Aloha!

amazing views...look at the water!

deep thoughts by taraneh

the 2nd hike my body could not go on

one of the best burgers i've ever had

highlights from a much needed vacation with the hubby, sans kids:

but first - i'd like to thank my mom, in-laws, sister, mary-ann, zan amu and elham for making this trip possible. i am deeply indebted and incredibly lucky to be blessed with the love and support of the above-mentioned people who not only took care of my kids but as a result took care of me, my well-being, and sanity.

kauai is a magical place...i feel refreshed, rejuvenated, and relaxed. hello tan lines. i needed this trip. i needed to be alone with my husband. i needed to eat in peace. i needed to sleep in peace, without changing the soiled bed sheets of my 2 year old night after night. i needed to go to bed on my time and on my terms without having to read the 6 year old 849 books before bed. i needed to just lay on a beach or by the pool and read to my heart's content without worrying about kids drowning, kids peeing in the water, kids wanting a snack, kids taking a nap, kids getting bathed and dressed...you get the picture.

now to some of the highlights:

- did a grueling 12 mile hike up a mountain to see the most incredible views

- got to try lychee and sugar cane at the fabulous farmers' markets

- got 2 tennis lessons and i'm now i'm really hooked and want to get lessons here too

- stayed in the most amazing hotel - best i've been in so far - the grand hyatt in poipu

- saw jake the bachelor and vienna by the pool. apparently jennifer anniston, nicole kidman and george clooney (drool) were also on the island, but i didn't see them.

- read an amazing book - little bee

- watched seasons 1 and 2 of curb your enthusiasm

- back and forth discussions of having a 3rd. i don't know if it was the heat or what - but alex really wants to go for #3. he pulled the 'imagine life without mohsen card' and it's tempting. i know i'll have regrets in 5-10 years if we don't. but right now, today, i can't. i'm close to reaching personal goals with career and weight. and i really love sleep (and my boobs). on the trip, i kept looking for signs to help me decide. at the hotel, i saw this young, good-looking couple with 2 cute daughters and i said to myself - that's my sign - this content, family of 4...and 10 seconds later this little boy comes out of nowhere and screams, "mommy! daddy! can we go swimming? pleeeeassse!" and i proceeded to mutter "oh, shit!" under my breath. did i mention i have until friday to decide. alex is funny. :)

the summer is upon us...and it's going to be a busy one. 3 weddings, relatives from iran, mom is going to iran, summer camps, birthdays, beach vacation with the kids, and classes start for me mid-august. i'm ready.

You Make Me Happy When Skies are Grey...

8 years ago....TODAY:

my sister did my make-up for the biggest day of my life

in the chaos, i left my veil at the hair salon and had to throw a piece of organza on my head when i walked down the aisle

i made a vow to cook ghorme sabzi

in his vows, alex mentioned something about oatmeal (can you tell we're obsessed with food?)

i danced polka to super trouper for my first dance

i was listening to my dad and father-in-law give the world's longest speeches

i gave a speech telling my brothers-in-law that they were going to be the amus (uncles) of some really cute kids

i sang you are my sunshine in front of 250 people (american idol is not calling any time soon)

at the end of the night, alex and i are quoted as saying we want 5 kids

i married the man of my dreams - the same man i met 12 years ago at the iranian students' foundation meeting at UMCP with green eyes and a sexy accent, dressed in a brown cashmere sweater, wearing black combat boots. and on that day i came home and promptly informed my mom and sister that today i met the man i am going to marry. talk about a girl getting what she wants...they don't call me T-Bone/Ice-T for nuthin'.

happy 8 year anniversary babes! es tevi milu!

I am sorry to say, you are NOT the biggest loser...YET.

so i've been doing pretty well with the whole diet experiment. i haven't had chocolate or ice cream in days and surprisingly, i'm not really craving it. sometimes i think about greenberry, but that's about it. i allow myself 2 helpings of greenberry during weekends in maryland. i'm enjoying the kashi cereal with blueberries for breakfast and for lunch, my sister introduced me to the most fabulous general tso's vegan chicken from whole foods. i have two vices that amount to 300 calories per bag - freeze dried mangos and bananas from trader joes. i can't help myself. it's too good and i eat an entire bag in one sitting. i'm not the "just have a taste" kinda girl. it's all or nothing with me and i've been a little greedy.

i've hit the gym, tried yoga (and pulled a neck muscle), worked out on the elliptical machine in the basement, and played tennis. i am in love with tennis and am considering taking lessons. playing a sport like tennis or soccer doesn't really seem like exercise to me. and not because i don't push myself - but because it's FUN. i considered getting a personal trainer at my gym - but now i think i'd enjoy a personal tennis instructor so much more. (hubba hubba). i'm 2 weeks away from our hawaiian vacation and 4 weeks away from my friend's wedding. i've dropped 7 pounds, but have a long way to go. i'm slightly concerned about all the hiking alex wants to do in kauai. miles and miles of it. i hope i can keep up. and it won't be much of a romantic vacation if we split up - he hikes while i lay on the beach and read, but damn that kinda sounds like music to my ears right now.

mother's day was lovely. we had a nice brunch at my in-laws, courtesy of alex: crepes with delicious berries and mangos. the homemade whip cream kinda made up for the massage i was hoping for, but didn't get. for lunch, i ate moby dick and ice-cream cake, with my side of the family (wait, i guess i have had ice-cream recently).

in other news...i'm a full-fledged substitute teacher ya'll! i've worked twice. once with 6th graders and once with kindergarteners. here are some observations:

6th graders are totally disrespectful, wild, and suffer from ADD. i'm not gonna lie. i kinda hated subbing for those brats. it was tough. i spent most of the day disciplining, rather than teaching about the civil war and distance = rate x time. i had to take away calculators - kids were sneakily doing their math hw during language arts (not on my watch, buddy!) and had to move kids half way across the room because they were talking and disrupting the class. i was relieved when the teacher returned early and i was sent to the principal's office to help with mindless, administrative tasks. (the principal loved me and put me on her priority list of subs - go me!)

the kindergartners were a joy. i'm beginning to understand why my mom thinks i should follow in her footsteps and become a kindergarten teacher. the kids were innocent and well-behaved. and so freakin cute! it's amazing how in such a short period of time, i could pick out the future jocks, flirts, goths, loners, nerds, etc.

i can only sub when alex is off. so i've had to turn down some sub jobs that i really want - like middle school english, high school english, high school esol. i hope i'll be able to work in those types of classrooms to really get a sense of what it would be like to be an english teacher and if i can handle the older kids.

i keep delaying the iran post. speaking of iran - my dad left yesterday for a 2.5 month stint and my mom will be gone the entire summer (gulp). i am going to go cry now. wait. i just had an aha! moment. shiiyet. i'm like the little engine that could...i think i can i think i can...come up with some way to get me some me time. two words: summer camp.

Day 3 and 4 & Some Faves

have been eating healthier and attempting to snack less. in the sweets department, i have indulged in a few snack size oreo cookies here and there and dried mangos from trader joes. have had no chocolate or ice-cream, though i'm guessing i will go to greenberry tomorrow, since i haven't been in oh so long. but i will limit myself to the 5oz as opposed to the 8oz. however, i will not deny myself the mini-chocolate chips. (baby steps people) i also would like to go to cava at some point over the weekend- and will likely eat locamates for dessert (delicious greek donuts drenched in honey) since they are practically the only dessert my sister can ever order in a restaurant because of her dairy allergy. as you can see, i make sacrifices for the people i love. :)

the biggest news i have to share is that i finally made my man the ghorme sabzi i promised him in my wedding vows 8 years ago. better late than never. it was not as painful as i had imagined. of course buying the ready made frozen sabzi from yekta helped tremendously. it turned out pretty darn good if i do say so myself and i regret not taking pictures to document the momentous occasion. (and to have proof for later in life when alex is old and demented and will likely accuse me of never fulfilling my promise.) i suppose this means i will have to make it again at some point.

here are a few of my favorite purchases of late:

a pair of betsey johnson pearl earrings. love the diamond inserts. all of my non-gold earrings are made by betsey johnson. i love her jewelry. eclectic and unique. i'm a sucker for her bow collection.

my favorite flower is the orchid and its many versions. this particular beauty was purchased from trader joes for $9.99 and will hopefully remain in tact for another week or so.

knobs from anthropologie, which i plan to use as hooks in my closet to hang my necklaces. it was love at first sight with the bird knob...

my comforter from anthropologie is amazing. i've been begging alex for a new mattress for the past 3 years, but this comforter makes me totally forget about our awful mattress. alex gave me the dirtiest look when he first laid eyes on it. i will admit - it is dainty and a tad feminine. but a few nights later, he claimed it was growing on him.

well, i'm going to break out the summer clothes and get ready to go to georgetown with the family unit...

Day 1 & Day 2 of Get Skinny NOW

day 1: i ate a banana for breakfast and set out with A to buy my beloved mac eyeliner that had run out in iran. for lunch i ate a tomato, avocado and tuna salad. dinner included turkey tacos minus the generous helpings of cheese and sour cream that i am accustomed to. i will admit i probably used 1 tablespoon of each and ate 2 taco shells. whatever. for dessert i had 2 delicious mangos. my whole foods had a sale on a box of 15 mangos (9.99). not too shabby.

day 2: in the morning, i ate kashi cereal with fresh blueberries. (go me!) i decided to hit up costco, home depot and walmart for gardening supplies (flowers, dirt, etc. and yes walmart has a surprisingly good selection of flowers). at costco, i refrained from buying those amazing croissants, madeline cookies, and a very berry sundae (this last item was torture). i was slightly naughty when i tried a free sample of a cinnamon roll (but only had one! come on, how can you go to costco and not partake in a little sampling??) A asked for a slice of pizza and i had 3 bites. wasting food is a horrible thing, you know. i was able to pick up some lovely flowers to plant from costco and was disappointed with home depot's collection. i headed over to the shopping center that has a walmart.

however, i took a detour to target. everyone and their mother (in my case - sister) has been blogging about the $30 cynthia vincent wedges. so i had to see what all the fuss was about. of course, they were sold out. so i casually strolled over to the snack aisle and noticed a bag of snack size oreo cookies. oreos - where have you been all my life? i arrived home from iran and while unpacking - alex shoved an oreo in my mouth. i have never been an oreo lover. i must have been 5 when i ate my last oreo. but i was pleasantly surprised by the delightful chocolate sandwich cookie! so i ate 9 of those which is equivalent to 130 calories.

i find that the more i try to deprive myself and not eat sweets, the more i obsess about them. i felt that by the end of day 1 i was grumpy and cranky and think it was because i had somewhat starved myself. for dinner, i ate alex's homemade hamburgers (which are to die for) and had 2 potato roll buns (300 calories).

i haven't exercised yet. i need to get my asthma in check. i hope to hit the gym tomorrow and do a light cardio workout and some weights. i also want to change things up a bit on this blog. i primarily use the blog to discuss motherhood - but i'd like to include some of my other interests as well. stay tuned. same bat time. same bat channel.

you know you're fat when...

you can't zip up your bridesmaid's dress for a wedding that is six weeks away...AND

you return from iran and step on the scale to find that you have gained 5 pounds and didn't even snack throughout the day (are daily glasses of watermelon juice really considered snacks? i think not!)... AND

your skinny friends are running half marathons and your lazy ass can't even run a mile without getting an asthma attack.

iran post coming soon...but i am on a mission and need to announce it the world (well the 10 of you that read this blog). i am going to lose weight this month by eating healthy and hopefully working out, if the asthma permits.

did i mention my other incentive for shedding the pounds and getting my college body back? HAWAII. the husband and i will be celebrating our 8 year (eek!) anniversary late may and i'd like to make him drool by seeing me all tan and oily in my new one-piece juicy bathing suit that i scored from tjmaxx for $49.99 last year and can't quite fit into just yet.

watch out world!

current weight: 147 (that number is all kinds of embarrassing)

goal weight: 127

i know 20 pounds in one month is ridiculously impossible - but i hope to achieve this goal by my 34th birthday, which is july 14. perhaps i will keep a daily log of my progress for your entertainment pleasure.

my little village girl

Five More Days Until Take Off...

it's been a while...i can't really explain my absence. i've been lazy, somewhat unmotivated, and busy. we leave for iran on friday and i couldn't be more excited and nervous. nervous because i'm hoping my husband and bro-in-law don't experience any issues leaving the country...my nationalist self was in full effect these past few months in defending my country and convincing them that everything would be fine and that they had nothing to worry about. (fingers crossed) i'm also anxious because this will be the first time i'm visiting the motherland with my little nuclear family minus one furry 2 year old. will D behave and be warm and friendly or be totally intimidated and shy around my relatives? will she make no attempt to speak farsi and make her mother look bad? will my husband honor me with his presence to the countless family parties or would he rather be stuffing his face with kabob?

there's a chance i may extend my stay there by a week. i'd like to spend some quality time with my grandmother who is frail and likely to feel slighted, insulted and neglected if i don't. but part of me wonders if i can really be away from A for 3 whole weeks!!

speaking of A - potty training is going well. the dancing, clapping, and cheering continues...i'm excited to enroll the Mohseni sisters in summer camps. this will be one of the few times that the girls can participate in the same camps together. so far, they are signed up for princess camp (much to alex's dismay). it's really a glorified ballet class.

alex is on to project #2. and it doesn't involve my bathroom or kitchen. he is building a tree house for the girls. yes. a real tree house around a big oak tree and everything. i'm slightly concerned about safety, but his work in the basement bathroom has put my mind at ease.

on wednesday i will attend a substitute teacher orientation. substitute teaching will be nothing like actual teaching, but it will give me a glimpse of what i'm getting myself into. i just hope it doesn't completely turn me off the path i'm heading towards. i remember that a sub = paaarty, no discipline and zero respect. but being a mom of two feisty girls has prepared me to not be a pushover. i will whip those kids into shape if they disobey. :) plans are in place to start taking classes in august to become a full-fledged teacher.

and that concludes my update. i promise to be better about blogging. the sun, warm weather, and change of wardrobe totally lifts my spirits. happy persian new year! i leave with you the dancing sisters - in full halloween and persian tribal costume. i taught them everything they know... :)