I've enjoyed writing about my adventures in parenting, cooking for my family, and all of the silly ups and down of our lives for the past year but I've decided to close down The Family Fanantic blog.
I still have lots of ideas to share, but now that my third child is no longer a quiet little baby content to sit by my side as I type and my older children have more and more activities to participate in, I just don't have the time to maintain my blog.
I hope that in the future I can start up another blog sharing funny little stories about my family and tips for other parents but in the meantime I'll have to bid farewell to all of you wonderful readers out there.
Take care!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
My Son is Getting Big
Mason fell asleep in the car this afternoon.
A few months ago this would have been the beginning of a story about the crazy tantrum my four-year-old threw, how I lost my temper and the stressful day we had. Thankfully (really, really Thank God!) today's story has happier ending.
When I tried to wake Mason up so we could take Emily into her dance class, he opened his eyes, sat up and said in a groggy, angry voice, "I HATE EVERYTHING!"
Then he leaned back against his car seat and fell asleep again. I had to lift him out of the mini-van and carry him. When I picked him up he quietly wrapped his arms around me and about a minute later he said, "I wanna get down now," in a calm voice.
I was holding my breath. Where was the screaming? Surely the tantrum would start any second. I walked along silently, carefully watching Mason. And you know what? He didn't throw a tantrum. He didn't scream.
I realized at that moment that his funny, half asleep declaration of hate was actually a huge step forward. He was, to sound like such a mom, "using his words." He told me how he was feeling instead of throwing a tantrum. I bet during all of the monster tantrums that he threw last summer he was feeling like he hated everything and he just couldn't put his feelings into words.
Yahoo! My son hates everything and he can tell me! Sounds weird, I know, but it's a huge step in the right direction.
The rest of the afternoon continued on very smoothly. After dinner I looked at Mason and said, "You sure are getting big. Do feel like you're getting big?"
"Yeah, I do feel big," he said in a serious, proud voice. "Do you know how I know I'm getting so big, Mama?" he asked. "Because I do what my dad asks me to do and I don't cry about it."
This is one of the days I've been dreaming of, waiting for and praying about for the past year. My son is getting big. I so completely cherish these moments of happy, big boy time with him. I could cry tears of joy just thinking about it.
A few months ago this would have been the beginning of a story about the crazy tantrum my four-year-old threw, how I lost my temper and the stressful day we had. Thankfully (really, really Thank God!) today's story has happier ending.
When I tried to wake Mason up so we could take Emily into her dance class, he opened his eyes, sat up and said in a groggy, angry voice, "I HATE EVERYTHING!"
Then he leaned back against his car seat and fell asleep again. I had to lift him out of the mini-van and carry him. When I picked him up he quietly wrapped his arms around me and about a minute later he said, "I wanna get down now," in a calm voice.
I was holding my breath. Where was the screaming? Surely the tantrum would start any second. I walked along silently, carefully watching Mason. And you know what? He didn't throw a tantrum. He didn't scream.
I realized at that moment that his funny, half asleep declaration of hate was actually a huge step forward. He was, to sound like such a mom, "using his words." He told me how he was feeling instead of throwing a tantrum. I bet during all of the monster tantrums that he threw last summer he was feeling like he hated everything and he just couldn't put his feelings into words.
Yahoo! My son hates everything and he can tell me! Sounds weird, I know, but it's a huge step in the right direction.
The rest of the afternoon continued on very smoothly. After dinner I looked at Mason and said, "You sure are getting big. Do feel like you're getting big?"
"Yeah, I do feel big," he said in a serious, proud voice. "Do you know how I know I'm getting so big, Mama?" he asked. "Because I do what my dad asks me to do and I don't cry about it."
This is one of the days I've been dreaming of, waiting for and praying about for the past year. My son is getting big. I so completely cherish these moments of happy, big boy time with him. I could cry tears of joy just thinking about it.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Help! My Kids Won't Eat Their Vegetables
I bet thousands, maybe even millions of parents worry about the fact that their children don't like to eat vegetables. Kids hate veggies, right? Everyone knows that. Hey, not so fast. That may be a myth. Maybe it's true that some kids wouldn't pick up a carrot stick when they have a bowl of chips available too, but does that mean that they really don't like carrots? I don't think so.
Jenna from Food With Kid Appeal doesn't believe the anti-veggie myth either. She recently held a "Taste Off" at her son's elementary school. Over 300 kids taste-tested several healthy foods and the event was a big success. Check out her blog post describing the tasting event and lots of great information about teaching kids to enjoy their fruits and vegetables.
In our house we have a dichotomy of eaters. My sons and I love to eat veggies and fruit. In fact, I have started calling Mason, my four-year-old, a natural vegetarian because he will always choose vegetables and fruit over anything else on his plate. My youngest, Ryan, is already a great eater too. My daughter and husband tend toward the, "Eewww... it's a vegetable," opinion but I haven't given up on them yet.
I learned a lesson the hard way with my first child - offer a variety of fruits and vegetables (and all types of food for that matter) as young as possible in order to avoid the picky-eater syndrome.
If kids can't remember not eating lots of healthy food there will never be a battle over trying to add it back into to their eating repertoire. For example, Mason is excited when he gets a plate full of spinach salad, green beans, or kiwi because those are the types of foods I've been feeding him since he was a baby.
Unfortunately, I've had to backtrack with Emily because I didn't offer enough of a variety in her first year eating solid foods. Thankfully, she is usually willing to try new foods and has developed a fondness for several fruits and veggies.
So, anyone who is looking for ideas about improving their children's nutrition should check out Jenna's blog. I am always inspired by her ideas and I think you will be too.
This post is linked up with Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday and Life As Mom's Eat More Veggies!
Jenna from Food With Kid Appeal doesn't believe the anti-veggie myth either. She recently held a "Taste Off" at her son's elementary school. Over 300 kids taste-tested several healthy foods and the event was a big success. Check out her blog post describing the tasting event and lots of great information about teaching kids to enjoy their fruits and vegetables.
In our house we have a dichotomy of eaters. My sons and I love to eat veggies and fruit. In fact, I have started calling Mason, my four-year-old, a natural vegetarian because he will always choose vegetables and fruit over anything else on his plate. My youngest, Ryan, is already a great eater too. My daughter and husband tend toward the, "Eewww... it's a vegetable," opinion but I haven't given up on them yet.
I learned a lesson the hard way with my first child - offer a variety of fruits and vegetables (and all types of food for that matter) as young as possible in order to avoid the picky-eater syndrome.
If kids can't remember not eating lots of healthy food there will never be a battle over trying to add it back into to their eating repertoire. For example, Mason is excited when he gets a plate full of spinach salad, green beans, or kiwi because those are the types of foods I've been feeding him since he was a baby.
Unfortunately, I've had to backtrack with Emily because I didn't offer enough of a variety in her first year eating solid foods. Thankfully, she is usually willing to try new foods and has developed a fondness for several fruits and veggies.
So, anyone who is looking for ideas about improving their children's nutrition should check out Jenna's blog. I am always inspired by her ideas and I think you will be too.
This post is linked up with Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday and Life As Mom's Eat More Veggies!
Monday, January 3, 2011
The Mystery of the Blue Footprints
January 2011 Update: It is the one year anniversary of my blog so I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past year. 2010 was a year of change for me in many ways. My blog documented most of those changes and it fun for me to be able to look back at my writing from the past year. I wanted to honor my one year mark by re-posting one of my favorite first posts below.
The Mystery of the Blue Footprints
As I was making lunch yesterday, unbeknownst to me, a mystery was brewing in my house. All was quiet around the house. That should have been my first clue that something was amiss.
As I was finishing up with lunch I called to the kids to get ready to eat. At that point I looked down into our family room and saw the evidence of some kind of foul play.
This is what I saw in the hallway.
The crime scene in the family room was even more terrible. Blue ink was everywhere! I used my expert mommy investigative skills to figure out the culprit was Mason. He had the blue feet to prove my suspicions. Not to mention his blue hands too.
Apparently while I thought Mason was playing with legos he was being "artistic" but his creativity went a bit too far. He found a blue stamp pad with some art supplies and decided that his hands and feet made the best stamps of all - unfortunately he didn't stamp on paper. He stamped all over the family room carpet and even the couch. Thank God that the geniuses who make art supplies for kids have come up with washable ink. It took quite a lot of scrubbing and a run with the carpet cleaner, but we eventually got all of the blue ink out of the carpet and off of the couch.
Two important mommy life lessons were learned in the solving of this mystery.
#1 Don't trust a quiet three year-old.
#2 Don't leave art supplies within said three year-old's reach.
All in a days work as Detective Mommy!
This post is part of Alphabe-thursday.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
I Believe in Santa
As a child, my grandparents hosted a big Christmas Eve party at their house. My numerous aunts, uncles and cousins filled the house with noise and excitement. After dinner there would be a knock at the door and who would be there with a big red bag full of gifts? Santa!
My memories of Santa visiting us on Christmas Eve are some of my most precious. Even after, around age 9, I accidentally saw Santa come to the back door to get the gift bag from my grandma, I still pretended to believe in the magic of Santa.
The tradition ended the year that I was 18. My beloved grandfather died that year and we tried to continue with Santa but it was never really the same. At Grandpa's funeral a man we didn't know came up to give his condolences. I looked at my mom and said, "His voice is so familiar. Who is that?"
She didn't know. Then we realized - it was Santa! You see, Grandpa never told anyone who Santa was; not even my grandma knew. It turns out he was a co-worker and friend of Grandpa's who had agreed to be Santa back in 1976 and continued every single year.
Fast-forward to Christmas 2010. Just a week ago I walked into my living room to see my 7 year-old daughter and 4 year-old son looking at the Christmas tree with a friend. This friend is my daughter's age and her family does not celebrate Christmas because they are part of a different religion than ours.
It has never been an issue in the past but I lost my cool when I heard these words come out of her mouth in a loud, argumentative voice:
"Santa's not real! My mom says he's just a guy in a costume and your parents give you the presents."
As you can imagine I had quite a bit of explaining to do and I also had a serious conversation with her mother. All I ask is that others respect our traditions and allow my children to have the same Christmas joy that I grew up with. For now, my kids still believe in Santa and I hope that the magic continues for many years to come.
My memories of Santa visiting us on Christmas Eve are some of my most precious. Even after, around age 9, I accidentally saw Santa come to the back door to get the gift bag from my grandma, I still pretended to believe in the magic of Santa.
The tradition ended the year that I was 18. My beloved grandfather died that year and we tried to continue with Santa but it was never really the same. At Grandpa's funeral a man we didn't know came up to give his condolences. I looked at my mom and said, "His voice is so familiar. Who is that?"
She didn't know. Then we realized - it was Santa! You see, Grandpa never told anyone who Santa was; not even my grandma knew. It turns out he was a co-worker and friend of Grandpa's who had agreed to be Santa back in 1976 and continued every single year.
Fast-forward to Christmas 2010. Just a week ago I walked into my living room to see my 7 year-old daughter and 4 year-old son looking at the Christmas tree with a friend. This friend is my daughter's age and her family does not celebrate Christmas because they are part of a different religion than ours.
It has never been an issue in the past but I lost my cool when I heard these words come out of her mouth in a loud, argumentative voice:
"Santa's not real! My mom says he's just a guy in a costume and your parents give you the presents."
As you can imagine I had quite a bit of explaining to do and I also had a serious conversation with her mother. All I ask is that others respect our traditions and allow my children to have the same Christmas joy that I grew up with. For now, my kids still believe in Santa and I hope that the magic continues for many years to come.
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| Mason and Emily visiting jolly Ol' St. Nick on her 3rd birthday in 2006. |
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Push Pin Art
Looking for a way to keep your kids entertained this winter break? I found this fun and easy little art project and it kept Emily and Mason occupied long enough for me to put Ryan down for a nap, take a shower and get dressed. That's a winner in my book!
Push Pin Art
What you'll need:
Push pins
Colored construction paper
Simple drawings with a dark outline (see photos for example)
White paper
Black marker
Directions:
Dot-trace the outlined drawing onto the white paper. Tape or staple the dotted outline to a sheet of construction paper. Have your child (who is old enough to carefully use a push pin) lay on the carpet or a soft surface. Then they punch tiny holes to make the outline of the art. When done, remove the white paper and display the construction paper on a window to let the light shine through the holes.
Push Pin Art
What you'll need:
Push pins
Colored construction paper
Simple drawings with a dark outline (see photos for example)
White paper
Black marker
Directions:
Dot-trace the outlined drawing onto the white paper. Tape or staple the dotted outline to a sheet of construction paper. Have your child (who is old enough to carefully use a push pin) lay on the carpet or a soft surface. Then they punch tiny holes to make the outline of the art. When done, remove the white paper and display the construction paper on a window to let the light shine through the holes.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Holding Onto My Joy
I recently came upon an interesting article through a friend on Facebook: You Cannot Steal My Joy by Elizabeth Duffy.
The gist of the article had to do with staying positive while raising your children. It really hit home with me. The author has a friend who never yells at her children. I find this amazing. Never yells. Seriously? Never?
As I read on, there were a few key points that struck a chord with me. Duffy says that her friend tells her children when they are throwing a tantrum that it is fine but she's going to continue what she's working on and she tells the child, "But you're not going to steal my joy. It's mine, and you can't take it."
Wow. How mature and calm. So I was inspired to try a similar tactic with my four-year-old tantrum thrower. I didn't do so well but I'm going to keep trying.
Duffy continues the article with her thoughts on other areas of life that can steal our joy - especially during the holiday season. This article is a good read for anyone with children, in a relationship, or with co-workers or family members who might try to steal their joy at times.
The gist of the article had to do with staying positive while raising your children. It really hit home with me. The author has a friend who never yells at her children. I find this amazing. Never yells. Seriously? Never?
As I read on, there were a few key points that struck a chord with me. Duffy says that her friend tells her children when they are throwing a tantrum that it is fine but she's going to continue what she's working on and she tells the child, "But you're not going to steal my joy. It's mine, and you can't take it."
Wow. How mature and calm. So I was inspired to try a similar tactic with my four-year-old tantrum thrower. I didn't do so well but I'm going to keep trying.
Duffy continues the article with her thoughts on other areas of life that can steal our joy - especially during the holiday season. This article is a good read for anyone with children, in a relationship, or with co-workers or family members who might try to steal their joy at times.
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| Joy thief in action. Thankfully he gives back much more than he takes. |
Thursday, December 2, 2010
A Four-Year-Old's Favorite Joke
Mason loves to tell this joke. Over and over again.
I can't help but laugh every time, not because it's that funny after the 50th time but because of the smile on his face.
"Knock, knock."
"Who's there?"
"Banana."
"Banana who?"
"Banana."
"Banana who?"
"Banana."
"Banana who?"
"Banana."
"Banana who?!?!"
"Orange."
"Orange who?"
"Orange you glad I didn't say banana?"
Ha ha ha ha ha ha!
This post is participating in Jenny Matlock's AlphabeThursday.
I can't help but laugh every time, not because it's that funny after the 50th time but because of the smile on his face.
"Knock, knock."
"Who's there?"
"Banana."
"Banana who?"
"Banana."
"Banana who?"
"Banana."
"Banana who?"
"Banana."
"Banana who?!?!"
"Orange."
"Orange who?"
"Orange you glad I didn't say banana?"
Ha ha ha ha ha ha!
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| Here's the comedian cracking himself up. |
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Target Toy Coupons
What a deal! If you are like me and haven't started any Christmas shopping at all yet, then you might be able to use these coupons. I found a couple of 50% off coupons for toys my kids put on their Christmas lists, like the Littlest Pet Shop and $5 off an Easy Bake Oven. Yippee!
Here's the link to the coupons. Target Toy Coupons
You can select the coupons you want and print them out at home. There are 32 pages of coupons, which include everything from toys to food to household items.
**Note -- Some of the coupons expire TODAY (11/24/10) but others are good until the middle of December.
I came across these coupons on another blog I follow that has coupons and hot deals: A Little of This, A Little of That.
Happy shopping to you!
Here's the link to the coupons. Target Toy Coupons
You can select the coupons you want and print them out at home. There are 32 pages of coupons, which include everything from toys to food to household items.
**Note -- Some of the coupons expire TODAY (11/24/10) but others are good until the middle of December.
I came across these coupons on another blog I follow that has coupons and hot deals: A Little of This, A Little of That.
Happy shopping to you!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Homemade Pizza
One of the most fun meals my family has made in a while is our own homemade pizzas. I made my own pizza dough for the first time and it was surprisingly simple. It turned out to be just as tasty as any pre-made dough I have bought.
The best part was when the kids helped mix up the dough and roll out their own pizzas. We made little individual pizzas so they could add their own toppings. This works well for us since we have one veggie lover and one cheese & sausage pizza connoisseur.
The best part was when the kids helped mix up the dough and roll out their own pizzas. We made little individual pizzas so they could add their own toppings. This works well for us since we have one veggie lover and one cheese & sausage pizza connoisseur.
I found this recipe on a cooking blog called Anna Maria Volpi: A Passion for Cooking.
Basic Pizza Dough
1 tbs. active dry yeast or 1 oz. brewer's yeast
1 1/2 c. warm water
3 1/2 c. flour
1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt
There are pictures and steps on the original website, but basically you just activate the yeast in warm water for 5 minutes, then add the yeast, olive oil and salt to the flour. Mix together, knead and form a ball. Place the ball of dough in a bowl covered with a towel in a warm place. Let the dough rise for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Then punch down the dough, roll it out on a flour surface, and top it with your favorite pizza toppings. I baked our pizzas for about 15 minutes in a 400 degree oven.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Home Improvements + Kids = Fun
That's right, doing home improvements with your kids can be fun. Believe it or not!
I decided to tackle our small half bathroom near our family room. It was in dire need of a paint job. The kids and I head off to Home Depot to find paint and supplies.
This may be hard to believe but -- they were actually helpful when it came to painting. There is only one little streak of paint on the wooden molding that gives an indication that a four-year-old and six-year-old were part of our paint crew.
This post is participating in Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday.
This post is participating in Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Photo Gallery (by Emily)
Maybe Emily will grow up to be a photographer. At least once a week I'll pick up the camera to upload pictures and find an interesting array of photos that have the tell-tale signature style of a 6-year-old photo enthusiast.
Here's a photo gallery of her recent "work." Note the Halloween theme. I'm sure I'll be getting a call from a fancy-shmancy New York City art gallery any day now.
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| Portrait of the artist -- She must have enlisted the help of her assistant (aka little brother Mason) for this one. |
Day 7 of the All About Me in 30 Days meme asks for a photo that makes me smile. This one of Emily definitely qualifies.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
All About Me in 30 Days - Day 6
Day 6: 20 of My Favorite Things
My first thought was that my favorite things are my family and God, but then I realized that they are not things -- duh! I had to debate whether to take this literally as "things" or just aspects of my life that I love. I decided to go with actual things, not people or places (the other types of nouns).
Twenty of my favorite things, in no particular order. I feel like I've left out some meaningful things but this is what I can think of at the moment. Coming up with 20 favorite things is not as easy as it sounds!
1. My bed (Sleep number! Yeah!)
2. Books
3. My computer
4. My family photo albums
5. Internet
6. Facebook
7. Decaf coffee
8. Costco Combo Pizza
9. Diet Coke
10. Music
11. My pink, fluffy bathrobe
12. My wedding photos
13. My kids' scrapbooks
14. McMenamin's cheeseburgers
15. Comfy warm-up pants
16. My bike
17. Sagelands Cabernet
18. My Dodge Caravan
19. DVR
20. My wedding ring
My first thought was that my favorite things are my family and God, but then I realized that they are not things -- duh! I had to debate whether to take this literally as "things" or just aspects of my life that I love. I decided to go with actual things, not people or places (the other types of nouns).
Twenty of my favorite things, in no particular order. I feel like I've left out some meaningful things but this is what I can think of at the moment. Coming up with 20 favorite things is not as easy as it sounds!
1. My bed (Sleep number! Yeah!)
2. Books
3. My computer
4. My family photo albums
5. Internet
6. Facebook
7. Decaf coffee
8. Costco Combo Pizza
10. Music
11. My pink, fluffy bathrobe
12. My wedding photos
13. My kids' scrapbooks
14. McMenamin's cheeseburgers
15. Comfy warm-up pants
16. My bike
17. Sagelands Cabernet
18. My Dodge Caravan
19. DVR
Saturday, October 30, 2010
All About Me in 30 Days - Day 5
Favorite Quote:
Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
(So this is actually a prayer, not a quote but it is a wonderful one to remember in tough situations.)
Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
(So this is actually a prayer, not a quote but it is a wonderful one to remember in tough situations.)
Friday, October 29, 2010
All About Me in 30 Days - Day 3 & 4
Okay, I'm already behind on my All About Me in 30 Days meme. No surprise there.
Day 3 asks what my favorite t.v. program is. That leads me to the other post I'm behind on: The Biggest Loser Challenge.
The Biggest Loser is one of my favorite shows and I started my own weight loss challenge. I've only lost 1 lb. in the past two weeks so I haven't been feeling inspired to write about it. I'm hoping that next week I will have better news to report when I write about The Biggest Loser Challenge Week 6.
My other favorite t.v. program used to be Grey's Anatomy (which I still enjoy) but has been usurped by Parenthood.
Day 4 asks what is my favorite book. My all-time favorite book, which I would highly recommend is Jane Eyre by Charolette Bronte.
Day 3 asks what my favorite t.v. program is. That leads me to the other post I'm behind on: The Biggest Loser Challenge.
The Biggest Loser is one of my favorite shows and I started my own weight loss challenge. I've only lost 1 lb. in the past two weeks so I haven't been feeling inspired to write about it. I'm hoping that next week I will have better news to report when I write about The Biggest Loser Challenge Week 6.
My other favorite t.v. program used to be Grey's Anatomy (which I still enjoy) but has been usurped by Parenthood.
Day 4 asks what is my favorite book. My all-time favorite book, which I would highly recommend is Jane Eyre by Charolette Bronte.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
All About Me in 30 Days - Day 2
Yesterday I started All About Me in 30 Days. The second day topic is my favorite movie.
I love to watch movies. My husband and I used to have "movie night" every Friday, but now that we have expanded from just a couple to a whole houseful we don't get to watch movies together much anymore.
With that said, if I'm picking a favorite movie I've got to go all the way back to a couple of 80's classics. Well, I can't choose one but I'll narrow it down to two great movies: Dead Poet's Society and Field of Dreams.
I can watch both of these movies over and over again. They both are fun and entertaining to watch but they also inspire me to think outside the box about life.
I love to watch movies. My husband and I used to have "movie night" every Friday, but now that we have expanded from just a couple to a whole houseful we don't get to watch movies together much anymore.
With that said, if I'm picking a favorite movie I've got to go all the way back to a couple of 80's classics. Well, I can't choose one but I'll narrow it down to two great movies: Dead Poet's Society and Field of Dreams.
I can watch both of these movies over and over again. They both are fun and entertaining to watch but they also inspire me to think outside the box about life.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
All About Me in 30 Days
Thirty days, thirty facts -- all about yours truly.
I follow a cute blog called Simply Stacie and she is doing this 30 day meme. I thought, what the heck? It'll give me something to write about for the next month anyway, right? Each day has a different topic.
- Day 1 – your favorite song
- Day 2 – your favorite movie
- Day 3 – your favorite television program
- Day 4 – your favorite book
- Day 5 – your favorite quote
- Day 6 – 20 of my favorite things
- Day 7 – a photo that makes you happy
- Day 8 – a photo that makes you angry/sad
- Day 9 – a photo you took
- Day 10 – a photo taken over 10 years ago of you
- Day 11 – a photo of you recently
- Day 12 – something you are OCD about
- Day 13 – a fictional book
- Day 14 – a non-fictional book
- Day 15 – your dream house
- Day 16 – a song that makes you cry (or nearly)
- Day 17 – an art piece (drawing, sculpture, painting, etc)
- Day 18 – your wedding/future wedding/past wedding
- Day 19 – a talent of yours
- Day 20 – a hobby of yours
- Day 21 – a recipe
- Day 22 – a website
- Day 23 – a youtube video
- Day 24 – where I live
- Day 25 – your day, in great detail
- Day 26 – your week, in great detail
- Day 27 – my worst habit
- Day 28 – what’s in my handbag/purse
- Day 29 – hopes,dreams, plans for the next 365 days
- Day 30 – a dream for the future beyond the next year
Let's see if I can keep it up. Here goes Day 1!
My favorite song: Make Me Whole, by Amel Larrieux. Here's a link to the lyrics.
My husband and I danced to this song at our wedding and it brings back warm fuzzy memories.
It's hard to pick a truly favorite song; it depends on my mood but this one is a song that I love.
Pumpkin Patch
Pumpkins, doughnuts, pony rides! Oh my!
We made our annual trip to Fir Pointe Farms pumpkin patch. I've got to say that this year was our best pumpkin patch trip yet -- nice weather, no tantrums, good friends, family, yummy food, and lots of
fun.
We made our annual trip to Fir Pointe Farms pumpkin patch. I've got to say that this year was our best pumpkin patch trip yet -- nice weather, no tantrums, good friends, family, yummy food, and lots of
fun.
The pumpkin patch is always a great photo opportunity. It's not easy to get three kids to look at the camera and smile. In fact, it was pretty much impossible this day, as you can see.
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| A little better... |
 |
| Not quite... |
 |
| Almost got it... |
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| This is as close as I'm gonna get. I still have to teach Ryan to look at the camera and smile. |
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The Biggest Loser Challenge - Week 4
Now that I'm a few weeks into my Biggest Loser Challenge I'm really starting to enjoy this new, healthy perspective that I've adopted. I lost two more pounds this week.
I have always thought it is important to eat healthy and be active, but once I became a mother I let my own health drop down on my priority list. There are always at least ten other things on my "to do" list before exercise. Also, healthiness is sometimes usurped by quickness, ease, and cheapness when it comes to meals and snacks.
For week four of The Biggest Loser Challenge I'm going to move exercise and eating healthy up on my "to do" list. I am going to focus on my weight loss goal and avoid slipping back into my old habits. (Ah, how I love those old habits.)
One of the eliminated contestants from the show, Burgundy, is a mother of five who seems to havefigured out how to make exercise a fun family activity and incorporate it into her daily life. As of the last episode, Burgundy had lost over 50 pounds at home. If she can do that with five kids, then I (a mother of three) can certainly lose 25 pounds.
Burgundy working out with Jillian.
It's Alphabe-Thursday on Jenny Matlock's blog and I think D stands for dropping pounds this week.
I have always thought it is important to eat healthy and be active, but once I became a mother I let my own health drop down on my priority list. There are always at least ten other things on my "to do" list before exercise. Also, healthiness is sometimes usurped by quickness, ease, and cheapness when it comes to meals and snacks.
For week four of The Biggest Loser Challenge I'm going to move exercise and eating healthy up on my "to do" list. I am going to focus on my weight loss goal and avoid slipping back into my old habits. (Ah, how I love those old habits.)
Burgundy working out with Jillian.
It's Alphabe-Thursday on Jenny Matlock's blog and I think D stands for dropping pounds this week.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
First Bike Ride
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