moves toward meeting Mickey

When I spoke with my Mayo Clinic Health Coach on Wednesday, we decided on a two step goal for the next three weeks.  1) I would attempt to walk for 20 minutes three days a week, and 2) I would dance while listening to my iPod for five minutes every hour on my days off while I putz around the house.

Since I’m off today, my plan was going to be a 20 minute walk and some dancing. However, I think I hurt myself yesterday with my rather vigorous trek at the mall.  My back and side are very sore today.  (Although the side might be my diverticulitis kicking in.)  So instead, I will cook Mike and myself a primo turkey breast dinner tonight with baked sweet potato and steamed green beans, with plenty of fresh veggies and hummus dip.  And I will research a menu for this next week with at least two new, healthy recipes.  Thanks to Eliza, I have found some new recipes in “I Quit Sugar” by Sarah Wilson.  I hope to make a “Breakfast Casserole” for dinner one evening this week.  The recipe has rutabaga in it, should be interesting.

I’m off to research, dear readers.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: The Destination Channel is playing shows about Walt Disney World today.  Woo hoo!  I’m loving seeing some of the new things to see and do on our trip!  Instant inspiration!  And a great reminder of why I’m on this quest.  🙂

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A Walk on the Wild Side

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Day 48 in preparing to partake of a park party with Mickey  (Should’ve said Pluto, right? Or Pocohontas or Princess Aurora )

Today’s plan has already been fulfilled.  I went to the mall today and parked a bajillion miles from JC Penney’s styling salon.  Then I walked to the salon.  I had a cut and color today.  My hair is the most alarming shade of red…and I like it!  I’m sure it’ll settle down after a few washings.  And it’ll be good for Nathan’s (my husband Mike’s nephew) wedding next week.  Then I walked the bajillion miles back to the car.  Now I’m home and happy to be here.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Resources for Disney Research

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Day 45 in my travels toward all things Theme Park, but especially Mickey

Today’s plan was to do some more research.  There was a really interesting post on Facebook today by TouringPlans, called “A Guide to Walt Disney World Attraction Vehicles and Seating: Magic Kingdom.”  It describes all the seating at all the attractions in the Magic Kingdom Park.  It makes it easier to decide which attractions to try and which to pass.

I highly recommend TouringPlans.  It costs to subscribe, however, you can check on historical attendance dates.  So say I want to go to EPCOT on the 5th of October.  It will show how busy EPCOT has been on October 5th for several years back.  And it shows the same info for the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  And there is a lot more information there, too.

Also, Disneyphiles, I super-highly recommend WDW Magazine which is available as an app.  Again there is a subscription fee, but it is amazing!  I just watched the entire train ride for Hogwarts Express at Universal Studios, and the Mickey’s-Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Parade.  Just the best!

That’s is for today.  But I am still off sugar, moving more and making the best, healthiest food choices that I can.  Meet you at the Kingdom!