That time I wrote a book

So as I said in another post, I wrote a book! This has been over a year in the making. My story has evolved several times into different places and ideas with similar characters. I even took two long writing breaks when I felt like my mind couldn't take it anymore. But it is FINISHED and it has been e-published with Amazon. This means that you can get it for your Kindle or a Kindle App [Apple and Droid products].

I would like to make it available for print by summer. There are a few spelling and grammar mistakes that me and my team of editors didn't manage to catch, so it is going through the ringer right now to be prepared for print.

It will also be available for Nook starting in April.

NOW I am choosing today to tell you this because for the next three days my book will be FREE! That's right, today through Saturday you can download and read it for free!

Exceptional [this link will take you directly to Amazon!]

Any reviews you leave will be much appreciated, and I would love to hear your comments and feedback. I made a blog especially for my books http://jesspetosa.blogspot.com. You can also email me at jesspetosabooks@gmail.com.

Other links.

Goodreads

Facebook

Twitter: @jess_petosa

WW - Week 1

YOU'VE LOST 5 POUNDS THIS WEEK.

Seeing that makes me feel so good. I know that not every week will be this way, and that the first week is one of the biggest since you make such a drastic change in diet, but this still feels GREAT. I also lost 1.5 inches in both my waist and thighs, which seems impossible. I'm measuring myself so it could be off my a little, but I'm sure there is still some loss.

I love Weight Watchers because I can still eat most of the foods I always ate, I just have to track them now. It is amazing how aware you become of what you are eating once you start Weight Watchers. I have cut out almost all snacking and extra eating.

My favorite foods this week have been...

- Campbell's Healthy Request Chunk Chicken Corn Chowder soup: 3 points per serving. [6 for the whole can]

- 1tbsp. Peanut butter on a wheat English muffin: 6 points

- Eggo Chocolate Chip Waffles plain: 5 points for two

- Weight Watchers ice cream bars: 2-4 points

- Chips and salsa: 15 chips for 3 points and 0 points for salsa

Challenges: Eating late. I work from 5-9 most nights right now [my schedule will slow in the winter] so I basically have to eat when I get home. I find that if I eat before I go, which would be around 4, I am very hungry by the time I get home. And not just hungry where I can eat an apple and go to bed. Hungry to the point where I feel like I'm going to puke if I do not eat. So I have been eating a light snack before I go and then eating something small for dinner when I get home. I don't like eating so late but I have done it every night this week and still lost weight, so I guess as long as I stay in my points I am okay.

Work out: I usually work out 3-4 times a week but we didn't make it to the gym at all this week. I chose to focus mainly on just counting my points and figuring out a routine. Starting Saturday we'll be back in action.

Weekly goals: Start focusing on the "healthy checks". I need to drink more water, make sure I have at least one fruit and veggie each day, and start taking a multi-vitamin.

My plate is full.

But my stomach is not. [more on that in a moment]

To say that I am doing a lot is an understatement. Being home with the girls is a lot on its own. They are at the age where stepping away from them for a minute can mean shampoo on the carpet, hot chocolate mix on the couch, cream of wheat on the dog, and so on. This means that every day chores don't get done like they used to. The girls naps start at different times and I have about an hour from the time Brooke goes down until Molly gets up, which means shower and lunch!

It is fun but busy!

Then we add in the Photography business, which has been great. I love meeting new families and babies and capturing special moments in their life. It has been an awesome experience. Here is a picture from a recent shoot.

Then we add in work. I got a job as a cashier/hostess at a local Amish restaurant. It has been a ton of fun and I really love what I do. I go in around 5pm at night and sometime do not come home until 9:30. I have been working four days a week, plus most of the day Saturday so there goes the rest of my time!

Check out my awesome uniform.

Then we add in my hobbies. I like to read and write and I refuse to give that up! I try to find time for at least one of those each day. It keeps me sane and happy.

So why is my stomach empty? That was a bit of an exaggeration, but I joined Weight Watchers on Friday. I have been in a weight loss slump for the whole year now, and have actually gained some weight. Enough is enough! These 20 pounds are getting kicked out the door. With inspiration from my friend Ashley at The Stauffer Shenanigans and Alyssa at The Heystek Family... I think I can do this!

Carolina Vacation Part 2

The week was perfect weather wise. We had one morning of rain but it cleared by lunch so that we could still have some time on the beach. The girls loved the beach, which I was very thankful for. I have met babies who refuse to touch sand or who are terrified as water, which can be normal, but I just didn't want to deal with that! Getting them ready and down to the beach was a production, and then of course Molly kept getting sand in her eyes and would freak out. They mostly just played in the sand or in the baby pool under the cabana tent. Brooke went into the water with my cousins a few times but we never ventured that far with Molly.

I'm a kid at heart...

Our house was awesome, as usual. We had a pool so we would come back from the beach in the afternoon and soak in the pool for a little. Brooke did really well swimming around in her puddle jumper, but Molly wasn't the biggest fan of the pool. Each family took a night to cook [we did a taco night on our night!] so we didn't eat out or anything. We did go miniature golfing one night and we took Brooke with us. She stayed up a couple hours past her bedtime every night like a champ.

Girl was a natural.

Then it came time to leave and we managed to make it home in seventeen hours this time. :: sigh ::

We'll see you again soon North Carolina. Til 2013...

Fair Week

This week is a big week in our county, the 4-H Fair is open! I grew up doing 4-H, but our fair back in Philly was NOTHING compared to the one here in Indiana. Elkhart has one of the largest county fairs in the country.

Sunday we went for free day [so basically no admission] and took the girls to see all of the animals. There is a little petting farm but we also went and saw the larger animals; like the pigs, cows, draft horses, and alpacas.

Last night we left the kiddos at home and just Dustin and I went. We met our friends Chad and Mandy there for the The Band Perry concert [Do you know how weird it feels to write 'the' two times in a row]. The grandstand seats are free and Chad and Mandy got there early enough to get us in the third row. It was awesome! We ate enough fried food to meet our calorie consumption for the rest of the week and sang our hearts out.

Well, I'm off to zip up our suitcases and throw them in the car. We are leaving for vacation tonight! I'll see you all in 10 days. :)

One Week

You think I'm talking about this post, don't you? While I am super excited about that for many, many reasons... we will actually be there on Saturday afternoon. So where will we be on Friday you ask?

And no, that is not where our beach house is. Our beach house is about 3 hours north of this little piece of heaven in South Carolina. We are going there for a much more personal reason. My roommate and best friend from college, Amy, lives there with her husband.

Our story begins Freshman year when we were paired as roommates. I wrote about her in this post, if you remember.

Apparently we liked to do things like destroy signs from the opposing political party.

Sit in boxes.



Hide in corn fields.

Show school spirit.

And hang out our third story window, risking our lives for an awesome snow picture.

Somewhere during out second year at Taylor we drifted apart. I moved to another wing for Junior year to room with another friend, and she stayed behind. We didn't talk as much as we used to. But then...

We shared our engagements together.

Reunited Senior year for student teaching.

Tried on wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses together.

Shared in my wedding together.

Had visits at TU.



She was one of the first to know that I was pregnant with Brooke.
And in turn [the second picture is just foreshadowing] she recently told me that SHE is pregnant.



We graduated together.

I shared in her wedding, 25 weeks pregnant with Brooke.

Had visits in South Carolina. The first picture is from Wilmington, NC, where One Tree Hill is filmed. We share a mutual love for that show and HAD to make a visit.

And then I surprised her at a Panera Bread in Ohio on the way to Philly for Thanksgiving this past Fall.

Amy is one of my best friends. No matter how far apart we are, or how long it has been since we have talked, we can always pick up where we left off. We can be serious together, cry together, and laugh together. Amy is my most honest friend and always held me accountable, and I know that I can call her if I ever really just need to talk.

To say I can't wait to see her would be an understatement.

So I repeat.

ONE WEEK.

Inspiration

Just when I feel like I am out of things to post about for the week, Brooke says "Hey mom, let me help you out!"

That my friends is a purple permanent marker. The thing is, I'm not sure where exactly she got it. My best lead at this point is that she smuggled it into the house. We have ONE marker we keep in the house, a fine point Sharpie for writing on CDs/DVDs. It is also kept well out of sight and reach in our bedroom. All other writing utensils are kept high in a cabinet. We learned the hard way from a pen incident involving the couch, the TV, and Molly.

I did not manage to get pictures of the girls faces, legs, arms, and other parts of their bodies that were colored on. I also did not take a picture of the marker on the TV, just to keep my husband's blood pressure low.

You are probably thinking, "What did you do? Go for a run and leave them home alone?"

Um, nope. The first damage was done while I changed Molly's diaper. She then went back to the family room to see Brooke [and become part of her art project] while I ran to get dressed so we could go to the Post Office. Brooke had a busy 4 minutes by herself.