time marching on

My ottoman, soon to be recovered, no one will admit to making the big hole/tear

the chair it actually goes with, I love this chair, I am very sad the plaid is leaving, don't even tell me it is out of style, I don't care, I love it anyway

the new fabric (see the giant roll), the chair guy is coming tomorrow to pick them up to be recovered, I might just have to sit in my beloved plaid beauty and read the paper and drink tea, one last time...

Signs all around you that indicate you are getting older:

You have to get the chair and ottoman that you bought as a newlywed that totally matched your yellow Pottery Barn couch recovered because someone poked holes in it and made big giant rips in it.

Your beautiful yellow Pottery Barn couch has been retired to another room and you replaced it with a boring, brown one that "won't show dirt as well."

While waiting in your van at the drive through, you hear two teenage girls talking about how they are soooo not getting a van when they have kids, they are going to be "cool moms." (yeah, girls, I'll talk to you in about 15 years or so, hmm)

Vericose veins are not just some strange, completely foreign thing you read about in magazines anymore.

You don't know the name of every singer/band that is being played on the radio.

You start questioning whether or not that driver in the car next to you is even old enough to drive!

People start calling you, "ma'am."

You never get to sleep past 6:30 AM, and you don't sleep that well at night either, someone is always interrupting your beauty rest.

When you watch shows like "Jersey Shore" or "The Real World" you no longer want to be on those shows, you start to wonder if their mothers approve of what those kids are doing?!

A night out with friends consists of dinner at Panera bread, even though they close at 9, and you are in bed by 10:30 (isn't that when we used to just be going out?).

McDonalds is really yucky to you and smelling it will almost make you gag.

After catching up on last season's "Secret Life of the American Teenager" you are scared to death for your own children to be teens and home schooling is starting to look like a really good option.

These are just some things I am thinking about. I am definitely not feeling like "woe is me, I am so old." Just noticing how things shift and change...

down and dirty

Changing my flower frogs... I really love these little spots of cuteness. Anyone know why that black spot is on all of my pictures??? I have tried cleaning my lens, help!

So the seasons are beginning to change around here, shorter daylight, cooler temps (sort of), pools closing, not big changes like the leaves falling, but I know they are are their way. Last week I found myself doing some seasonal things I don't normally do and at first I was kind of grumbling, like all wives who feel like "my husband should be doing this, this is his job" but then I got over it.

First, I started to cut down all our summer foilage that is done. Things like: daylilies, hostas, petunias, etc. I know, so not a big deal lady, you don't have to tell me. But in my defense, this is something my hubby usually does. I plant and weed, he removes, chops, all that manly stuff. He has been working like a maniac at school on some big projects, so I took over these yard chores. Let me just say, he does a way better job than I do. He just goes out one day and chops the hell out of everything and cleans most of it up (I usually have to help with that part) until he is a sweaty mess and covered in dirt and gunk. Me, I do a couple here, a couple there, in between playing with the kids outside, it takes me waaaaay longer, but I do get it done. At first, like I said, I was feeling like, hey, he should be out here swatting bugs and sweating and getting scraped by weird thorny weeds! But then I said, ya know, we're all in this together (a la High School Musical!) and I got done what I could. I still have more to cut, we have a big yard, lots of landscaping, but I'm like that bunny, who just keeps going and going.

Next, I did something I don't think I have ever done, not to sound too much like a prima donna, believe me I've had my share of gross jobs! I cleaned out our trash can. You know the big, scary, stinky, covered in sludge one, that you take out to the curb and run back inside so you don't accidentally run into the garbage guys or your neighbors. Heaven forbid, they might see the people who actually have such a retched can!? I couldn't take it anymore. It was really, really, really, stinky. I don't know what got in there that made it so bad but every time I had to add a bag to the big papa, I almost got sick. The time had come. I put on my rubber gloves (not my cute ones with the ruffles- see I'm even trying to be stylish when I clean) and went crazy on that guy. It was soooooooo grody! I am not kidding. Again, at first, I was thinking, this is so a daddy job. Not a mommy thing to do at all. But then after my gray beauty was all sparkling and looking good again, I knew I did the right thing. I will proudly wheel him out to the curb on Thursday night (after Jersey Shore of course!) and not be the least bit afraid who sees. (Just a side note, I was so inspired, I cleaned the rest of our garbage cans, all the little ones and extra ones we have.)

So I guess what I am taking from all this is to not hold any grudges or resentments, just do it already! But I did make sure my big tall hubby knew I accomplished these things all by my lonesome, I was definitely needed some praise. He obliged and definitely agreed that I get mass props for doing the trash can, like I said, it was pretty toxic.

Are there any jobs you do that you just get mad because you have to do them?

Are there any jobs at your house that you feel are more for the wife or hubby?

Just thinkin'.

my menu for this week:

eggplant parmesan

chef salads (kids- sub sandwiches)

tacos for kids, taco salads for grownups

crock pot chili and sandwiches

vegetable soup and zucchini bread

my big things to do this week:

sort toys in Parker's closet, label and purge

clean out clothes in Zoe's dressers

sort, cut, deliver/mail newest portraits of the kids to relatives

clean out medicines (throw out old and expired)

I remembered I always used to post my menus and things to do, don't know why I stopped. Check out Organized Junkie blog for tons more menu plan Mondays, awesome ideas.

sometimes I just can't help myself

It all started to innocently, I promise! I just wanted to wash out these baskets I keep on the floor of my pantry. I had not planned on doing anything else! Then it lead to...

this. Total purge of the whole pantry. Once I took everything out I remembered I really wanted a place to keep the lunch boxes and make that area more organized. I ended up putting a lot of my extra goodies in my basement pantry area (just some shelves, nothing fancy) and I kept only the stuff we will use pretty immediately in the kitchen here.
After I was done, I liked it ok. Not perfect, definitely the walls need painted in there and I'd rather have some more customized shelves but for now, this is fine. I have to say, the cute polka dot Itso basket from Target is the only new thing I bought for in here. It now holds the lunch boxes when not in use.

For some really great inspiration, check this one out, I am drooling over this one.

http://www.decorchick.com/decorating/the-great-pantry-makeover/

Seriously, can you believe it? I want her to come redo my pantry so bad!

Zoe's first day of second grade

outfit all laid out (it's spotchy because I just ironed it- water marks, oops) complete with jewelry, she cracks me up!

backpack (actually a tote bag) and water bottle ready, lunch packed too

posing for the camera (why don't I notice the shadows as I take pictures? too excited I guess)

waving to Tanner through the window- hey buddy!

new shoes of course (don't you love the banged up legs, only on a 7 year old)

looking so grown up, again, wishing I could stop time

The day I have been dreading is here. **sniff sniff** My gal pal partner is gone, all day. Boo hoo. I seriously miss her. Why did the summer have to go so darn fast!? I managed to keep my tears in until the bus pulled away. Then as the boys and I trudged up the hill to our house, the floodgates opened. I know she will do terrific, she'll be fine, she'll love it. I just miss her and all her girly-ness.

watchin' my weight Wednesday

Well, duh. Seriously, why haven't I ever thought of this one before?! I mean, I've only been working out for years, literally. Once I hit college, I jumped on the Stairmaster and never looked back. Here's my newest bright idea (yeah, I still think I am a genius *see yesterday's post*), now sit back, you'll really be amazed. (I am being totally sarcastic, in case you can't tell!)

I hate doing abdominal work. Hate it, real bad, usually skip it. I know, so terrible. The whole "your core is what you should be working on to support your body, blah blah blah" I hear it, I just ignore those people that say it. I've had an ab roller and one of those wheels with handles that you use to roll yourself out and back to work your tummy, hated those too. Goodwill has them now. I've had DVD's (Abs of Steel- my fave, ha!) and I've done gillions or gazillions of crunches over the years. I almost ordered the Hip Hop Abs DVD a month or so ago, I was weak, it was late at night and I was hating my tummy that has expanded three times to the size of a large beach ball.

At my skinniest self, before kids, I only had a "4 pack" never the coveted "6" dang, lower abs, anyway, I truly didn't appreciate them. I don't really remember how I got them, I worked out a whole big bunch, like an hour or two a day. Like I said, no kids. I guess I was young and nothing was all stretched out yet. Sometimes I look at my honeymoon photos and thing, "damn girl!" Now I have lost all the stubborn baby and getting married weight and my abs are like a bowl of jelly. Yuck! I vowed to myself (and all of the world on here!) that I was going to incorporate more strength training into my workouts. With that, I figured I'd better get to crunchin' as well, and I don't mean Cheetos.

Well, it turns out, I still hate crunches and sit ups and all the other things you have to do to look like "The Situation" (if you don't watch "Jersey Shore", just ignore that). So I dusted off my big exercise ball, you know the one the kids play with now, and I got to crunchin'. I think the ball is the only thing that I can tolerate as far as ab work goes, at least it's kind of funny, especially when I lose my balance and fall off. Yes, happens a lot, next topic!

So, long story short, I'm rambling today, I realized one of the reasons I hate ab work is because I always do it last, at the end of my workout. Hello! I'm all tired from running, spinning, lifting, whatever. Then it hit me, do abs first, before the cardio and weights, before I am ready to quit. Duh. Seriously. I've been doing this for about a week now and what a difference. No, I don't have a 4 pack, or even a 2 pack, yet, but I can definitely do the work and not hate every second. ! In fact, I use this as my warm up activity. After crunching for a few minutes, I am ready to run or spin or whatever, no other warm up. Bonus! See, I am a genius sometimes, even if it takes me a while to figure it out.

sometimes I think I am a genius

A little goal I set for myself this summer was to NOT stop and buy drinks for us while we were out. This came after I gave up my beloved Diet Dr. Pepper (and other diet drinks). I was determined not to drink it and driving through McDonalds when they have those $1 drinks was quite tempting. And, I don't know about your kids, but my kids are always thirsty. It doesn't matter that we just finished lunch, dinner, whatever, they are always begging for drinks. So much so, I've talked to our pediatrician about it, he assures me they are ok. I personally think they do it just to hear me huff and puff and slam the cabinet doors, I mean, I'm tryin' to get out the door here people!!! Any-who, I also wanted to save some money and stopping for drinks for all of us a few times a week was one way I could cut back.

I started filling our water bottles every day for our errand running, t-ball games, swimming pool days, park play dates, you name it, I was bringing them. Sounds so easy right? Well, drinks were kind of the thing I would forget and then I'd end up paying $10 for drinks for me and the kids. I actually didn't mind doing it once I got used to it. At first I was toting them around in plastic grocery bags because heaven forbid, my kids might actually carry their own stuff, don't get me started, another post, another day.

Then I discovered this in my bag archives (come on, you know you have a stash of these! Don't try to deny it.). My mom gave it to me, I am guessing she got it for free after watching the movie. (By the way, have you seen the movie "Julie and Juliet", I just did about a month ago, so cute! Love it! Worth the rental, even my hubby liked it.)

At first, I was like what is this thing gonna hold? Like I am buying more than one bottle of wine at a time, most of the time, the baggers at the grocery didn't even use it, they just stuffed it inside another bag and I brought it home. Then it hit me. (Like a case of wine, he he he)
Put those dang water bottles in there and go on girl!
The middle holds snacks (see, I even bring my own popcorn, I am such a cheapsake!) or the big ginormous water bottle we take to t-ball or soccer or basketball, you get it. There are only four bottle slots so sometimes the fifth bottle (if big tall hubby is with us) kind of gets crammed into another slot but it's all good. Way better than a plastic grocery bag.

Yep, I'm a freakin' genius. (don't judge, little discoveries like this get me all excited!)

If only I could freeze time

Look at my little artists making a picture of the lady who swallowed a fly (and all the other gross animals she eats- I really don't know why she swallowed a fly!).

They thought of this all on their own, I swear, I was organizing the pantry, I had nothing to do with it. I have pictures of that for another day... ;)

Tanner thought the glue was chapstick so he might have eaten a teensy bit, it's non-toxic, right?!

Always have a big roll of paper at your house, ours is from Costco, I love it. When it is not being used to trace bodies or make landscapes (as Zoe says) it makes great wrapping paper.

I swear, I know I said it last week, but I do not want summer to end. Look at these guys (and gal), being all creative and playing, together. Do they really have to go to school?! Can't I just keep them home for a little longer? Really, can't I just keep them this age for a long while? I love it. They are really getting along well, hardly any fighting or bickering. That darn school is just creeping up on us and then all those other things are going to get in the midst of our happy home: drama, schedules, deadlines, blah blah blah. I am just dreading it. I am trying not to let them know that I feel this way, I obviously am singing school's praises to them, but at night when I am tucking them in and checking them before I go to sleep, I am weepy. Jeez! Whodathunkit?!

On the other hand, I am washing new clothes, labeling backpacks, getting supplies ready, gathering nuts and berries (just kidding!), all that junk that most of us are doing kind of like a mad woman. Seriously, I just told my friend, Kristin (holla!) that I feel like piles of stuff around my house are looking at me saying, "don't forget about me!" (kind of like that Geicko commercial with the eyes on the money staring at you!) Hubby's kids come back tomorrow at his school, Zoe starts Thursday, Parker starts after Labor Day. Why do I feel like I am at the crest of a roller coaster hill looking down?! Yikes! Hold on everyone, the ride is about to get a little wild!

P.S. as if I need some other projects...I am such a looney bird, I got the fabric for my chair and ottoman today. I am so excited to get it recovered. I love my chair (the style and fabric but the kids have destroyed it) and I feel like I am being more "green" getting it recovered. I'll post befores and afters later... hopefully these will be in my newly decorated living room soon. (Sarah, I know you'll be liking those photos, too bad it won't look as lovely as yours, maybe if I hit the Ballard outlet?!)

Milestones

Some milestones from this week:

a new word: "cheese"

a new skill: riding a bike with no training wheels

a new smile: lost front tooth

I saw an old teaching friend of mine this week and she told me her "baby" was 9 years old. I remember him as a baby, drinking a bottle, chewing on his toes, playing in his exersaucer, time sure is flying. She said to me, "don't blink. It goes so fast." I believe it.

self imposed buying freeze

I have a ginourmous amount of scrapbooking supplies. Remember this picture of my recent stamp sort/purge?

I finally got the drawers labeled with my stamp categories. Used my trusty Dymo, even though I so wanted to make cute little stamped tags to hang from the drawer pulls.

I really do have enough crafting supplies to open my own booth at a local flea market. I used to be a Creative Memories consultant, until I realized I am a horrible salesperson, a great teacher and crop hostess, just not so good at selling. During that time I amassed quite a collection of "stuff." For a while, I couldn't pass the clearance aisle without getting a sticker pack or two. I honestly never spent a lot on supplies, I would buy them for .29 cents but if you are buying them often, they start to spontaneously multiply. Then, my mom gave me this big drawer set full of her supplies. She decided she just wanted to put her pictures in regular photo albums. While I was so thankful for all the freebies, I was starting to feel like they were going to smother me in my sleep (my scrapbooking area is in my bedroom after all!). I found myself sorting supplies and making piles of stuff I wanted to use instead of actually scrapbooking. Hello?! That was not going to work for me. Scrapbooking is one of the few pleasures I indulge in just for me and I wasn't going to let it go.

About a year (or so) ago, I put myself on a buying freeze. I would not let myself buy any more cute stickers, paper, embellishments, or stamps. I did however buy adhesive (tape runners, glue, etc.) as I needed them. And every once in a while I did buy a couple cute baby boy stickers or embellishments (I mean, does Tanner have to have leftover everything?!) but that was it. I swear! It was so freeing. No more trying to decide where to put my newest purchase until I could use it. I just "shopped" in my own stuff. I spent a lot of time looking through my paper and stickers and saying, "ohhh, how cute, I forgot about that one." Now, did I oogle the latest designs in my magazines as they were delivered to me, yep, you betcha. But that didn't deter me. It was hard to go to Michaels or Archivers and not buy, buy, buy, those little red clearance stickers just call my name. I just had to tell myself I was frozen.

I am still in the purging process. (I am working on this sloooooowly in between getting kids' closets cleaned and ready for school and etc.) It is my hope to have my area fully purged and reorganized by October so I can craft away for the holidays. I am still scrapbooking and card making here and there (in fact, my hubby just asked me to make some invites for a school function) but I truly feel that a clean and tidy workspace will make me so much more efficient. I am really looking forward to stealing some time while Parker is at preschool and Tanner is napping, shh, don't tell them! I promise to post pictures as I go along.

I am thinking this freeze might be good for other areas of my life, like no new t-shirts from Old Navy. No more flip flops from the summer clearance rack. No more magazines at the grocery checkout. Let me ponder those for a bit, I think everyone (myself included) could make due with a little less.

Watchin' my weight Wednesday

Ah, the scale, is there anything more frustrating? Well probably but for me, that thing can totally brighten or ruin my day. I don't have anything profound to share today about weight watching, just thinking about it a lot. I weighed in last week at WW and no loss or gain. Well, ok, but I have been working my booty off (or trying to anyway) to lose a few pounds and a week with no loss is really frustrating. As my one year of lifetime WW approaches I have to remind myself: that I did it. I lost the weight. I have kept it off for a year. I know that WW works. I am going to keep on WWing because it's a "lifetime" lifestyle. And I am going to forgive myself for eating an insanly huge bag of M&Ms yesterday. I am going to run an extra mile or two to make up for that and I am going to weigh in tomorrow. That's it.

Have a lovely day.

(in case you were like, what? WW= Weight Watchers)

woe is me

Their favorite activity for the past two weeks: pushing Tanner in the baby doll stroller around the house with about 10 stuffed animals and blankets. (yes, Parker is in his jammies, you know I never stage my pictures, no pug butt this time)

I cannot believe summer is almost over. Seriously. In May, I was having panic attacks about all three kids being home together and what would I do with them all the time? Yikes! A SAHM's worse nightmare, right?! Well these guys (and gal) have proved me wrong. They have been getting along great all summer. Well, it's not all "Leave it to Beaver" 24/7, they have their moments. For all my complaining about not having any kids on our street, it has a blessing this summer. My kids have to play with each other, all the time, no excuses. They do not have a choice. We've been enjoying the pool a lot, I have that activity down to a science. Don't mess with me when I'm on a mission to the pool! We've been playdoh-ing, finger painting, riding bikes and scooters, water ballooning, tea partying, baking cookies, eating popcicles, all that fun stuff. I am so sad it will be replaced with waiting for the bus, packing lunches, organizing school papers.... blah blah blah.

I am so sad that Zoe will be gone all day, her constant chatter will be missed. Who is going to give me a play by play recall of the latest "Full House" rerun?! And don't even get me started on Parker going to preschool. I know it is only three days a week, but I will miss him like a mad woman. Who is going to throw balls at me all day and force me to follow the directions on the Lego book and make "real stuff" not the things I create using my "magination?" And Tanner, well, he isn't going anywhere, but if you have more than one kid, you know it just isn't right when one (or more than one) is gone.

What prompted this little tirade today? We got a letter from Zoe's teacher for this year. Yep, sent me into a sad, woe is me, funk. **sniff sniff**

fit for a queen

my "new" scrapbook desk chair- before

after

Here is my new scrapbooking chair. Anyone who knows me or has been antique-ing with me, knows I love chairs. Can't pass up a pretty one with turned legs, ever.

It cost all of $3 at a yard sale. It was pretty grungy. I spotted it and screamed for my hubby to "stop the van! Don't you see that chair that needs a home!?!-" my exact words.

The brown fabric was about $4 for a yard. I originally wanted royal blue or navy toille but the only blue toille that I could find was for a baby's nursery. What toille designing people, grownups can't like blue?! Whatever! I picked this brown because it reminded me of Longaberger baskets.

Zoe thought it would be "so cool" to keep it yellow with the zebra print. I do in fact, like yellow, but zebra, not so much. I had some primer issues with this one. I used spray primer to save myself some time. HA. Didn't work. It went on all gloppy and gooey, maybe because I was painting in 100 degree heat? Who knows. I ended up sanding it, again, and just painting it. Since it was just for me, I decided I would love on the glops and let them go. I am pretty happy with the results. It looks so much better in my little piece of heaven than it did all lonely on the side of the road at a run-down house selling odds and ends. I am trying to reorganize most of my crafting area since I have been on my craft supply buying freeze for about a year. It is really helping me to assess what I have and what I can use, more on that some other time.

I am going to go sit and take a load off... in my new throne.

* just so you gals know, I do not know how to spell "toille," apparently my spell check doesn't either, so if I am wrong, sorry :)

bragging on my boy

This little guy constantly amazes me. Yesterday, I had to take him for his doctor check up. (Let me just say, I think it is crappy that the doctor's office won't fill out a shot record for school enrollment without a visit. Whatever! We are there constantly, it's not like they don't know us. Before anyone gets all huffy, and tells me how important these check ups are, I know they are, I was just complaining!) Any-who, we went just to get his shot record filled out so he can start preschool in a couple weeks. **sigh, sniff, boo hoo, I am not ready to release him to the world**

He had talked to Zoe before leaving and she told him all about his kindergarten shots, the ones he will get next year. Thanks Zoe, way to scare the poor guy to death. So he was asking me all about them on the way to the office. Once we are there, everything is going smooth, no problems. He is growing, developing, changing, all fine. Then, our Dr. says, "why don't you just get your shots now, they hurt worse when you are bigger anyway." In my mind, I am thinking, NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I remember how bad it was for Zoe and how her screams could be heard for miles. I had already planned for Daddy to bring Parker to that check up, next summer! Parker thought about it and he said, "sure, I'll do it today." My mind thoughts: oh crap! I am not ready for this. Let's get out of here! Help!

He then told me, "mommy, I am going to be brave like Tanner was last time he got shots. I am not even going to cry." Ok, I might be buddy, but ok. And guess what!? He did not cry. He got them all, without flinching, well barely. He said, "ow ow ow ow" really quietly, but that was it. Holy cow! Could this really be happening? To me? (Seriously, Zoe scarred me for life getting her kindergarten shots, I'm not sure the nurse has recovered either, three years later!)

Then, he about smiled so big his face almost broke because the nurse gave him prizes for being the best patient she'd ever had. Yep, he was super excited. I was so proud. I still can't believe it. And bonus, we don't have to do it next summer, I can quit thinking/worrying about it. Whew, what a relief.

Here is the "after" of his room color*. I just love it. Pink is my favorite color for sure, but blue is a very close second. (Go Big Blue, you know!) He is so proud of it. He keeps telling me how much he loves it, how he likes the way I rearranged his pictures, the color is "so perfect" (he tells me), he can't wait for his friend Aiden to see it (that must be a true coolness test!). I am soooooo glad I did it instead of waiting for our house to sell. He deserves it. Of course I am having huge guilt, kicking myself for not doing it sooner. I mean, he is just so darn appreciative. I love that guy.

And one more thing to brag on him about: he told me I looked "very pretty" for the past two days. Not sure why, but I'll take it, thanks buddy.

*This was my first time using Martha Stewart's paint from Home Depot. We were devoted to Ralph Lauren and I was really mad when they discontinued it. I will say the Martha paint worked really well. True to the color sample (this one is called "waterfall") and hardly smelly at all, and I only used one coat. I'll buy it again for sure.

Watchin' my weight Wednesday

I wish I burned calories like this little hummingbird who visits us every day... he's right in the middle, hubby took this picture, he is very tall, thus explaining the big bird's eye view.

I forgot to post about my weight watching last week, oops, I am blaming it on our trip to see Paul's mom and dad. We came home on a Monday, instead of Sunday, after our weekend visit and I was messed up all week. Anyway, I've been thinking about numbers a lot lately.

Specifically these kind:

Money and how expensive everything is

Miles my husband has to drive to work

Months our house has been on the market

5th birthday party for Parker coming up soon

Three meals a day that I prepare for everyone

Four beds I make every day, even though the kids are supposed to help me

Three or four loads of laundry I do every day

Our utility bills this month, holy cow, out of this world

Six more payments until my van is paid off

2nd grade where my daughter will be going in a couple weeks

Three trips to the YMCA every day this week, shuttling my kids to and from camp

Four minutes it takes me to drive to Walmart or Target, where I need to go for about a million things

$9.39 the amount I paid for organic chicken breasts for my family a couple days ago

7-9, the age that the news reported some girls are beginning puberty (yikes!)

4 months or so until Christmas (double yikes!)

45 minutes a day I need to exercise

19 points I am allotted to maintain my weight loss (if you are a fellow Weight Watcher, you know what those mean, if not, well, trust me, that number correlates to how much food I should eat every day and it is not a lot)

4 pounds I want to lose

OK, so 4 pounds, not too much you say. Well it seems like a huge number to me now. With all that other junk weighing on my brain, it's no wonder I stress eat. I am currently at my official Weight Watchers goal weight but I prefer to be 3-4 pounds lighter. That is the weight where my clothes fit perfectly, not gaping, tugging, or wedgies.

My plan to lose this weight is to continue my daily workouts but to increase my strength training. I'll admit, there are some days when I do cardio work only. Shame on me. The funny thing, I prefer to use weights instead of running or walking (or whatever) but I guess I am programmed to feel the burn by cardio work. I also plan on going to WW meetings weekly instead of monthly for my lifetime weigh ins. Those meetings work. I know it, now I just have to go. Wish me luck. I will keep everyone posted.

Tanner discovered the stairs

Been doing this a lot lately...

Funny how there is always a laundry basket or pug butt in my pictures.

This little guy thinks he is so big all the sudden. He runs for the steps if someone leaves the gates open. Which makes me scream my head off like some evil character from a Disney movie. Our steps while gloriously beautiful are quite scary and dangerous.

I am loving having him all to myself while the big kids are "camping" this week. He is loving it too. The only thing I realized is that real school starts in a couple weeks and that about sent me into a fit. I have so much to do. So much I want to do. Summer just isn't long enough. Ho hum.

just call me the shuttle driver

Longing to be back here...

This week Z & P are attending day camp at the YMCA. When I originally booked this week, they were both fighting nonstop and I thought by August we'd all need a break hence camp for both of them. When this morning rolled around, I was so sad to take them both. They have been getting along pretty well all summer. They don't really have a choice. They don't have any neighbors or family to play with regularly so they are stuck together. Also, this was also the first time Parker went anywhere without me, or at least where I wasn't waiting/watching him. I had to wear my sunglasses out of the building to the parking lot, yep, big, huge, alligator tears, from me, not him. Although, when I left, he kind of gave me a desperate, lost look before he found some puzzles to explore. It was a rough morning, the kind that left me scavenging for chocolate in my pantry. Never found any I wanted.

Now, on to the shuttle driver thing. I thought I'd have all this time with Tanner to play while Parker was at his camp this morning, all bonding and sweet baby play. We played for about 20 minutes after we got home and then he realized the other two were gone and he was really mad. Crying. Fit-throwing. Hitting me away. OK, not what I imagined. Then after a teeny bit, I had to go get Parker. We had lunch talking all about his morning. Then we played Legos, puzzles, Super Hero squad, you name it. He was glad to have me all to himself again since Tanner fell asleep in the car on the way home. And in a few minutes I have to go get Zoe. And probably pick up a couple ingredients for dinner (since I have had to take ALL 3 KIDS to the grocery the past couple weeks- don't get me started- and you know I can't remember everything while I have all my "helpers"). That makes my 3rd trip to the Y, today. Tomorrow I have my spinning class, that will make 4 trips in one day. Seriously, I am living the life of a shuttle driver. I have no one to blame but myself. Me and my bright ideas.

some stuff, random, but felt like sharing

Totally unrelated picture, just sharing, they do love each other, even if they call each other "butthead" and slam each other to the ground every day.

Isn't it funny how you can miss weird things? Like, I miss drinking Diet Dr. Pepper but not enough to start drinking it again. I miss the smell of my Grandma's Oil of Olay, so much so that I have bought every kind for myself to use and none of them smell like hers. I miss how my old house was always neat and tidy (maybe because it was smaller than this house and I only had one child!?) I missed blogging yesterday and today. I know, weird. I love sharing random stuff with everyone but I really love reading about everyone else's stuff. So interesting. Blog buddies are the best. I love "meeting" new people and getting to know them. Anyway, that leads me to today, nothing really important to say, just stuff.

I painted Parker's room, finally. Poor kid has been asking me for-ev-er! I kept putting it off because we thought we were moving. We still hope to of course, but I felt like it wasn't fair to not paint the little guy's room. And you know what? It looks so great. So much better. Wish I had done it sooner, it did however cut into my blog reading/writing time ;)

My kids have another cold. All of them. Grr. This is seriously annoying. Summer colds are so bad. All that sun and pretty weather is just calling my name and we are trapped in here with snotty noses and popcicles.

After I went to the store today, I realized I was running out of room in my fridge so I just made some corn on the cobb and froze the kernels for a future casserole or soup perhaps. I also made a berry cobbler for my hubby with berries that were almost mushy. He will think I am the best wife ever, he loves baked goods :) My summer goal is to throw out as little food as possible, I hate paying so much for organic food and then throwing it out. I am forcing myself to be very creative.

I scrapbooked a page last night in nine minutes! Woo hoo. Parker was in the shower and brushing his teeth and I was waiting to read him a bedtime story and so I got busy. It turned out so cute. Now I am hoping to steal some more time this weekend to make some cards for upcoming birthdays.

I am hoping to paint a chair I got for $3 at a yard sale this weekend. I am hoping to use it for my desk. $3! Isn't that amazing?

That's it. See, nothing important, just an excuse to log on and check out everyone else's exciting lives. Have a great weekend.

little slugger makes me cry

Wanna see me cry?

Play/sing the national anthem. Works every time.**

Wanna see me do the ugly,snot flying, snorting, puffy eyes, mascara running cry?

Play/sing the national anthem while my little boy is on the field of a major league baseball game.

Pure ugly, I cannot lie.

Parker got to go on the Reds field with his t-ball team for the national anthem and we got to watch. Oh, do I have high hopes of him being in the bigs someday. Our kids are so lucky nowadays, they get to go to MLB games AND go on the field. I swear I would have given up all my Barbies to do that when I was his age, well maybe not all of them. I am so glad we get to give our kids the kind of experiences some might never get. I guess we're pretty lucky too.

**songs that induce tears regularly: the wedding march, the graduation song Pomp and Circumstance, "I was brought to my senses" by Sting, "You are my sunshine" only when sung to a newborn, the songs Zoe dances to each year for ballet, oh who am I kidding, I am a sap!

Whew, I can rest easy now

Don't you just love it when you do something you've been procrastinating for a long time?

I absolutely do.

I finished cleaning/straightening/purging/labeling (of course!) my laundry room cabinets last week. (Sorry I forgot to take a before picture! I know everyone likes the before and after. Trust me, they were pretty bad, all crammed and jammed, not pretty at all.) This is one of "those" projects that I have been meaning to do forever and I just pulled out my trusty step stool and garbage can and went to work one day. I didn't buy any new baskets or containers (obviously, they aren't all cute matchy matchy) but I like how everything turned out. Sorry my pictures are weird angles, I'm only 5'2" and these cabinets are HIGH up over the washer and dryer.

You can't really see it, but there are baskets for diaper cream (I change Tanner on the dryer when we aren't upstairs), sunscreen, pet supplies, light bulbs, floor steamer stuff, vacuum bags, flashlights, and batteries. I also have my teeny college tool box in here, the lid isn't shut (see the red thing) because I was using some stuff in it, oops! I also keep diapers and wipes in here.

Don't you love how I have my lint sticky thing hanging in here? Owners of pugs know that no outfit is complete without dog hair. I use this right before we leave most of the time.
This cabinet is truly laundry stuff. Obviously. (I promise I am not trying to insult your intelligences! Just sharing.) I have a basket for lost socks and a jar for pens and Clorox bleach and Tide to Go pens. The very top is where I keep towels for the dog. And the paper towels get replenished all the time. I am a paper towel junkie. I know, so not green, I can't help it, I am addicted.

So anyway, I love now that everything is all cleaned up and labeled. I put away stuff that had found its way here over the last couple years. Do you think I'll like doing laundry any more now?!