Project 365 and Crafty Blog: go here.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

So define rest when living with a toddler and preschooler...

So after my thrilling trip to Kaiser this morning, my MD thinks I have small tears in the ligaments below my ankle, causing the sharp pain. So I'm on Motrin for the swelling and lots of rest. I stocked up on a few new magaines and have been surfing the net all afternoon. Yay for rest! It will be another story when the boys wake from their naps, but hey I'm good for now.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

You would think I was 80 years old....

So it's happened again. My body is failing me. While at the gym today, my foot started to ache a little. No big deal, didn't have my new kick-ass shoes on, so I'm use to little sore spots on my feet. We headed home, checked messages and I changed so we could go to the mall, to get afore mentioned kick-ass shoes. I noticed the side of my foot was still a little sore, hmm, well on we go anyway. It progressively got worse as we walked around, turning from an ache to a shooting pain. Hmmm, good times, this sucks! So once we were home, Ty and I settled onto the couch to take a nap, when I went to put him on our bed I about fell down because of the shooting pain. Yippee, lucky me, I've won a trip to Kaiser!
So we'll see tomorrow morning.

So if nothing else it means a couple of kid free hours in the morning, driving with the radio up loud, and without my 3 year old back seat driver telling me I went the wrong way and "Why are we going this way?

Let's hope it's something fixable this time and not just pain like usual!

Wed. Weigh-in

Whoopee, it's Wed again!

Weight: 191 (-2) not huge, but at least it's going the right way!


The trainer I met through a body sculpting class emailed me this am with a great work out and also had another one printed for me when I came to class today. Yay, a plan! A goal for when I'm at the gym!

Thanks to our State tax money being deposited today, I finally have a kick-ass pair of workout shoes! I finally put some cash down and have shoes that hopefully won't give me blisters, or pressure pains. I also took the up sell for good insoles, I tried the shoes on with and without, huge difference. Good job dude at Lady Foot Locker!

I'm also ordering our Crocs, so excited!

Monday, January 28, 2008

I heart the mail lady.....

On a not so icky feeling note....

The mail lady dropped off three lovely packages at my door this morning. Oh how I love her for it!
My scrapbooking addiction was fed a little by a new shipment of paper, brads, photo holder/organizer, and new glue stickers. Yes I was excited to see the box, knowing what was inside.
A cover came for my Cricut machine, making it possible for me to leave it out on my desk without little hands opening and closing it, pushing all the buttons. It's super cute with flip flops on it, it's perfect.
Then in the other small package was 2 new diapers for #2. Yes, I also have another sickness surrounding his cloth diapers and am excited to finally have these ones in my hands to try.

Looks like I'm going to have to do that JBF sale again, just to keep my habits funded!

Oweee!

Make the pain go away, please! I've got a headache that woke me up at about 4 this am. It's lingering, ugh!

I will get my laundry done today, including the diaper run.
I will go to the gym after nap time.
I will get the dishes put away and reloaded.
I will get the calendars done for preschool.
I will not snack my way through the day, just because I don't feel well.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

A gift from my boyfriend Craig....

Many of you know I have a boyfriend named Craig, he's treated me well on most occasions. Here is one of the best things he's produced so far, enjoy!

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/all/

Friday, January 25, 2008

2 Day-Sale

Ohh, how I love those words. I love this time of year, when all the clothes from the fall go on sale to make room for summer. It means getting full wardrobes for my boys at $2-5 a piece. So that's what I did this week. Hitting a few of my favorite stores, building #1's fall wardrobe for next year. Luckily he's a skinny monkey so all his shorts fit him from last year so that leaves getting shirts for summer time. Good ol' Wally World came through on that end bring back an old school brand so $2-3.50 t's. The are cute too, hot rods, skate/surf boards, stripes, and motorcycles. He thought they were cool, of course 3.5 year-olds are easy to please. He got overly excited about the Lighting McQueen track suit we found a Mervyn's for the fall.
#2 has a closet full of hand-me-downs, so when the seasons roll around I look and fill in where we need to.

I'm equally excited about our tax money coming so I can go on a shopping spree at the Crocs online store. I've fallen in love with my fuzzy Crocs I got at Xmas time and made the executive decision that Crocs will be worn by all in the house! Now, don't freak out, I'm not talking just about the fuggly chunky style in all the outrages colors. My fuzzies are the fuggly style, but I've decided I'm covering them with my pants, so I don't care as much. The boys will be getting croclings, yes the fuggly styling, but kids can pull them off and they have a great stretch strap to keep them on. Mama is getting the athens scandals and the celeste flats, and yes I'm overly excited about it, both in chocolate. DH is getting two pair of slide scandals the scutes for everyday and the sobek for parties and weekends.

Can you tell I would be scary if I actually won the lottery or something? All the scrapbooking and shoe happiness! I would probably even get into handbags if I could afford it, but I know better, although Target has some lovely ones for under $30.

So get out there and boost the economy, don't make me do it alone!

Daily Stats

No real stats for the last couple of days. I've been good with my food, eating moderately when I ate a big dinner and such. I did have a reg soda today, but it's the first on this week, so not too bad. I did an hour step class yesterday while #1 was in school, kicked my ass! I hope to get to a body sculpt class and cardio something tomorrow.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Our snow day pictures

Thanks to another mom who went on the sledding field trip, we have pictures!









Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Daily Posts

Food:
Special K, banana, & tea
Bottle of water
Chicken Caesar salad w/ ½ tsp dressing and water
Candy Hearts (damn Valentine’s isle a the grocery!)
4 Kashi (2”squares) crackers & a Laughing Cow Garlic/Herb wedge
Cheese & olive pizza
Diet Sprite

Exercise:
Hour body sculpt

Wed Weigh in: 193 (-4)

Today I was able to meet with trainer after the body sculpting class. She is great and helped guide me down the right path. I knew a lot of what she said, but it becomes more real when someone else says it. So she laid out an exercise plan, emailing it to me at some time tonight, and said high protein is the way to go. So it's basically a low carb/high protein for me. I need to figure out how to like veggies and stop snacking so much. Blah!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

A day at preschool, followed by a hair cut

Ah, preschool. Lots of fun and work and frustration all in one neat little package!

For it being so rainy and cruddy out today, we had fun at school. We played with the trains, blocks, puzzles, learned about the letter "n," made snowmen out of paper bags, play dough, sang some songs to an awesome late 70's/early 80's record, listened to some stories and counted the days until we return. I do love preschool. I love the friends we've made and the time it gives us together. I love watching the little girls (and #1) play dress-up and act out their always changing scenes. I also love the random things that come out of the mouths of 3-4 year olds. The way they interact with each other, good and bad. It's always interesting to spend the day at school. Here's our day in pictures:

Tangles for Kids:
We also went for hair cuts today, the boys that is. Our friends went to this great kids cut place, Tangles, and we went to try it out because they have $10 Tues. Yay for us! They have video games to play while you wait and while you get your hair cut, lots of toys and two old go-kart things to climb on and pretend to drive while you wait. We were having a good time waiting for the 6 cuts in front of us. #2 went 1st, I sat him on the chair and he preceded to freak and almost fly out of the chair into my arms. So we decided that it would be best if I hold him, so I got a nice cape and we sat back down. He's still freaking out, so he got his sucker early. Cool, happy boy. Then he brings out the clippers, I okayed it, and we precede to freak again. He went quick and by the end, #2 was fine. He sat happy as a clam, eating his sucker while he used the scissors. I was covered in fine, blond hair, but he looks good!
In the middle of #2's cut, a chair opened for #1, so after a short chat with the stylist, off he went. He did really well, because he also usually freaks a little at the site of the clippers. So he also sat in his chair, a bucket of toys in his laps and winced as she cut his hair.
I'm happy with their cuts, will try to get the same stylist for both next time as #2's cut is better than #1's. So here's the pics!
Before


Notice the birds nest on the back of #2's head, it was like this most days.


After:






And I was a good fish mommy today and moved him, after cleaning his bowl, to a higher, safer place. After a week of getting various things dunked into his bowl, including his whole container of food, I finally got off my butt and did something about it. #2 has a fascination with the fish, understandably, but likes to touch way too much. So there you go, loyal golf fish, enjoy your new space!

Daily Stats

Food:
1 PB toast and 1/3 banana
White Choc. Mocha w/non fat milk and no whip cream
Water
Thin cheese personal pizza(300 cal)
Diet DP
Med Loaded baked potato w/ 4 smokies and milk
Crackers, fruit leather & 3 musketeers w/ Diet DP

No formal exercise today, life got in the way. Tomorrow!

Monday, January 21, 2008

I (heart) TaxCut online!

Yay for online tax programs! I was able to get my taxes entered tonight in about 45 min. They are ready to be filed. Now we are waiting for a W-2 correction and we are in business. 10-15 business days until are money is here!

Yep that was my excitement for the day! Jealous I'm sure.

On a more fun note, my best girlfriends took me out for a girls night on Friday, boy did I need it. It was fun and we laughed and we dished and had a great girly time! Love you guys!

Wish me luck, I'm taking the boys for haircuts after school, this should be fun!

Daily Stats

Food:
Special K & 1/3 lg banana
Bottle of water
1c Turkey Chili w/ 6 wheat crackers & milk
fruit snacks
peanuts and ranch crackers
Diet DP
Spaghetti & garlic toast
Fresca
Marshmellow Maties, 1/3 3 Musk. & milk

Exercise:
Free weights for ½ hour, abs, 10 min fast walk on treadmill, & 30 min on bike.

I did good today, didn't need the afternoon fruit snacks, but hey they're good! Now to make it to my workout tomorrow, that will be the true on track test!

Sun Stats

Food:
Eggs, 5 smokies and 1 toast
Diet DP
Thin personal pizza (300 cal)
1 fruit leather
2 tacos and choc. Cake (w/beets!)
Sm fruit loops and 1/3 3 musketeers & milk

Not awful for a Sun sitting at home!

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Other parents, urgh!

SO, I didn't want to rant in my last post, but I have to rant about the day as well.

I hate dealing with ignorant parents that have no clue about the rest of the world. Most the time we were sledding today it was our group from school. We had a great system where some were up on the hill and some were down helping the kids get off their sleds and clearing the path for the next person to go. We were very conscious about waiting for people to be cleared from the run before sending anyone down, taking turns and general sled hill etiquette.

There was a dad and his son that came about the same time as us, the boy was probably around 8, so much older than our group. He was the most impatient SOB I've met in a while. He kept giving us looks, yelling down from the top to hurry and move (we went about half way up where he was more at the top, we were standing at the top of our run when he would yell). He was just an ass. He finally moved along to another part of the hill.

Then towards the end of our trip another group showed up, two moms w/5 kids between them. Then came up to the run we were at, which is fine. That being said, they, the moms, were being asses in general. There was a clear run that we were going around and then the sides we were climbing back up. Instead of starting the 1st one on the run, she tries to put her to the side, she got about a foot before the sled got stuck. Mom then proceeded to yell at the girl until she finally stood up and they got here moved over 3 ft to the actual run. Way to go genius!
Then there was the boy that went down, hit the bump and bailed off, landing on his arm funny. He was at the bottom crying and just sitting in the snow. The other mom kept yelling "get up and move your sled!" Hi, dumbass, he's hurt, or at least thinks he is, go down and help him out of the way. After yelling at him for a couple if minutes I finally looked up and said "I think he's hurt." She said back, "he's fine, get up and move your sled (for the 10th time)" So she finally trekked down and picked him up by the arm (the other arm) and grabbed his sled and moved him down to the bottom. Yeah, they stood there for about 10 minutes because he wasn't feeling well.
Same set of moms watched as there girl bailed off and bonked her head. She was a little daised and not getting up, they yelled some more (big surprise). Our firefighter dad went over to her to see if she was okay and said that she looked a little groggy. Finally they came to her and took her away. We left shortly after this last episode.

I hate stupid people, especially when they involve their kids.

A snowy day out

#1 and I went on a field trip to the snow today for some sledding. We had a great time. The weather was perfect. The snow was a little on the icy side so I didn't do much sledding, but he was up and down the hill too many times to count. He was the most daring of our group and was all out the whole time. Then we found a great pizza place down the mountain and our day was complete.

I've discovered I need more days out with #1, we both could use the time. He's so sweet because he always asks where his brother is and why he couldn't come, but I know he has such a great time if it's just us. I'm always calmer as well, more patient when alone with them. We'll have to work out more time together.

Hopefully I'll get some pictures from the other mom that had her camera, I realized I had left mine on the table about half way there. Damn it!

Daily Stats

Food:
2 toast w/PB & milk
Pizza
Doritos & banana
Diet DP
6 crackers w/PB & milk
Sm Mac & Cheese w/ smokies
Bbq chips & Dp & tea
Exercise:
Sledding

I think I'm going to back off the actual points and try some different eating strategies. I've been reading some articles and have some new plans to try. I will be tracking what I'm eating and my exercise still because I think when I stick to it , it makes me more accountable.

Oh yeah and acording to Oprah's OB that she had on the show today, grains, like all the damn bread I've been eating, gives you gas. Fan-freakin-tastic! Between the bread and the 2 boxes of fruit roll-ups I've eating this week I'm a mess!

Wed Daily Stats

I was mad at myself yesterday and didn't post. My snacking was heavy and I gave into another taco at dinner. Blah!
Food:
2 toast w/PB & milk (10)
bottle of water
Red Baron Thin crust cheese pizza, single (7)
Diet DP
Doritos, Fruit Roll-Ups: (5)
“ ”
Tacos (13)
Toast & milk (8)
Exercise:
1 hour body sculpt (5)
20 min elliptical (2)
walk and play at the park (2)

Wed weigh-in: 197 (+5)
So this is what happens when Taco Bell brings back my favorite taco, I over snacked, had a bunch of real soda, and traveled.

I did however find a new body sculpting class with a great instructor that I haven't had before. She has agreed to meet with me next week to discuss what I should be doing, exercise wise, to lose inches and weight. So that is exciting and scary all wrapped into one!

Monday, January 14, 2008

Vegas Baby!

Vegas was fun. It was a much needed break from my real life. You would think that I had my kids and had to drive everywhere because of my itinerary and soberness, but I still had a great time. So here's the highlights, pictures included, watch out it may get a little lengthy!

I started Sat by stopping at the Starbucks, in the casino of our hotel, and catching the 107 bus to The Strip. My goal was to start at the far end of the Strip and go back up hitting as many stops as I could. So I jumped on "The Deuce," the double decker city bus that travels the Strip, and traveled down to Mandalay Bay, then I promptly got lost. I had a short panic, but found my way back out and was good to go. There is a shark tank and aquarium exhibit you can go to, but I opted to move on, I wish I would have gone because the pictures looked really neat. As my first stop, the massiveness and elaborate nature of these structures really hit me. It's hard to explain unless you've been there.











I walked pass the Luxor, but didn't go in. It was really cool to see the building and sculptures outside. I also found out later, on our way out of town, that the elevator in the pyramid follows the outside of the building, so instead of going straight up it moves up at an angle. It would have been a trip to ride, next time for sure!












Next down the Strip was the Excalibur. They supposedly do a free show out in the moat, but it wasn't on when I was walking by, so I didn't hang out for long.











New York, New York was my next destination. It was fun to just stand across the street and stare for a while. The roller coaster kept going around, they skyline is awesome and it was a good time to take a breather. I walked through the hotel and shops as well. They have a lot of the New York highlights, hot dogs, Coyote Ugly, noise, and such.












From there it was time for some smaller attractions. The Coca-Cola store, M&M world, and the Harley Davidson Cafe. There is also a lot of new construction through out the Strip, so that's interesting. They demolish an old casino and build a new super resort. Along this section I also saw two Elvis impersonators, taking pictures, in front of the Harley Cafe. Everything sparkles in Vegas, even the McDonald's signs, that was funny to me. Also saw a lot full of exotic and high end cars for rent, and later saw the sports car cruising the Strip. The random big reptile being pimped out for pictures. As well as the guys dressed up like 80's rockers, either there on a bet or just crazy locals.































Next I was off to Paris. The buildings surrounding and the outside of the hotel were wonderful.























The Bellagio was my next destination, the beautiful Bellagio. Most everything inside and out is breath taking. The fountain show outside all but brought tears to my eyes, I can only imagine seeing it at night. As you walk in the glass sculpture on the ceiling was amazing and the garden was gorgeous.















































Caesars Palace was a site to see. The ancient style fountains were cool and the place was frickin huge! The Caesar also holds the Forum shops, very ritzy and over my budget by miles. It also holds the FAO Schwartz, which was very cool, the Trojan horse was the entry way and you could go inside of it. Three stories of fun! Then there was the robot guy outside, you know typical crazy Vegas stuff.
































The Mirage is the animal kingdom of Vegas. In the lobby there is a giant fish tank, behind the check in desk, the dolphin habitat and the big cats. Then it was past the Treasure Island, no longer doing the outside fight show, past the Venetian, Palazzo and Wynn to the bus stop. My time on the Strip was over, I was exhausted and sad at the same time.







Damn, are you still with me? Bless ya if you are!
Sat night was the CIFCA banquet. It was a good time, a little long, but nice to see people. It's weird because I know a lot of the names, but not enough to match them to faces. They are a great group though.
After the banquet we went down to the casino for the party, lots of booze was passed around, the bands were playing and it was fun. I didn't drink a drop, not sure why I couldn't let my gaurd down, but I felt good on Sun! I still had a great time, it's fun be the sober one in a group of drunks.
So there it is, Vegas in a day! Next time I would like to go with my girlfriends, for a few days, and see more!
So this post was a bitch to edit, took 2 hours and #2 has woken up 3 time, it' gonna be a fun night!