I was a reluctant fan. I didn’t want to like the show. I didn’t even watch it at first. I scoffed when I saw the previews running over and over on MTV, I was way too classy for this crap.  Give me Real World DC, I will not watch Jersey Shore, that trash is below me.  I laughed along as Chelsea Handler made fun of them on her nightly show.  I rolled my eyes when they came up on The Soup.  But alas, one cold lazy day here in Cleveland. I watched and then I watched all day. Damn you MTV marathons.  I was hooked. I then DVR’d all the Jersey Shores and got caught up on all the tanning, pickles, greasy hookups and Guido abs.  So gross, but oh I loved it.  It just came into my life and it is already over.  As I sit here watching my DVR’d reunion special I shed a little tear.  Farewell Jersey Shore. 

Farewell Mike “The Situation”, I am so much more disgusted by you now that I learned you are 29 years old!  29 years old and you still act like that!  Your mother is probably ashamed. But you are laughing all the way to the bank I am sure.


So long Nicole “Snooki” with your little orange oompaloopa self. I cringed right along with everyone else all seasons as you shamelessly threw yourself at anyone in a fist pumping radius.  Sadly you remind me a little bit of myself in my early 20s, terribly insecure and looking for anyone to love you. I hope you do find a nice guy, you deserve it, besides you save animals and suck on pickles relentlessly, whats not to love?


Goodbye to the rest of the cast that pretty much all blended together in a dirty haze of Italian stereotypes and STDs.  I hope you enjoy your 5 mins of fame and don’t figure out a way to turn it into 20 like those Hills idiots.

It’s no secret, I love tv.  It is amazing I get so much done in my life with the amount of tv that I watch. I think the secret is that you will often find me watching tv, on the computer and reading (after Harper is asleep of course). I multi task and I do it well.  Since I got DVR it has gotten much easier to watch good tv and not waste my time with the crap.  I DVR a ton of shows and then watch them when I can. I tend to watch  a show when I feed Harper.  Breastfeeding forces you to sit still.  I have come across some shows that I absolutely adore.

Tabatha’s Salon Takeover- Bravo

I had never heard of Tabatha Coffey before I started watching this show. I guess she actually started her tv career on another great show as a contestant – Shear Genius.  On this Bravo TV original Tabatha travels across the country to help save failing salons.  Cattiness and fights ensue, but so do tragically human stories.  Most of the business owners that she helps are in severe debt and about to lose it all.  For instance, on one episode she goes to a Chicago salon where the owner is 700,000 dollars in debt and has a total addiction to buying product. Also there are lots of cringe inducing scenes where she goes on tours of the salons and finds some serious dirt, literally, dead roaches, hair on the wax pot, etc.  She goes in, takes over, redesigns the salon and helps turn the business around. I can’t get enough!

Teen Mom – MTV


You first met these teen moms on another MTV original 16 and Pregnant.  This show seriously tugs at the heart strings. I don’t know if I am more sensitive to it b/c I am a mom, but I watch and cry and laugh and wish I could help each of these young girls out. I know how hard it is to take care of a baby and most of these girls are doing it alone either by choice or b/c the guy they were with is a total tool (I’m talking about you Ryan!).  I am especially fond of the adorable couple Catelynn and Tyler. The poor kids are totally from a “white trash” background and have no parental support. They give their baby up for adoption and oddly their parents don’t support the decision and berate them for it.  Or Amber, whose dufus of a baby daddy Gary, is totally having a breakdown and you can just feel the post partum depression and anxiety coming from her through the tv.  I watch every week and hope something wonderful will happen to these young women, it never does, but I keep coming back.

Sons of Anarchy – FX

I got to this party late and starting watching during the second season. I was hooked from the first episode I watched.
FX’s original series, Sons of Anarchy, is an fast paced drama that follows a notorious outlaw motorcycle club’s desire to protect its livelihood (illegal firearms) while ensuring that their simple, sheltered town of Charming, California remains exactly that, Charming. It helps that Jax is totally hot and that Peggy Bundy has a staring role.  The gut wrenching season two  cliffhanger has me totally wondering what will happen in Season 3 and I can’t wait to find out. I suggest you go rent the first two seasons and catch up.

What about you bloggy friends, what do you watch? 

Did you check out Tim’s inspiring weight loss story below!.  Amazing.
Did you enter to win an awesome yoga bag?

I forgot to post this yesterday – here is a video of my sister Tina and Tim on the Today show – http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/21419962#21419962

I had the pleasure of meeting Shannon from the Daily Balancelast night for coffee.  You should check out her website.  She is absolutely as warm and nice in person as she is in type!  And so cute, that girl can dress.  Maybe I’ll have her give me a makeover, now that would be a good blog post!  Any other Clevelanders lurking out there?  I love to meet bloggy friends in person.

What did you think of the Biggest Loser last night? I really don’t like that Jillian acts like a therapist now and is always pushing everyone to cry.  She puts it on a little thick. But my boyfriend Golden Boy Bob can do no wrong. Just look at him!  Drool. I tell the husband that our baby is named after Harper Lee and Ben Harper, but maybe just maybe a little Bob Harper was on my mind too!


 I felt so bad for the mom last night that smashed her face all up, but then she got to learn to swim with Jillian, good times I’m sure.  I am still rooting for the gray team, but my second team of choice s the daughter/dad team of Darrell & Andrea. This cast is so sick, I hope they are all able to achieve their goals. I wish there was a website out there that kept tabs on how they are doing. I’d love to know how each and everyone who has ever been on campus is doing.  

On the plate for today is Beamfit class,  some yummy tuna steak and kale chip cooking and I’ll be back later with Somethin’ really pretty!

After I got back from yoga this morning I was hungry!  I never eat much before yoga, who wants to do a twist with a belly full of food, so I had some carnation instant breakfast.  Gary was still sleeping when I got back so I decided to surprise him with brunch!  I made a crustless quiche. It was totally an experiment, I just threw some stuff together and hoped for the best. 

I got out the cuisinart and chopped up some onions, mushrooms and spinach and then sautéed them in olive oil until the mushrooms got mushy, the spinach wilty and the onions opaquey.  Don’t you love my technical kitchen terms!

When done I mushed them down into the bottom of a pie pan and topped with some microwavable bacon.  Gourmet, I know.

From there I sprinkled on some garlic salt and poured the eggs over top. I used 4 eggs and 6 egg whites.

Next I shook on some progresso bread crumbs.

I was a little heavy handed b/c as you can see in the finished pic the bread crumbs didn’t soak up completely, but I am glad I added them b/c they gave it a nice texture.

I topped mine off with a half a slice of Havarti cheese.  Yums.

This afternoon our neighbors, who have a 5 month old daughter, graciously offered to watch Harper so Gary and I could go on a date!  We decided to go with the ultra romantic movie “The Road”.  We had both read the book.  The romantic comment is sarcastic of course, there couldn’t be a move depressing book.  The movie was really good, very true to the book.  Surprisingly it left out some of the more gory scenes from the book, like the people melted into the road and the baby that was cooked on the fire.  This surprised me b/c very little happens in the book, so I thought the movie would cover everything that did.  Sorry for the spoilers.  Despite the sadistic gore, it really is a good, powerful book about the love between a man and his child and I suggest you check it out.  Or just see the movie.  Since we were on  date we made sure to make out through half the movie much to the chagrin of the elderly couple seated next to us.

Now that I am done reading The Road, I need a new book, what do you recommend?

Oh boy do I love me some BIGGEST LOSER!  It totally creeped up on me, I didn’t realize it was back on already.  Last season had such an amazing cast. I must have cried 20 times. Did you watch it?  Abby, The women who had lost her whole family in a car crash, Shai, the biggest girl ever who had to live in a car with her drug addicted mom. Oh vey, compelling, insipring reality tv at it’s best.  I am looking forward to watching this season.  I like to pick who I think is going to win, I’m picking Koli.  What about you, who do you think has it in them to win this season?  Do you watch? What do you think of the show?

After all the junk I consumed over the past week I was ready for some veggies, so I decided to make a veggie lasagna for dinner tonight. 

First I put down a layer of lasagna noodles. On top of that I poured a can of diced tomatoes (the kind with oregano and basil in it) and chopped mushrooms. I put the mushrooms in the Cuisinart b/c I hate chopping veggies.

Next I took a small container of light ricotta cheese and added 1 egg, garlic salt, oregano and diced dried onions and mixed together.

I then layered the ricotta cheese mix on top of another layer of noodles and added some spaghetti sauce.

Next I chopped up some artichokes hearts in the Cuisinart.

Layered the hearts with some defrosted frozen spinach and added some light mozzarella cheese.

Next another layer of noodles and I added on zucchini and summer squash.

Last another layer of noodles and some more cheese.

I then put the lasagna into the oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees.  You know its done when you can stick a fork through the squash easily, that’s why I always put the squash layer (or sometimes I use parsnips too) on top.

While the lasagna cooked Gary and I did a yoga DVD.  We got all the way through it, but Harper kept trying to play along too.  She was under me for all my downward dogs, pulling on my legs   Ignore Gary’s shirt, he likes to wear his tshirts until they fall apart.


The final product turned out really well. 




Gary and I are snuggling down to watch Food Inc now. I am prepared to be depressed.  I have tried to be a vegetarian before, but I really am going to make more of an effort to eat a lot less meat in the new year.  Everyone in the US needs to be forced to watched this movie and Fast Food Nation.  It’s crazy what has become of our food.  Ugh.

Speaking of depressing. I read The Road:

Ack. On one hand I loved it, I read the whole thing in one day, but on the other hand I just hated it. It is so so so sad. It just devastated me.  Have you read it? Have you seen the movie? I wanted to see the movie really badly, but I am totally haunted by some of the cannibal scenes in the book and I’m not sure I want to see them played out on screen!  If you’ve seen the movie, let me know what you thought.  I also finished Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane.  It was really trippy and I can’t wait to see the movie adaptation.

What’s the best book you’ve read lately?

Did you enter my Heart Thrive cookie giveaway?  Wheat, gluten free yummies, enter below!

I adore exercise, I cherish food, I treasure reality tv, but you know what else I really love?  Howard Stern.  Robin Quivers.  Fred Norris and okay maybe a little bit of me even cares for that doped up baboon Artie Lange. 

Some people find him repulsive, but in my experience those same people have never really listened to him. I was one of those people, I hated him b/c I thought he made fun of the handicapped.  Only after a few listens was I let in on the little secret that he is the one making fun of those people out there who are racist or prejudiced against those with disabilities.  Howard Stern, the shock jock is a big softie.  The show has brought Gary and I so much joy over the years and we even moved to Sirius Satellite to “join the revolution”.  I could spend hours with someone discussing who are my favorite (Beetlejuice) and least favorite (high pitch eric) wack packers. 


What was my favorite celebrity interview (most recently 50 cent). I also a HUGE rap fan. 

In a year his contract is up and he will likely retire and my mornings will be left with a huge hole in them.  I can’t even stand thinking about it.  So, how about you bloggy friends?  Any of you listeners?  If so, who is your favorite Wack Pack member?

Later today I am making Chai Snickerdoodle cookies and 7 layer bars!  So check back this afternoon.

Good afternoon Bloggy friends.  It is snowing here in Cleveland, hopefully everyone is staying warm.  I warmed myself up this morning by hitting the gym for a 20 min sprint on the dreadmill and then a 30 minute Power Playt class. In this class you hold a weighted plate (5 or 10 lbs) and the instructor runs you through a series of fast paced exercises using the upper and lower body 4 times.  This was the first time I took it and I think I will definitely feel it in my shoulders tomorrow. I liked how you did the same thing 4 times in a row, I am a big fan or repetition, as I have no coordination and new moves bewilder me.  By the 4th time I knew what I was doing!  Before class,  I did an all out sprint on the treadmill which I hated all 17 mins of, but I never sprint and I really need to start adding some speed work if I want to change my normal 9ish min easy pace for an 8ish pace.  I had to run some errands afterward and I had such a gourmet lunch of Wendy’s.  LOL. What can I say, I may appreciate good natural food, but I also love a frosty and the allure of the $1 menu. Shoot me. 

I wanted to use my crock pot today and eyed a squash that is begging to be let out of it’s hiding place on the hallway shelf.  I am not sure if this is an acorn squash or what…I believe acorn. The sticker fell off.  So, first off I sliced the mystery squash in half.  Better have a good, strong knife for this undertaking:


Then you need to scoop out the insides of course.  Afterward I threw into the crock pot with a cup of water. I placed the squash face up and sprayed them with PAM olive oil spray (love this stuff), then sprinkled these spices on there and threw on a little vanilla too.


After they were thoroughly sprinkled, I turned them both over to sit face down and have them on high in the crock pot and figure they will need 2 or 3 hours to cook. I’ll turn it off when my fork can pierce the skin.  Can’t wait for dinner!  Yum.  We’re having roast bone in chicken too. Come back later for pics of that

I started reading this book last night.  I abandoned my Hitler book (Castle in the Forest), way too much discussion of baby Hitler’s asshole, yes his butt and how his mom kept it overly clean. Have you seen the previews for the Shutter Island movie? It looks amazing!  So far, 2 chapters in I really like the book. It’s about a patient at an insane asylum that escapes and 2 police come to the island to investigate.  Spooky. 


On last thing. What do you use for sweetener?  I usually use stevia from Trader Joes, but I picked up this PureVia and really like it, not that it tastes any different, I just like the packaging. I like to use half a sweetener in my coffee, tea, etc and this package easily allows me to just use half.  Just thought you’d like to know that