a lot of Bearcats

This weekend we were enjoying being Bearcat fans.

Zoe got to perform with the Cincinnati Bearcats dance team at half time. This girl is so amazing. At eight years old, she just plasters on a smile and goes for it. Look at the crowd... I forget how many the arena holds, but I know it was a lot. (She is the blonde in the black hat kneeling down- they were waiting to run on for their part of the song.)

Here she is too with her new BFF, Savannah, one of the UC dance team girls. The pics are a little blurry because they were doing a fast-paced country themed dance. Almost all of my pics turned out this way, boo hoo. I even had my camera set for fast motion.
The Bearcat mascot made a very brief stop on his way back onto the court.
Here is Zoe and Savannah again. Jeez, can I just bring Savannah home with me to be Zoe's permanent mentor? Zoe loved her. They clicked right away. I was so pleased with how the dance team members treated our daughters. They were so kind and patient. I love it that Zoe has a new positive role model.
Just practicing, I got a few good pictures here because I could stand a little closer. Zoe decided she wants to go to UC, and she is going to be on the dance team, I think that means she had a good time! She is already talking about getting to dance again next year, love her enthusiasm.
And now for my other Bearcat...

Parker's basketball team at the Y calls themselves the Bearcats. (he is #15- big tall hubby's old number, what a coincidence!) I love basketball so going to his games are so much fun.

I must admit, he is a master ball handler... I know he is only five, but he really is good.
Look at him (on the far right) he's probably telling them some really gross story just to make them laugh, his other talent.
He got four baskets in this game.
Don't you just love watching your kids excel? Is there anything better? I must take a moment to say how thankful I am for Parker's basketball coach. He is super kind and laid back. The coach for the other team literally screamed the entire game/practice. She was so annoying. She walked around with a giant coffee cup and just kind of barked at her team. I told big tall hubby that if we had her I would have quit. Whew! The lord works in mysterious ways sometimes.

After this busy weekend, I have lots to do.

My things to do this week: (I hope I get them all done.)

• sort and deliver Girl Scout cookies
• get tax stuff ready to drop off
• clean Zoe's room (it is baaaaaaad!)
• order pictures from Walgreens
• clean up my baskets and organizers in the basement (this is from last week- never got to it, might have to purchase an inexpensive shelf set, :( they keep falling over)
• cut/sort coupons, I am two weeks behind, yikes!
• finish signing the kids up for spring activities, having trouble getting schedule organized
• clean all my bathrooms, they are soooooooo icky
• make St. Patrick's Day decorations (just a couple)

my menus for this week:

So I have no meals planned this week. I was so busy (i.e. not home) all weekend, I never had time to think about it. I have a full freezer and lots of pastas and rices so along with our produce, I should be able to be creative all week. I really hope to not eat out at all. We'll see...

Somethings make me laugh and cry at the same time

Wom

Zoe made me this for my birthday. (I took the picture upside down as I was wearing it, sorry if it looks kooky) I loved it. Is she so sweet? I mean, you can tell she wanted me to have a "mom" necklace, but instead it says "wom." I think she must have run out of "m" beads. Oh I was giggling and getting teary all at the same time.

Same thing last night, she was invited to dance with the University of Cincinnati dance team at Sunday's game. I was so happy watching her practice with them last night. She was picking up the routine like it was nothin'. I couldn't help smiling when she was trying to shake her booty like the big girls, the poor thing has no booty but we won't tell her that (something she did not inherit from me- my booty needs its own zip code!). But then I got all teary thinking it won't be long until I will be sitting in those stands (or the wonderful University of Kentucky- my personal wish) watching her shake her big girl booty. Jeez, what a sap I am.

simply the best

I am here to tell you, this Cozy Coupe car made by Little Tykes is simply one of the best toys ever. My kids love it, all of them. Zoe still squeezes in it and putts around. Santa brought it to her when she was 2 years old, she is 8 now! If you are looking for a great birthday gift or maybe thinking Christmas (I know, so early, but it really is never too early!) they only cost around $35. I saw some yesterday at a consignment store for $10, not bad. We bought the gas tank that goes with it, oh boy, are we talkin' fun now. In the summer we keep this in the garage but I bring it inside from time to time in the winter, just for those dog days of snow and ice. Vroom, vroom!

watchin' my weight Wednesday

Here is my workout song of the week to share...

I think most of you know I adore Sting (and the Police) so I have lots of his songs on my playlist. This one is from the Police days. Yes, I love, love, love the original, I only picked this one to share because I just dig watching him sing. In the original Police video, you don't get good Sting vision. So induldge me. :)

I think this song is one of my favorite hill running songs. It starts out slow and builds and builds to this giant crescendo (love my old orchestra word there?!) at the end. I have it timed perfectly, when I run outside in my neighborhood, I start this one at a particular house. By the time I reach my house (at the top of the hill) I am at the big finish. Yipee, perfection. I swear I don't even mind the hill part and it is all because of this guy. Love you Sting! SWAK!

Now onto my watchin' my weight topic:

I was thinking about Parker, he's five and the kid has a perfect six pack. It is so crazy. I look at him in amazement. I mean it's not like he is laying on the floor doing crunches or anything. He is pretty much active all the time. He is jumping on the furniture (not that I want him to), throwing balls, kicking balls, playing basketball, hitting golf balls as far as he can, playing tennis in the driveway, riding his skateboard and scooter, climbing trees, running at full speed just to see if he can... do you get the idea? The kid never stops!

So how does this relate to a mom who has endless amounts of things to do and a limited amount of time to do them. Well, I think it translates to variety. I think doing a variety of activities help me (and anyone else, I presume) to be in better shape. I try to work out in a different way every day.

My typical schedule is this:

Monday: treadmill work at home (usually long runs or hill climbs)

Tuesday: spinning class

Wednesday: treadmill and weights at home

Thursday: elliptical and/or rowing machine with weight training at the Y (here I use machines I don't have at home- the smith machine, ab stand, etc.)

Friday: treadmill work at home (or DVD's if I found a good one at the library)

Saturday: bootcamp class

Sunday: family fun (hiking, swimming, etc.) or DVD's or outside running/walking (depending on the weather)

The day I usually take "off" is Sunday. Not that I really take it off but I try to find something for us to do at home that my kids think is "fun" but I consider my light workout. Like jumping on the trampoline, the kids love it and they love it more if I do it with them. (Incidentally, I wore my heart rate monitor once just to see how I reacted to the tramp, holy cow, it was like I was running full force, no kidding. Plus my calves and abs are usually burning after 20 minutes on that thing!)

So for me variety is the spice of life. Keeping it interesting is one of the ways I keep from getting bored. I definitely have times when I slack off a little but I do try to remain consistent. Now if you'll excuse me, some exercise bands are calling my name.

Too late on a Tuesday

So yesterday (Monday) flew by. Big tall hubby hijacked the computer to work on a PhD paper therefore I was left manning the children on a seriously rainy day. Our back yard looked like a pond, and we live at the top of a big hill!

my things to do this week:

• finish desk clean up
• buy a new pair of jeans for me
• clean up my supply of baskets and organizers in the basement (they fell and are in a big huge pile on the floor)

menus for this week:

• chicken Parmesan
• tacos and taco salads
• navy bean soup
• salmon and red pepper risotto
• mac and cheese

A new year resolution for me (sort of)

Saturday was my birthday, the start of my new year. Woo, yipee, yahoo, rah rah. Do any of us celebrate anymore? Really after 25ish, it's kind of a let down anyway. Don't get me wrong, I love a good birthday: cake, ice cream, food, presents, hoopla, I just hate the getting older part. Wrinkles really stink.

In my January craziness, I forgot to post this... My word of the year, for 2011, I chose "pretty". I don't do resolutions anymore. So not worth it. I put enough pressure on myself everyday, I don't need a list of more things to do. I think the first time I heard about choosing a word was when I used to avidly follow scrapbookers' blogs. Ali Edwards, I think, is who first showed me the word of the year. I hardly ever read scrapbooking blogs anymore. I still love to scrapbook, I just like my mommy blog friends better :)

I picked "pretty" because well, I think there is room to be pretty everywhere. Of course, looks, don't we all want to be pretty? Duh, we're women, of course we do. I haven't left my house without make up in at least 10 years (going to the Y with my ball cap pulled down so no one can see me without mascara, does not count!). I hope to try new makeups, hairdos, etc. I think I could stand to be prettier in my wardrobe for sure. I mean, I live in Chuck Taylors (L.L. Bean flip flops in the summer) and jeans. Would it kill me to put on a necklace or a skirt or something? No. That I can do. For the last few years I have really been trying to be more polite and mannerly in public. At home, when the kids are in bed and big tall hubby and I are watching reality tv, the language is flying, I'm not going to lie. That is something we do, it's fun, it's a release from being P.C. all the time. But out in the world, around my kids, it's all about modeling good behavior. I think that is pretty. I am also going to strive to keep my home pretty. Which to me means, picked up, tidy, maybe fresh flowers more often, more holiday decor, who knows? I hope to also make meal times pretty. Use some of our china for a change. Cut veggies into cool shapes. Pull out the cloth napkins. Just little things, nothing earth shattering. I have big dreams of sending more real cards and notes to people, I think that is really pretty. I am still working on this whole concept. That's why it's my word of the "year."

I was also inspired by Kristin at Bringing Pretty Back. When I found her blog, I was already thinking about this concept for myself. I was thinking, gosh, people are just ugly so much. I don't mean snaggletoothed and unibrows. I mean, their behavior and their manners, the stuff they do. Kristin has talked about this a lot. Don't you love affirmations like that? Blogging makes those little "aha" moments much more special. It's good to find someone who shares your interests.

So here's to me being a prettier girl, inside and out. I really hope to share my pretty-ness with you as the year goes on.

Prep work

It drives my big tall hubby crazy how I buzz around after the kids have gone to bed. "Just come and sit down" he says to me all the time. I just can't help myself. I have to get everything ready for the next morning or I feel "off."

I know probably most of us do this but I am a nut, seriously. I get out all the stuff to make big tall hubby's breakfast/coffee. (Aren't I so sweet to make him oatmeal and coffee every morning? I tell him he is so spoiled all the time. He just kind of grunts at me but I secretly know he loves it.) I also set out juice cups for the kids and all our daily vitamins. I make lunches and get snacks ready. I make sure the dishwasher has been emptied and ready for the next day. I also take out the trash/recycling. I will also put a load of laundry in the washer so all I have to do is start it the next morning. I get out my workout clothes and put them right next to my shoes so I don't have to fumble around trying to find the right gear. I don't make my kids get their clothes out but when Parker goes to kindergarten next year, I probably will. Two bus schedules might send me into a fit.

One of the best organizers I ever got was a pill organizer for each of us. (One for me, one for big tall hubby and one for the kids) We all take a multivitamin each day. Big tall hubby and I take a couple other supplements, it is so much easier to have them all counted out and ready to go. If the kids have to take additional medicine, I put them in here too. I swear those extra few seconds I save every day make me feel like I invented the wheel. Big tall hubby teased me to no end when I first got the organizers saying I was like an old lady. Now he agrees that it is so much easier to grab what you need all at once. And you can see if you remembered to take your medicine each day. So ha, I am so smart.
Funny thing about all this prep work. I never used to do this. Before kids I used to just get up and shower, get my stuff ready, take my time. I have always been more of a morning person. I like to think I work so hard that is why I am exhausted at night. I still believe that even though as the years go on and I have more and more "stuff" to do for my family. I try to get it all ready so I won't be a running around crazy woman in the morning. But guess what, I still run around most mornings! I can't imagine what I'd be like if I didn't do all these things the night before.

A chip off the old block

Parker is like me in so many ways.

He likes quiet time. He likes to be alone sometimes. He is a perfectionist, poor boy! He is stubborn (yep, me too, just don't like to admit it). He likes things neat and tidy and he gets all wonky if his schedule is messed up. He is really hard on himself but he loves it if he gets things right. He likes to be silly but not really the center of attention. Gosh, when I say it all that way, he is just like me. One exception, he is gifted athletically, I am totally not. He is also a future organizer! Look...
He devised this method of "organizing" his mini-skateboards. (This was his word, not mine!) He thought this was so clever. Until he had to go to the bathroom. Don't you love those undies peeking out over his jeans? So cute.

watchin' my weight Wednesday part 2

Oops, I forgot to share a workout song with my previous post. My spinning instructor used this song in class yesterday and I remembered how much I love it. Fergie is the best. She is one of my idols. I know she is kind of crazy but I love her rags to riches/former druggie/used-to-be-rough-now-she-is-glam story. I mean she is so fierce! The girl knows how to work it. Not that I'm a stalker or anything but I do have a picture of her by my treadmill for inspiration. I have read that she is 5'2" (same as me) and she swears she works really hard for her body to look good, which is a welcome change from those other celebs that say, "oh, I just do some pilates and I look like this" WHATEVER! So I think heck, if she can look like that, so can I. I know, I know, she is a gagillionaire and she has trainers, cooks, no kids, and all that stuff but I need my inspiration. And she has a cutey-pie big tall hubby too, so we would totally be BFFs I think. Anyway, this is a great song for spinning (or cycling on your own) and light running. I think the beat is a little slow for sprints. Enjoy.

watchin' my weight Wednesday

Florida, 2010

I was going to write about another health related topic today but then I saw this picture and it reminded me of the beach, of course.

Then I got to thinking about our trip we just planned. (We are going back to Sanibel!!!! Not on our anniversary, bummer, but it will still be awesome to be back in the place where we said "I do" on/about our 10 year anniversary.)

Then I got to thinking, jeez, it will be bathing suit season soon.

Then I thought, oh man, I am going to be wearing a bathing suit in just a few months.

If that's not reason enough to eat well and exercise, I don't know what is!

Sometimes I have the best intentions

I have been meaning to share these since, umm, January. Sorry. I really have high hopes for my little bloggy someday. I have a whole little notebook of ideas just waiting to share. But you know, life gets in the way, sickness, house showings, Valentine's parties, all that "stuff."

I found these cute cake toppers at Michaels one day in December. They were super-duper cheap, like 29 cents or something like that. I snatched them up for our January birthday party. We celebrate Zoe's, Big Tall Hubby's, and my Aunt's birthday at one party for the family. For the past two years I have made them all a small individual cake. Everyone should have their own birthday cake, don't you think? Any-who, I thought these would be so cute. They are plastic and you just put the picture in there and voila, your cake has the cutest topper ever.

Here is the part I was thinking was blog-worthy. I think you could totally do this on your own using cardstock, die cuts, graphics from your computer, or your own artistic talents if you have them. I have had those picture cakes made before (where they scan in your photo for the top) and they are like $30. I don't know about you but my days of paying for expensive cakes are over. Besides, I like baking even if my cakes turn out a little cooky looking. Sorry I don't have a finished cake picture that shows them, the only one I could find was this one...

and it is showing the backside of the cake topper. (By the way, Zoe wanted here cake to be in the shape of an "8", see what I mean, cooky looking.) I vow to someday take excellent birthday and holiday photos, by then all my kids will be hiding from me probably!

I hope you get some inspiration despite my poor photo taking skills and my neglecting to publish current ideas!

Enjoy your day today.

Happy Valentine's Day (Monday)

Hi everyone. I hope this Valentine's Day brings you lots of hugs and kisses and chocolates (or jewels- whichever you prefer!).

Here are a couple goodies we made for Parker to take to school.

This one is for his teachers. We just wrapped a candy bar with patterned paper and taped it to his cool Star Wars valentines (man, do I wish my mom had kept my old Star Wars figures!).

We made these for his buddies. I put M&M's in these teeny baggies (found at Michaels in the beading section) and then we stapled a tent over the zipper part. He then put stickers on the paper. He gave these with his cards he wrote his name on, we wanted to do a little extra for his friends at school.I didn't get a picture but for Zoe I made fruit salad cups for her class. I bought cute little red cups and put the fruit salad in there. Then I put a plain baggie (not the zipper kind) over the top and secured it with a rubber band. Sounds kind of boring but it really looked festive. Her teacher suggested something not too sugary and I was happy to oblige. Zoe was so excited she loves fruit and couldn't wait to share them with the class.

my things to do this week:

• sort some pictures and mail copies to my family (long overdue!)
• write thank you cards for my early birthday gifts
• again, try to get my desk cleaned off so I can reorganize the drawers

my menus for this week:

(a bit of repeats from last week, big tall hubby has been working late a lot so me and the kids have been eating really simply)

• beef and mushroom stroganoff
• spaghetti (Parker request)
• egg and mushroom/spinach quiche
• pasta with shrimp and veggies
• homemade pizzas

Enjoy your Valentines's Day!

Just another note... did anyone catch the last Jersey Shore?! Was I the only one crying when Sammi-sweetheart left? With all her drama, you'd think I'd be glad to see her go but for some reason, I was so sad. Just wondering if I am the only nut who is addicted to this show!

Meet my new boyfriend (no name yet)

Lookie what I got!

I have wanted one for-ev-er! But you know me, I hate to buy anything until the old one konks out (remember my post about my new IPod?). My big tall hubby and my mom worked behind the scenes to get this for me. (They work about 10 minutes from each other and apparently they did some covert mission yesterday.) Big tall hubby came home late from work and believe it or not I was crying, it had been a hard day and I was cleaning for yet another showing and just plain tired. Wednesday, I drug my two sick boys to two different stores looking for vacuum bags for my Hoover and both stores were out! I was lamenting to my mom about it and that's when she must have sprung into action (my birthday is not for a week!). Anyway, big tall hubby comes in and puts the gigantic box on the counter and that makes me cry even more. He was like, "huh? Haven't you wanted one of these for like years? Don't you remind me every time you see that guy on the commercial? Don't you check the Target ad every week for the price to drop?" Of course I do but I guess I was in disbelief. I'll probably be the same way when I get my Corvette. I've only wanted one of those since I was 5 years old and my Barbie drove her yellow one around my bedroom all day. I was so excited I didn't want to touch it. So this morning I have been a vacuuming fool, as you can imagine. I haven't even taken the tags off! I wish I would have taken a picture before it was all full of crud but I was too excited. Gross as it is to see all that junk, I just vacuumed my whole house Wednesday for the showing that night! Ick! Anyway, I am feeling totally spoiled and like a geek over my new toy. I know you fellow Dyson lovers out there will agree with me, some of you I have talked about getting one of these for years! I am in love.

Prime Real Estate

The heating vents in my home have turned into coveted spots here in the last few weeks. I find the kids standing on them watching tv or looking at books. I taught them to put their shoes on them upside down and when you put them on, your shoes are nice and toasty. I have also discovered that a cleverly placed sweater will dry a lot faster than just laying flat to dry. Putting snow clothes on a drying rack over the vent gets them dry a lot quicker for the next snowy go round. A book thrown into the bathtub also dries a lot faster when placed over a vent. Who knew?

See even Max is looking for a way to capitalize...

watchin' my weight Wednesday

What keeps you from exercising? If you're like me it could be any number of a million reasons... lack of motivation, it's cold outside, I'm sick (this has definitely been the reason lately), I'm exhausted, not the right equipment, no one to exercise with, Jersey Shore marathon, you name it, I've used it for an excuse at some point over the last 20 years or so of exercising for fitness.

Probably the excuse that really does make exercising difficult for me is the lack of extra time to workout. I really love to exercise. Before kids, I exercised a hour or two (yes, I said, two!) a day. I never missed a day. I loved it that much. I had the abs to prove it too. **sniff sniff** Not so much now. I still love to exercise but now I have three little munchkins (and animals- do they count too?) who need me a whole lot. Time for exercise just slips away sometimes.

On most days, when I am not in the depths of total sickness/recovery from sickness, I get up around 5:30 to exercise, before they all wake up. It stinks. Yes, it really does but I have tried to exercise while they play and it just doesn't work. They drive me crazy. Doesn't mean I don't love them, but they won't leave me alone. A lot of times I wait until they go to bed at night but that is tough in the winter months for me. I think because it gets dark so early, I have no motivation once the sun goes down. In the summer, this is great because it stays light so late, I often work out late but it doesn't seem so late, you know what I mean?

Occasionally, I sleep later than I want to and have to do my time crunched workout. I developed this one myself and it works for me. I feel like I am getting a decent workout in a shorter time.

First, I jumping jack or jump rope for a couple minutes to warm up.

Next, I do a set of deep squats. I don't count, just do as many as I can until my booty is screamin'.

Then I grab these... (I have a set of 2 pounds, and a set of 3 pounds)

Then I hop on my treadmill (or hit the pavement outside if it is warm enough).

While I am walking quickly (about 3.9-4.0 pace) I do sets of arm exercises. I do bicep curls, shoulder presses, lateral raises, front raises, punches, jabs, upper cut punches and finally more biceps. I do these over and over. I don't really count reps, just do it until my arms are tired and I move to the next exercise.

While I am walking, I try to find hills if I am outside and go faster or I put my treadmill on an incline. I like to keep it around a 5 or 7, not too high because flinging my arms like that makes me feel kind of clutzy.

When I get tired of the arm exercises, I finish up my treadmill on the highest incline, a bit faster (4.5 speed) for 5 or 10 minutes.

I hop off (or stop if I am outside). I do two to three sets of walking lunges and some tricep dips and I am done. If I am feeling super motivited I do some abs and pushups too but I am usually whooped. In case you are thinking, no way does she do all these outside, but I swear I do. My neighbors have seen me and I don't care. I just go for it.

This is not my most favorite workout. I'd rather do lots of other things, run then lift weights or spin but for a time crunched kind of day, it works for me. I can finish this whole body workout in less than forty minutes. If done to high intensity, I am definitely feeling it the next day.

I thought I'd try to share some of my favorite workout songs with these posts. Music is a huge motivator for me. Most of my friends know I love the Black Eyed Peas, who doesn't? I just got their newest CD and unless you live under a rock, you've been hearing this one a lot lately. This one is hard not to run to, it has a great pace and it is made for going fast.

You'll probably see Fergie and the guys on here a lot, they turn up all the time on my playlists. Sometimes I have to physically stop myself from dancing when they come on if I am at the Y, so embarrassing.

I would also like to say I am not a fitness trainer and I just like to share my workout tips. I hope no one gets offended by my ideas. I like to share any and all tips that I find helpful in my everyday life.

Why, hello February, when did you arrive?

When the heck did it become February? I always look forward to February because the holidays and birthdays are finally over for us around here, for a while anyway . Plus I love that everyone else is sharing love, I don't care if some people call Valentine's Day a "Hallmark holiday." At least once a year people are telling their loved ones they do in fact love them. Plus I love pink. Enough said on that one. Plus my birthday is coming up. Not that I'm super excited to have another birthday but I always get to have at least that one night off from cooking!
I guess I am just wondering how February got here so darn fast! I am not ready for it, I feel like I am still in the holiday fog. Maybe it's because of my recent sickness? Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad it's here.

Monday-thank heavens for antibiotics

I can't believe it is Monday already!

Thank heavens for antibiotics, tissues (all three boxes I used last week!), cough drops, ice storms (so big tall hubby's school cancelled the day I couldn't get out of bed), cartoons (so I could kind of sleep on the couch), cough syrup (which I detest), Sudafed, hot tea, and doctors.

I am finally starting to feel better. It has been such a long road. I feel like all I have done is complain about being sick and done anything to get better including breathing hot steam (with a big towel over my head- so not glamorous!), gargling salt water, sleeping propped up so I could breath, and rubbing gobs of Vaseline on my nose and mouth because they are so raw. My poor, neglected family and house. I feel so bad for them. They have been having to listen to me cough and moan so long, except for the three days (!) I lost my voice, they were probably glad to get back to school/work today. I don't know the last time I have been sick and frankly, I don't want to ever be this sick again.

Being really sick does give me new appreciation for people with real illnesses and ailments. The kind that you hear about on tv and think, "oh those poor things" but you really don't understand. Being sick is exhausting! I am so incredibly thankful to be healthy (or on my way) and so glad that my family is OK too. (Well the boys are showing signs of getting sick but I have already called the doctor and hopefully we'll get them taken care of ASAP.) Needless to say, I am very sick of being sick! I hope to not have to talk about it anymore. (And you do too, right!?)

I am calling these photos, "what happens when mommies are sick." I'll bet you all could add in your own. I could add in lots more but really, do you want to see all the yucky stuff? Nope, didn't think so.

Someone put this sticker on my alarm clock. (I think it was Zoe) This was the day I could not move... I lost my voice later in the day, that was interesting. Have you ever tried to call your child off school when you have no voice? Schools do not like that a bit. (p.s. why do alarm clocks always look dusty? and why do they have to be so dang ugly?)

Someone ate all the caramel Hershey Kisses and left the wrappers behind a picture frame... hmm...
This is Parker's room.
See him taking a big deep breath? He was super stressed. He absolutely hates his room being a mess. He is a good cleaner but needs help and guidance, hey, he's five, that's OK. Believe it or not, it got worse, way worse, after I took these. Looking at these now, I am thinking it didn't look too bad here, that's how bad it got later. I think we finally got to put everything away two days later. Big tall hubby was furious when he stepped on Hot Wheels cars in the middle of the night, that was kind of the last straw, plus I was feeling a teeny bit better and I could sit on the floor and direct Parker what to do next.

Soooooooo, needless to say, I got nothing done last week. Actually, I did somehow keep up with the laundry. I really don't know how I did it. I really just washed, dried, and folded a lot. I have severe anxiety if I start to run out of clean underwear. Like I am going to have a crash on the way to a doctor's appointment and not have good undies on! Thanks Grandma for making me a paranoid crazy person! (Just kidding, I love my Grandma tons!)

My things to do will be short this week because dumb-butt me caved to my realtor and agreed to have an open house this Sunday. I know, hit me on the head now, what a stupid thing to do, but she is relentless! I am going to clean and declutter and hopefully not have to take care of sick boys (including the big tall kind- so far he has escaped the sickness!).

Things to do this week:

• massive cleaning
• toy putting away
• trying to make my house look pretty on the off chance someone might come and see it Sunday and want to buy it (ha ha, you gals who have sold recently know what a joke this is!)
• if I have time, put together some Valentines for my kids' teachers

My menus for this week:

• using some freezer stuff from last week because I really don't even know what we ate last week
• fettuchini alfredo
• tuna noodle casserole (grown ups) mac and cheese (kids)
• egg casserole or frittata, not sure yet, using up veggies I have on hand

House showing update: a few of you asked about my last house showing, thanks by the way, so sweet of you to ask! Well, the jerk offs (I know, I am watching way too much "Jersey Shore") were an hour late! So I was really mad about that, we were pulling in to come home after being gone for an hour and they were just arriving. I know, jerks! And they have never given us any feedback. Obviously, they are not buying our house but feedback is expected and it's been over a week (almost 2) and they stink. People stink. Selling a home stinks. Grrr. Maybe this is why I agreed to do an open house? Nope, just momentary insanity.

Talk to you tomorrow gals. Have a great Monday.

Ugg, no wonder

Thanks for all your well wishes girlies.

I went to the doctor today and I have bronchitis. Well, no wonder I feel so lousy.

I am taking the rest of the week to re-coop and get well.

Have a great week/weekend everyone.

Sick of being sick

I'm here.

Just still sick and so is Zoe so we are a big ole mess.

This is day #9 of me being sick, hope like heck it breaks soon.

Just got a second round of sickness last night.

Ugg.

Hope to be back tomorrow.