I turned 21 & I'm making healthy choices!

Yay! These past two weeks have been insane, as anyone who follows my blog can tell. But I will hopefully be focusing more on "me time" in the upcoming weeks, which will include blogging!

I turned 21 on September 12th and that was fun! Except I went to the liquor store and they didn't card me!!! Unlike all the other times when I went in trembling with a fake ID. I was angry. But then I got carded later when my friends from the ballroom dance team took me out for wings and beer. Not the healthiest of things, I know.

I've been doing the "Insanity" workout, which is a lot of fun. Some of my apartmentmates are doing it with me, which I love. They are great with supporting healthy habits. The only problem with "Insanity" is that it makes me HUNGRY. But, if I'm not fit by the end of this semester, there will be issues. Here's why:

Healthy Decisions I am Making This Semester
1. Taking a "Healthy Weight, Healthy You" class on campus (for a grade--so I'll have to stick to it). The class is run by this great and very encouraging instructor. We do workouts and talk about nutrition. It's a weight management class so there is good reason to believe that it will help me with my weight.
2. Doing "Insanity" with my apartmentmates. The workout is crazy and I am ALWAYS sore. But I absolutely love it.
3. Taking a jazz dance class (also for a grade)! So far, we have been doing nothing but the warmup, which is basically stretching, ab work and a bit of cardio. So that's been good. We're doing combinations starting Wednesday, so it'll get even more active.
4. Continuing to do ballroom dance. It's a great workout for the mind, body, and soul. Honestly. I love it.
5. I bought a gym membership. It hasn't been of great use yet, but I am determined to go tomorrow.
6. Swimming class--I am possibly taking a swimming class every Saturday, because I'm not a very good swimmer and I would like to be. And pool exercise is great.
7. Eating more in my apartment and less in dining halls or restaurants. I'm really trying hard to keep healthy foods and snacks in the apartment, especially with my appetite as of the moment I started doing Insanity.

So, if I don't feel great at the end of this semester, I am going to say there is something wrong with the picture.

I'm currently studying for my LSAT's and trying to keep up with work, so I'll have to go for now. But I will catch up with all the blogs I follow tomorrow!

Back at School

I'm back at school and the past couple of days have been crazy, crazy, crazy! I will definitely update the blog sometime tomorrow. I've been taking photos and deciding what parts to write about, as to sum up my "Welcome Back Weekend".

I made an important decision a few days ago. I am taking a year off before going to law school. It's a huge decision for me and one that I know will not go over as well with some family members as it does with others. But, in the end, it is my decision and I have to believe it's for the best.

So before I do an update for the weekend, I decided I should write up some goals for the semester.

1) Get straight A's

I know it's possible and attainable--I just have to work really hard. And I think I can do it.

2) Get above a 170 on my LSAT's

Although I'm waiting a year to apply to law school, the LSAT is still an extremely important test. It basically decides what school you end up getting into and that decides what kind of summer internship and job you can have. So it's got to happen.

3) Remain organized

I tend to get lazy 1/4 of the way into the semester, with my notebooks, the state of my room, my chores, my workout schedule, etc. I want to really remain organized and prove to myself that I can be a responsible adult.

4) Lose 20 lbs.

I have 14-15 weeks. This is totally doable. That would put me at about 145 lbs, which I would really love and be really proud of.

5) Make the most of my senior year

Even though I have my LSATs, my ballroom life, my gym membership, and my classes...This is still my senior year. I still want to have an incredible time that I will remember forever. So that's why this is my last goal. Let's do it to it!

Wednesday/Thursday Social?

I know it's almost next Sunday, but I'm a new blogger and I just found this and I can't sleep and it looks like too much fun to pass up! Please don't hate me D:

http://www.acompletewasteofmakeup.com/

1. What is the first website you log on to each day?

Changes between Gmail, Twitter, Facebook. Depends on the day!

2. Give us some funny websites you visit that we need to know about

http://whatshouldwecallme.tumblr.com/ I have no idea why this is funny. It just is.

http://www.betcheslovethis.com/ Again...I just don't know.

http://www.cracked.com/ THE BEST

3. Pinterest or Facebook? Why?

I'm getting less into Facebook, but I'm not getting more into Pinterest, so I guess it's still Facebook. Pinterest is great for the fake parties that I keep planning in my head, though! I might be more into it when I get back to school.

4. Twitter or Instagram?

This is a toughy, because I actually love both! I think Twitter takes the gold, though. There's so many celebrities, my horoscope, funny tweets. Instagram is a bit camera whore-ish. Though it gives me an excuse to be somewhat of a camera whore.

5. Favorite youtube video...post it!

This.  I laugh legitimately every time.

Also this. I don't know why it makes me laugh. But it really does.

6. Biggest online pet peeve?

Pointless emo Facebook statuses make me crazy. Also, trolls. Except my brother. I think he's funny.

xoxo, Gossip Girl

Brazilian Keratin Treatment & Dos Caminos

This morning, I woke up bright and early at 10am (haha?) and ran off to a hair appointment. I know--two in one week: I am a lucky gal! This appointment was to do a Brazilian Keratin treatment! For those of you that don't know what that is, I'm going to explain it in the shortest way possible: it makes your poofy hair straight for a few months and then makes it easier to deal with for the rest of the year until you become a poofball and go back to the salon. At least that's the way it works for me. So, now I cannot perspire too much, wash my hair or put it up in a ponytail for the next 48 hours--but the more the better.

Here is what I wore:

 Shirt: Nine West, Black, Crocheted Back

Jacket: White Denim, The Gap

Jeans: American Eagle, Skinny, Size 8

Boots: NO clue. Found them in my mom's closet one day. They're super old but I love them.

The salon I went to is called "Serenity Salon" and it's on 458 W Broadway in Manhattan. It's an adorable place and clearly for the very chic and--I'll just say it--rich! Which is why I can only afford to go once a year. The reason I go to this specific salon is because Logan works there and Logan is actually incredible. I once got a Brazilian Keratin treatment and felt like I paid $150 to get my hair relaxed for a few weeks. When I went to him, I paid twice as much. But damn, did it work. I'm hoping today's process will be the same effect.

Here's Serenity Salon:

Isn't it chic?

AND a great magazine selection!

After I was done there, I walked to Union Square, past NYU and its welcome week. 3 different welcome week people thought I was a freshman and tried to point me in the right direction or get me to sign up for something. I'm a bit flattered that they think I'm 18 years old--chopping 3 years right off me--but come on, people. When I got to Union Square, about a 1/2 mile walk, I sat down in Whole Foods and did some LSAT work. I had a delicious and healthy salad. Mostly greens and other veggies, but there was also an egg, about 1/4 of a roasted potato and some couscous and pasta in there.

My Salad:

Delicious but expensive. Damn it, Whole Foods.

I then went to meet my friend Liz at Baruch College. It's so weird that all my home friends are back in school and I'm still cruising! Liz is a new friend that I made this summer. We had always been acquaintances from work, but really bonded this year and I'm glad--she's an amazing friend. We decided to go to Dos Caminos in the Meatpacking District, where we would meet Alla (who has been my best friend since the 7th grade). Danny was supposed to come too, but he had kind of a busy day so I think he was too pooped to travel all the way there. For us, it was about a mile's walk. On the way there, we passed this AMAZING block in Greenwich where we made a pact that we would live one day. 2 Perry Street is the townhouse where we would love to live and would also be the name of my sitcom (which all my friends have decided I should have).

Liz, in front of 2 Perry Street, where we will someday live when we find rich husbands!

Alla was late, so Liz and I walked around The High Line, which is an incredibly gorgeous place in New York City. We walked around a bit and then just sat and enjoyed the view.

Here's a picture of the view from The High Line

I <3 Instagram

Liz and me, lounging around!

Dos Caminos was really delicious, but not helpful to my diet. I controlled myself and didn't ruin much, but I could've done better. We all shared guacamole and nachos and I tried to have as little as possible of the nachos. Then, I had vegetable quesadillas with a tiny side salad. I skipped dessert and grabbed a coffee with skim milk and Splenda when we were walking to the train station to curb the sugar cravings.

Here's my food:

Sooooooo good. I gave always a piece of my quesadilla and most of the dressing.

Overall, great day--tomorrow should be busy! Almost time to go back to school.

Friday, Sunday, Monday && New Plans!

Hello there!

I've had a Pretty Little Liars marathon going on in my house for the past two days. I watched one episode and now I can't stop. I'm almost caught up! But that's not what my post is about...I think.

Friday was an interesting night. I made plans to go see a movie with a friend, but she cancelled last minute because she had a scheduling mix-up. But I ended up having a good night anyway! My mom made me a salad and a homemade pizza and my dad put Casablanca into the DVD player. I think they're trying to get me to stay home a little while longer, hah. Watching Casablanca is one of those things I feel everyone should do at least once--just to say they've done it. But it's also a great movie. So, if you haven't seen it, GO!

Saturday had a whole blog post dedicated to it, so you can read about it there: Shopping, Highway Rolling & Alligator Bites.

Here's what I wore: 

Sweater: Forever 21, Medium, Knit, Ginger

Bag: Thrift Shop by school

Jeans: American Eagle Skinny Jeggings, Size 8

Hair: Untidy

Sunday morning I did some packing and then went to dinner and a movie with my old friend Dana. We've been friends since high school and she is an absolute sweetheart. We went to a Japanese restaurant where I had some chicken teriyaki and an avocado roll. Later, we went to bubble tea and then we went to see Premium Rush.
The reviews for this movie were absolutely dreadful, but I honestly loved it. I thought it was funny, action-packed and had a great plot. PLUS Joseph Gordon-Levitt is real easy on the eyes. Especially in that movie.
Afterwards, I dropped off Dana and then went to Dolly's with Danny. There's a serious "D" trend happening here. Dolly's is an ices place I used to go to as a kid and then recently rediscovered. Danny and I have a serious weak spot for Dolly's, so we had a good time.

Here's what I wore:

Shirt: H&M Basics, Medium, Black

Shorts: The Gap, Hadley (on sale for $10, bam)

Monday, I got a quick hair cut, spent all day watching Pretty Little Liars and then went to dinner with my friend Steph, who just graduated from school and who I am going to miss terribly when I go back. We went to a place called The Blarney Stone on 46th and 3rd Ave. $5 burger with fries, $5 GIANT beer. Can't go wrong.

Here's my Hair Cut:

And Here's What I Wore:

Shirt: Forever 21 Basics, Medium, Wifebeater, Turquoise

Cardigan: H&M, Medium, Black with tan outline

Shorts: Target, lol

Shoes: Macy's in Miami, Gladiator, Black & Silver, Size 8, Sale rack

And Here's My Burger:

Omnomnomnom. So good.

With that, I am officially back to healthy eating. Pause for dramatic irony. I'm counting calories to keep to 1200-1400 a day, with exercise (as soon as I'm allowed to sweat after my Brazilian Keratin treatment). I know that there are days that I will not keep to this diet, as my birthday and Jewish New Year are coming up. But I've always had this problem. Solution? Don't go nuts. I'm not planning on cheating. But even on so-called "cheat days" I can put in extra time at the gym and not "cheat" quite as much as I want to. So that's that. I have 46 days until I go to my one wedding of the season and I plan to look smokin' hot, thank you very much.

And for some inspiration, here is a photo of me at my heaviest:

Fun. - Some Nights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY9uaUYJNhY
Awesome song. Give it a listen.
Blasted this in my car today while driving home.

Happy Sunday!

Shopping, Highway Rolling & Alligator Bites

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a shopper. I love to shop, but I don't have a full-time job so I don't often have the money to do it and I hate making my mom spend the money. But today was something altogether different. I bought so many things.

Places I shopped: Forever 21, The Gap Outlet, Aerosoles Outlet, Converse Outlet, Burlington Coat Factory

Favorite Items

Burgundy corduroy skirt (The Gap)- I've never bough anything corduroy. And it's a size 8, which makes me super thrilled!

White denim jacket (The Gap)- Good denim jackets are hard to come by. This one was $40 and is super cute I also think it was the last one in the store.

Skinny jeans (The Gap)- They are very similar to every other pair of skinny jeans I own. But they are a size 6. And they button :)

Cute little sneakers with no name (Forever 21)- I bought them for $6.50. Yes, you are reading correctly. Shoes for $6.50. 

Winter coat (Burlington Coat Factory)- It's burgundy and it's awesome and I love it. I used to have to work incredibly hard to find a winter coat for myself that was even slightly fashionable because of the size I would need it in. This jacket is a size medium and it's adorable and looks great on me. And it's not black or grey, so that's a plus!

Fall coat (Burlington)- I have to make fun of myself for using that term. It reminds me of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gspaoaecNAg&feature=relmfu But it's a really cute bright red peacoat and I'm excited about it!

Ginger-colored Knit Sweater (Forever 21)- I have been trying to find a picture of this thing online, but I can't seem to find one so I'll have to take one myself eventually. It's not just a sweater--it has these open things at the shoulders. Anyway. That's still not making any sense. I'll post up a picture.

The exciting thing about getting to the Jersey Gardens mall is that I got to drive there! As a Brooklynite, I have never needed to drive on the highway. Since I'm driving up to school in less than a week, I figured it was time to start. I drove all the way to Jersey and back and I was fine!

Later, I drove my family to Bayou, a restaurant in Staten Island, for my brother's birthday. The cuisine was "New Orleans"! It was un-surprisingly yummy! We all shared a bunch of appetizers. I had some salad, a bit of nachos, some hummus, some delicious baked bread AND--wait for it--ALLIGATOR! I can't believe I actually tried it. It was surprisingly delicious--and now I can say I've eaten alligator.

For my entree, I had chicken jambalaya (called "Jammin' Jambalaya" in case anyone goes there). It was chicken, rice, Andouille sausage and veggies tossed in some sort of red sauce. It was a little spicy, but really great. Then, we finished off with fried ice cream. I have to say--the Japanese do it way better. I hung out with my brother, made some old jokes (he's 11 years older than me so I like to poke fun), hugged the heck out of my nephew and then we drove home.

Now I'm sitting around, reading blogs and watching Mean Girls/The Time Traveler's Wife. Rachel McAdams is popular on tv today--The Notebook was on earlier. Tomorrow, I'm going to start packing to go to school, go to Bikram yoga and I'm planning on going to see Premium Rush. Hope everyone else is having a great weekend!

About Me!

I had some pretty awesome days this week, hence the lack of blog. Let's start with Saturday. I chaperoned a teen trip to Dorney Park and got to go there for free. Dorney Park is basically a cheap-ish version of Six Flags with smaller roller coasters and a homier feel. Sunday, I went to work and then had lunch with a friend. Monday and Tuesday were pretty basic. Wednesday, I went to Six Flags and had an AMAZING time going on a million different roller coasters and screaming my head off.

This is Kingda Ka: 

It's the tallest roller coaster in the world and one of two strata roller coasters in the world. A strata roller coaster has a height or drop that is 400 feet or more and completes a full circuit. The other strata is located in Cedar Point and is called Top Thrill Dragster. I've ridden front row on both. I guess you could say I'm a bit of a thrill seeker. I'd like to go sky diving eventually, but I think that's an adventure to be saved for next summer, as this one is coming to a close.

Yesterday, I went into the city to meet up with one of my best friends. We recently went through a lot in terms of our friendship and in terms of a lot of personal things that don't need to be disclosed on a public blog because they're not all mine to share--but, after spending an entire day with him, I'm happy to say our friendship is really better than it's ever been before. We also spent a bit of time with our two other friends, one of whom graduated last year and who I think I'll really miss. I also went to my last LSAT class. I'm seriously considering taking this test in October and not applying to law school until next year. I think the break will do me some serious good.

I don't know what's in store for today. I know I want to go to Bikram yoga, since I have that unlimited pass. I think I also want to develop a diet plan for myself for the next 2 weeks, since I'm getting this treatment done on my hair which will prevent me from exercising (because of the sweat) for at least 72 hours, which, for me, is a lot. That, combined with move-in day and first week insanity, calls for a more structured plan than the one I have now. Other than that, the day is open!

But for now, here's a fun survey!

LAYER ONE: On the Outside--

Full Name: Rachel
Birthday: September 12th
School: About to be a senior in college

Major: PPL- Philosophy, Politics and Law & English- Rhetoric
Current Location: New York City!
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Dark brown with a slight tint of red.
Righty or Lefty: Righty!
Zodiac Sign: Virgo

LAYER TWO: On the Inside

Your Heritage: Erm, Russian/Jewish/Azerbaijani/Latvian/Lithuanian/??
Your Fears: I'm still a little freaked out by pigeons. But, other than that, I've kind of kicked the word "fear" out of my life.
Weakness: Boys. I know it sounds cliche, but it's a serious problem. They make me do crazy things.
Goal(s): Hit 140 lbs., get into a good law school, be a kick-ass lawyer, have a family.

LAYER THREE: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow--

Your thoughts first waking up:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7YEnyT34Pw  (0:25)
Your bedtime: When the internet no longer looks fun.
Your most missed memory: I don't have missed memories, really. It's a bit rough to explain, but I miss the way I felt at certain points. Recently, though, I've really missed being a kid and thinking that my parents knew everything; it was an easier time.

LAYER FOUR: You’re picking--

Pepsi or Coke: Diet Coke, all the way!
McDonald's or Burger King: Neither!
Single or Group dates: A little bit o fboth.
Lipton Tea or Nestea: Nestea.
Chocolate or Vanilla:Chocolate. Omnomnomnom.
Cappuccino or Coffee: Coffee.

LAYER FIVE: Do You--

Do Drugs: Nope.
Think you've been in love: No.
Want to get married: One day, yeah.
Believe in yourself: Definitely.

LAYER SIX: In the Past Month--

Drank alcohol: Yes
Gone to the mall: Yup.
Eaten Sushi: Yes.
Gone skating: No--don't know how!
Colored your hair: Yes
Done something exciting: Yes

LAYER SEVEN: Have You Ever?--

Changed who you were to fit in: Sure. Were there other activities in high school?
Hid something from someone: Yup.


LAYER EIGHT: Getting Old--
Age you're hoping to get married: 24-26? Seems like an okay age. Maybe a bit older. Really whenever I'm ready.
Age you're hoping to have children: 27-29
Want to travel to: Everywhere, everywhere, everywhere. South Africa, everywhere in Europe that I haven't been yet, India, New Zealand, Australia, all over the US, South America. I just want to see everything.

LAYER NINE: Perfect Mate--
Best Eye Color: Blue, but I don't really care.
Best Hair Color: Black hair, blue eyes is a perfect combo. But again...I really don't care. Blonde hair, brown hair and brown eyes is all good too. These aren't the things I think of when I think "perfect mate"
Short or Long Hair: Medium-length!

LAYER TEN: What were you doing--

5 MINUTES AGO: Reading blogs
1 HOUR AGO: Eating breakfast
1 DAY AGO: Getting my nails done
1 YEAR AGO: I'm not really sure. I was probably getting ready to go back to school.

LAYER ELEVEN: Finish the Sentence--

I Love: a good time.
I Feel: restless.
I Hate: ignorance.
I Hide: how I REALLY feel. I do a lot of talking and pretending I'm saying how I feel, but my inner feelings cut way deeper than what I'll ever say.
I Miss: ballroom dancing.
I Need: to get the heck out of the house!

A busy week

This week is insanely busy for me. I have a camp sleepover tomorrow, an awards day on Wednesday, a color war going on all week, and an Alice in Wonderland themed Black Tie Gala on Thursday. Then, the culmination of color war is Friday and then it's all over and I can finally breathe. I haven't really been home the past few days and haven't hugged my  mom in awhile. I miss her!

Today, I had a rough day at work. I woke up in the morning feeling AWFUL and also convinced that I had TSS. Because I'm an insane hypochondriac. I went to a meeting where my boss yelled at me, because he likes to blame things on me. Sounds like an odd working relationship (read, why do I still have a job if everything is my fault?), but I was his teen when he ran the teen program so he's basically like a big brother that I cannot stand to be around 85% of the time. When we're not at work, he's a great friend. At work, he's a bit nutso.

Anyway, I got yelled at and then I worked all day. At the end of the day, I got to do some fun stuff, which was cut out and paint decorations for the gala. We made two knights and a Cheshire cat. I had nothing to do with the Cheshire cat--my talented co-worker Liz did that on her own! But I love my knight. Isn't he cute?

After that, I went to Dolly's, which is this delicious ices place that I've been obsessed with since I was a little kid. I went with my friends Alla, Becky, David and Danny. It's a really odd mix of friends for me. Alla is my best friend who I've known since the 6th grade. I was on decent terms with Becky for a few years, but didn't really speak to her until this year. David and I have been really good work buddies for a few years but have never hung out outside of work. And Danny I've known for 2 years but have not breathed more than a hello to in those 2 years. But I had an awesome time, honestly. It was a great end to my day.

That's about all. Hope everyone is well!

The Search for the Perfect Leather Jacket

Well, now that I am FINALLY done with my summer classes, maybe I can actually get some blogging in. I've been incredibly stressed out this week, but it ain't over yet. I still have three-four events to plan for next week. But, when it's all over, it's going to be such a relief. Especially after creative director hell week. I'll have 2 weeks to do whatever it is my heart desires, with the exception of a few hours a day that will be devoted to LSAT work in a nice library or coffee shop.

We are planning an Alice in Wonderland themed gala for the summer camp. I seriously cannot wait. I will be putting up a million pictures. In case you are reading this (and I know someone out there must be), I am the creative director for a summer day camp in Brooklyn. It's my fifth summer at this job and my seventh summer at a camp so, to be perfectly honest, I'm over it. I love kids and I love camp, but I think it's time for this to be over. I've been a counselor, a creative director, a program director, a division leader and now a revamped creative director. I'm going to make this last week my best, since it might be my last summer camp week ever--kind of a sad thought, huh..

Now, onto important fashion things. I am on the search for the perfect leather jacket! I will most likely be purchasing this jacket towards the end of September or October. I won't be at my goal weight yet, but I think it'll be a nice reward for a job well done thus far.

I went on my first window shopping trip. I have never gone to a store looking for a certain item, but I did that in 5 stores. My first stop that day was Aeropostale, but that was to spend a coupon for $20 jeans. Not only did I get $50 jeans for less than half the price (in a size 7/8, which is a bit small on me still), but I also got a free bag with my purchase! It's a beach bag type thing, but it's super comfy. Anyway, after that, the search was on.

I went to: H&M, Forever 21, American Eagle and The Gap to look for leather jackets.

The only thing I found out American Eagle was a jean jacket (I did NOT know those were back in, but I'm kind of psyched about it), which I did not buy, since I was on a specific mission..but I have a feeling it'll happen. Forever 21 was entirely fruitless as they had no jackets at all. H&M and The Gap were more fruitful.

So, what does my perfect leather jacket entail?
1) I don't want it to be short. I liked the H&M jackets, but they all came up above my belly button. I like a tight fit as much as any other girl, but when something has a tight fit and ends above my belly button, it just makes my stomach and hips look larger than usual..which is no good.
2) I want it to be form-fitting. In the past, I've had saggy leather jackets--I don't think there's much of a point to that anymore and I think a form-fitting leather jacket would be badass.
3) I would prefer a belt type thing at the bottom. No great reason for that one. I just want to be able to tighten and un-tighten, if necessary.
4) I would like to have something in my wallet after I make my purchase. I found a really decent-looking leather jacket at The Gap, which is usually really well-priced. Well..that leather jacket cost $290.00. It was sad because it was good material, stopped right at the line of my hip bones and had a cool collar type thing. But it is what it is! I will find one.

If you're reading this...What is your favorite fall jacket like?

Beginnings

Hi there :)

So, I've had blogs before, but they were all predominantly weight loss blogs, dedicated to my journey on the way down to a healthy weight. Well, I've lost about 60 pounds and, while I'm still trying to lose more weight, other things in my life have become important. Eating healthy and working out is not just to lose weight--it's to feel good. I'll go over more of the differences as I go along, but just a disclaimer: This is NOT predominantly a weight loss blog. I will be more than happy to answer questions for those of you trying to lose and will definitely post updates when I lose a few pounds, but this blog is not about that.

So what is this blog about? I don't know yet. I know some of the things I want to do are post about clothes that I want to wear at my goal weight, my daily life, my job (for the rest of the summer at least), school, new and awesome workouts, law school applications, travels and other adventures in my life.

Today, I went to work to teach my Swimmers & Shakers class. It's only six classes, but let me tell you...it's tough! It's a "Mommy & Me" class for 12 months- 3 year-olds and their parents. Most of the kids are 12-24 months and, having never worked with that age, I'm finding it really tough. Let me preface this by saying that, at 20 years old, I have 7 years of experience with kids ages 5-13 years old. I've also worked with teens, from 14-17 yrs old, and I have a 10yr old cousin, two 7 yr old cousins, a 5 yr old cousin, and a 2 year old nephew. So, when it comes to kids, there is very little that actually intimidates me.

But these kids are really young, so in order to get them organized, I really need the help of their parents. And some of the parents are less than happy to help. Some of them have been absolutely great and a pleasure to work with. But the ones that haven't have been disrupting the class. They also have, I think, unrealistic expectations for the class. The kids, with the exception of one, don't even talk yet, much less do arts and crafts or anything of the sort. The projects that I do are to bond the parents with the kids and I don't think they want to do the work. It's hard, but I'm powering through.

Today, we made pita bunnies. Mine looked like this:

It's just a pita split into two, with cream cheese spread on both. Then I cut one of the pita halves in half (for the ears), used two semi-sweet chocolate chips for eyes, broke three pretzel sticks for the whiskers and cut off the end of a strawberry for the nose.

I think it's a cute way to get kids to eat nutritiously! You've got carbs, dairy and fruit. For an even healthier twist, you can use blueberries for the eyes and strips of pineapple or an equally lengthy fruit for the whiskers.

As a closing, here's an outfit that I'd like to imitate when I'm at my goal weight of 140 lbs.

Absolutely love this outfit and others like it! I know I don't need to lose any more weight to wear it, but I don't want it to go to waste when I lose another 20 pounds!

Happy Sunday everyone!