We have a few new people in our house lately.  They are kind and loving and always play nice. The only downfall is that I can’t see them.

Apple calls them Niglese (say: Nig Leaze), Mergess and Nicolas.  Niglese and Mergess are three, just like Apple. And they love to have tea parties an talk on the phone.  Sometimes they help Apple get dressed and sometimes they sit and watch a movies together.

Niglese has golden hair just like Apple and Mergess has dark hair, like Daddy (well when Daddy had hair).  Their favorite foods are noodle soup and cream of  mushroom soup, just like Apple.

Nicolas has blonde hair like J and is seven just like him. J doesn’t agree that he can see or interact with Nicolas but he makes jokes about him being close by just to keep his Sister happy.

Hubby and I have started asking questions about Niglese, Nicolas and Mergess, who doesn’t come over as often as Niglese and Nicolas.  We are trying to figure out how she decided to have an imaginary friend.  We find it interesting since neither of us had imaginary friends and neither did A or J.  This is completely new to us.  But Apple talks about them as if she has known them forever.

We think she mixes in some of her friends she plays with and her cousins to come up with the perfect playmates.  And when we can’t have a playtime with a real person, out comes her friends.

I know other children have imaginary friends, and I think it is completely normal, but somehow I just don’t know what to do with it. Do I play along or do I encourage her in a different direction?  Please feel free to share your imaginary friend experiences with me so I know that I am not alone and what to expect when something doesn’t go right with them.

Thanks to Lori’s exercises and some good healthy eating I am starting to feel much more like myself.  With still some progress to be had.

I quietly didn’t publish this because it would seem that sometimes when I do publish what I am working on, it derails me.  Sometimes it is best for me to wait until I reach a certain point, then talk about it.

After Christmas, despite not baking and eating as much junk, I got on the scale and almost died a small death.  Not only was I up in weight after Booty Camp (which for me is normal when I train hard on my muscles, then I usually lose after a certain amount of time) I was up another few pounds.  A small tragedy for me since I swore I wouldn’t put on any weight this Christmas.  I guess I should have just baked and enjoyed it after all.

So I started all over again to first, rid myself of the Christmas weight, then to work on getting back into my Summer dresses. I am happy to report I am down 8lbs in three weeks and quite happy about that.  Now, I need to get lower.  This is as far I have managed to get since I had Apple and I would really, really like to be down at least another 10 by sundress season.

This is what has been working for me so far.

I did a ten day carb fast. Basically, I tried to stay away from as much carbs as possible for ten days.  This had two purposes, one to get me to reset my intake of all things bread and starchy and two to help kick-start my loss a little. I was down 4lbs in that first ten days.

Next, I reintroduced some really great carbs into my diet, slowly.  I am now having one or two servings a day depending on what is for dinner. Another 2lbs gone. Yay me.

Finally, I am adding back in the 8 glasses of  water per day and trying not to bring in any extra snacks/treats that sometimes find their way into my afternoon and evening work times. Gone, another 2lbs.  Hooray!

In addition to my change in diet for the last three weeks, I have been trying to up my exercise.  As always I find it a challenge in the wintertime and hope that Spring really isn’t too far away.  I have been riding the stationary bike lately, something I hadn’t done in a while and have quite enjoyed it.  I have also been taking mini-breaks while working to add in a round of Lori’s exercises.  Next up is to add back my running. I haven’t run since November and miss it terribly, but I need to start slowly as I don’t want my underused knees to get achy on me.

Overall Goal: To make sure I can fit into all my favorite Summer Dresses this year.  I didn’t wear half of them last year and it was such a shame.

What is your goal?

**disclaimer: I, Anna, am in no way a Doctor or Physical Trainer. I am going to share with you my thoughts and ideas about how to get into shape again. I strongly advise consulting a medical professional prior to starting any workout routine as well as a professional trainer. I am in no way responsible for any injury you may sustain from trying any of my suggestions.