The weekend is going ok. Dinner last night (out at Mangia Italiano-http://www.dineatmangia.com/) was an exercise in self-control. I would normally eat one of the divine homemade pasta dishes faves are Spaghetti Mangia-which is spaghetti baked like lasagna with a mixture of white and red sauce and the Bolognese-very spicy) but instead I ordered a side Caesar salad and an appetizer of calamari. I ate no bread. In fact I sat in front of a dish of olive oil, herbs, and Parmesan and did not dunk! Yes the calamari was fried but the portion was about 1/3 of what you would get at other places. It's one of my favorites but my husband isn't crazy about it so I end up ordering whenever I am out by myself. In the end the dinner was wonderfully relaxing, no children to feed, and lots of intellectual discussion of books and PhD programs. I did have one cosmopolitan-which is how I celebrate Sat. night. Then I switched to wine.

However after another two drinks out with my husband-vodka and club soda I came home and ate my favorite "I'm not going to have a hangover sandwich." ham and cheese on toast. It was probably a 150 calorie snack at midnight! Oh well.

We walked across the Chain of Rocks bridge (http://www.confluencegreenway.org/locations/ocorb.php) this morning to look for eagles. It's a beautiful old bridge across the Mississippi River. It's a 2 mile walk with 4 low-grade hills. I alternately pushed the stroller and held my little one. For some reason she always wants me to push her not Rob. I feel so loved.

She learned the word exercise very early. I think from us and from Elmo. Sometimes when I am walking with her she'll turn around and say, "Mommy-run, rum mommy...." She's a regular drill Sergeant!

lad