It Takes A Village

Brenna loves her dollhouses. She currently has three and plays with them frequently. This year, when she was asked what she wanted for Christmas, she kept saying, "A Dora Dollhouse." Ugh.

She doesn't even really care for the Dora cartoon, but that dollhouse was irresistible to her. That was all she wanted. She even made it official and told Santa she wanted a Dora dollhouse.

Every time she would bring it up I would tell her, "Brenna, you already have three dollhouses. You don't need another one! Santa isn't bringing you a Dora dollhouse." It got to the point that she was coming up behind me, whisper, "Dora dollhouse!" And then run away.

I finally asked her, "WHY? Why do you want ANOTHER dollhouse?" Her reply?

                                      "I want a village so they can visit each other."
 

My future Community Organizer.

So this year Santa will be adding the Dora Dollhouse to the village. Maybe four will be enough?

Hey! It's Okay Wednesday!

It's Okay to...

• be a day late and a dollar short. Or several dollars short this time of year.
• give gift cards as presents. It's not lazy, it's saving them from returning the crappy gift you first thought of.
• be conflicted about discussing the tragedy in Newtown, CT with my son. He's 6. I want him to know what to do in an emergency, but I also don't want him to know there is such evil in this world. Not yet. Right now I'm choosing to not mention it unless he does (and he hasn't).
• think these talking points from iMom are brilliant if you DO decide to discuss the shootings.
• make your family watch a Charlie Brown Christmas every time it's on. Every. Time. I love it!

Head over to Airing My Dirty Laundry to see what else is okay!

Little, Yellow Room

Tonight I'm sitting on a little Lightening McQueen stool next to my girls' bed. Grace is very much like her brother. Neither fall asleep easily and both need something or someone to cuddle with. It's 11 PM and she's so tired, but needs to know she's not alone. Brenna, always my good sleeper, is fast asleep next to her. Still, every few minutes Grace will raise her head, look around to make sure I'm still here, and giggle before laying her head back down. Soon she'll be asleep and I can head to bed myself.

I'm posting this from my phone so the grammar, spacing, and such may not be right. No fancy pictures. Just a moment I wanted to capture so I never forget. Sitting in this little yellow room with the twinkling Christmas lights listening to my girls slowly breathing.

Our Favorite iPad Apps : Grace Edition

Playtime for Grace is very different than it was for Brenna at the same age. I don't know if it's because of her visual impairment or just her personality but Grace has no use for dolls, throws the Little People, and doesn't like stuffed animals. She prefers toys with buttons, lights and especially ones that play music. She loves to play on the iPad and will smoosh her nose right up to the screen so she can see the animations. Here are a few of her favorite apps!

Grace playing on the iPad.

• Sparkabilities -  ($4.99) This app has either flash cards or movies that introduce shapes, colors, counting and just silly noises. It's easily Grace's favorite. She'll be getting other versions of this for Christmas!
• Peek-A-Boo Barn - (Lite Version is FREE; $1.99 for full version) The lite version of this app gives you only three animals, but the full version has thirteen. Grace loves to tap the barn to see what animal is inside and mimic their noises.
•  Fisher Price Apps - (Most of them are FREE!) Fisher Price makes bright and colorful apps with great music that keep Grace engaged. Her absolute favorite is Storybook Rhymes Volume 2. It sings and animates her favorite song, "Row, Row, Row Your Boat".

All of these apps are available for both the iPad and iPhone.

Hey! It's Okay Tuesday!

It's Okay to...

• remember "quality, not quantity" when it comes to gifts.
• consider relaxation and work-outs equally important.
• let the kids put Christmas lights up in their rooms. They make perfect night lights!
• be sad that all the December magazines claim to "Beat Holiday Stress" or "Simplify your Christmas". Why does it have to be complicated in the first place?

hello december.

I've been blogging for four years and each year I try to do a daily post in December. Each year I start strong and then peter out as the month goes on. So this year I will try again!

I'll try to keep it short and sweet.

Tonight we're watching Elf. I'm so glad Riley is old enough to appreciate most of the humor in this movie. It's so funny!

What are you up to this fine December 1st?

Hey! It's Okay Tuesday!

It's Okay to...


Note to self: Keep endless supply of "ta-tarts" on hand.

• Be upset that your son's teacher read Ramona the Brave to the class. I wanted to read that to him!
• Think a Coke Zero and stack of Scholastic Book Club brochures makes for a perfect afternoon.
• Plan on reading and watching nothing but Christmas fluff for the next month. Hello Hallmark Movies!
• Think it's great that Grace is finally talking, but not sure how I feel about being yelled at by a demanding two-year old because we are out of her beloved "ta-tarts" (poptarts). Yes, I have seen the Pinterest posts about making your own Pop Tarts. No, I will not make my own. Kellogg's does just fine!

Head over to Airing My Dirty Laundry to see what else is okay!

5k Recap

I did it! I ran my first 5k. Well, to say I "ran" it is rather generous. It reminded me a little of child birth - harder than I expected and I hated it during, but felt amazing afterwards and can't wait to do it again. A few things I learned after running my first 5k:

If you catch the guy in the turkey suit, you get $25. Next year, Turkey Dude...

• Anyone can do it. There were people of all shapes, sizes, and age there. And I was amazed (and a bit depressed) by the amount of old people and kids that kept passing me. Using that as fuel for the next one...
• If the race is outside, you need to run outside to prepare for it. Running inside on the treadmill was 100 times more convenient for me, but running outside is very different. Especially when there are hills involved.
• Hanging out with people is very fun before and after the race, but I need to run alone. My friend offered to stay with me during the entire race, but we lost each other in the crowd at the beginning. And I was thankful. I knew I'd slow her down big time and I just wanted to focus on finishing without feeling guilty for being so s-l-o-w. It was nice to have her there at the finish line cheering me on to the end as well. :)
• You will start off too fast, no matter what you do to prevent it. I had my playlist all cued up, but ignored it as I chugged along with the crowd, then couldn't figure out why the first mile was so hard. I ran it in 12 minutes - a minute and a half faster than my usual pace! That would have been great if I didn't have two more miles to go...

Overall, I loved the experience. My main goal was to finish in 46 minutes and my time was 43:28. I'm very happy with it! But still lots of room for improvement.

Now I'm just working on getting myself back into a routine. I'm taking a brief break from the treadmill. I'm hoping absence makes the heart grow fonder, but we'll see.

So what have YOU accomplished lately?

On Turkey Day I'm Shufflin'

Go back and read the title in the voice of the guy from "Party Rock Anthem".

Did you do it?

I crack myself up.

Anyway, tomorrow is my first 5K! I'm running in the Turkey Stampede that benefits Faith Mission, the local shelter in my area. I'm really excited. I've already picked out my clothes (Black yoga pants, my Superman shirt and a grey fleece in case you were wondering) and researched the best breakfast options for tomorrow morning. (I'll be having a banana and a piece of toast).

I also put together my playlist! I chose songs that had a strong beat and would keep me moving at the rate I'm most comfortable. I knew if I didn't have something to pace myself, I'd try and keep up with the more experienced runners and then have to crawl the last two miles after I ran out of steam. I added a few songs that were a bit faster than I'm used to, but also a handful of some with slower beats to build in little breaks if I need to walk. Want to know what I'll be listening to?

• Eye of the Tiger by Survivor. My pre-race anthem.
• I'm Shipping Up To Boston by Dropkick Murphys.
• We'll Be Alright by Travie McCoy
• Good Time by Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen
• Somebody Told Me by The Killers
• Part Of Me by Katy Perry
• We Got The Beat by The Go-Go's
• My Sharona by The Knack
• Lump by The Presidents of The United States
• Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5
• That's Not My Name by The Ting Tings
• 50 Ways to Say Goodbye by Train
• Some Nights by Fun. (This song is very slow even for my walking pace, but I love it!)
• Rock 'n' Roll (Part 2) by Gary Glitter (I may break out in my old cheerleading moves for this
• The Rockafeller Skank by Fat Boy Slim
• Survivor by Destiny's Child
• Gangnam Style by Psy (Can't guarantee I won't do some Gangnum style dancing. Hey Sexy Lady!)
• Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO (Reminds me of my kids)

It's about an long and hopefully I won't listen to all of it!

I'm off to cook a nutritious, healthy-carb filled dinner. See you at the finish line!

Hey! It's Okay Tuesday!

It's Okay To...

• Step on the scales after working out and kind of expect to have dropped about 30 lbs. Hasn't happened yet.
• Put your Christmas tree up BEFORE Thanksgiving.
• Not be a fan of Thanksgiving. The idea of setting aside a day just to stuff yourself with food irritates me. I think the whole idea of gratitude is totally lost. And Thanksgiving food is gross.
• Show your son that when you cover up the "e-r" in the word "butter" it spells "butt". And then act shocked when your son points it out to your husband.

Head to Airing Your Dirty Laundry to see what else is okay!

SPJ: Refocus

I've been avoiding you my dear, sweet Secret Public Journal readers. I've blogged many times in my head,  but I don't want to put it out there. It's too private and melodramatic. I'm not sure exactly how to start this so I'm just going to type and see what happens.

I started this fitness journey strong. I exercised regularly, ate better and was feeling great. I expected my enthusiasm would wear off eventually and tried to prepare myself mentally so I wouldn't quit when that happened. I signed up for my first ever 5K as motivation and waited for results for my hard work and dedication.

In the three months that I've been working at this...

• I thought my skin would clear...it's gotten worse.
• I thought I would lose more weight...I'm only down 13 lbs.
• I thought I would drop more pants sizes...I'm barely down one size.

I'm discouraged and anxious and I hate my treadmill. I knew I'd hit a wall, I just didn't realize I would hit it so hard.

It's all about my focus. Right now I'm looking at what I still have to accomplish and it seems impossible. Unachievable. Hopeless. But I need to remember how far I've come. I'm at the lowest weight I've been since before Brenna was born four years ago. My usual treadmill workout is jogging two miles. Three months ago I couldn't jog for two minutes. To quote Joyce Meyer,

"I may not be where I want to be, but thank God I'm not where I used to be."

 

Time to refocus. Visit my pinterest Goals board regularly. Shake up my routine. Add new music to my playlist.  I will get there.

Saturday Linky Love

I've always loved linky posts - where people put links to posts they've read and enjoyed over the week. So I'm joining in!

• 15 Ways to Get Organized: 10 Minute Tasks at The Happy Housewife
• Holiday Hands at Momastery
• Get Past Those Habits That Drive You Insane at Time -Warp Wife 
• How My Definition of Professional Motherhood has Changed by Steady Mom 
• Supination in Children with Hemiplegia at CHASA (Hemiplegia is the paralysis of one side of the body. Grace has a less severe form, hemiparesis or weakness on one side of the body. Her Occupational Therapist has us do supination exercises with her left arm so it was nice to get new ideas on how to do this!) 

So, what did you read this week? 

Hey! It's Okay Tuesday!

It's Okay to...

• Order the books you are giving as Christmas presents early so you have a chance to read them first.
• Vote for who YOU think is the right candidate - not what's popular with your friends/family.
• Listen to music during dinner. Not because you like the ambiance, but because listening to your family chew makes your skin crawl.
• Be putting Hallmark Holiday movies on the DVR already.
• Not blog for long periods of time. :)

Find out what else is okay at Airing My Dirty Laundry!

You're My Obsession

My son may look like me, but his personality is a lot like his dad. One thing they have in common is that they are both very passionate. They find something they are interested in and then become obsessed with it. 

Right now for my husband it is Windows-based phones and

 Riley's interest is the new Skylander Giants.

They read everything they can get their hands on and then talk incessantly about it. While this can be annoying, I also find myself getting a little jealous. I don't have anything I'm that passionate about.  I wish I did.

Maybe it's just not in my personality. Or maybe I just haven't found the right thing yet. But when I find my obsession, I'll be sure to let you know.

Do you have anything you are passionate about?

I Saw The Sign

I'm very forgetful. I tend to lose my train of thought midsentence or walk into a room and have no idea why I was there. I also tend to forget I'm fat. As I've said before I don't feel overweight, so in the past my weight loss efforts would start strong, then I'd forget and the next thing you know I've eaten an entire row of Oreos. (That is the recommended serving size right? An entire row of Oreos?)

 

 So I knew when I started my journey to a healthier me I was going to need reminders. I did NOT want anything negative, anything that would make me feel bad about myself, or anything that used the word "thinspiration". *shudder*

 

I wanted reminders of why my health is important. Why I can't give up. And what I'm working for. So I found some things on Pinterest, printed them out and put them in my home! (I have tried hard to find the original source for the images, but I can't seem to find some of them on Pinterest anymore. I apologize! If you know where they came from, let me know and I'll happily update!)

The post-it is a nugget of wisdom from Joyce Meyer. The sign can be found here.

 By the window in front of my kitchen sink. I see it approximately 1.6 million times a day.
 

Find this here.

On my bulletin board where I stick important papers and things to remember.

 



This is on the mirror in our Master Bathroom. I see it first thing in the morning. 

 

Find this here.

This is on the mirror in our second bathroom.

 

I can't find the source for this!

This is on my fridge right at eye level. I wanted something powerful there because

 I'm constantly in the fridge (for the kids! not me!) (Plus the picture of the cutest stinker ever!)

Find this here and  here.

My view from the treadmill.

 

I plan on replacing these periodically to keep me motivated. What do you do to keep motivated?

{Follow my Goals Board on Pinterest!}

Doppleganger

Sometime last month my sister posted this meme on Facebook:

Hilarious, right? There are numerous other memes with this funny gal. But sadly the girl resembles me. Don't believe me? Check out this picture from Jeff's company picnic in 2011. I KNEW they were taking a picture. What on Earth made me make this face?



Worst. Picture-taker. Ever.

 

Ermahgerd indeed.

A Grace-full Monday

Saturday night, Grace woke up with a 103 degree fever. I gave her some ibuprofen and rocked her back to sleep hoping it would all be gone in the morning. The next day she still had her fever, was lethargic and irritable. With all of the germs the kids bring home from school, I knew it was probably just a virus. But I also knew that these were the signs of a shunt malfunction.

 After a visit to our pediatrician didn't find anything major, we were advised by our neurosurgeon's office to go to the emergency room. A CT scan didn't find anything wrong with her shunt, but her neurosurgeon admitted her for observation.

To make a very long story short, we spend the night at the hospital. Grace got fluids, antibiotics and lots of rest.

It turns out she was hospitalized for just an ear infection. I felt so silly when they determined that there wasn't anything serious wrong. But from the very beginning of her life, I promised myself that if that tiny voice says, "It could be her shunt", then I will listen to that voice. An ear infection can be cured with a simple antibiotic. Shunt malfunction can mean major surgery.

I'm so thankful it was nothing serious this time!

Thank you, Pinterest

I can't stand the word "thinspiration". It may motivate some, but to me it seems to glorify being skinny. I don't want to be "skinny". I want to be healthy, strong and fierce.

(For the record, I also can't stand the saying, "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.")

I was writing another blog post about getting healthy and did a search on Pinterest for "thinspiration". My intent was to find some of the images of scrawny girls that are so awful for our self-esteem. Instead I found this...

"Eating disorders are not lifestyle choices, they are mental disorders that if left untreated can cause serious health problems or could even be life-threatening.

For treatment referrals, information, and support, you can always contact the National Eating Disorders Association Helpline at 1-800-931-2237 or www.nationaleatingdisorders.org"

I was surprised and touched. Obviously I'm not the only one concerned with the images that I saw.

Well done, Pinterest. Well done.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame...

My husband is fortunate enough to work for a company that really seems to care about their employees. For this year's employee picnic, we were treated to dinner and a baseball game at our local minor league stadium! We got t-shirts, batting helmets, baseball caps...they spoiled us. It was incredibly hot and our little ones didn't last long before having meltdowns, so we didn't stick around for the game. But we had a good time!


Riley and Swoop! Brenna was TERRIFIED of him!



I swear we were all there. But Riley is the only one who would let me take a picture!

And the Silverhawks have an amazing stadium now. I'd highly recommend a visit to the Cove!

Hey! It's Okay Tuesday!

It's Okay to...

see a wide open space and want to do a running round-off back handspring.

have no idea how to do a back handspring.

have never watched an episode of Grey's Anatomy, Big Bang Theory or How I Met Your Mother.

be jealous of the cute and cozy sweatshirt/pants combos that Grace got for her birthday. Unfortunately, sweatpants are not as cute on an overweight 30-something as they are on a toddler.

be super happy that my friend Carmen is blogging again. Check her out here. She's very smart and funny! (Sometimes I have to look up the meaning of the words she uses - so I get a laugh and an education! It's a win-win!)

Head over to Airing My Dirty Laundry to see what else is okay!

Back To School Month #2

Month 1 is complete and I have to say - I probably failed a few subjects. The intention to learn was there, the desire was not. Maybe this month I'll be more diligent?

Here's the update:

• English/Literature - Finished To Kill A Mockingbird and LOVED it. I plan on watching the movie very soon. 
• Home Ec - I can't seem to get the sleeves right on Brenna's dress, so it will be a skirt. Procrastinating big time on this! 
• Physical Education - I've attended Zumba pretty regularly and love it. 
• "Foreign" Language - Got all 50 words down! 
• Math - Thanks to a website called Math Is Fun, I re-learned this! 
• Science -I found a great sale on laundry detergent, so this may be put off for a while.
• History - Big fail on this. My goal was to know how WW1 started, how the US got involved and how the war ended. I didn't learn a darn thing about this war. 

This month I'm going to just focus on a couple things. 

• Learn an additional 50 words in sign language.
• Finally learn about WW1.
• Read Wuthering Heights. 

Any ideas on what else I could learn? What are YOU learning this month?

Hey! It's Okay Tuesday!

It's Okay to...

• have a favorite brand of pencil. Ticonderoga only please! 
• to still prefer writing in cursive. And be a bit sad my kids probably won't learn it.
• not like music everyone else loves. Like Mumford and Sons, Coldplay and Dave Matthews. (So sorry Bridget!) 
• be surprised I've made it half way through the Couch to 5K program. I honestly didn't think I'd stick with it and I'm a bit proud! Okay, a LOT proud. :) 
• have missed writing my "Okay" list since I've slacked the past few weeks! 

Diaper Toss

 

This is what happens when Grace gets a hold of the bag of diapers.

So Pinteresting {DIY Dryer Sheet Edition}

I have nothing against the Snuggle bear. I'm just cheap and I hate running out of simple household items like dryer sheets. So when I saw this pin, I decided to give it a whirl.

 

I took some old flannel a friend had given me (look familiar Sue?) cut it into rectangles and sewed around the edges to keep them from fraying.

 

 

 Then I went fancy and cleaned out an old dip container for the softener solution. The website had a formula for the solution - 4 parts fabric softener to 10 parts hot water - but I just kind of threw some together making sure to use more water than softener.

I let the flannel soak for a while and then tried out a load. I was impressed with how well it worked! My clothes were soft and smelled nice. I was worried that the softener would leave spots on my clothes, but I've never had an issue with that. The flannel sheets do get stiff after a few uses, but just throw them in your washer and it's good to go for the next use. Once the solution gets low, just add a bit more softener and water to cover the flannel again.

The only con to these homemade dryer sheets is the drippings. You have to pull one out of the container, squeeze out the excess and then toss it in the dryer. This gets your hands all softener-y and tends to leave drips on top of my dryer where I keep the container.

But it's a small price to pay for basically free dryer sheets! Pinterest Win!

Best. Giggle. Ever

Thanks For The Hug

I'm not sure I believe in ghosts. I've never seen one (and would prefer to keep it that way!) but I love to scare the crap out of myself. I normally do this by watching ghost shows on TV. One of my favorites is Celebrity Ghost Stories. The people on the show can very loosely be described as celebrities and are mostly actors. Since pretending is their JOB, it's easier for me to watch and not really believe them than watch some of the other shows where they have video of things being thrown across the room and doors closing on their own.

One day, I was watching while folding laundry and Elisabeth Rhom was on. She was a favorite of mine from Law and Order so I tuned it. She talked about how she collected antique dolls (To me is just asking for some kind of trouble. I am not at all a fan of dolls. I mean really, who needs those creepy things around?) She kept all of these dolls in a room that she used as her office.

Demon Antique Baby is watching you....

Anyway, she had been gone working for several months so her house had been empty. When she came back, the room felt different and her dog wouldn't even go close to the door. A few days later, she held a party and the house was filled with people. Afterwards, she went into the doll room/office to work and one doll said to her, "Thanks for the hug."

Let me write that again in case you missed it. One of her creep-tastic antique dolls turned to her and said "Thanks for the hug."

She explained how the spirit inside the doll had been lonely and was thanking her for filling the house with happiness again. How sweet!

Oh no, wait. It's super CREEPY! And it completely freaked me out.

During the commercial break, I went to the girl's room to put some clothes away and saw this:

If Dora ever talks to me, that explorer is GONE!

Progress, Not Perfection

It was late afternoon. That twilight period between school and dinner when everyone seems to lose their minds. I had just ended a maddening 45 minute phone call with a company that claimed I hadn't paid my bill when my bank account proved otherwise. The older two were picking at each other and Grace was screaming. (Grace loves to shriek. How do you correct that? We've tried saying, "NO!" in a stern voice, but then she just looks at you and shrieks a bit quieter.)

I headed to the kitchen to get the 400th cup of chocolate milk of the day, my mind swirling. Finances. Shrieking kids. Dirty floors. Dinner. Dishes. I was drowning.

As I turned to place the milk jug on the counter I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. The heavens opened up, angels began to sing, and I saw it. My lifesaver.

The zucchini bread I had made last night. There was still a little over quarter of the loaf left. Sweet and moist with plump little raisins. It wasn't a HUGE chunk. I could eat the rest, no big deal. I was so frustrated, stressed. I deserved to give myself a break.

Two weeks ago I absolutely would have eaten the whole thing and not thought about it - not even really realized it. This time a little voice stopped me saying, "You deserve better than this."

I would like to be able to say I resisted completely, but I did have a small slice. I wanted more. Oh Lord, did I want to run back into the kitchen and eat more. But I knew I wasn't hungry. I knew I was eating because I was stressed. And I knew this had to stop somewhere.

Progress.

Freedom

Ready for the first day.

Brenna started preschool on Monday, so both of my older kids are in school three days out of the week. (She only goes to school on Monday, Wednesday and Friday). This has left me with just Grace and a small amount of free-time. And it's weird. And quiet.

I have visions of being uber productive on these days. But so far all I've managed to do is play with Grace and catch up on the shows that are accumulating on the DVR. Maybe eventually the novelty will wear off and I'll actually get things done.

Or not.

What do you do with your spare time?

Maybe This Time

I've never made my struggle with my weight a secret. Well, it's hard for me to call it a struggle. For the most part, I don't feel overweight. But I am.

I've always (wrongly) associated losing weight with vanity. And I've tried to "rise above" that. There is so much more to me than my weight. I'm smart. Funny. Kind. But now it's beyond just having a smaller waistline.

It seems that this Mighty B has some mighty high cholesterol. Triglycerides to be exact. I'm still a little confused about the difference between all the different types of cholesterol, but one thing is for sure. My lack of exercise, poor diet and extra weight have put me at a higher risk for heart disease.

I'm making another attempt to start good habits. I've done this many, many times before and obviously never stuck with it. But it's different this time. It has to be different this time. 

So my dear bloggy friends, I am making this my "secret-public" journal.  I want to hold myself accountable in a more public way. I want to write more and I certainly have a lot to say about this journey. And I just feel like it's a story worth telling. 

I'm not sure what exactly I'll write. Will I tell my weight? (Probably) Will I share my "before" pictures? (Most likely) Will I share my successes, failures, frustrations and triumphs? (Abso-friggin'-lutely). I hope it's entertaining and maybe even inspiring. 

Cheer me on, won't you?

Back to School : Week One

Week one of my Back-To-School effort is over! How am I doing so far?

• English/Literature - I'm over half-way through To Kill A Mockingbird. I can't really remember if I read  this in high school. I vaguely remember parts but most of it seems brand new. I really love it so far! As far as the other book, To The Last Man, I picked it up at the library, thumbed through it, and decided I am not reading it. I'm sure it's a good book, but it's SO long and kind of dry. I will never stay awake long enough to get anything out of it.  As far as the three blog posts a week...well, it's only Wednesday, right?
• Home Ec - I have the dress nearly finished.
• Physical Education - I've attended TWO Zumba classes! Wow, what a workout!
• "Foreign" Language - I have 39/50 down pretty well. Here is a list of what I know so far. (I didn't count the alphabet!) 
• Math - Thanks to a website called Math Is Fun, I re-learned this! 
• Science -I found a great sale on laundry detergent, so this may be put off for a while.
• History - Haven't even really started. 

By the end of week 2 I'd like to have an idea of what next month's "lesson plan" will be. Any suggestions? What have you learned lately? 

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.
                                                             - Henry Ford

Back To School!

Everyone in my household is going to school this fall and I have to admit I'm jealous! I loved school and hope I pass that love along to my kids. It's important to me that they know that you never have to stop learning, so I decided to send myself back to school. I'm going to try and learn something new (or refresh my memory on something I learned long ago) each month.

With the exception of the English/Literature, I'm pretty confident that each of these "assignments" can be completed in an afternoon or less. This is crucial because I obviously still have three kids, a husband, and a household to run! I want to challenge myself, but not set myself up to fail.

Riley started first grade today, so I'm giving myself until September 15th to complete the following list:

English/Literature - Read To Kill A Mockingbird & To The Last Man (This ties into my history study, but it's over 600 pages long. I'm going to do my best to read this one!), Blog three times a week
Home Ec. - Finish a simple dress for Brenna (Extra Credit - Finish Pajama Pants for Riley!)
Physical Education - Attend a Zumba class
"Foreign" Language - Learn 50 words in sign language (Learning sign language is on my bucket list and will also help me teach Grace different ways to communicate.)
Math - Study adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions
Science - Make homemade laundry detergent
History - Study the events of WWI.


What would you like to learn? Join me going back to school! Leave me a comment and let me know what you'll be studying.

Hey! It's Okay Tuesday!

It's Okay to...

• think eating cottage cheese with fruit is disgusting. Give me pepper and fresh tomato with mine please! 
• hear someone thin complain they are fat and wonder what they must think of me. (On second thought, this is NOT okay!)
• not believe that tomorrow is August. Where has this summer gone?
• be excited for my kids to start school, but sad at the same time. I'll miss having Riley and Brenna around all day! 
• wish my MUCH older husband a Happy 32nd birthday tomorrow! 

Hey! It's Okay Tuesday!

It's Okay to...

Like this, but add me in leather pants. Hugh Jackman can stay I suppose.

• want to be in a movie where I get to walk in slow motion away from an explosion behind me. 
• still not know what I want to be when I grow up.
• be shocked at the sanctions against Penn State, but feel that they are necessary. Hopefully people will now think very hard before trying to cover up such a heinous crime. Ethics and safety should always take a higher place than football.
• have a short list for this week. 

 Check out Airing My Dirty Laundry to see what else is okay! 

Super Boy

Super Boy (And his sidekick Lucy) headed out for a swim.

We have a kiddie pool.

Not sure the floaties are useful, but you should never question a Super Hero on his uniform.

Hey! It's Okay Tues...er...Wednesday!

It's okay to:

• be fashionably late.
• laugh out loud while reading Tina Fey's book Bossypants. I'm only on page 8! 
• cherish that walk around the car when you buckle that last child in until you get in the driver's seat. It's a 5 second walk, but it's SILENT. 
• never be caught up with laundry. As long as everyone has one clean pair of underwear, you're good.

Hop over to Airing Your Dirty Laundry to see what else is okay! 

 

MPM: Chicken Edition

For breakfasts and lunches, we just eat whatever we feel like so I'm just posting our options. I really DO feed my family every day of the week! I really should start planning menus for the weekend.

We joined Sam's Club over the weekend and got an amazing deal on chicken. So guess what we are eating this week!

Do you plan your meals on the weekend?


Breakfasts:
Oatmeal
French Toast Sticks
Cereal
Eggs and toast

Lunch:
Soup
Gwilled Cheese
Turkey wraps
Leftovers

Dinners:
Burbon Chicken (We had this Sunday night. I used less chicken and added broccoli. It was so good!)
Burgers with sweet potato fries
Chicken Enchilada Casserole 
Chicken Queso Wraps
Spicy Mexican Chicken Skillet with quinoa (my first try at  cooking quinoa!)
Veggie Pizza

Need menu ideas? Check out orgjunkie.com for tons of ideas!

Four.

Pretty ballerina.

Big sister.

Fashionista.

Photographer.

Artist.

Partner in crime. 

Sweetest daughter ever.

Tomorrow is your fourth birthday. Three has been so much fun - 

I can't wait to see what this next year holds for you! You are so sweet, smart and really, really funny. 

Every dress turns you into a princess and anything can be used as a microphone. 

 The world is your stage. 

You are my favorite B-girl! 

Happy Fourth Birthday Brenny!