Santa?!?!?!?

Here's what happened: Remember how I ordered the Wii and Wii Fit a couple weeks ago? Obviously (to everyone but my husband) it was for Christmas. Specifically it was from Santa. Can you see where thi is going? Daddy happened to be home with Ben when the package arrived and OPENED IT RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM! Then he left it out in the living room so Joey could see it when he got home from school. I tried to recover and act like it didn't happen and the boys didn't mention it for a long time, but then I said something about asking Santa for a Wii the other day and they both reminded me that "we already have that." Oh. So I tried saying that Santa dropped it off early and needed extra help and blah blah blah, but they aren't really buying it and still are asking Santa for different things. Things we cannot afford. Hello, the Wii costs a lot of money! I'll be sending my dear husband to the store today in the snow to get some Santa presents for under the tree. Grrr. Sometimes it feels like he doesn't even live here (but that's a whole nother story that I shall not get into.)

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Punch Kick and Jam, 48 minutes, 550 calories

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Cardio Party 2, 42 minutes, 520 calories

Total for week, 214 minutes, 2115 calories

I also shoveled for 90 minutes yesterday, so I'll count 45 minutes and ~400 calories for that (lots of breaks)

Total, 259 minutes, 2515 calories

Snow Day?

I am one of a very few people who do NOT wish for a snow day tomorrow. It is our last day before the 2 week holiday and we have our Christmas Party scheduled. We do not want to put it off until January. It's not quite the same to give Christmas gifts two weeks AFTER Christmas.
But it is not looking good at all. The storm is starting later than they were saying, but they are still saying 12 plus inches of snow. If ever there is justification for a snow day, 12 inches would probably do it. Dang it. There are days when a snow day sounds great, but tomorrow is not one of them.

PS Sorry I'm a bad blogger lately. We've been busy but in a boring way. Not much to report. One story coming soon about ruining Santa for my kids. Many of you are aware of my problem in that area but this time it is not my fault.

Today's Workouts

Turbo Jam Booty Sculpt and Abs and Cardio Party, 76 minutes, 720 calories

Total for week, 172 minutes, 1595 calories

Today's Workouts

Turbo Jam 3T and Fat Blaster, 66 minutes, 555 calories

Total for week, 96 minutes, 875 calories

Gotta go watch BL finale. I was not the Biggest Loser. In the time that it has been on this season I have only lost 4 pounds:(

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Fat Blaster, 30 minutes, 320 calories

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Cardio Party 2, 43 minutes, 460 calories

Total for week, 240 minutes, 2433 calories

Today's Workouts

Turbo Jam Turbo Sculpt, 40 minutes, ~300 calories (I didn't wear my heart monitor)
and Turbo Jam 20 minute, 19 minutes, 217 calories

Total for week, 197 minutes, 1973 calories

Aaaakk!!

I just took the plunge and bought the Wii and Wii Fit for us for Christmas. I hadn't really decided for sure that I wanted it, but I was on ebay and bid on one that wasn't too outrageous and somehow I won. Definitely having some buyers remorse right now, but trying to convince myself that we are going to have fun. Oh boy. How do I get myself into these things?

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Cardio Party, 43 minutes, 457 calories

Total for week, 138 minutes, 1456 calories

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Cardio Party 2, 45 minutes, 466 calories

Total for week, 95 minutes, 999 calories

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Punch Kick and Jam, 50 minutes, 533 calories

I'm Catching Up

Finally got our decorations up Friday night, and our Christmas pictures taken for our cards this afternoon. This is NOT the card picture since many of you will be receiving that soon enough, but it gives you a hint of our theme this year. Fortunately, the Bears are actually doing well today so we can be proud of our team.

Also, I realize I haven't really been updating much besides my workouts, so I thought I should borrow Jacque's meme:

Ten years ago I:

*Was 21

*Had recently moved out of my parents house.

*Worked at a bank

*Was dating my now husband

*Was still in school

Five things on tomorrow's to-do list

1. Lesson Plans for the week

2. Grocery shopping (not going on a Sunday)

3. Drop off and pick up kids at school.

4. Clean the bathroom. Bleh.

5. Take some books back to the library.

5 snacks I enjoy

1. String cheese

2. Jelly Bellys

3. Fruit chips

4. Chocolate

5. Dark Chocolate

5 things I would do if I were a millionare

1. Pay off bills

2. Buy a house in the country

3. Save for the kids education

4. Help someone in need

5. Get a maid. Oh yes I would.

5 places I have lived

1. Mountain, Home Idaho

2. Bismark, North Dakota

3. Guam

4. Clearfield, Utah

5. Rockford, Illinois

5 jobs I've had

1. Fashionation - cashier, then 2nd assistant manager

2. First of America Bank, changed to National City- teller then CSR

3. COL- Toddler teacher then Preschool teacher

4. Grace Lutheran Preschool- preschool teacher and assistant director

5. Hmmm...Well I did give direct sales a try last year.

Maybe now you know something about me that you didn't before. Stay tuned for more interesting posts.

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Cardio Party 2, 43 minutes, 450 calories

Total for week, 235 minutes, 2513 calories

I Elfed THe Boys!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam 3T and 20 minute, 50 minutes, 430 calories

Total for week, 192 minutes, 2063 calories

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Punch Kick and Jam w/1 lb weights, 50 minutes, 558 calories

Total for week, 142 minutes, 1633 calories

Today's Workout

Tubo Jam Punch Kick and Jam w/ 1 lb weights, 49 minutes, 575 calories

Total for week, 92 minutes, 1075 calories


I feel much better today. Better than I have in a couple weeks, actually. Thanks for the sympathy yesterday.

I'm Not Complaining....

But it has been a rough week. No updates because I couldn't bear to talk about it. Right now while I'm numb I'll try to fill you in (more on that in a minute).
It started on Tuesday when my monthly friend arrived. During class. Complete with irritability and cramps.
Then I had my review after my morning class. It really went ok, but see previous problem. I was very sensitive to any negative comments and left feeling a little down.
The boys have been very resistant to helping clean up their toys so I've been getting really frustrated with them, and then feeling like a bad mom for yelling. Endless cycle repeated itself a few times this week, but as of today we seem to be back on good ground.
Then Tuesday night my tooth started hurting. On Wednesday it throbbed every time I moved. On Thursday it was Thanksgiving- no dentist. On Friday I woke up with a fat lip. Great. Definitely an infection. Still had to go out of town for my Dad's Thanksgiving dinner, then Saturday to my mom's. We had a good time at both despite my being in constant pain. At least I could eat, it didn't hurt any worse as long as I didn't bite down hard on my front teeth. Finally today is Monday. Called the Dentist at 8, got an appointment at 10. He looked at it for a minute, said yep, you have an abcess and need a root canal. Let's get that going. So I had a root canal this morning. Yay. The worst pain was the numbing needle and it was over in less than half an hour. Now I am home with a prescription for antibiotics and vicodin for when the numbness wears off. Hopefully this will be the start of a better week.
But now I can't work out! So I might need a few more days to get in a better mood.
And I didn't get my Christmas decorations up this weekend because all I could do was lay around:(
Hope everyone else is doing better than me.


PS Yesterday's Workout:
Turbo Jam Cardio Party, 43 minutes, 500 calories

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Cardio Party w/1lb weights, 43 minutes, 500 calories

Total for week, 135 minutes, 1512 calories

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Punch Kick and Jam, 47 minutes, 508 calories

Total for week, 92 minutes, 1012 calories


I'm having one of those icky days, but at least I still worked out. More tomorrow when I feel better.

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Cardio Party 2, 45 minutes, 504 calories

Dr Visit

When I went to the Dr Monday it was for my annual exam (pap, bleh), but I really wanted some advice or help with my weight loss. I should have known that there is no magical solution. After going over my lab results (everything is fine except I'm a little anemic) she asked about my eating habits. She eventually suggested keeping a food diary, which I did back when I was losing weight last winter, and trying to eat 4-5 smaller meals a day. So I've been keeping my food diary and it really does keep me from eating mindlessly, but I also don't think I was eating all that much more before. We shall see. I am down 1/2 a pound from my minimun since September 1st, but according to what I've been eating and working out this week I should be down 2 pounds at least. So blah, blah, blah. Mostly that whole discussion can be summed up by saying nothing has changed, yet.

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Turbo Sculpt, 39 minutes, 344 calories

Total for week, 276 minutes, 2996 calories

A new record for me. I worked out 6 days this week.

Today's Workout

TurboJam Punch Kick and Jam w/1lb weights, 49 minutes, 548 calories

Total for week, 237 minutes, 2652 calories

We can all celebrate because I am finally down 1/2 a pound. Woo hoo.
I started back keeping a food diary so hopefully that will help. I already realized that I am eating way too much cereal for breakfast.

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Punch Kick and Jam, 49 minutes, 543 calories

Total for week, 188 minutes, 2104 calories

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Cardio Party, 43 minutes, 513 calories

Total for week, 139 minutes, 1561 calories

Kid's Book Picks for November

I'm trying something new today from 5 minutes for Books.

The kids book picks for November:

Joey, at 6, has been really getting into chapter books. He likes Junie B Jones, Ready Freddy, and now Magic Tree House. I prefer Ready Freddy because it is a little boy like him and his adventures are normal and realistic. Joey seems to not have a preference. He can be caught reading one from each series at different times in the same day. I love to see him cuddled up and so absorbed in the book that he has no idea what is going on around him.

Ben loves anything that I'll read to him. The last few weeks he has been getting out "Go Away Big Green Monster" by Ed Emberly and "reading" it to himself. Kids like it for the predictability and repetitiveness. Moms like it because it helps with that fear of monsters.

I would also like to use this post to point out some childrens books that even parents enjoy reading. My favorites are the Skippy Jon Jones series by Judy Schachner. I kid you not, one night when I was reading it to the boys, my husband was cracking up listening to me. And you have to acquire a spanish accent to read them. Another fun author is Jon Scieszka. "The Stinky Cheese Man" really says it all.

Many times when we go to the library, the boys want me to find a book from something they see on tv, like Spiderman or Franklin. This drives me nuts. I want them to expand their horizons, not continue their nasty tv watching habit into their books. The only one that I tolerate and enjoy myself is the Charlie and Lola series. They are so adorable to me. And I love trying on their british accent.

Ok, next time I'll focus on one book we read for the month. This was fun.

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Cardio Party 2, 45 minutes, 528 calories

Total for week, 96 minutes, 1048 calories

The Stories of Our Week

Story #1- I forgot to come back and update after our anniversary. Woke up and found a very nice card from hubby. Spent most of the early part of the day just hanging out with the boys while he worked in the loft. Then the 4 of us went to see Madagascar 2 at the theater. So funny. The grown-ups laughed more than the kids I think, and my husband was in the movie! I swear he is Moto-moto. You'll have to see it to believe it. After the movie we dropped the kids off at Grandma's with Burger King and we headed out to dinner at Outback. My favorite bad for you restaurant. And it was bad for me. But yummy yummy. We even had dessert- Sidney's Sinful Sundae. I almost passed out from the ecstasy. But then I couldn't even move for next 5 hours. Oh well. It was worth it. Over all a very good day.

Story #2- Ben had to go to the immediate care on Friday. He had been wheezing and coughing and the inhalor wasn't helping. Turned out to have a minor double ear infection so we have antibiotics and steroids for a few days. It has been very difficult keeping him from running around and he's had some killer temper tantrums from the steroids, but he seems to be feeling better.

Story #3 - I have a Dr appt tomorrow. Technically it is my annual exam, but I'm hoping for some answers as to why I haven't lost weight. I had my blood tests Saturday. There could be something with my thyroid, yet again. Either way, hopefully she can help me.

Story #4- The Loft. Lots of progress being made out there. I'm starting to see what it will be like. See if you can see:

This is the side wall (two big doors) before.

And after.Here is the inside before we got started.Add some walls, level out the floor...Raise the floor on the coop side...

And here is one of the pens. They have plenty of room to fly around, and they can go outside as they please when the window is open.

Here are the 4 birds we have so far. The 3 gray ones are the racers.

Story #5 - Oh, wait, my life is not that interesting. 4 stories was all I had in me. Have a good night.

Today's Workout

Tae bo Total Body Fat Blaster, 51 minutes, 520 calories

Thank-you for the encouraging comment, Candi. I need all I can get right now.

Lots to update later.

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Cardio Party 2 w/1lb weights, 45 minutes, 530 calories

Total for week, 246 minutes, 2634 calories

Today's Workouts

Turbo Jam 3T, 32 minutes, 245 calories
and Turbo Jam 20 minute, 19 minutes, 219 calories

Total for week, 201 minutes, 2104 calories

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Cardio Party, 45 minutes, 521 calories

Total for week, 149 minutes, 1640 calories

Book Reviews

I am a reader.
There, I said it. Maybe it should say I am an obsessive reader. I visit the library at least twice a week. At any given time we have about 20 books checked out (that does include kids books). I probably read 2 to 3 novels a week, depending on how much I have to do and how into them I get.
But I never really thought about reviewing them here.
Until now.
Don't you feel blessed that I'm going to tell you which books I like and which not to bother with?
Today I want to talk about The Secret Life of Bees. I choose this one because it is the one that drew me in the most in the last few weeks. And it's a movie that just came out.
So The Secret Life of Bees is set in the deep south at the time of desegregation. The narrator and main character, Lily, lost her Mama when she was little and her Daddy is a real piece of work. One day she can't take it anymore and runs away with her black "nanny." What happens from there for the rest of the summer is most of the book. I liked the book because it read like conversation - it was very easy to follow. And because there was a little bit of history in it with desegregation. I was quite disgusted with some of the behaviors that white people displayed, but everything turned out great in the end.
I hope I didn't ruin any surprises for you if you decide to read the book, but I highly recommend it for a quick, easy, but emotional read. I look forward to seeing the movie soon (girls night?) and then I will tell you how they compare.

11-11-00

Eight years ago today I walked down the aisle and married my high school sweetheart, my best friend, my one true love. Today I am happy to say he is still all of those things, plus the best Daddy two boys could ever ask for. Happy Anniversary.

And Veteran's Day. Don't forget our vets today.

Work Update

Most of you know that I am "interim co-director" of my preschool this year. It has been very up in the air what is going to happen after this year, though, which has had me very anxious. Well, a couple of weeks ago we had to meet with the board of directors who told each of us that there would not be co-directors next year. They either have to choose one of us or hire someone from outside. In order to make this decision, they will be doing observations, 2 appraisals in the next 3 months, and we have to write out what our goals would be as director. Shoot that anxiety level right up there. Oh, and they said that we should not look at it as a competition. Ha. So I really don't like competing for recognition and I'm not willing to be aggressive they way I think my co-director is. I'm just going to do my best and put my thoughts out there and then hope for the best. And I'm going to try not to be disappointed with whatever they decide (unless they decide to hire from outside - then I might need to look for a new job). Please wish me luck as I venture into scary territory at work. Thanks.

Today's Workouts

Turbo Jam Turbo Sculpt, 40 minutes, 352 calories
and Turbo Jam 20 minute, 19 minutes, 222 calories

Total for week, 104 minutes, 1119 calories

(I've been doing the math in my head and I'm just waiting for someone to say that it's wrong. Of course, someone would have to be bored enough to check it in the first place.)

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Cardio Party 2, 45 minutes, 545 calories

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2, 46 minutes, 565 calories

Total this week, 225 minutes, 2599 calories

Woo hoo
(still no weight loss)

Spur of the Moment Adventure

So we have this 4-day weekend that we were trying to figure out what to do with when Daddy's cousin down in Florida called asking if he wanted a car (an old car that was his grandpa's). Of course he wants this car, and of course he has to drive down there to get it. And of course winter is coming so he would need to go real soon. Well, we were almost adventerous and we almost decided to leave first thing in the morning, drive down and drive back by Tuesday. With a big sigh I said that I wasn't sure I could take that many hours in the car that close together. So we're not leaving tomorrow, but we do have a five day weekend coming up for Thanksgiving. That still feels pretty adventerous, while giving us time to actually get ready to go. We can't really afford $500 for tickets to Disney World :(:( but we might try Sea World and we will definitely be doing some day after Thanksgiving shopping while we're there.
Now I just have to worry about apologizing to all the families that we won't be spending the holiday with. Hopefully they will understand just this one time.

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Cardio Party, 45 minutes, 500 calories

Total for week, 179 minutes, 2034 calories

Funny how I can do the same exact workout and not burn the same calories.

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Cardio Party, 44 minutes, 511 calories

Total for week, 134 minutes, 1562 calories

Today's Workouts

Jillian Michaels Maximize Back and Turbo Jam 20 minute, 45 minutes, 506 calories

Total for week, 90 minutes, 1051 calories

Did You Vote?

Well, did you?
Joey and I went first thing this morning. None of those long lines we've been hearing about. Just in and out. Now we wait and see the results.
I'm interested to see the record turnout for this election. It's great that so many younger people are getting more involved. Get ready for some change.

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Cardio Party, 45 minutes, 545 calories

Boring Genealogy Post

Finally, finally got into some genealogy research after a big long break. I thought it would be nice to share some of the process on here. You will either be bored to tears or want to look up your own family.

What I started with was that I knew all of my great-great grandparents, and at least one more generation except for one person- my great-grandma Rausch's dad's name was Harry Robinson. I knew he was born in 1866 in Ohio, but I couldn't find out anything else. His name was not uncommon enough to narrow it down in the census, and I haven't been able to get his death certificate to get more info.

So a couple weeks ago I was looking at the later census records that I had on him and realized that while his name is pretty common, his heritage is not. He was born in Ohio, but his father was born in Louisiana and his mother was also born in Ohio. Moving from Louisiana to Ohio is not a normal migration pattern. So I did a search for Harry Robinson born in Ohio with a father born in Louisiana. Sure enough, there was just one that fit everything.

In the 1880 census, Harry and his parents, EA and Ella, were actually living in Kansas.I kept looking and found them in the 1870 census in Ohio. This time dad was listed as Edwin. These people really moved around. I would be very interested to know why.

Then I put it all away for a while. Yesterday when I started looking at it again, I noticed that Edwin's heritage is a little different as well. He was born in Louisiana like his mother, but his father was born in New York. So I went looking for him in earlier census records. I found him with his parents Elihu and Rachel in the 1860 census, and then I found just the parents living near Edwin in the 1870 census.

So I found two more generations on that line just by looking at details that I hadn't considered before. Now I just need to figure out why they moved around so much and where they actually settled and are buried.

The Week in Photos

This hot air balloon was right over our house last weekend. We thought it was pretty cool. This is what we do when the kids are naughty :)

Daddy's brother got married last week on a cruise. The reception was at Lino's. Congratulations.

Finally got to the Apple Orchard.

This is the fly pen. It is where the pigeons get out to fly around each day.

Ben finally decided to be Handy Manny

Joey was a shrimpy Hulk.

Daddy carved the marvelous jack-o-lanterns.
Ready for trick-or-treating.

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Ab Jam + Turbo Sculpt, 60 minutes, 466 calories

Total for week, 271 minutes, 2766 calories

Call me Superwoman.

Report Card Day!

I feel sorry for the poor kids who aren't doing as well- good way to ruin Halloween. But my boy is doing so great! I knew he would be fine, but his report card literally can't get any better. He got S+'s in nearly everything, and his testing puts him at the level he needs to be at in the spring. His teacher's comment was that Joey has been a hard worker. Good job, man.

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Cardio Party, 44 minutes, 532 calories

Awesome workout. I am officially a fan of Turbo Jam.

Total for week, 211 minutes, 2300 calories

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Burn + 20 minute (same as yesterday), 37 minutes, 385 calories

Total for week, 167 minutes, 1768 calories

I like Turbo Jam, but it requires me to be a little more coordinated than I'm used to.

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Burn + 20 minute, 45 minutes, 450 calories

Total for week, 130 minutes, 1383 calories

Halloween is in 3 days, people!
Ben is still undecided on what he is going to be, but leaning towards Fireman Mickey. Joey is going to be the Hulk.
We don't have Trick or Treat Candy yet, but we did finally get our pumpkins carved today.
I take baby steps when it comes to getting organized and planning ahead.
Oh, and we finally made it to the Apple Orchard this weekend. Yum yum but naughty naughty. I do make the best apple treat with no added naughtiness, though. I'll have to make more of that.

The only other thing going on at our house is that Ben was sick yesterday. He was burning up after school and of course I could not find a single thermometer because we are so rarely sick. Mostly he laid around all night, and after some ibuprofen this morning he was able to go to school and seems to be fine now. Nice that we built up all those immunities by going to daycare for so many years.

Today's Workout

Biggest Loser Cardio Max, 55 minutes, 643 calories

Total for week, 85 minutes, 933 calories

Today's Workout

Turbo Jam Booty and Abs, 30 minutes, 290 calories

After 2 weeks off, I'm starting over again. My new goal is just for my clothes to fit better and my tummy to be flatter. I'm going to try not getting on the scale more than once a week.

Happy Birthday!

To the woman who needs a day for only herself, and yet seems to not be getting it, hope you have a wonderful day. And, please Jacque, take at least a few minutes for yourself.

It Might Not Seem Like Much, but...

Oh Hi! Did you miss me? Well, I been workin real hard in the backyard with my husband and kiddos. The privacy fence is done and I stained the entire thing by myself. Three solid days of manual labor and about six days to recover. Here you can see what it was like before (on the left) and after (on the right) Here's those boys workin hard. They've painted.
They've painted some more.
They've hauled bricks.
And Joey reports that he got to caulk something today. That's my man!

Ok, here is what daddy has been working on. This is the back of the garage, where the loft will be, before we started.
Cut out the rotted panels.

Replace them.
Paint them. And add some windows.
More windows, and prepare the ground below for the birds.
Ta-da! Looks real nice.
I'm starting to get a picture of how this is going to be, and I'll sure keep sharing pictures so you can get it, too.

Today's Workout, plus..

Tae Bo Rockin Abs, 41 minutes, 333 calories
Slowly getting back in after too long of a break (besides fence and loft work)

Sorry no updates lately, I've been a little down and didn't want to drag it on here. I promise to get my pictures sorted and get something up tonight after the kids go to bed.

Today's Workout

2 mile walk/jog with the boys on bikes, 40 minutes, 357 calories

I Learn Something New Every Day

First of all I have to say that I had a great time at scrap night Saturday. I got a lot done and learned new things, like always. I admire the creativity that I get to sit with and observe. I can only hope for a smidgen of that talent. I did learn something new, though. Now I can show of my pages on here. As you can see, I need to work on getting rid of that line down the middle, but this is one of the pages that I made that night. Love the Cricut, love typing my journaling, love simplicity, love my boy.

It's Done, People!

17 gallons of stain + 5000 square feet of privacy fence + 5 trips to the Menards + 3 warm, sunny days = 1 tired and sore Mama (and perhaps a little crabby) with a huge sense of accomplishment.

That's all I have to say about that for right now. Pictures and more details later.

ETA: Sparkpeople says that for how long I was painting, I burned 3840 calories this weekend. Works for me.

Today's Workout

Biggest Loser Cardio Max, 44 minutes, 497 calories


Total for week, 195 minutes, 2042 calories

Today's Workout

Tae bo II Advanced 2, 56 minutes, 580 calories

Total for week, 151 minutes, 1545 calories

I have to say that one of the main reasons I've been able to convince myself to work out still is because of this blog. I will be embarrassed to quit, but I'm getting really frustrated. All this work the last 6 weeks and I have not lost a single pound. I need to see some results real soon or I'm really going to get discouraged and maybe quit and accept the embarrassment.

Artiste in Residence

Joey has been carrying his little notebook around and writing notes to all of us. Most of them are pretty normal: Dear Mom You are a good Mom, but his one to Ben was worth sharing. I never knew he read matt.

Deer Ben.

I

thot

you

Wer

a

good

dror

But

you

are

a

sckriBl

r.

He is really quite astonished that Ben would want to just color something rather than write or make something that is describable.

He also let us know that he likes going to the "Librier" and that he misses his pigeon "Joe-Joe."

Drumroll Please

We had the boys' conferences this afternoon. Ben was first. His teacher went over the stuff he knows first- letters, shapes, colors, etc. He knows all his colors, some shapes, a few letters, and no numbers. I'm not really concerned because he has 2 more years before kindergarten. I really just wanted to know about his behavior. Good news! He is decidedly not the naughty kid, and he got an "always" for keeping his hands to himself. He has his moments where he needs reminders, but nothing unmanagable. That is all I can ask for at this point. I am so happy with his progress.

Joey next. We walked in, sat down, his teacher showed us several papers with stars on them, said he is doing great in reading, great in math, hard worker, great listener, she has no concerns. The only thing I asked about was social and she said even there he is doing well- seems to play with other kids when he has a chance. Also a very happy conference.

Not that I expected differently, but it was a good day at school today. I am so proud of my boys.

Today's Workout

Elliptical, 40 minutes, 325 calories

Total for week, 95 minutes, 965 calories

Who Would Google Me?

I have this thing on my blog so I can keep track of where people come from and how often they visit...Well, one of the features shows what people google to come to my blog. Sometimes it's funny, irrelevent things, but today someone googled my name. That's kinda creepy to me. I know I have this blog out there for the public to see, but I have no idea who would come looking for me. Was it you? Was it an old friend? Doo-doo doo-doo (That's supposed to be creepy music)
I just don't know, and I am totally curious. I don't like secrets. I like to know everything.

Today's Workout

Tae bo II Advanced, 55 minutes, 641 calories

Bet you're getting tired of only seeing workout updates :)
I'll try to put something else up tonight.

Today's Workout

Tae bo Amped Full Throttle, 54 minutes, 619 calories

Total for week, 229 minutes, 2355 calories

Today's Workout

Tae bo Rockin Abs and Rockin Buns, 62 minutes, 518 calories

Total for week, 175 minutes, 1736 calories

Crazy Day

So this morning had to be one of the most stressful days at work ever. And I can't even talk about it. I can only say it involved police and orders of protection. And the kids seemed to sense my vulnerability because they were beyond wild and crazy. That's all. Feel sorry for me. I'll be okay tomorrow. Thanks.

Today's Workout

Tae bo II Advanced 2, 56 minutes, 594 calories

Total for week, 113 minutes, 1218 calories

Not counting the heavy lifting and manual labor out in the yard, but it's almost done! (insert happy squeal)

I Wish Someone Else Took Pictures At My House...

'Cause you sure would have gotten a treat tonight. I was soaked, dirty, tired and wrastling with 4x4's in the rain this morning.

But let me start at the beginning. Daddy took Friday through Monday off work with the grand idea that he could install our entire privacy fence in that time. Do you see where I am going with this? Oh, and the boys really wanted to help. They even got their own work gloves.Well, with some help from his brother, Michael and friend, Jim (this was one of their short breaks)Friday he got a bunch of the posts cemented in, Saturday got panels up on two sides of the yard, and by Sunday night was still only halfway done cementing the third side. Here is before and after on the back. It looks so great.
And here is that nasty third side. The ground slopes so it has been difficult lining up the posts, plus the people who installed the original cut the old posts off at the ground rather than remove them so we had to dig some of those out.
Then when things seem to be going well, we hit a rock the size of a mountain. This sucker took a couple hours to get out.After that, it was pretty much the end of the day, and the end of Daddy's extra helpers. We decided that rather than have my planning time at school this morning I would stay home and help try to get this done. Of course it started raining the exact minute we started working, rained for a solid 3 hours, then quit when we stopped for lunch. We had piles of dirt all around the yard which turned into piles of mud that I kept slipping in. My gloves got so soaked that I had to wring them out. But I am very proud of myself. The panels you see in this next picture I installed.
And these are some of the old posts that I literally yanked from the ground with my own hands.

The boys? This is how they stayed busy Saturday afternoon. "Helping" got real boring after a while.

So, yeah, I wish someone would have taken a picture of me wet and filthy so I could have a memento of my contribution to this project, but I just have to satisfy myself with writing about it and taking pictures of everyone else.

Today's Workout

Tae bo II Advanced, 57 minutes, 624 calories

Good workout.

Update coming on the fence. Suffice it to say for now that it has been a looong weekend.

Today's Workout

Tae bo Amped Core Express and Live in LA, 50 minutes, 509 calories

Total for week, 246 minutes, 2375 calories

Last week, 267 minutes, 2589 calories
2 weeks ago: 240 minutes, 2372 calories
23 weeks ago: 175 minutes, 1915 calories

Today's Workout

Tae bo Energy, 40 minutes, 317 calories
It was boooring. Not doing that one again.

Total for week, 196 minutes, 1866 calories

Life Is Good

Nothing really exciting going on, just been feeling like things are going well in many areas or our life right now:
*Ben has shown dramatic improvement in attitude and anger the last few weeks. All of his teachers report that he is doing really well and I have witnessed some great moments, like interacting with unfamiliar people and being purposefully nice to his Daddy and friends.
*We've gotten back into our routine which I apparently was really missing. I just feel so calm when I know whats happening next and what to expect of myself. I get up at the same time every day, go to bed at the same time, workout, watch some new shows, do a small amount of housework, read with the kids, read by myself,...it's just great. Sounds boring, but it is all I want out of life.
*Speaking of working out, I've been a beast on that front. I'm getting stronger and more confident, even though the scale isn't being my friend yet. With as much as I've been doing, there should be some results any day now.
*I finished reading the book of Matthew in the Bible last night and now will be going on to Proverbs, per Jacque's recomendation. I don't think I understand it all, but it is giving me a sense of peace to be doing something productive in that area.
*Daddy has been working hard at getting our new privacy fence installed. There is something about seeing your man work hard to improve your home that is just heartwarming.
*The only negative going on right now is the lack of a paycheck. I finally get my first paycheck next week, pretty much been broke since August. I try not to stress about it too much, I know it will be fine, but I'd sure like to have some money in the bank right about now.

*Oh, and Joey's pigeon died. Apparently we bought a sick bird and we couldn't make him well. Joey is not too traumatized, which is good since this will happen again (and again) with all the birds we will have.

Today's Workout

Tae bo Rockin Buns, 43 minutes, 416 calories

Total for week, 156 minutes, 1549 calories

Getting ready to watch Biggest Loser now.

Today's Workout

Tae bo Amped Full Throttle, 55 minutes, 600 calories

Total for week, 133 minutes, 1133 calories

Faith

I have been really thinking about my faith lately and what my beliefs are, what it means to me and my family, and what I can do about it. It really started when I got this job at a Christian preschool. Although I've gone to church (off and on at times) all my life, I don't feel like I was really applying the message. Then I started working with one of the most faithful (without being pushy) women I've met, Carol. Then Carol was dying and the faith that her family showed was truly an inspiration.
Yesterday our Pastor gave a sermon on understanding and studying God's word. He asked those of us who were willing to commit to reading the bible to stand up so he could pray over us. I decided that this is the time to learn more and I stood up. Last night I pulled out my confirmation bible and decided to start with the Gospel of Matthew. I'm easing my way in, since the Gospels are pretty familiar to me. The one verse I read that made me think was "Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.' But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be 'Yes, Yes' or 'No, No'; anything more than this comes from the evil one."Matthew 5.33-37
So, why do we swear on a Bible in court still? Why did we ever? This goes against the whole idea. It kind of makes me think of all the things we hear that don't actually come from the Bible, that aren't actually His Word. I have some reading to do.

After I'm done with those, I'm going to find a "read the whole Bible" study guide. I'm sure there is something like that out there. Or I'll just go back to the beginning and work my way through it. I don't know. But I shall be reading the entire Bible in the next few months. Join me if you wish.

Today's Workouts

2.25 mile walk with the boys in honor of matt, liz, and madeline. 50 minutes, 225 calories

Jillian 30 day shred, 28 minutes, 308 calories

Today's Workout

Biggest Loser, 60 minutes, 532 calories

Week total, 267 minutes, 2589 calories

Last week: 240 minutes, 2372 calories

2 weeks ago: 175 minutes, 1915 calories

Lots To Share

First of all to my scrappin' girls: Hooby Lobby ad for Sunday has many things 50% off including stamps, paper and embellishments.


Second I have some before pictures of our fence and pigeon loft remodel:
This is inside the back of the garage, where the loft will be.

This is outside the back of the garage. Daddy just put up the gutter. He also plans to replace the bottom of the siding and put windows in.
The fence is going to be 6 foot wood privacy fence. Right now he's working on digging up tree roots and old fence posts.
These are some of those heavy panels I carried the other day.
Ben really loves helping his Daddy. He fetched the pieces for the gutter in between playing in the loft area.

Third: You should be so proud of me. Yesterday I had an irate parent and I handled it so calmly and professionally. I was able to calm her down without getting defensive or upset. I was so awesome.

Fourth: I wanted to document the boys prayers. Tonight they were thankful for friends, food, walls, beds, stars, toys, stores (Ben); movies, Mrs Johnson (we still think about her alot), bats (apparently they eat bugs), Jesus and God, and please help Jesus' birthday come soon (Joey).

Fifth: I haven't done a gratitude list lately. I am thankful for good friends, Billy Blanks, cereal, string cheese, my husband's hard work, the new season of television, inter-library loan, part-time jobs, Johnny Appleseed, cooler weather, hugs and kisses.

Sixth: Joey has been writing again. I just found a piece of paper that says "I love my mom." His favorite ice cream is vunlu (vanilla), show is chootr (chowder), and suoprman. He has also read almost an entire Junie B Jones book over the last 3 nights. He got his first progress report today: all satisfactories, and the teacher said he is a hard worker and listens well. He warms my heart.

I think that's all for now. Have a good weekend.