How to eat out and lose weight...

This is really quite a simple way to lose weight:

Step one: Have a baby

Step two: Bring said baby with you to your favorite restaurant, making sure to schedule the meal at prime nap time.

Step three: Order your meal and try desperately to feed your little one first (being the good and selfless mother that you are), and while squishing your squirmy child as they try to wriggle off your lap, aim your loaded fork at your mouth and hope it has a safe landing...

Step four: Finish your meal after four bites and seven laps around the restaurant with a child that refuses to sit still and must go up and down the steps 30 times with her new found balloon in hand.

See? Easy! And all you needed to do was have a baby. Yeah right. Ugh. Marin yesterday was a nightmare at lunch and dinner, I can't even bring myself to expound on the topic. I will say though, that her inclement behavior allowed me to eliminate quite a few calories from two of my meals yesterday.

My trip here in NY is coming to a close, and as nice as it's been to be home, I miss my husband. He is a great guy and I would like to think he misses us too... It will be nice to be home so I can get Marin back to her naps and her own food and her own bed. I have eaten out so many times since I've been here, and while it's been fun, it hasn't been figure friendly. Even though I have tried to run or do pilates, I still need to get back to the gym. I think I need a 2 week detox diet or something!

Today I had lunch with a couple of girls I went to high school with, and it was....surprisingly nice! Not that I expected it to be bad, but we had a really good time! It was fun to chat with them and talk about what they have been up to. My friend Crystal is also a nurse and works in the NICU there, and my friend Laura is a stay at home mom. So cool! As a nice bonus, we got to see a guy we went to high school with working as one of the well-fed waiters. I am not a mean person, but he wasn't the nicest guy in high school, and it's good to see some good 'ol karma hard at work, haha!

Tomorrow night I have dinner with some old church friends, and hopefully that will go well, Marin has gotten to the point where she doesn't even want to put her jacket on because she knows that means she has to sit in her carseat, poor thing.

Ok, I made a delicious spinach gratin for dinner tonight, so I am sharing the recipe on my sidebar, check it out, Marin ate it, as did my little brother Matthew! And THAT is saying something. Pictures are coming when I get home, promise! And I get home late Monday night by the way!