Do you hear that?

Listen closely. It's silence. Blissful, golden silence. Ahh, I think I could get used to this. No children are here, the dogs are sleeping, and even the cat hasn't knocked anything down in the past hour. I think I like it.

I'm back to counting calories and being super vigilant about what I am eating and bringing into the house. I had plateaued last summer from my weight loss and just kind of went with it. Now with me no longer smoking, I am finding all kinds of excuses to snack. And there really is no excuse for me to do that. I have all kinds of things to keep me busy. Plus, with Josh's diabetes, he really needs to be more vigilant as well. My goal is another 50 lbs gone on top of the 69 lbs I've already lost. I am hoping to reach goal this summer and go swimming with my kids at the public pool. Josh wants us to go to a water park, too, this summer, so it's a good incentive for me to get my butt in gear.

Madeline starts her first season of outdoor soccer in the next few weeks. She is super excited. Have I mentioned how much I love being a sports mom? It's such a rush to see how excited and proud your kids are when they make a goal or score a run.

Oh, and I know I don't normally post pictures of myself, because generally I am the one taking them. But, Maddie took this one the other day, and I think she did a fabulous job. I look almost sweet. It's a deceiving, I know, but....