The Anderson Shuffle

On The Horizon

2011-03-17T15:23:00.002-05:00

So things are continuing to change around here.

The Zinn Family home (aka: dad's house- not sure why we called it dad's house... the rest of us lived there for over 20 years.) finally sold. It was a total cluster, but I'm over it. This wraps up the final thing to complete for his estate. His taxes are done. Bills are settled. Time to move on...literally!

Yep, I think we are moving. I think I will say I think until someone gives us a contract we have to accept. It seems less real this way. I am so sad to leave this house. It has been a dream home. Really. We have loved everything about it. We just need bigger. We even contacted a builder about adding on, but it is so costly.

We are in no huge hurry to move, but we do hope our home goes quickly. You definitely get better value that way. We would like to have more space. We have been doing the number crunching (and the space crunching) lately, and guess what, a new home in our price range will only cost us $23 more a month on our mortgage. Um, no brainer, right?!?

So our spare time has been spent decluttering, and cleaning, and a little packing away in hopes that on the horizon we will be movin'!

Like a Bandaid

2011-01-30T21:13:00.003-06:00

So this house has been like a bandaid covering a wound. What I realized this week when the bandaid was tugged on (the new contract on the house) that the wound isn't fully healed.

We put the house on the market back in July, and NO ONE has looked at it. We've dropped the price, griped about it not being shown, dropped the price again, griped, dropped, you get it. I AM A TRUE BELIEVER IN GOD'S TIMING THOUGH, and knew that he was in control of the timing of the sale. As Christmas approached, I realized that we were probably being protected from what I am experiencing right now...

It hurts.

I am sad to know that the only house I have ever known (other than the one I own now) is about to be gone. Suddenly the memories are flooding my every waking moment. It makes me miss everything a thousand times more. I want to do homework on the playroom stairs again, unload Thursday evening groceries into the pantry. I want to lay in bed with mom on Monday morning hoping for five more minutes of weekend together. I want dad to come pour ice water on my hand to wake me up when I am being a pain, or play baby dolls upstairs with Erin again. I want to swing in the backyard, or mow, or weed the garden. I want to bake cookies and fill the dining room table with them for Christmas. I want to see the sunlight fill the front room on Saturday morning.

It's time to pull the bandaid off. I hope it goes fast. Letting a wound get some air helps heal also.

Now Hiring For the Spring!

2011-01-24T14:43:00.004-06:00

The Anderson Lawn Crew is hiring for Spring 2011.

** You will need to be available to be trained on new equipment ; ) **

Please send your applications to: http://www.wedontreallyliketosharethese,sonorealneedtoapply.net/
Thanks!

New Business

2010-12-20T07:56:00.002-06:00

I don't have enough to do. Really. Each day between 11pm and 7am there is this empty space of time, of nothingness, so I decided to fill it. That's when I dreamed up this (really, I dreamed this up about 3am, one morning)!

So enjoy my new little business Dulu Designs! You can read all about how it got started here!

Oh, and check the sale page, I am running something special this week!

2010-11-10T14:47:00.005-06:00

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday Dear Carter,

Happy Birthday to you!

This weekend we spent Carter's 3rd Birthday at the Andover Fire Department with some of his good friends.

We got a chance to tour the trucks, roll and unroll the hoses, and enjoy some fire safety tips. A fireman came out in full gear to meet the kids, and Sparky the fire dog made an appearance also!

Everyone took home a fire shirt and hat for their party favor.

A good time was had by all!

I think this will be one that Chief Carter will remember for a long time!

Holiday Cards

2010-11-10T13:35:00.005-06:00

It's here. The hustle, the bustle, the sleepless nights trying to bake, wrap, clean, impress, and address...

YOUR CHRISTMAS CARDS!

For many years I went and purchased our cards at any random store, but since the kids were little, I started ordering cards from Shutterfly. I like how they make things so personal. I am able to put pics of the kiddos on there, or a family pic, and boom, done. They have such fun designs that tailor to my needs (less traditional, bright, funky!!!), and I always receive them quickly.

Here are some of my favorites for this year:

Or this one:

I also really LOVE this:

Shutterfly is offering bloggers an amazing gift of FREE CHRISTMAS CARDS this year! Go here to find out more about it!

So which one will you find in your mailbox this year? I'm not telling...

What to say?

2010-10-05T14:41:00.008-05:00

I'm not really sure what to say or where to begin... our family has been up to SOOO much lately. It seems we are constantly in motion. It's no excuse, but it does make it hard to sit down an write about it. Here's a quick rundown:

Cole is such a busy guy, but mostly my clothes horse. He is constantly worried about his outfit, and he creates a TON of laundry for me each week. Recently we went to our first football game with him, and he picked this adorable hat. He wore it through the entire game even though it was about 85 degrees that day! Cole is playing soccer for the Blue Monsters, and although "BE AGGRESSIVE" was something I never thought I would scream at my 4 year old, our fault still seems to be that he just won't get in there and take the ball. (I will not even mention scoring goals for the other team... not Cole!) He is doing great in preschool, and has been learning to write his letters. So far we have E, F, D, P, and B done. He melts my heart each day when he runs up to me and says, "Mom, kiss." He is growing so fast, and continues to amaze me each day.

Does anyone recognize this boy, and would you tell me where I left baby Carter? This boy is so cool. He is quickly becoming a huge help to his family. Yesterday I took him grocery shopping, and he wanted to push a little cart. Against my better judgement, I said yes, and he did great! He only put the things in his cart that I chose, and at the end, he unloaded his cart on to the belt. It really felt good to see him being so responsible. He has recently mentioned that Cole is going to school on the school bus, and "I go on the party bus." which worries me a bit : ), but this free spirit is one cool dude. My other favorite thing (that I have to post or will someday forget) is the lack of the letter "Y" in his vocabulary. I will someday miss the moment when "les" is yes, or "Backlard" is the backyard. Until then I smile each time that sound is missing.

Daddy is always and forever the hardest worker in our family. He never complains, he just does what he needs to. Each morning his alarm goes off in the middle of the night, 5:30 is still the middle of the night, right : ), and daddy heads off to work at Terradyne. He puts in his hours each day, and usually on the weekend to make the grass green. Then daddy heads home to wrestle babies, workout, help with dinner, whatever is needed. He's a pro at being a dad. Brian has also been working hard on launching his business, and had a successful fall with 9 customers for aerification and seeding. I am so proud of him. When the day is done, and kids are snugged, he still finds time for me. I love him so.

As for me, well, you know. I write about me all of the time here if you haven't noticed.

So there you have some of it. This fall the Andersons have been to football games, soccer games, Chili feeds, pumpkin patches, and there is more to come. As Barney, yes, the BIG PURPLE DINOSAUR, likes to say, "You can call it fall if that's what you please, but I say I like autumn!

New Neighbors!

2010-08-27T14:30:00.002-05:00

Guess who moved into the neighborhood today?

Congrats Chris, Erin, Felix, and Kaiser on your new house!

We are so excited that we can stand in our backyard and yell at you, or take a morning stroll over to your house to eat your breakfast, and I can't wait to borrow milk, or toilet paper, or bring over trash when ours is too full. I can't wait to use your washer when ours is broken. Man it will be nice to have someone close to help babysit the kiddos on a whim.... aren't YOU glad we're neighbors also :) ?

All kidding aside, we are blessed to have you so close after you have been so far for so long. We love you!

Hit the Trail

2010-08-20T15:06:00.005-05:00

Mix that is! Today we worked on counting, measuring, and reading at our house. We made trail mix. Here's how it went down:

We had directions to follow.

We put in 1 scoop of craisins

Some snuck bites while mommy wasn't looking!

2 small bags of M&M's

3 scoops of goldfish

4 scoops of marshmallows

and 5 scoops of Cheerios

We all took a turn stirring up the mix.

And we enjoyed!

Big Boo!

2010-05-03T14:06:00.003-05:00

Guess who INSTANTLY potty trained himself...

This Big Boo did!

He woke up bone-dry Friday morning. Thinking it was a fluke, I took him to the potty, where he went, then put him in a Pull-Up. Later that morning he had pooped in his Pull-Up (still working on that part), but HE WAS DRY! So I put him in underwear just to see what he would do, and he has been dry ever since! Amazing.

Carter is doing such a good job. I can take no credit in this other than giving him 2 jelly beans when he goes. Yesterday he got to go to Chuck E Cheese as his reward. He keeps saying "I stay dry, go Chuck E Cheese." Who can resist?

Congratulations Carter Boo!

Whatcha Been Up To?

2010-04-06T14:15:00.007-05:00

Here is how we spent our Easter...

Thursday morning we had some of our good friends over for an Easter Egg Hunt.

Cole is the funniest Easter egg hunter. He could care less about how many eggs he had. He wanted to know what was in each of them He would find an egg, open it, unwrap the candy, and eat it. Notice all of the eggs are broken open.

Carter on the other hand found tons of eggs. He knew the point was to hunt now and celebrate later!

We ran in the Easter Sun Run on Saturday morning. Click on the link to read more about it. Then, after a Saturday afternoon nap, we headed over to a friends house for an Easter picnic, and egg dying. The boys had so much fun dying eggs. Carter went to town with his eggs. We enjoyed another egg hunt... this time with money in the eggs!

Sunday the easter bunny came, and left some fun surprises for the boys. He left Toy Story 1 and 2 to watch along with Toy Story t-shirts and Buzz Lightyear flip flops, but the favorite was all of the new pool toys he left. The bunny knew that the boys swim every Monday night at the Y, so he left them new goggles, dive sticks, pails, and splash balls to take... Thanks EB!

Sunday afternoon was spent at Aunt Lynda and Uncle Don's playing outdoors. We just couldn't get enough of the beautiful weather! The boys have never been so dirty, but it was worth it. After a hot bath, and a bowl of popcorn with a new movie, the beautiful day was over.

Christ has risen. He lives indeed! Happy Easter to each of you.

Climb Family Climb!

2010-03-01T15:03:00.007-06:00

Here are some pics from one of our most recent adventures. We got to go rock climbing as a family for a friends birthday. (Well Brian and I didn't know we were going to climb, but the babies pooped out early leaving time for the grow ups.)

The boys looked so cute putting their belts on. It has been a dream in their short little baby lives to rock climb, but the Y usually asks that they be 4 to start climbing, so we have never had the chance.

Cole took the first shot at the wall. He's definitely a climber. He would just plant his foot and move up the wall. He got a few feet above my head before he was done.

I think he looks adorable just hanging there. I kind of think he just wanted to come down so he could swing from the ropes.

Carter is so trusting. He would have climbed without a harness at all. He's getting to be such a big boy that wants to do whatever everyone else is doing.

Brian is quite the climber. He's fast, and the wall gave him no trouble. He even tried a "harder" climb the second time. He's a natural.

After some coaxing, I decided to give it a shot, and I did it. I made it all the way to the top to honk the horn! One friend even said that she thought Brian and I should race because I was very fast (so she says)... maybe we will have to rock climb for our next date night!

The Eat It Too Lifestyle!

2010-02-24T14:43:00.003-06:00

So here it is! Today I created a new blog that will be devoted to seeing the changes you want to see in yourself. You can find the new blog here or by typing http://theeatittoolifestyle.blogspot.com/ I named it The Eat It Too Lifestyle because I believe that is how I live. I can have my cake and eat it too. I hope you take a peek and want to become a follower. I will be posting some fun things in the coming days! Enjoy.

On a side note: This blog will remain, and I will work harder to devote this blog to the things of my family.

Fitness Coaching?

2010-02-23T14:48:00.002-06:00

So I had an instructor e-mail me to start coming to meetings about fitness coaching.... excuse me.... did you e-mail the right girl? The one who at one time weighed 262 pounds? The girl who still loves a piece of cake or a slice of pizza. Yep, she got the right girl... because this girl and that girl are different girls now. So I started thinking (along with some friends and family) who are pushing me to do a little more with my weight loss. I have people asking me to write a book about weight loss, or to start being a trainer. There is a new song that I have been listening to, and one line is "I pray to God don't take me soon, 'cause I'm here for a reason." Right now, I feel like this is my reason. What I've been doing is so hard, yet easy at the same time. I spend 15-30 minutes a day answering e-mails, Facebook, etc. about my diet, lifestyle, etc... anyone have any input? I would love to coach people, support people, encourage people. I love giving advice and figuring out problems. What do you think?

Here are some ideas that are popping into my head right now:
1. A new blog based on lifestyle changes, so those of you who don't want to read this don't have to.
2. Meetings, monthly, weekly, set up some sort of support system... a time to share, struggle, and rejoice with each other.
3. Workout groups

I would love any feedback that anyone would like to give at this point. Would anyone be interested, or am I spinning my wheels?

Shoot...

2010-01-29T13:46:00.002-06:00

I thought I would open today (and the next couple of days) to ask any weight loss questions you might have. I need to say that quite obviously I am not an expert or a doctor, but if there is a recipe you are wanting, a secret you think I'm keeping, anything weight loss related I will answer to the best of my ability! So come on shoot me some questions...

A Beautiful Bowl

2010-01-27T13:22:00.002-06:00

Isn't this a beautiful bowl full of veggies?

This is one of my favorite new kitchen tricks. I am in love with my bowl full of veggies. You see, each Sunday I purchase 1 stalk of celery, 2 cucumbers, 1 bag of baby carrots, 1 green pepper, and 1 container of grape tomatoes. All together, I am sure I spend less than $10 on fresh produce. (I purchase a few other fresh items, but this is the majority.) So I take my veggies home, get out a LARGE bowl, cut the celery, slice the cucumber, cut the pepper, and pour in the tomatoes and carrots. This takes about 10 minutes. I clean the items off, and there you have it, a beautiful array of fresh veggies for the entire week... what to do with all of them?

Well, since they are ready to go, I eat them every day as a side for lunch. I get 1 serving of my favorite salad dressing, and then I make it a challenge to see how many veggies I can eat. I am guessing that I am eating close to 3 servings of veggies at lunch for approximately 75 calories (I don't even count!)

I set the beautiful bowl in the center of the table at dinner, and everyone loves picking out of it. I don't care what they eat, as long as they eat it! I mean really, do you think I am going to say, "Cole please don't eat so much celery!" Ha! Cole is especially loving eating the bowl of veggies, and I think it's fun to see what they are going to pick. Celery and cucumbers are turning out to be favorites, 2 things I probably would have never set on their plate alone.

Make a quick salad. Once you have all of your veggies ready to go, salads are a breeze. Just grab a bag of salad, pull out your veggies, and pick some to throw on. You can have a salad ready in 1 minute flat. To make a salad a meal in a jiff, grab a bag of precooked chicken strips, and throw some heated ones on top. Use either a LITE Honey Mustard, or a Wing Sauce, and you can make salads as good as Doc Green's for 1/3 of the price.

I should mention that I don't store the veggies in the bowl. They are OK in the bowl for a little while, but to keep your veggies as fresh as possible, I store them in a gallon size Ziploc bag with just a little water in it.

Now, go eat your veggies!

Meatloaf

2010-01-26T13:24:00.002-06:00

So I had planned on posting a recipe today, and since Kylie asked for meatloaf, here they are:

NOTE: I think if you are going to take the time to make a meatloaf, double all of your ingredients and make two. Don't cook the second one, wrap it in foil, and freeze it. When you need a quick meal take it from the freezer to the oven for an EASY dinner. Most times the only extra item I have to buy to double the recipe is more meat. Enjoy!

The first meatloaf is Buffalo Turkey Meatloaf. I absolutely LOVE this dinner. It replaces buffalo wings around here. When I serve the meatloaf, I also drizzle a little more buffalo sauce over the top for an extra kick (and buffalo sauce has hardly any calories!)

Buffalo Turkey Meatloaf
What you will need:
2/3 c. old fashioned oats
1/2 c. fat free milk
3 tbsp buffalo wing sauce
1 pound extra lean ground turkey
1/2 c. finely chopped carrots (I buy matchstick carrots, then chop them more)
1/4 c. purple onion
1/2 c. finely chopped celery
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp salt
2 ounces reduced fat blue cheese crumbles (when I purchase the little cartons they are 4 ounces, perfect for doubling the recipe!)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mist loaf pan with olive oil spray..

2. Combine oats, milk, and wing sauce. Mix and allow to set for 3 minutes. Add turkey, celery, carrots, onion, egg whites, and salt. With clean hands mix the ingredients. Gently add in the blue cheese.

3. Transfer mixture to pan, and pat flat. Bake 35-40 minutes (until turkey is no longer pink).
** I always have a small layer of grease that pools on top of the meatloaf that I scrape/drain off.

4. Cut into 8 slices.

Nutrition Stats: Each serving is 2 slices. 298 calories, 13.9g fat, 14g carbs, 30g protein, 781mg sodium

The next meatloaf we love is Manwich Meatloaf

Manwich Meatloaf

What you will need:
2/3 c. old fashioned oats
1/2 c. +1/3 c. Manwich Sauce
2 egg whites beaten
1 pound ground turkey
1/3 c. minced green pepper
1/4 c. purple onion
1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mist loaf pan with olive oil spray..

2. Combine oats, manwich sauce (hold back 1/4 c. sauce to spread over the top), and egg whites. Mix and allow to set for 3 minutes. Add the turkey, green pepper, onion, and garlic. With clean hands mix the ingredients.

3. Transfer mixture to pan, and pat flat. Spread remaining 1/4 c. manwich sauce over the mixture. Bake 35-40 minutes (until turkey is no longer pink).
** I always have a small layer of grease that pools on top of the meatloaf that I scrape/drain off.

4. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, and cut into 8 slices.

Nutrition Stats: Each serving is 2 slices. 256 calories, 9.2g fat, 17g carbs, 26g protein, 422mg sodium

Sometimes we put the sloppy joe meatloaf on buns (if I have calories to spare), and eat it like a meatloaf sandwich, however, I will say I kind of prefer it alone.

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do. Happy cooking!

So What Do You Eat?

2010-01-25T13:24:00.006-06:00

Back to food. A favorite subject of mine! It is hard to stay within your calorie count sometimes. It takes practice and some patience. Like I said when you are just starting on your journey, ONLY worry about calories. That is what will ultimately help you lose weight. NOTE: make sure when you are looking at labels that you are reading the info for 1 serving, and you are only eating 1 serving. A bottle of Coke has 2.5 servings in it, so you may think you are only drinking 100 calories, but if you drink the whole bottle, that is actually 250 calories! Once you have your calorie counting down, you can focus on getting 50% carbs, 25% protein, and 25% fat in your diet. It is easily tracked by going here and then clicking on the Analysis button after your foods have been entered. It will give you a grade for your food choices, and a pie chart to tell you what percentage of carbs, fats, and protein you are eating. I love caloriecount.com!

So, what do you eat? I wanted to give you some ideas of what I eat to stay within my calorie count (1400-1600) calories each day...

Breakfast:
My two favorite breakfasts are:
1. Egg Sandwich:2 slices whole wheat toast, 2 egg whites, and 1 ounce low-fat cheese.
Total calories: 212
2. Banana Bread: 2 slices and 1.5c skim milk. Total cal: 348
3. Peanut Butter Toast: 2 slices whole wheat toast, 2 tbsp peanut butter, 1 c skim milk. Total cal: 370 cal

Lunch:
1. Tuna Sandwich: Sandwich thins bread (these are new to me, and I LOVE THEM) 1 pouch tuna, 2 tbsp fat free mayo. Total Calories: 200
2. Grilled chicken sandwich: Sandwich Thins, 3 oz grilled chicken, buffalo sauce, lettuce, tomato. Total calories: 230
3. Grilled chicken salad: (Make a heaping salad- a whole bag of lettuce is only 45 calories!) Lettuce, tomato, 1/2 ounce cheese, 2 tbsp Ranch dressing, 3 oz. chicken, 2 tbsp Buffalo Sauce. Total calories:390

Sides I put with my lunch:
1. Sunchips: 140 cal
2. Jello Sugar Free pudding: 60 cal (dip some strawberries in the chocolate one- it only adds about 50 calories- yummy!)
3. Jello Sugar Free: 10 cal
4. Cheese stick: 80 cal
5. Fresh veggies: minimal calories depending on what you choose

Dinner:
I skip all around for dinner on what I eat, but be sure to always save yourself about 600-700 calories for dinner. One of our favorite things to eat are the Stouffer's or TGI Friday's skillets.

You can find them in your grocer freezer section for $4-$7. The are delicious, can be cooked in the microwave, and average about 450 calories. The most wonderful thing about them is they force you into portion control. I am positive these bags were a key to my weight loss.

We also do things like grilled chicken, meat loafs from the Biggest Loser cookbook, Subway. Whatever goes as long as you stay in your calorie count. Now, I won't lie. These skillets would probably leave me wanting more, so I always either make a big side salad or veggie to go with them.

Snacks: (I don't always snack, it truly depends on whether or not I'm hungry, but if I do, I try to keep it under 150 calories, and I try not to snack after 8 p.m.) Most of my snacks are afternoon snacks . Rarely do I eat any snacks after dinner.
1. Popcorn: mini bag 150 cal
2. Apple: 100 cal
3. V-8: small can 30 cal
4. Rice Krispy Treat (for something sweet): 90 cal
5. Pickle: 5 cal

As you can see, my diet is not perfect. I am not a rabbit! I eat things that normal people eat. The key is finding foods that fit. Get creative. Take a little time to prepare. I cut a bag of veggies each Sunday. I put celery, carrots, tomatoes, green pepper, and cucumber all in one bag, then when I need fresh veggies for a side or a salad, I grab a handful. Easy as that.

One other tip is, don't reinvent the wheel. As long as you vary your diet slightly, you can eat the same things. You can have the same general breakfast or lunch. Find a few things that work, and use them. You don't have to eat 30 different breakfasts or lunches each month. I stick to the same 3-4 breakfasts and lunches, and work to vary my dinners.

I would love to hear some of your ideas. It would be wonderful if you would add some ideas in the comments section! I hope this was helpful.

Move

2010-01-24T15:08:00.004-06:00

So Move is the angle corner of the weight loss triangle, and like a triangle is made, you can make weight loss either a big, equal, or small angle in the configuration.

Moving can be almost non-existent if you so chose, or it can be a huge part of it. Really, any part eat, will, or move can be that way, but in the end you have to make the angles add up for weight loss. An equilateral triangle has 180 degrees, so in the future I may refer to a perfect day being when you give 180%... working to make your will, movement, and eating balanced. It's tough to always give 180%, but you should always try to find balance. If you eat too much, move more, if you stayed within your calories, or just need a break, move less. You get it... so on to move...

Moving is different for each person. Start slow if you haven't done anything. Here are some tips for moving.

1. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOR WEIGHT LOSS... You must find your Target Heart Zone. Click here to find yours. To lose weight, you have to burn fat. To burn fat you have to be in your Target Heart Zone (THZ). Once you find your THZ, divide it by 6. Then while you are exercising, you should be able to reach this number in 10 seconds of taking your pulse.

So for example, my THZ is 124-164. This number divided by 6 is 20-27. So while I am exercising, I stop to look at a clock, start the timer for 10 seconds, and take my pulse. I should be between 20-27 beats by the time the 10 seconds is up. If not, I need to work harder.

If you are willing to invest the money, I think one of the most useful things I have purchased is a Heart Rate Monitor.

It was around $100 at Target, but it's usefulness has been priceless. Basically it is a strap that goes around your chest, and a watch that you wear. After the watch has been set up to your body setting, it will track your heart rate and calories burned for you. One of the things that I think has really been nice for me is exercising can sometimes hurt, but that doesn't mean you are burning calories. When I am lifting weight, I can be lifting some major weight, and be in a lot of pain (momentary of course), but I will check my heart rate and it will be in the 90's. I am not in my THZ, therefore, I am not burning fat. A Heart Rate Monitor keeps me constantly in check, and tells me when to work harder, therefore, working smarter.

2. Find something you love. When you move, don't do something you hate, or you won't have the will to continue to do it. Start slow, and do something you love. As long as you get into your THZ, you are working your heart to make it stronger, and you are burning the calories to shed the weight. Here are some ideas of things you can do to move:
Walk (be sure you are walking fast enough and moving your arms to get your heart rate up)
Run
Bicycle
Play sports with your kids or grand kids
Go to the local gym
Take a swim class
Turbokick or kickboxing
Run Stairs (or just climb them at a moderate pace)
Dance
I have to say I don't feel very creative about what I am offering you for options,but this is also where will comes in. If you want it bad enough, you will just do it.

3. Alternate your workouts. To have a truly rounded workout, you should do cardio several times per week, but you should also lift weights. When I lift weights, I like to add in spurts of cardio to keep my heart rate up while I am lifting. This way I burn calories and build muscle. Also, if you do the same workout day after day, your body becomes used to it, your heart rate will lower, and you will burn less calories, so try new things. Get creative!

4. Don't worry! My motto is: "I don't look good going to the Y, I go to the Y to look good when I'm not there." If I had worried what others thought of me when I walked into the Y on August 15th, 2008, I would have never gone back. I weighed 262 pounds and was wearing a size 24/26. I had to push past what others were thinking (or what I thought others were thinking) and get on a machine. 72 pounds later, I am changing my life a little each day because for once, I could care less for 1 hour a day what others think of me. I wiggle, I jiggle, and I am getting better. Get started. Don't worry. Get better.

Once again, I feel like there are so many things I could talk about, but this is somewhere to begin. Now, go out and start giving your 180%!

Recipes:

2010-01-22T15:27:00.003-06:00

I don't have time to write my "Move" post today, so here is a yummy recipe that I love to eat... I have taken the sugar and oil out to cut calories and fat. Stay tuned and get ready to move tomorrow!

Here is a recipe for one of my favorite breakfasts. I eat this every other day, and it fits well into my weight loss plan... When the bread is done, I cut it into 8 slices and each slice is 114 calories and 0.8g fat! Eat a slice (or two if you like) with a glass of skim milk for a healthy start.

One thing to note it that I use the ZERO calorie Splenda, not the baking Splenda. I think this causes the bread to bake faster, so watch it. Also, Splenda has no preservatives in it, so be sure to slice your bread and then store it in the freezer immediately, otherwise, you will have moldy bread in a day or so! Enjoy

Banana Bread:

1.5 c All Purpose Flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg
1 cup mashed bananas
3/4 c Splenda NO CALORIE sweetener (this is NOT the baking splenda)
1 of those individual cups of applesauce that you feed the kids
1/8 tsp salt

1. Grease the bottom and sides of your loaf pan. In a... mixing bowl
combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set
aside.

2. In another bowl combine the egg, bananas, sugar, and applesauce.
All at once add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir just until
moistened. (Batter will be lumpy.)

3. Spoon batter into pan and bake at 350 degrees for a varying amount
of time. The book says 50-55, but mine is usually done within 25-35
minutes. Just watch for it to be golden brown, and for your toothpick
to come out clean.

4. Cool on a wire rack, cut into 8 slices, store, and freeze.

Eat

2010-01-22T13:25:00.003-06:00

Hopefully yesterday didn't push you all from reading again because today I will talk about eating. The way you eat is what determines if you will lose weight. What I'm saying is I often hear people say "I don't have time to exercise", and I will address that more in my next post, but YOU DON'T HAVE TO EXERCISE TO LOSE WEIGHT! For example, you don't see the half-ton man exercising to lose weight. Instead the doctors put the patients on a diet restriction.

Restriction is a word I hate. NEVER, NEVER, I REPEAT NEVER RESTRICT YOUR DIET. Also, never call it a diet. Diets are short, temporary, fads, trendy, whatever you want to think. Why do you think most people lose 10 pounds and gain 12 back after they stop the cabbage diet, or the apple diet, cookie diet... because they restricted themselves so much that when the weight was gone, and the temporary diet was over, the over-restriction got the best of their will. Eat what you want, when you want. In the past week I have had candy, desert, pizza, etc... The key is staying within your calorie count. You will soon learn it is easier to find healthy options and eat more, than to eat one greasy meal per day.

I have so many things to say about eating that it may take more than one post, but here are some points to think about.

1. Get some tools: measuring cups, measuring spoons, a food scale.

2. Get some books: If you are willing to invest, there are 3 books I would purchase again. I have several more, but I find myself constantly using these 3 books...

The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. It has been such a wonderful resource for low cal recipes. They tend to be easy to prepare, quick, and budget and family friendly. Some of our favorites are the Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf, Sloppy Joe Meatloaf, and the Creamy Cherry Sorbet. I try and pick one or two new recipes every week or so to try. It's really worth the money.

Eat This Not That Supermarket Survival Guide. KEEP THIS IN YOUR CAR... otherwise, you will get to the supermarket and realize you forgot it. This book will help you chose the healthy alternative to things you already eat. It's sort of a temporary book because you will start to know what to look for, and you will need this book less and less.

Eat This Not That Restaurant Survival Guide. If you think you already have this one, double check. This book just came out. The first book like this had some restaurants in it, but this book is dedicated to restaurants. For example, you may be shocked to know that it it would save you 140 calories to go to McDonald's and eat a McDouble than a Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich! When you are only eating 1400 calories, that saves you 10% of your daily allowance!!! KEEP THIS BOOK IN YOUR PURSE... often times eating out is a spur of the moment, convenience thing. Whip this out, make your choice, and feel better for it.

3. Count and Log: This is the meat and potatoes of eating (no pun intended). You have to count your calories to know you are staying within them, and just keeping a tab in your head is nearly impossible. It has been proven OVER and OVER that weight loss is based on calorie count alone. Not fat, not carbs, calories. Like I said yesterday, your body has to burn more energy than it takes in to lose weight. That is all based on calories. Here are the quick steps to starting:

1. Figure out how many calories a day your body burns. Enter your stats here and be sure to click on SEDENTARY for your activity level. This is so if you have days when you don't do much, you won't gain weight.
2. Now that you know how much you burn each day, subtract 500 calories from that. It takes 3500 calories to lose a pound, so theoretically you should lose 1 pound a week by sitting on the couch, and not exceeding your calorie count... see, you don't have to work out! You could lose weight faster by adding workouts into your day, but we can discuss that later. ONE NOTE: Never eat less than 1200 calories a day. This is what a body needs to survive. Anything less than 1200 calories per day, and your body will go into starvation mode, and the whole plan will backfire.
3. Finally, LOG. This is the website I use to log my foods. It already has 80,000 foods input to the system, so it is rare I can't find what I am looking for. It takes a couple of weeks to get really good at this, but once you are used to it, I think logging your foods here should take less than 5 minutes per day. Make sure you log EVERYTHING you eat, including those 20 M&M's you ate for a snack. They count for calories also. Really take the time to set this website up for yourself. Try the tools, get on the message board. I know it was a key to my success. It even shows you each day how many calories you've burned vs. how many you have eaten, and if you click on Analysis, it will give you a food grade for the day.

Well, I feel like this has been a long one, but eating is very important. It makes this journey incredibly easy, or tough. I hope this has helped a bit. I plan on posting a little more about food in the coming days, but this was something to nibble on!

Will

2010-01-21T13:43:00.004-06:00

Ok, so dieting and exercising has seemed to come easy to me, and I'm constantly being asked "What do you eat, how do you exercise, etc, etc, etc?" So, I'm going to write a couple of posts. If you like them and want me to keep writing them, let me know. If you are sick of hearing about it, I understand that also.

Last night as I was lying in bed (thinking of nothing and everything all at once), I decided there a 3 things that will make your body change and do what you want it to. You only have to remember these 3 things...
1. Will
2. Eat
3. Move (I won't use the word exercise. It's such a nasty word that scares people away)
Let me expand...

Will: I think this is the most important of the three things, and kind of holds it all together. Every second of every day you will be put in a situation to decide which "lifestyle change" path to take. Case in point: Took the kids to the mall today and had several friends eating Subway sandwiches for lunch. Please understand, they are very healthy girls, and Subway is a very healthy choice. I LOVE SUBWAY, but whenever I eat Subway for lunch I don't lose any weight, therefore I must exert all of my will to forgo Subway and eat a lunch that I know will allow me to lose weight that day.

It seems like I often hear people are going to start dieting on Monday, but when Monday comes and your co-worker brings doughnuts or it's easier to grab McDonald's for lunch, YOUR WILL MUST BE STRONGER to make a change than your want for something lesser.

Watch will in action... I get up in the mornings and make the kids cinnamon rolls while "I will" have an egg white breakfast. I walk through the kitchen and notice some yummy M&M's sitting there, but "I will" pass. At lunch "I will" eat the things that are good that feed my body. "I will" also drink water to replenish my body. At snack time "I will" pass on the kiddos chips, cookies, etc, and eat an apple because it will pay me back in the end. When the evening rolls around, and I am exhausted and just want to crawl in bed and watch my favorite TV show, "I will" get to the Y to exercise, and when I come home "I will" eat a healthy dinner, and "I will" skip late night snacking because that will do me no favors.

Don't start a diet tomorrow. Start a lifestyle change right now. Each time a choice is laid out before you make the best decision you can for that moment. You will have to eat out. Make the best choice. Birthdays will come around, and cake will be presented. Make the best choice. The best choice is not to always skip the cake. Cut your slice in half and share with a friend. Make the best choice for yourself in that moment.

I'm not trying to sound preachy. I am not perfect. I screw up, but what I am saying is if each time I screwed my eating up I decided I would just start again Monday, I would never get there. Use your will each time a choice is given to you and make the best choice. Start now, not Monday.

Yep, we're still amongst the living

2010-01-06T15:01:00.005-06:00

We've just been having too much fun to blog about it! Here's proof:

Cole had his first Preschool Christmas program. He was one of many reindeer! Very cute, and he managed to have his entire costume removed before the 3rd song. He also almost gave his mommy a heart attack by making many tricky maneuvers on the top step of the risers.

Carter said "Bye, Bye, Baby Bed!!!!!" Literally. He helped daddy take his crib apart, and was a very happy big boy in his new bed.

Mommy was not quite as happy about how the first night went(these are his finger peeking our under the door because he would not stay in his bed), but all in all, it has been a smooth transition...

Side note: I walked into his room the other day, where he was playing. He was opening his closet door (where the crib rails are stored), saying "bye, bye, baby bed", then closing the door, and then doing it over and over again. They are too cute sometimes

January has already brought REALLY cold weather and a little snow... but apparently any snow constitutes a snowball fight here!

And, after about 30 minutes of dressing in all of our winter gear to stay warm, we got to sled on the creek hill for about 15 minutes before I thought my face was getting frostbite. Fun times!

We have started 2010 off really good. I did a "New Year's Day Mini Triathlon" with the YMCA (this was not an actual triathlon, but required me to take a water, cycle, and land class in 3 hours). Brian and I will have our final "Battle of the Bulge" weigh-ins either this week or early next week, and we are both expecting to have lost at least a couple of pounds... at this time of year, I am really happy with that!

So here comes a new decade with high hopes, and big dreams. Yep, we're still amongst the living, and we're doing well. Really, really well.

When we grow up...

2009-11-15T23:17:00.002-06:00

... we want to be just like you daddy.

2009-11-04T13:47:00.006-06:00

Happy 2nd Birthday Carter Boo!

It's really hard for me to believe that 2 years ago I was waiting for a little baby to come along. Now you spend your time monkeying around at My Gym with your daddy.

Two years ago, this was the only little boy in our life, and we weren't sure if our hearts or our home was big enough. Turns out it is.... and this little boy ♥ you more than the world (well, come to think of it, so do your daddy and I!)

In fact, lots of people love you...

... more than you may ever realize.

There are a few moments in your life when "it's all about you," like the moment when I held my breath after delivering you wondering if you would breathe on your own, if you were healthy, if... and then the doctor hands me a 6-week premature, healthy, and beautiful little boy.

Our wishes for your life are huge, and endless.

We will always be there to hold your hand when you need it,

but we may let you fall sometimes also. Please know, falling is a part of growing up. We will always pray that your fall will be very soft (and we do our best to cushion the blow)...

On your second birthday, may your life have as much happiness as there are bubbles. May your dreams be big, and your wishes come true. May you always love life, and know that we always love you the most. Happy Birthday Boo!

Pumpkin Patch Take One

2009-10-14T21:41:00.004-05:00

So today was our first visit to the Pumpkin Patch for the year. I just love when this day comes around. I can't wait to go out in the chilly fall air and trek out to a muddy field to find the "Great Pumpkin". We started our pumpkin patching this year by going with Cole's preschool class to Applejack Pumpkin Patch. This is the "baby bus" aka: my van loaded with 5 of Cole's classmates ready to head to the patch...

I love occasionally getting to spend some alone time with each of the boys. Today was a great day to do that with Cole.

He was ready to go...

Cole and mommy on the hay rack ride heading out to the field.

Some of his classmates heading out on the hay rack ride.

I told each kiddo I was in charge of to pick their very favorite pumpkin to take home with them. Cole was insistent upon taking home this green one. Who am I to say it isn't beautiful? I hope Cole can continue to see we're all the same on the inside...

Who doesn't love a ride on the zip line. He rode this numerous times!

This is the airplane teeter totter. It holds seven kiddos, and they all loved riding on it.

The tricycle races (kind of reminded me of pig races)

You just have to ♥ a fun fall day with friends!

Need to vent

2009-10-06T14:14:00.002-05:00

You want it... here it is. This is not really a frilly or happy post. I need to vent. If you don't want to hear it, click the X button at the top and don't read it. I still need to vent.

It started two Fridays ago. Brian came home and said Do you want to the good news or the best news?" Shoot... "Every one's yards are mowed, and I have the weekend off." This is bliss for our busy family. Having a daddy that mows 4 different yards biweekly and works weekends can be daunting, for him and us. I thought we were off to start the perfect weekend... then W's dad showed up early to pick him up from daycare. I told him, "you are early", and he said, "yeah, about that, we need to talk." Long story made short, he had taken a job promotion that meant they no longer required care for W, and I was out of a job, effective immediately (thankfully I put a two week clause in my contract, so they wrote me two weeks worth of pay out). Blissful weekend down the tubes and in it's place worry and dread appear...

I started posting fliers, and answering calls to no avail. Last Monday I find a flier requesting immediate care for her 5 year old. Sweet. We arrange a time to meet, and after dragging the boys out to meet her, spending the money to buy them lunch at said meeting place, and waiting 50 minutes, she no shows me.

Wednesday, I answer a phone call on the way out the door to preschool. The boys had already stepped into the garage, so I am assuming they are riding trikes while I take a 2 minute phone call. I step into the garage to discover all three of them hammering my SUV with real hammers. I have close to 40 hammer nicks on the side of my car.

Thursday we head to a play date, and I decide to stop at the store and grab some milk. I get out of the car, hit the unlock button, and shut the door to realize I've actually hit the lock button and locked all three boys in the minivan. After a few minutes of coaxing Cole, he got out of his car seat on his own, and unlocked the car for me. Thank God that is a skill he has been practicing...

While all of this has been going on the boys have been terribly ill. Finally Sunday we spent the money to take them to urgent care, and Cole was prescribed antibiotics for a sinus infection. He is already much better.

AND, as if it couldn't get any better, yesterday, I slammed Cole's finger in the minivan door. My sister, Erin, called to talk to me, so I was distracted trying to load the car (not blaming you sis), and I didn't look down before shutting the door. As the door was almost shut, I saw his thumb in the door and screamed... then he screamed louder. I ran him inside to get a cold pack, looked down at him, and there was blood everywhere. He had a huge cut on the underside of his thumb. I couldn't get it to stop, so I bandaged him up and rushed him to the doctor to pay another copay (that I don't have the money for). After an exam and x-rays, she gave us $25 band aid, and that's only the cost of the band aid before the other bills arrive.

I just can't cut a break. I am tired. Tired of worrying about money, tired of robbing Peter to pay Paul. Tired of looking for daycare kids, and wondering what the future makeup of our household will be. Why can't it ever just fall into place like I picture it in my head. Would it just be easier to go back to work? Is the stress it brings on worth me staying at home? Ugh. Like I said sorry it wasn't bubble gum and cupcakes, but I feel a little better.

"You Guys Really Have Something Special Here"

2009-09-14T13:39:00.004-05:00

So we took the kiddos for an after-preschool lunch trip to BK this afternoon with my moms group. It's something we've done many times, and will do many more. I had noticed an older lady in the corner with her little boy (whom I thought at the time was her grandson). She was just eating lunch quietly with him and observing our group of mommies and masses of kids. I assumed she was probably rolling her eyes (on the inside of course) at the chaos we were all enduring.

I went to throw away my loads of trash when she stopped me and said "you guys really have something special here"... I was taken back. She proceeded to tell me that it wasn't everyday that you see a group of moms helping and coming along side each other the way that we were. She continued to talk to me for about 10 minutes about how she had a baby post-menopause, and at the age of 51, she felt very lonely with a toddler in tow. (FYI-I offered her info to join our group and she declined.) She then asked one final question that made me think all of the way home... "how did this group change your life?" Let me tell you...

I know this awesome group of girls that just get it. They understand why I am always 10 minutes late and a little disheveled. They get why some days my clothes are some days too big, some days too small, and occasionally they fit! They know why my hair is dirty, or not straightened. They understand why we use coupons for EVERYTHING, and instead of turning their noses when I admit to having a whopping .19 cents in our bank account (before deposit), they say at least it wasn't negative.

They are a great group of girls that will hold your baby, feed your toddler, and sometimes even change your kids diaper like they are their own. They bring you meals when you have a baby... or a hubby that just got laid off. They help you track down bargains at Target, and they make sure you ALWAYS get the best deal! They help hold hands, buckle car seats, clean up spills, load cars, watch kids, corral kids... whatever.

This group of girls will chat with you on a bad day or a good one. They offer advice on sleep habits, temper tantrums, poop, pregnancy, preschool, you name it. They will carpool with you to make the ride more bearable, or will sit in the backyard when you're stuck at home just to make the day more tolerable. They guarantee that I will get 2 hot meals a month (girls night out, and the organizational meeting) and a little time to recoup my mind, body, and soul.

And that's what it's really all about, our souls. They make my soul feel good. Some call us clickish, or like a sorority, but really at the end of the day, this moms group has gotten my soul through some really great, and some really tough times. We have something really special here, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Boys, Boo-boos, and "Buy me a bike"

2009-09-13T14:16:00.007-05:00

I know it's been forever since I posted. I wish I was one of those mommies that could post once or twice a day, but I can't, don't, and won't. I have to be honest that this program runs so slow on my computer that it usually takes me at least an hour to create a post, and that time just usually isn't in my day... so here's a recap of the past couple of weeks.

First of all, here is a new pic of the boys together. It is rare that we get one of these...

Cole has been such a walking disaster waiting to happen the past couple of weeks poor baby. I think I may soon need some of my close friends to bear witness that I don't beat my children as he seems to have a new bump, bruise, or scrape every day. Wednesday night he stuck a toy tennis racket on his head. It got REALLY stuck. Brian tried tugging, and lotioning his head to get it off, but it would not come off. When Brian finally just pulled it off, all of the skin of his forehead came with it. Here is a pic of the walking wounded...

I know, the bandage is a little dramatic, but he really loved it, and he has used up all of my band aids this week. To top it off, this morning, he fell in the kitchen, and now has a huge bruise on his right cheek. Good Lord!

Finally we had a big boy moment this week. Cole bought a bike! Thursday morning we had a birthday party to attend at a park. We all decided we would bring bikes for the kiddo to ride, so I loaded the car with the bikes that we already owned... three beautiful tricycles. At the park, Cole jumped on his trike and took off, quickly to discover that most of the kids his age were riding real bikes. (Please understand his pride wasn't hurt, he just realized that there was something better out there.) So the kids rode their bikes, and Cole would sneak in short moments of riding the big bikes when his friends would walk away from their bikes. Bless his heart, he even skipped eating treats because he knew his friends would be occupied and this would be a perfect time for him to ride. So by the end of our time at the park, I knew where we were heading. Cole has been saving (out of our pockets) change for about a year now. When he gets little bits of money, we throw it in the piggy bank, and then occasionally, we take it to the bank for a deposit. We've kind of just been saving their money for a rainy day. I figured we would know when the time was right to offer spending it. This felt like the time. So, after Brian and I talked, we offered it to Cole that he could use his savings to buy a bike. He quickly accepted.

So he put on his bicycle helmet (he insisted upon wearing it), and we headed to the bank.

I wrote out his withdrawal slip, and he signed his name.

Then we went and chose a bike. We decided Walmart would be the most reasonably priced, and he found a great bike right in his price range... then the wheeling and dealing began. Carter obviously did not need a bike, but he was really missing that he did not have a helmet like the big boys, so we decided we would buy Carter a new bike helmet... Cole decided that he would give Carter his Sesame Street helmet, and he would get a big boy helmet. Honestly, it probably worked out for the best since the Sesame Street helmet had only been worn a couple of times, and it was much more age appropriate for Carter. So we allowed the transaction to occur. Carter was perfectly happy with his new helmet.

He even paid the cashier his "monies". He just couldn't wait to pay for that bike.

Cole has been so responsible with his bike. When he is done riding, he parks his bike and hangs his helmet from the handlebars.

Here are my two sweet babies on their bike getting ready to go for their first ride... fun times! We have spent the rest of the weekend park hopping so that they can ride around and try out their new wheels. They are growing up so fast!

First Day of Preschool!

2009-08-31T21:47:00.007-05:00

It finally came, Cole started preschool today. After 6 months of waiting, visiting, enrolling, paying, talking about it, visiting again, and waiting some more, it is here! Our little baby made his very public entrance today!

I have to admit I was a little nervous last night. I spent a couple of hours cleaning and organizing the house, aka, nesting!

So here are some pics to enjoy...

Cole walking into his school.

This may be my favorite picture of him ever... doesn't he look like a big boy!

Family pic.

Getting ready to go into his classroom.

Daddy kissing Cole goodbye

Mommy kissin' Cole goodbye... at this point his good friend "J" had discovered Cole's presence.

The line of mommies and daddies eagerly awaiting to hear about the first day... Carter was SCREAMING in the back.

Cole waiting on mommy for pickup, Mrs. Brennan (his teacher) is the one in black and white.

Here's my boy after his big day... his first words, "Good morning mommy, we had snack with JOOCE (juice)!!!!!"

We are looking forward to a fun year at preschool!

One Year Ago Today

2009-08-24T13:34:00.008-05:00

One year ago today...

I decided I was going to change for myself and my family.
I put two feet on the ARC trainer and lasted ten minutes before wanting to DIE!
I ate 2547 calories.
I HATED Diet drinks, diet foods (well, I call them diet... AKA, healthy) ;)
I weighed 259 pounds.
I wore a size 24-26... Online shopping and Lane Bryant were the only choice.
My kids had never heard the word exercise, much less understood it.
I was not sure this would last, I just had to hope.
I was not proud of my body.

Here are the embarrassing pics of the OLD ME:

Today...

I am still changing each day... I have a long way to go.
I work out 5-6 days a week for at least an hour.
I have run a 4 and a 5 mile race. (And I didn't come in last!)
I usually eat about 1500- 1600 calories.
I ONLY drink diet pop, I also love vegetables, fiber bars, and many other things I used to loathe!
I have lost 67 pounds! (48 pounds left)
I just bought a pair of jeans from the GAP, size 14! (Had to return the 16's, they kept falling down!!!)
When my kids see the sneakers, they know it's time to go to the Y. Cole says the East Y is his favorite.
I know this will last, but the battle faces me each day as I chose to eat well and go to the gym. Getting there is the hardest part.
I am proud of my still very imperfect body that can do more than I ever dreamed it could. I thank God for legs that can run, arm that can lift weights, a flabby tummy that has carried two babies, stretch marks, and lovely curves.

So lift your Diet Coke with me, and lets say "Cheers to a year of change!"

New Floors

2009-08-11T13:13:00.017-05:00

So I know I have been out of commission for a couple of weeks, but I do have lots of fun things that I need to update everyone on.

I am going to start with the kitchen/laundry room/entryway re-tiling project.

Since I have kiddos that I keep during the school year, the time had come to get the project done, or we were going to have to wait for another time when kiddos wouldn't ~~be in the way~~
in danger.

We started by tearing the floor up... this didn't take much since most of the tiles were coming up on their own. I think we finished that part of the project in less than an hour.

The next step was to lay new sub floor. Uncle Don came over to help Brian with that project. In the mean time, our friend Ed came over to tear out the cork floor in the entryway, and I sorted through each tile to make sure there were no imperfections or broken tiles. I had to go and exchange 7 out of 27 boxes of tile... (pretty bad stats if you ask me)... or I'm really picky.

Saturday morning our friend Larry came over to start laying the tile. He would lay tile while I stood behind him handing him the next one I wanted put down (I'm not a control freak... stop thinking that!)

Sunday was finishing the edges and small cuts of tile... then the real fun began... GROUTING! WHAT A MESS...

After the grout dried, we had to put a coat of seal on the tiles. As I was doing this, I realized that the grout color was not evening out, and it was drying about 10 shades lighter than I expected, so I ended up hand staining the grout.... each and every line of it... ugh!

FYI... after this was complete someone mentioned to us that this is not the first time that Lowe's has had trouble with their dry mix colored grout... AVOID IT ALL COSTS.

Here is a pic of the tile before the sealant, and after the sealant. Big difference.

One last coat of seal, and voila, new floors! What a joy to be homeowners.

Here is a pic of the new entryway.

These are the new curtains that I made for the kitchen windows. I have been looking for a pattern that I like for about a year now.

Finally, a special thanks to: Larry, Don, Ed, Karen, Melissa, Nick, Jenn, Jeff, Nana, and Bradley. (and if I forgot someone I am so sorry, I have been inhaling fumes to get this job done, ha!) You all helped us so much to finish this task whether it was giving us the emergency spot at Lowes, feeding us, watching our kids, moving furniture, or getting in there to actually get dirty. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for being such a wonderful support system to our family. We love you all.

Spa Day

2009-07-23T13:53:00.003-05:00

So I was in line at Jason's Deli yesterday when an older lady in front of me brought my attention to 7 children (yes, I counted) sitting at a table together. She specifically pointed out one little girl who was tipping her chair back on 2 legs. She said to me, "Look at that little girl, she is going to fall, where are their mothers?"

I already knew where the 3 mamas were, they were pushing strollers through the line to get food. It just really rubbed me the wrong way... I wanted to respond "I'm sure they're at the spa."

So when you see kids sitting at a table alone, or being out-of-hand, or running ahead, it's not because I'm under a table chasing after another kid, or carrying a pool bag, diaper bag, gym bag, and a toddler. It's not because my hands are full with 4 lunches and 3 drinks. It's not because I'm changing a dirty diaper for the 15th time that day, or better yet running to the potty every 15 minutes so we don't soil our Elmo underwear, therefore causing me to have to clean out crappy pants at a restaurant or anywhere for that matter. It's because I have decided to let the children fend for themselves while I have a spa day, so there.

Serious

2009-07-22T21:19:00.002-05:00

So this is a very serious topic for me, but it's laying heavy on my heart to put it out there, so here it goes.

Drowning is silent.

I mean this quite literally. When your kiddos are in the pool, and they are drowning, it cannot be heard. You must always keep your eyes on your kids when they are swimming.

Here is what happened:

Case in point #1:
Last week I was at the pool with 2 other mommies and their kiddos. We were all enjoying ourselves just swimming around in a neighborhood pool. The kids were in an area that was approximately 3 feet deep (a little past their belly buttons), but then the pool makes a quick slope to the deep end. To stay safe, we posted ourselves at the slope, and faced the kiddos swimming in the shallow end. Carter and another little boy were playing out of the pool, so I exited to help them for a minute (leaving 2 mommies still in the pool near the kids) as I am getting back into the pool my friends turns around slightly, and says "Who is that?", to discover Cole has snuck past her (we still don't know how), and is bobbing nose in and out of the water trying to stay afloat. We heard nothing, it was a mother's instinct that she turned around to notice him.

#2:
Tonight we were at a friends pool, once again swimming with the kids. Carter was sitting on the pool steps playing as he always does. Brian is literally less than 2 feet away from him (in the water) talking to another parent. There were 10 adults swimming in this pool. I look at Carter playing, look over at Cole in another area (with another adult), look back, and Carter is under water except for his eyes. No one heard him fall off the steps. He was silent.

This is the point that I am trying to make. Please don't take swimming for granted (I'm sure you're thinking at this point, sure, she has room to talk, she almost had 2 drownings in a week), but what I'm trying to say is we had very capable aware adults within arms reach of both of these kids, and things turned out OK. Praise God. I guess up until this week I've been a bit naive to believe that if my kids were ever in trouble at the pool I would hear it. They would cry, splash, scream, get my attention... IT DOES NOT HAPPEN THAT WAY... DROWNING IS SILENT. They will most likely not splash (maybe not even when they fall in), their arms and legs are underwater swimming as hard as possible. They will not scream or cry, their faces are underwater. Please don't trust sticking your nose in a book, or laying on a floaty with your eyes closed that you will hear if your children are in distress... most likely it will not happen. Constantly scan the pool, do head counts, swim with your kids, be aware. For this reason, both of my kids were seen and pulled out instantly.

I hope it does not seem like I am on a soap box, but what I saw was the scariest thing I have ever seen, I don't want it to happen to anyone else. If this makes one person aware, it was beyond worth it.

Oh Crap, what have I gotten myself into?

2009-07-12T22:43:00.002-05:00

So we're just getting home from seeing our family in Amarillo (more on that later), but I believe that while I was there I roped myself? into running a half marathon with Josh, Kenna, and Allie on December 13th in Dallas. 13.1 miles on December 13th... just kind of sounds unlucky... ha! Better get it in gear so I can keep up!

Anderson Lawn Crew

2009-07-06T23:23:00.006-05:00

Available for hire!

Highly efficient...

... and really cute!

Not Me Monday...

2009-06-29T14:45:00.002-05:00

You know the drill right?... So let's get to it (I'm all for saving everyone a little bit of time, so...)

1. I did not force the VBS staff to potty train my child this week. I mean I did not make the most sense that a child watching other children pee-pee on the potty would want to do the same, so I surely did not just go cold turkey and take him in underwear to VBS. Not me!

2. I did not eat lunch and dinner out every day this week. I mean who has time to cook, oh, I do of course! So when we were hot and tired from a morning of VBS, I did not go to McDonalds, Panera, Spangles, or Jason's Deli for lunch, and we did not have KFC, Pizza Hut, or Sonic for dinner...not us.

3. Finally, I will not ever confess to giving my children their evening bath in their baby pool... not me... I mean, I would never just carry Johnson's Baby Wash, clean PJ's, and diapers outside, suds my kiddos off, and then dress them to be carried into bed. Not me.

Ahh, the joys of being perfect, ha!

Guess Who...

2009-06-26T07:48:00.005-05:00

... stayed in one pair of big boy underwear ALL DAY yesterday?

Yeah Cole!!!! Mommy and Daddy are soooooooo proud of you!

Redemption Race...

2009-06-24T22:21:00.001-05:00

The Firecracker 4-Mile... July 4th... hopefully it won't be pouring.

Finished!

2009-06-22T14:42:00.006-05:00

It is done. The first major "race" of my life is over... it will not be my last. I have to say it may take me a week or so to recover from it, but it was definetly a come to Jesus moment.

I started out by getting the worst night's sleep ever. We all tried to go to be early the night before so that we would feel rested for the early morning ahead. That idea worked for some (Brian), worked to the advantage of others (Just bring Cole to bed, so that he will go to sleep), and worked to my HUGE DISADVANTAGE. Lights out at 10:00, I finally fell asleep around 1, had to get up and pee twice because of all the water I drank in the evening, we got a prank phone call around 4:00, and the alarm finally went off around 5:45. I was never so glad for a night to be over just so I didn't have to worry about sleeping anymore, and I could move on.

I got up and around to a quiet house, to quickly notice it was raining, HARD. So I called the Y to make sure the race was still on, and runners much like golfers do it in anything... GAME ON.

We arrived at the Y 30 minutes before the race with cheering section in tow. (I am so lucky to have supportive friends and family.) My friend Sarah and I met up and did some pre-race pacing (aka: stretching and psyching yourself up to run 5 miles in the pouring rain).

As the rain continued to come down, we lined up, and the horn blew at 7:30 sharp. We took off. Now, please remember that I never claim to be a fast runner, so when everyone took off at a true runner's pace, I was screwed. It really wore me out in a hurry, so I had to drop off from Sarah and do this on my own. I trudged on through each mile, praying I would finish, wondering what to do if I didn't- not an option, and pushing, pushing, pushing.

At mile 3, a blister on my heal popped leaving exposed skin rubbing on my shoes, oh so painful, but the worst is my left big toe, it is black and blue, and disgusting. I am not sure how much running of any kind I will be doing this week.

So here I am, finishing the 8K (4.98 mile) race in 1:02:15. Not pumped about my time, in fact I have done it faster on the track, but I had to remind myself that on the track it was not hilly, and pouring.

In the end, I finished, with family and friends to greet me

and a smile on my face.

The rest of the weekend was spent doing this...

Tomorrow's The Big Day...

2009-06-19T21:01:00.001-05:00

New running shoes... check.
IPod full of uplifting songs... check.
Driven the race route... check.
Outfit laid out, and gym bag packed... check.
Supportive friends getting extra sleep for an early morning with me... check.

Now off to bed for some good rest. I will post more tomorrow. Wish me luck.

So Busy

2009-06-18T16:00:00.005-05:00

It seems like since summer hit we have just been so busy, but I don't want you to think I have given up on blogging, so I will try and do better. I am not going to go too far back... it would just be frustrating to think of how long it's been, but here are some highlights...

1. We celebrated Cole's Birthday at the ballpark. It was really a great time. I got all of the kiddos a baseball cap with their initial on it for their party favor. Here is a pic of the crew before we went into the game.

2. We had our annual garage sale. Although I always have this dread right before it starts that it won't be worth it, we made really good money again this year. Hopefully enough to get us through the summer and to redo our kitchen floors.

3. I have been training pretty hard for my race on Saturday. I am having terrible pain in my toenails of all things, so I went out and spent a pretty penny on real running shoes. I even went to a store where they professionally fitted me. The guy that did my fitting runs 6-8 miles per day... sounds qualified to me. I wore them yesterday for the first time and cut 2 minutes off of my mile. That's a lot! I hope I can hold a pace close to that for Saturday. I will be happy with any time under 1 hour.

4. Finally we have been swim, swim, swimming! We have been going to our friend K's house every day to swim for a couple of hours, and my do I have water bugs on my hands. Cole is able to walk in the shallow end, and he can paddle everywhere with a floaty. Carter slides in on his belly wherever he feels like it, and always trusts that someone is going to be there to catch him!

So there you have it, a quick recap of the last couple of weeks. Oh how I love summer.

"We're Going to Sing to My Candles!"

2009-06-03T21:43:00.010-05:00

That's right today we sang "Happy Birthday" to Cole's 3 candles. What a fun day, and an amazing year with this little boy.

A quick recap of the day...

We started the morning with a little gift so he could understand that today was his birthday. Here he is opening "daddy shoes" aka: flip flops. Cole will be a man after any girls heart, because he LOVES trying on shoes, and he loves you even more when you buy him a pair. You will see later in the day he receives 2 more pairs of shoes, and he has worn all 3 pairs already.

We headed off to the Y, but stopped off a Krispy Kreme and picked up mini doughnuts for all of his friends in the Kid Zone... a better birthday breakfast than a Nutri Grain bar if I do say so myself.

After the Y, we headed to get professional birthday pictures taken. I am lucky to have a summer and a winter baby because it gives me an excuse to spend insane amounts to capture my kiddos faces in time. (Cole received his 2nd new pair of shoes here.) So the best I can say is, we survived the photos. I am glad they shoot so many because Carter would not sit still for a second. Cole on the other hand was quite cooperative. Since they took so many shots, we got some good ones, but by the looks of the pics, you would thing it was easy... IT WAS NOT!

Next we met daddy at a pizza buffet for lunch (as you can see health food was not a theme today) and we had a relaxing lunch, followed by a nap, and some quick errands.

Then, for dinner we had our little party at Red Robin. I love eating there... good food, frequent Birthday celebrations, and no one notices your children acting like maniacs. Perfect.

We ordered our dinner then opened a couple of gifts from mommy and daddy, and some good friends. Here is a gift recap:

A weedwacker that sprays water!

A baseball mitt with a baseball.

Pair of shoes #3, Crocs with Jibbitz.

We ended dinner with a yummy babycake and some singing, then headed home.

When we got home we went out back and tested the new toys (and shoes), and then ended the evening with a run to Sonic for a free Root beer Float. Yum!

(The first unorganized game of baseball in our backyard.)

My brain feels too fried tonight to recap the whole year, so I will try and do that soon, but for now...

Happy Birthday Cole Thane Anderson. Three years ago I could have never understood how a six pound baby boy could change our lives, but you have been nothing other than a blessing everyday. Daddy and I "love you the most"! Happy Birthday.

Three In One...

2009-05-31T09:31:00.027-05:00

I have three posts that I have wanted to share in my memory bank, so I know it's long, but just pretend you're reading three.

#1: Surgery

The boys surgery on Tuesday went well. We had to be at the Surgery Center at 7am for check-in. In the beginning I thought it was going to be a nightmare. The nurse took us back to the pre-op area, and said "Only one of you is going to be able to take them into the changing rooms." You have GOT to be kidding. We come as a team for a reason... "I'll do it", I say. So I take the boys back to get blood pressures, weights and to change into these adorable tiger gowns...

After I get them changed we get to meetup with daddy again for time in the playroom/waiting room. Dr. H comes in for a quick pre-surgery consultation, and then takes Carter back.

Here is Boo after his surgery. He ended up having another ear infection when he placed the tubes, I think that would be #7 this year! No exaggeration. When they went back I told Dr. H. that I thought there would be 14 molluskums (skin tags) to remove. He removed 24!

Then it was Cole's turn. Cole did well during surgery. Dr. H. placed the tubes. He also said that his adenoids were the size of his thumbs.... uh, maybe that's why his ears are always infected. Cole had a really hard time coming out of the anesthesia. He was fighting the nurses (common side effect) and throwing up, so they gave him Demerol and put him back to sleep for about 30 minutes to sleep the effects off. What this ended up causing was a drugged baby for the day. In all honesty, the rest was probably really good for his body. He did not wake up for the day until 5:30 in the evening, and he still went to bed by 10.

So, it's over, now I'm just waiting for the bills. But thank you God for healthy babies. If this is the most I ever worry about I am blessed.

#2 School's Out for the Summer!

Woo Hoo!

We finished the school year, and I will give a quick recap... because we change so much each year.

I got to see 2 babies learn to crawl and then walk this year.

We moved from bottles, to baby food, to chicken nuggets (I cooked approximately 672 of them this year).

We have survived 534 diaper changes, and 558 hours of naps.

We have been to the park, the zoo, on walks, and we even bought a van to make it easier next year.

We painted, colored, did play dough, cut cookies, cut ornaments, and made messes in general.

We added a new baby to our group. I have watched babies turn 1, 2, and 3 this year.

We survived ear infections, sinus infections, strep infections, hand-foot-and mouth, more colds and allergies than you can count, and I think we even did it with grace.

We spent 3 months with daddy added to the group. Love ya!

We cried, hollered, pushed, pinched, bit, pulled hair, but mostly we laughed and loved each other. What a great year.

To end the year we celebrated Friday evening with BBQ and a movie. We all came together to share some yummy summer dishes, and then we watched a movie in the back yard.

For those of you that have requested Alyssa's jello recipe, here it is.

(You will need to do this for each color you make. Alyssa and I recommend lots of color- they'll all get eaten, we promise!)

9 oz. flavored Jello

3 small packets of unflavored Knox gelatin

2 1/2 cups boiling water

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Mix the flavored Jello and the gelatin packets together (dry)
Add the boiling water to the mixture and stir well until it is dissolved
Mix in the heavy whipping cream (it looks kind of funny, but trust it)
Pour into 9x13 pan (ungreased)
Refrigerate overnight (the whipping cream will float to the top, oh, and make sure the jello is on a flat surface in the fridge, or the cream will move to one side, and it doesn't turn out.)
Cut into squares, and enjoy!

Quite a gorgeous little treat huh. They were truly enjoyed by all. (This is lime, berry blue, and strawberry)

The Grill Master.

Storing bananasicles in the trunk- he even ate them.

Some time on "the playground" (aka: swing set)

It's movie time!

Everyone get comfy.

Lights out.

Fun times.

#3: More Determined Than Ever

So Saturday morning I had some things going on, but I was DETERMINED to get to the Y before the day got crazy. (I even stayed up until midnight packing and loading the car to get there by 8:30), so when I arrived at the Y at 8:43, you can believe that I was already frustrated. You see to start off, on the drive over I realized the parking lot of my normal Y was closed for a race, so I was going to have to go to a different Y, or risk hauling the kids from far away lands to get there, so I trudged on. I arrived at the other Y, and I forgot socks for the kids (I just can't get used to putting them in sandals and packing socks). Since it was not my normal friendly kid zone, these women seemed to care less about my determination, and just wanted me to scoot along... oh no sista, not me. So I said, "Uh, so you want me to take them?" (voice full of sarcasm and disgust) Now, I should say, I know rules are in place for a reason, but good god, let the kiddos wear their sandals in the Kid Zone for what now is only going to be a 40 minute workout... "Well I can sell you socks for $1.00." Ok, now we're rolling... s***, I don't have my wallet. So, she put a note on my tab saying I owe $1.00- Good luck lady, join the club. Now, MORE DETERMINED THAN EVER to make the next 40 minutes worth while I jumped on the treadmill. I skipped the warm up... (my heart was already racing, and my blood was pumping from the journey, I think I had covered that) and went straight to running AND...

I RAN MY FIRST 5K ON THE TREADMILL!!!!! I did it in 35:14. I have never done anything close to that. I just started running, and I kept telling myself that I could do better, and I did. I think I may run the 8K race (not to race anyone, but to prove it to myself) on June 20th, details to come...

Summer Sweet Summer

2009-05-23T23:04:00.011-05:00

... Can you smell it, it's just around the corner. The air is warm, the sun is out (as are the bugs), we can play outside for 15 hours a day if we want.... ah, sweet summer.

We have had such a wonderful week enjoying everything, that we are getting to bed WAY TO LATE to think about blogging. I'm going to get the "joy" slightly more under control, but I am loving it for now.

Last Saturday night we concluded the Riverfest with the fireworks show. Can you believe this is where Brian proposed to me 7 years ago. It really doesn't seem like it's been that long. Anyways, I was excited to take the boys to see the fireworks, and although I see a lot of kids their age freak out over them, I thought, we have fairly even keel kids when it comes to things like this, so it shouldn't be a big deal.

We told Cole in the morning that we were going to see them, and all day that's all he talked about. By evening he was stoked. We loaded up the wagon with toys, snacks, blankets, even their PJs. We were ready to go. The fireworks started, and WE WERE READY TO GO! They wanted nothing to do with it.

We finally convinced Cole to sit with Uncle Don. He would not face the fireworks, he wanted to be turned away with his ears covered. Carter hated them, but would not stay in anyone's lap. Every pop that went off was like he was being shot. He would jump up, cry, and run to another person. Finally, Brian and I tackled (literally) him between us, covered his ears, and he fell asleep. So they didn't see a single firework, but we'll do it again next year.

Sunday, we went to see the new Slawson Tiger Exhibit at the zoo. We have a World Class Zoo. I also shot some pics of the giraffes, they just seemed happy to be there that day. Carter is hilarious to take to the zoo. He will go to the window and growl at everything... even the fish.

Wednesday night I let the boys have "movie night". What this really consist of is a bowl of popcorn with some sweet treats mixed in, mommy and daddy's bed, and a movie that lasts as long as the popcorn (10 minutes)... ha! This was the first time we had Carter participate, and they LOVED it. We watched about half of an episode of Fraggle Rock, and ate two mini bags of popcorn. What a fun time.

Finally, tonight we grilled outside and played in the sprinkler. I didn't take many pics as I was actually using the video camera to catch the boys first time in the sprinkler, but it was adorable. We partook in a dinner consisting of Spinach Asiago Chicken Brats, Cucumber and Tomato Salad, Chipotle Grilled Corn, and Watermelon... jealous? Here was Carter's favorite part of the meal... MckMama would probably say this was against my better judgement food wise though...

So raise a watermelon slice to the kickoff of summer... Cheers!

Cutting Boo's Curls

2009-05-14T08:15:00.006-05:00

I think I had to do one of the saddest voluntary things ever this week. We cut Boo's baby curls off.... for several reasons I succumb to this right of passage to boyhood. First of all, I could braid a rat tail, and put beads in it like they did in the 80's (thank God we have better sense now!) Secondly, we were officially living at 1042 Mulletville. Thirdly, when he has his mulloskums removed I don't want his hair in the way. Finally, I was getting more attached every day. If I waited much longer, he was NEVER getting a haircut. I love having boys, but if Boo were a girl, I would let that hair grow and grow. So, the painful day came when we cut the curls off. Here are a few pics. (None during the actual event as daddy needed help with a squirmer.)

A decent picture, but nothing will ever reveal the full cuteness of those curls.

I loved to run my fingers through them while he would sit in my lap. (Tear!)

Boo's gonna do it himself.

He's not so happy about the change either.

Look at that baby boy head. So cute.

Handsome as always.

Ramblings...

2009-05-12T07:54:00.004-05:00

We have been sooo busy, I hate posting once a week, but that seems like my pattern. Maybe it will get better this summer, maybe. Here is a recap of our week.

I had my interview for Nursery Director last Wednesday. I think it went well. I would really love to do this job... now I just have to wait. They thought they would know something in a couple of weeks... I was the first interview. I hate that. Besides the fact that I am not a patient person to wait for everyone else to interview, I always wonder, by the time they finish interviewing everyone else, will they even remember me? I hope so.

Friday night we went to the River Festival Parade. It was so much fun watching the boys enjoy the parade. Cole was absolutely still the entire time. It was also really hot. Look at everyone's red faces!

Since then he has been marching around the house with this drums, and making the fire trucks follow him. So cute.

Saturday was a big day for me. I ran my first 2-mile race. I did it in 25 minutes. Believe me, I know the time is nothing to be proud of, but I did it, I ran 2 miles! I ran it, and I finished it. My hubby did not take a pic of me jogging across the finish line, but here is a pic a little later in the morning where I did finish... every step.

The rest of the morning was spent enjoying the festival events. We took the boys to see Little Red Hen, walked around a bit, and ate a little festival food. Fun times.

Look how tired this baby was after our Saturday morning events. He couldn't do anything other than snuggle with his daddy.

Mother's Day was nice. The boys allowed me to sleep in (best present ever), then they presented me with cards. We went to church, then had lunch at Terradyne. Sunday evening we went to workout heaven (Andover's New YMCA- more about that later) to take the boys swimming. We got there, got changed, put our feet in the beautiful pool, got barely soaked, and then.... some kid pooped in the pool! EVERYONE OUT! The pool was evacuated, and closed, not more than 5 minutes after we arrived. So...
last night we spent the evening at the pool with the boys again. They loved it. We didn't even get home until 10 o'clock.

Finally, I think we should get our own Grey's Anatomy episode. After a visit to our ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat) doctor, the boys are scheduled for 2 T-tube implantations, 1 Adenoidectomy, and 12 Molluskum removals on May 26th. Poor babies. I do not think this will be the funnest day ever for them, but it has to be done. I just want them to be better. This will be Cole's second set of tubes. His first set is retracted (falling out), infected, and the right one has developed a polyp. I will update when they are better.

So there you have it. Our days start at 6:30, and end at midnight. We never seem to find time to breathe, but I do love The Anderson Shuffle.

A Really Late Not Me! Monday!

2009-05-04T22:36:00.003-05:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I believe I've told you about Not Me! Monday! before, so here I go...

1. I did not completely blow my "lifestyle change" out of the water last week by eating out like 5 of 7 days. I did not open a bag of Sunchips, and sit down and eat out of the bag without thinking, and I most certainly did not eat like 10 mini fruit pizzas on Friday night. Not me.

2. I did not give my child Benadryl this morning in hopes of sedating his wild child a bit. (He does truly have a hive like rash), but my main concern for using the Benadryl was certainly not in hopes of peace and quiet during nap. Not me.

3. I did not wear a pair of jeans for a few hours, and then decide I did not like them. I did not dig through our trash to find the tags, and most of all, I did not take them back to the store and claim I just did not like them.

4. I did not act like a psychopath last night while doing the dishes. I did not yell at my husband for changing the way the dishes were loaded, and I did not go to bed without speaking to him because I could not say anything nice. Not me.

5. Finally, I am not counting the days to summer break. I do not know there are only 18 days, 180 hours, 432 more meals to serve, 252 diapers to change, or approximately 10,800 more times I have to tell someone "no" for something. Not me... not me at all.

Hop on over...

2009-04-28T16:17:00.001-05:00

Want to win a great prize? Hop on over to Sweet Peas and Sassafras (her link is in the list of My Blogs) to see her giveaway that is honoring her 200th post! Congrats Heather!

Restaurants, Relatives, Rain, and Resumes...

2009-04-27T16:15:00.002-05:00

What do Sugar Sisters Bakery, Panera, Wendy's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Olive Garden, and El Rodeo have in common?

Other than they fact that they are east side restaurants, they all helped contribute to the 2.5 lbs I gained eating at each and every one of them this weekend! First off, don't fret, it is very common for me to gain 2 or so pounds each weekend only to have to start my Monday and Tuesday by re-losing those, and then losing a couple more throughout the week.... if I could only keep those weekend pounds off, but I do love indulging a little on the weekends, so whatever.

Sunday was a very busy day. My Aunt Marie and Uncle Bruce came into town from Texas. They always travel in for their birthday/anniversary trip in April to spend some time with the Kansas family. We went and had dinner with them, and then they came back to our house to play with the boys. Their evening here was concluded when Cole used an orange crayon to color all over our dining room walls, but I will now endorse the Crayola Washable Crayons, and say it all wiped of VERY EASILY with a baby wipe. Thank goodness. I think it sent Brian over the edge for the evening though, so we had to give hugs, and prepare to send our babes to slumber land... one glitch...

If you live in Wichita or any of the surrounding communities, you realize that last night we had quite the rain storms. Carter did fine with it, but Cole told his daddy, "I will just sleep in your bed until the thunder goes away." I think Brian was OK with that, that meant that Brian had to go to bed also, so I got to watch Sunday night TV in total peace. I turned out all of the lights in the house, and just let the lightning flash away. We suffered no damage, but we have some family that have had some flooding issues from the storm. Wichita received somewhere in the 7 inch range in a matter of about 12 hours last night... here is a pic I took. It literally poured for hours.

Finally, resumes.

Yes, that's right I am preparing my resume. Breathe. I am not done being a stay-at-home-mom yet. Not even close in fact. I am applying to be the Director of our Church Nursery on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. I will still watch kiddos, it would just be some bonus money to pad our pockets a little. I have no clue what my chances of actually obtaining this position are. Although I feel fully qualified (I have nothing other than running church nurseries, Sunday school, VBS, day cares, Early Head Start... you get the point, in my background), this is a larger church, and they may already have their eye on someone. This is how I feel about it. It's in God's hands, and how can I complain about our financial situation if I don't make smart moves to try and improve it. So if God wants me do this job, I will, with joy. And if he does not, that is fine also.

So there you have it... I hate to ramble, so there is a reminder of the rain, restaurants, and relatives we relished in over this restful weekend.

All Things Orange

2009-04-21T22:43:00.008-05:00

So today we did all things orange. I tell you I started out praying for little Stellan first thing this morning, and thought and prayed for him all day long. It helped that every time I saw something orange I was reminded of that sweet little boy. So here is a recap of our day...

We started our morning with a breakfast on orange plates and orange sippy cups.

This is my feeble attempt to dress my family in orange, and get a decent picture... impossible. I guess we don't own much orange, but I did think of Stellan the whole time I was perusing our drawers and closets. I tried. (Carter has orange stripes in his outfit... in case you can't tell.)

We spent some time playing with orange balloons... we were praying and playing for Stellan.

And then, we ate a lunch that consisted of chicken nuggets, cheez its, and peaches (if their poop is orange tomorrow... I AM taking a picture of it... HA!)

Cole helped me say a prayer for Stellan this afternoon, and when I got the news that he had come through the surgery I choked back tears. Thank God, the ultimate healer. So there you have our orange day. Keep praying for Stellan tomorrow.

Quick Update

2009-04-20T20:04:00.005-05:00

I thought I would give you all a quick update on the 30 Day Shred that I did. I ended up losing about 6-7 lbs over the 30 days, but the muscle tone I have gained is amazing. I really do like her video. Like I may have mentioned before I did not do the Shred every day instead I did all three levels of the shred every other day, and on the opposite days I did 1 hour of cardio at the gym. A single level of the shred is only about 20 minutes, and that is just not a long enough workout for me anymore, so that's why I do all three levels at once. I ordered two more of Jillian's videos from Walmart.com last night (they are half the price of Target) if you are interested. I am looking forward to more time with Jillian in my living room! Oh, and a quick funny about the video... I have been doing it so much that I basically have it memorized, so last night instead of watching her on the big screen I watched Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters while I just did the video from memory...BONUS!!!!!

Secondly, I know MANY of you are reading MckMama's blog (click on the Praying for Stellan button on the right of my blog). Baby Stellan is either having surgery tonight or tomorrow morning to correct his problem, and in his honor WE WILL BE WEARING ORANGE for Stellan tomorrow. We will do as many things orange, and pray for baby Stellan as many times as possible... will you? Please. I'll post our orange day tomorrow.

Prom

2009-04-19T10:17:00.005-05:00

So 10 Years Ago, Brian and I went to our high school prom together.

And who would have thought that 10 years later we would be going to "Peanut Prom" with our two boys! My moms group had "prom" for the families last night. It was a fun chance to dance with the babies. The had streamers, cupcakes, and blowers... what fun!

Immediately after prom was over, we went to a birthday party for our friend Ashley. She was celebrating her 30's with wine and chocolate at a store called Coca Dolce. They make all of their chocolates, and they are wonderful. Ok, try not to drool too much, but I had (too much chocolate) a champagne truffle, a raspberry truffle, a blackberry truffle, a creme de brule truffle, a caramel truffle, a margarita truffle, a pina colada truffle, and a key lime truffle. (Most of them I ate half and Brian ate half.) So good. They paired the chocolates with flights of wine. It was a very relaxing time and a fun way to celebrate Ashley. Happy Birthday Ashley!

Sisterhood Award

2009-04-16T19:42:00.006-05:00

I received my first blogging award today from my good mommy friend Heather. (Thanks Heather, it was a really nice pick me up.)

Now, apparently I am supposed to pass this award on to some other WONDERFUL women.

(Here are the rules.)

Rules of The Sisterhood Award: 1. Put the logo on your blog or post. 2. Nominate 10 blogs with great attitude and/or gratitude. 3. Be sure to link your nominees in your post. 4. Let your nominees know they have received the award by leaving them a comment on their blog. 5. Be sure to link this post to the person who nominated you for the award.

I AM GOING TO BREAK THE RULES A LITTLE BIT.

I have decided that I am going to let 10 Amazing Women know how great they are whether they blog or not (although some do).

In not particular order... ( I am putting their blog name next to their names... I still can't figure out how in the he** you add a link without showing the whole address... someone want to help me here?)

1. Erin A. (Stronger Than Armour)... you are a wonderful sister, mom, and woman. I wish you lived closer so we could spend more time together. I envy your adventurous spirit.

2. Mom A. (no blog)... thank you for all you do for me. Although my mom will never be replaced you do a great job of picking up the slack. When it comes to MIL's I got lucky!

3. W-O (no blog)... you are such a great friend who puts up with our family like we are your own. Love ya girl... (even if you do erase The Biggest Loser!!)

4. Linds (no blog)... you have such an amazing spirit. You are someone I can truly confide in, and I always value your opinion. You are level headed, but still keep me young!

5. Heather (Sweet Peas and Sassafras)... to a great mommy friend who opened up new worlds to me. Thank you for introducing me to so many great mommies...

6. Jenn (no blog)... you are constantly lighthearted and fun to be around. Your kind and giving spirit radiates out of you... I wish I could be a little more like you!

7. Kelley (no blog)... if I can't have a sister living in town with me, at least I have you! We have seen some amazing and some tough times together. I am extremely lucky to have such a beautiful and gifted woman that I can call family.

8. Aunt Lynda (no blog)... I can ALWAYS count on you. You are my second mom. Whether it's midnight, or raining, or just silly to call, you never make it feel silly.

9. Aunt Helen and Marie (no blog)... thank you for always sending kind, supporting, and encouraging words my way. Although you are both far away, you always make me know you care.

10. Shaila and Alyssa (no blog)... thanks workout buddies, gripe buddies, mommy madness buddies, shop late at Target for no good reason at all buddies, YOU ARE BOTH GREAT!

So there you have it. I broke the rules, but I don't care, I think you girls are the best, and I want you to know it. Now go and pass it on!

Quick Quips from Cole...

2009-04-15T22:28:00.005-05:00

Last week Cole was really into Jesus and Easter. On Wednesday he came into the kitchen to tell me "Jesus is knocking at the back door mommy." Normally I would say let Jesus in (to your life, heart, etc...) but NOT THE BACK DOOR COLE.

Cole came into me today, "I need a paper towel." "For what?", I said.

"For chocolate face!"

Meet chocolate face everyone:

We've been potty training (forever now), and so I sat on the big people potty while Cole sat on his potty. When I was finished, he walked over, looked in the potty, and said, "Good job mom, you can have a skittle!"

Last week I was running around the house doing who knows what and Cole comes running to me and says, "Mom, you should see what your kiddos are doing." (They were unloading every last wipe out of the wipe box. Thanks kid.)

A couple of weeks ago I walked into my bedroom and Cole was sitting in my bed. He looked at me and said, "Good morning grilfriend." (no, that's not a misspelling).

Ahh, if nothing else, they are cheap entertainment.

Eggs

2009-04-12T20:11:00.006-05:00

Dye them...

Hunt them...

And fill your tummy with them (or the candy that's inside!)

May we rejoice in this glorious day when Jesus lived so that we may also. Happy Easter from the Andersons!

New Number and Baby Bangs?

2009-04-07T22:19:00.003-05:00

So here it is, the new number.... (notice there is no 2 at the beginning!)

I know most people would be devastated to post their scale on a Blog, but I AM SO EXCITED!!!! I cannot remember the last time I have been under 200 lbs. It has been at least 7 years. That also means that as of today I have officially lost 60 lbs. since starting this journey in August. That feels good. I have felt terrible the past 7-10 days with a flu like walking pneumonia. Exhausted, and coughing to the point of no return only touches on my symptoms. So I am super excited that I have been able to continue to lose weight with only half-hearted workouts, but a good diet. So I will trudge on... 55 lbs to go!

Now onto the baby bangs. Last night I got my hair cut and colored, and I told my hairdresser how I always have these baby bangs that stick up... it's not like my hair breaks off, it's too short to do anything with. She told me it is probably because of my new diet. Huh. Never heard of such a thing. I ended up cutting some bangs to maybe try and hide them a little. I will have to post a pic when I look a little better... I've been cleaning all evening.

That is my final topic. I have been cleaning all day and evening because we are going to have lots of company this week. I am starting out by having a dear friend and neighbor over tomorrow night that just lost his wife to a stroke a few days ago. I want to make sure that he is getting some company and warm meals. I am making chicken noodles, mashed potatoes, crescent rolls, and apple cake with a homemade caramel drizzle. I hope he likes it. Then, on Friday, we are having about 40 Moms and Tots over for an Easter Egg Hunt and Picnic in our backyard. What fun!

(I just need to express my constant annoyance that my published posts are never formatted like my original posts... I did not write this in one long paragraph... what is the deal?)

"Can I Go Potty Mommy, would that be OK?"

2009-04-03T18:33:00.002-05:00

Yes, yes, yes, yes, (fast yes') yes, yes, yes, yes, (long drawn out yes') yeeeeeesssss, yeeeeeesssss, yeeeeeesssss, (squealing yes' while I skip to the potty) yes yippee, yippee, yippee!

Cole ASKED to go to the potty today... and stayed dry ALL DAY LONG... need I say anything other than "YES!"

Not Me Monday.... Stellan Style!

2009-03-30T07:59:00.002-05:00

I don't usually do these... or at least I haven't yet, but today I feel compelled to make sure Stellan is at the front of everyone's minds.

So here it goes...

I have NOT thought about Stellan most every moment of every day since I found out he was in SVT.

I have NOT felt guilty that I get so irritated when my children are sick, and then I have NOT felt even more guilty knowing how selfish that is when there are other mom's and children dealing with much more.

I have NOT checked http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ literally 30 times a day to see if she has a new post, and when she does not, I have NOT gone so far as to link to her tweets just to get a small update.

I have NOT cried, prayed, or cried more wanting this baby to be well. NOT ME!

Heather, you said it best, so I am taking it from you... Pray. Pray. Pray. Hope. Wish. Whatever it is you do, please do it!

The Twelve Hours of Motherhood...

2009-03-27T16:53:00.012-05:00

I've been very busy. As some of you know (and others don't) I have my own two kiddos that I stay home with as well as 3 other babies I watch during the day. Yes you counted correctly... that's 5 kids... Cole 2 years old, Carter, B, and B (I'm keeping their names private for their parents) are all 1, and WD is 9 weeks old. I have my hands full, but week keep on quite a daily routine. Yesterday, I started humming the Twelve Days of Christmas in my head, and realized that's kind of what my day feels like... so here it goes... (oh, for the sake of time, I'm just going to count it down 1 time backwards)

In the Twelve hours of motherhood my true loves asked of me...

Twelve diaper changes

Eleven sippy cup refills

Ten quiet minutes

Nine blocks for stacking

Eight hours playing
Seven books for reading

Six trips to the potty

Five precious babies (I know that's only 4, but WD is too small... and I try not to post pics of my daycare kiddos faces for privacy sake)

Four hot lunch plates (and three warm bottles, four breakfasts, and six to eight snacks)

Three hours sleeping

Two dino jammies

ONE TIRED MOM!!!

It's been a good week with our newest addition WD. He is a precious baby. Hope this was a fun little post about our days together. Now we're preparing for a BLIZZARD...OOOOOH! I'll believe it when I see it- I'm predicting it misses us. So far we've had some yucky ice pellets, but I guess the advantage to being a SAHM (stay-at-home mom) is that we don't have to go out in it! Guess it will give me LOTS of time to post this weekend.

Walk Boo Walk!

2009-03-22T22:26:00.009-05:00

Do you see what I see? Yep, that's our Carter Boo standing alone and taking steps...Praise the Lord, it has finally happened!!!!!

After Cole growing up so quickly, I swore I was not going to push Carter out of babyhood, but my back is aching from carrying him around, and I long for the days of having a free hand to sign a credit card slip at the store...so Friday evening when he decided to take his first steps I could do nothing other than CELEBRATE! He loved chasing this ball around the house. He would pick it up, toss it, and then take 3-5 steps to get it. I know he has a long ways to go before life will get easier, but this is the first step (literally!)

Other than that we spent the weekend with good friends and family.

Saturday we went to celebrate Princess K's 3rd Birthday at the Crown Uptown Theatre. We saw the afternoon showing of Cinderella. It included a lunch buffet... every child's dream... applesauce, mac n' cheese, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and french fries... not a veggie in site. Happy Birthday K! Cole (and all of the Anderson's) truly adore you, and think you are growing up to be a beautiful little girl.

Saturday evening I made one of my favorite meals... Diet Coke Chicken.

I am giving you the recipe, and requesting you give it a try... even if you don't like Diet Coke... I promise, it doesn't taste like Diet Coke, IT'S DELICIOUS, and it's SO easy. So here it is:

1 can of Diet Coke
1 cup of Ketchup
3-4 chicken breasts chopped into chunks

Combine the three ingredients into a large skillet. (When you pour in the Diet Coke it gets kind of bubbly and gross, but just keep stirring.) When the items are mixed together, bring to a boil for 5 minutes, and then turn down the heat. Keep the temp to where the mixture bubbles, but not a true boil. Bubble the mixture for 45 minutes (without a lid on the skillet)... it should thicken and turn into a saucy mixture that coats the chicken. Serve over rice... yummy! The beautiful thing is that other than occasionally stirring it around a little, it makes itself.

I also made this for dessert Saturday night (I'm not Martha Stewart, but it was delicious... and kind of healthy... fresh berries and reduced fat Vanilla Wafers.)

Well, Spring Break is over, but spring has sprung in Kansas... we're expecting tornadoes tomorrow, better go dust off my ruby slippers!

Happy Spring Break!

2009-03-20T14:38:00.005-05:00

First off, the big reveal... here is the house with the finished paint! Way to go Brian... thank you for being so patient with me... I love you!

BEFORE:

AFTER: ( I can't wait for leaves on the trees, and the green grass to grow!)

It's been such a FUN and busy spring break... I have truly taken this week as a vacation. The laundry is piling up, the dishes aren't (only because I haven't cooked), and the house, well let's just say it needs a little sprucing up, but oh what a fun week we have had. I have TOTALLY slacked on the "what a good mom does" duties, and gone more for "what a mom on vacation does"... for example, I found the boys eating this for breakfast yesterday... AND ALLOWED IT!

Yep, those are ice cream filled root beer popsicles.

Monday I took Cole to a birthday party at Pump It Up. For those of you unfamiliar with the facility, it has several of those large inflatable slides and jumping houses. Cole loves it, and it is truly fun for them. I got to have a little fun also. There is a maze that Cole goes in there, and always gets stuck, so I had to follow him through the maze to get him unstuck... a good excuse for a great time.

Tuesday and Thursday we spent at the zoo. I don't think the boys will ever get tired of the zoo. Wichita has such a beautiful zoo, and it truly takes hours to get through it. I love asking Cole all of the things he wants to see when we go... this week it was the cows, and the "chimpangees". We got to watch the "chimpangees" eating their "big, big carrots" for lunch. Carter growled at everything. It's so much fun to watch him begin to understand the zoo.

Such a brave little baby to growl in the face of a gorilla!

Oh yes, and we can't forget Bolt. We went to see Bolt the movie this week... who would have guessed that two toddlers could finish 2 suckers, 2 boxes of Junior Mints, a popcorn, and a drink... and still only be 30 minutes into the movie! We had to leave before we got kicked out! (I am pretty sure they were on the way to kick us out as we were leaving... really!) OH WELL!

We also spent time at the Sedgwick County Park and the Duck Park this week. After all of that and squeezing time in for lunch with Nana, daddy, and the W-O-E's, the week is pretty much over... so sad.

So there you have it... Spring Break in review.

Now, a quick 30 Day Shred update... I am still committed to the Shred. I actually completed all three levels in one workout the other night. It took me almost an hour and a half, but I felt so good! I really like this workout. The only problem I am facing right now is that I think if I work it that hard I am going to have to do it every other day to give my muscles a day to repair themselves. So next week I think I will do The Shred on MWF and go to the Y on T/TH for just some cardio. It is a GREAT workout, and I can already see my body toning up from it. I am wearing all size 16's now. When I started this journey in August I was in a size 24, and that was even sometimes too small! I can buy my clothes off the rack at Old Navy and Target now! IT FEELS SO GOOD!

We're going out with a great friend for her birthday dinner tonight, and I can't wait! Happy Birthday K! Happy first day of Spring to you all!

Well, Thank You Very Much...

2009-03-14T21:53:00.002-05:00

... officer. Ughhh. Yep, you guessed it, I got a ticket this evening. I went with Brian's mom this afternoon to get some groceries, and then took her home to drop off hers. When I left her house I took a different route than usual that put me about a block different than when I normally go home... not a big deal right? Not unless that 1 block and a dog on the loose causes you to run a stop sign. (I need to mention that the stop sign I ran is to a side street that is not heavily trafficked.) This is not an excuse to run it, but I was out of sorts watching the dog running around, and suddenly lights and sirens come flying up behind me... I'm not exaggerating... I thought there was a major catastrophe happening somewhere, so still not knowing I had done anything wrong I pull over thinking he is going to fly around me. Instead he pulls up behind me. "Explicative!" I knew it couldn't be good, but what had I done? Well, as I informed you earlier in the story, the officer informed me of my violation. You would think that a cool and calm girl like me with NO PRIOR tickets may get a warning. I did explain that it was an honest accident and that I was very sorry. Oh no, here's an $86 ticket to start off your spring break. Any questions? That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

I'll Give You 30 Days...

2009-03-13T21:49:00.003-05:00

Ok, so here is the new workout video I bought Tuesday night after Bunco.

It was on sale at Target this week, so I figured what the heck. May as well try something new. So I came home Tuesday night excited to give it a go. I mean it only takes 20 minutes... how bad can it be? So I laced up my sneakers and headed to the living room. I'm not sure I can be called in shape yet, but I do put on my running shoes five times a week, so although I thought myself to be more of a Level 2 or 3, I decided I would start at the very beginning and see what it was all about. "Let's start with a 2 minute warm-up"... no problem. "Now into push ups"... OK. "Squats with presses at the end."... feeling the burn. "Another round of push up"... you're strong keep it up... "Next set of squats with presses"... I'm out!

The whole philosophy of the video is that she is going to burn as many calories as possible off of your body in 20 minutes, so everything is timed, and there are NO RESTS in between. You do 3 minutes of strength training, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs.

Here are my 2 complaints about this video (and most videos in general):

1. Who taught personal trainers how to count? I get sick and tired of them saying "Ok, a couple more"... and 20 reps later... in my book couple means 2.

2. The video claims to take 20 minutes, and when I finished it had been 27 minutes and 32 seconds. Not to be a stickler, but in this day and age EVERY second counts.

What I love about this video:

1. It was still a fast workout.

2. It worked my ENTIRE body.

3. Jillian states during the video... I know this is hard, but if I am going to tell you I will get the job done, I must live up to that standard, and deliver a workout video that will get the job done.

So, I'll give you 30 days Jillian. I will faithfully use your video one time per day, and give it 100% effort. What can you do for me?

Stay tuned.

Falling Out

2009-03-12T08:19:00.009-05:00

OK, so I was notified last night that I had fallen out of the blogging world. I am sorry. We have just been so busy... it's hard to decided what to make time for. In the end my family and working out seem to top the list, and blogging has fallen to the wayside several times, but here it is... Since I blogged last the Andersons have been very busy...ALWAYS!? Last Saturday I had a Silpada party. I have to be honest that I was very nervous because I had not gotten a good RSVP response, and the rep was driving in from Kansas City. I called her last Thursday night to cancel, and she told me that she had 2 other parties, so she wanted to keep the party on the books. Saturday I had about 9-10 girls show up, and I ended up having a $1000 party! (Thanks to the last minute book orders that made it a "qualified" party.) I got to pick out $310 worth of jewelry... could a girl be any happier? Here is what I got for FREE!

Saturday night we had a mom's night out with my mom's group... what fun! I mean we had too much fun. We had the pregnant mommies be the DD's, and we went to Margarita's for dinner, drinks, and dancing. I have not partied like that in at least 4 years... and I will probably NEVER party like that again. I know I had 6 shots and 5 margaritas, and I am sure glad we had Lindsey and Laura to get us home, or I would have had to walk. I could barely get out of bed the next morning, but Brian convinced me to go off of the "lifestyle change" for a moment... OK, it's not exactly in the Best Living book to throw back 11 drinks either, but he wanted me to put something heavy in my stomach. So he went and got me a hamburger and fries for lunch (I had not had that since last August)... it was good, and helped A LOT. By Sunday afternoon I was mobile again.

After I recovered Sunday, Brian's mom took us to LB for some new clothes. I am not going to post everything, but I got this dress to wear for Easter, and for the summer.

Other than that I had Bunco on Tuesday night. We ended up being short some girls this month, so we just watched Biggest Loser... does anyone follow it? I liked Mandi... she was quiet, but I think she had a lot of heart like Tara. I would love to see Tara win. All of the girls think that Jillian was really harsh on the black team for their choices at the reward, but I think her point was that when you go into the real world these choices will be set before you every single day... you must resist. One bad choice can blow an entire week. I know it sound like I am preaching, but I'm not. I make bad choices every day. I just think that they are REALLY protected on the ranch, and that they have got to show restraint when they leave, or they will end up where they started. Food is an addiction like any other... drugs and alcohol are Powerful addictions, but you must seek them out, and they are not required to survive. I cannot ever BREAK my addiction to food because I will always have to eat to live... therefore, I have to learn to control my addiction. I think that is what Jillian was trying to teach them.

Well, enough about me.

Brian is really liking his job at Terradyne. He thinks he is going to be doing a lot more management, and less hole digging this summer... that can't be bad right? He is on a much more regular schedule. We miss him during the day, but things seem a little more organized at home also. So it's been a good change for all of us.

I am so ready for Carter Boo to walk. He spend his time pushing this thing everywhere.

We have also been going outside a ton, and now it's too cold again... Carter wants out so bad.

Cole is just like his daddy... he wants to wear shorts ALL of the time. I can't convince him it's cold outside, so I don't even fight the battle most days (I mean it's 74 degrees in the house.)

Finally, Cole wanted me to "take a picture of my blankie". So I did. There you have it. I'm off to play Gator Golf with the boys.

Sunny Day...

2009-03-04T22:27:00.021-06:00

... sweeping the clouds away! Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street? We found it tonight!

A little boy anxious to meet Elmo!

We took the boys to see Elmo's Green Thumb tonight. We started the evening by running out to dinner at Chipotle. We enjoyed some yummy Mexican food, and then headed to the show. I have to be honest that I was not sure how little Carter would handle it, but he did very well considering we asked him to sit in our laps for 2 hours straight... I dare not put him on that germ infested floor (oh, I wish he would just walk!)

We had a great time. The boys were enthralled with the show, and we had no major breakdowns until the end. I would like to thank the Kansas Coliseum for their kid-friendly concession menu (hot dogs, peanuts, beer, pop, and popcorn... really that was ALL of it). I chose popcorn and pop, and just prayed that Carter didn't choke on it... we needed some sort of distraction before the show started. Anyways they absolutely loved it, and it felt like an evening well spent. Here are some more pics. Enjoy!

Ready to enjoy the show!

The show has started... no more pics please.

Sugar with daddy

The cast and crew! What a fun evening!

Hello to All...

2009-03-02T17:41:00.009-06:00

It seems like forever since I have posted... I mean truly posted, so let me give you a rundown of the recent Anderson Shuffle.

Last week we spent our days looking out the window watching daddy paint our house. It turned out to be a minor catastrophe, but thanks to my loving husband who allows me my woman's right to change her mind. We (I) decided that if we were going to paint the house we were going to make it look like the one I saw on the cover of the AT&T yellow pages 5 years ago. So, after about 3 hours at the paint store we decided that this was the color for our house...

Nope that's not it!

That's definitely not it, in fact I HATE it.... no Brian, I really hate it. (A conversation I had with Brian after he had FINISHED painting the body of the house.) I was ready to cry... if I had some neon colored spray paint I could have put polka dots on the house and made it an Easter Egg (seasonally appropriate at least). So after about 30 minutes of me throwing a mini-tantrum, he agreed to paint the house again... you counted correctly, that's three paint colors! I am happy to say that I do love the new color, and it is coming along. The cold weather has set us back, so you will have to wait for the final reveal... MORE TO COME!

Other than that, we did some fun things last week. The boys had their first major role play when they decided to play "Gwocewy Store". I got out the food and shopping cart, as well as the cash register, and we spent the morning shopping and stocking our gwocewies... what fun!

Painting took most of the week, but on Saturday we took a break, and took the boys to their final swim lesson for the month, and then... I got to got to Healing Waters Medical Spa for a facial and manicure. I have to admit that I was mildly bummed at first that I was getting a facial instead of a massage, but during the facial... I got a mini massage- WONDERFULLLLLLL!

We ended the weekend by picking up some of our best friends from the airport, and they took us for a lovely dinner. By the time I got home, I was incredibly nauseous, and before the night was out I was puking (I know, so gross), so I've spent the day recovering from food poisoning, but it was great for the weight loss plan- Ha! This morning when the boys got up I put cereal, toast, and milk on the coffee table for them, and allowed them to eat in front of the TV while I dazed in and out of a mini-coma, trying to get better.

So there you go, now you know.

Is Anyone Else Having Trouble?

2009-02-28T21:59:00.003-06:00

Is anyone else having trouble reading blogs? Whenver I connect to someone's blog that has their "Followers" on their page, it redirects me, and won't allow me to read it. I was having this problem with my own blog earlier this week, and took my followers gadget off of my page which resolved the problem, but there are several blogs I have not been able to read in days because of this (if you have followers on your page, you are one of them.) Anyways, I was just curious if this was a problem with my computer or with blogger. I would love a response if anyone is out there reading this... I miss reading about you all!

I haven't forgot...

2009-02-26T12:36:00.001-06:00

I only have about 30 seconds to post, so here's the scoop...

Brian is still painting the house. We changed the color twice!... I explain more later. WE HAVE GOT TO ROCK THIS OUT BEFORE THE WEATHER CHANGES. I'll post pics and everything later, but I have been so busy, and we just don't have a moment to stop.

That I Mean What I Say When I Say "I Do"

2009-02-22T22:43:00.007-06:00

Those are the words that rung true in our lives tonight. They are the words that are in the new Matthew West song found at this link (just double click on When I Say I Do). IT IS WORTH IT TO GO LISTEN TO THIS SONG... it's my new favorite.

Brian and I had our re commitment ceremony at church tonight. I have been a naysayer of this ceremony, but I knew Brian wanted to do it. I realized that I the reason I didn't really want to do this was that I really wanted my family there, but when Brian squeezed my hands (as tightly as the day we were married), I knew what really mattered at that moment was the love that we have for each other, and our commitment before God.

Pastor Jeff Gannon put on a really nice ceremony for the couples

Kind of funny side story... during the ring exchange you may notice this is my promise ring... my wedding ring has a chipped diamond and has been in for repairs for 3 months. It's supposed to be back next week. I sure do miss it, but this promise ring has been around for a long time now, so it was still very special.He tried to steal the kiss early, but I made him wait until Pastor Jeff announced us officially remarried!

It turned out to be a very fun evening for us. I do still love him, and would marry him again any day. I want to do this again someday in Hawaii with our kids. I want them to see and understand the commitment we made to each other and to our family. The theory of "Fireproof" is not that a fire will never come, but that the material is strong enough to withstand the heat. With the firm foundation of God, and our commitment to continue to love each other unconditionally, and forever, the Anderson Family is fireproof.

P.S. - Thanks Stephanie for the pics! You were a great 'Matron of Honor'!!!

New Adventure

2009-02-20T23:02:00.006-06:00

Congratulations Brian! It's time for our family to start a new adventure. At 5:00 this evening our 10-week stint of unemployment ended. Brian accepted a job with Terradyne Golf Course. He will start as their Assistant Superintendent on March the 1st. I know that earlier I did not sound so excited, but I am very thankful to God for blessing our family with this job at a time when the unemployment rates are higher than ever. It doesn't seem like it fits us perfectly, but I know God has a plan for us, so I won't second guess Him.

So we have lots to do before March 1st. First of all we have to have the most fun we can fit into this week. I want to treat this week like a mini-vacation for our family. Next week it's back to work, and boy are we going to miss having our daddy around all day to play with and love on us. The other thing we have to do is to get the house painted... crazy I know, but we had planned on hiring it out, and now we would like to save the money, so Brian is going to do it himself!!! I am not sure about this, but we've painted the inside plenty, so now it's time to try the outside... wish us luck. I am sure it's not that hard. I need to make sure it's warm enough for the paint to cure, but we'll get professional advice before we do something silly.

We do have a fun and busy weekend ahead. This evening 5 other girls and I went to the Women's Fair. If you don't live around here, basically our Expo Center sets up hundreds of boothe's devoted to women. This includes jewelry, purses, chiropractors, salons... if it's for women, it's there. So we went tonight and explored the booths. I bought this necklace which I LOVE! You can take the different pieces off and replace them with others. I am going to go to their store in town and buy about 5 other pieces so I can mix and match the pieces... what fun! While the girls were out the daddies and babies stayed home and had pizza and watched movies. (Don't you wish you were a fly on the wall for that one.)

Tomorrow the boys have swim lessons, and then we have to drop of Carter Boo with Nana so that we can take Cole to see "Jack and The Beanstalk" with the Wichita Children's Theatre. They're having their picnic show, so Cole will get to eat pizza and have POP... his favorite! I would imaging we will squeeze a trip to the paint store into the afternoon, and in the evening our church is having an event where we get to drop off our kiddos for three hours and have Date Night. Fun, fun, fun!

Sunday will be the normal trip to church, and in the evening we will have our final Fireproof session, followed by our vow renewal and a dinner.

Now you know all the details of our weekend. I hope you all have a great one also!

To Work or Not To Work, That is the Question...

2009-02-19T17:53:00.004-06:00

Well, Brian was FINALLY offered 2 different jobs yesterday. I wish I could be more excited, but neither one feels like a perfect fit for our family. I should be excited that he is being offered a job in this economy, but I just don't feel the thrill rushing through my blood like I though I would. Here is a rundown...

Clearwater Golf Course offered him the General Manager position. He would be running both sides of the golf course (pro shop/grounds). The new owners seem so nice, but here's the problem...
1. The offer is SIGNIFICANTLY lower than what we expected. They want to come back with a counter offer today, but is it worth...
2. The 60 minute daily drive
3. The long hours
4. The responsibility of running an entire golf course with only part-time help
5. The fact that he will never get a day off because he will be in charge of that place running?????

Terradyne is expected to offer him the Assistant Superintendent job today. Brian seems really excited about this job... as am I... kind of. It's closer to home. He would get guaranteed time off. He won't have ALL of the responsibility, but enough. So what's the problem...
1. The pay once again does not come close to what we were making at Willowbend...

So to work, or not to work that is the question... When either paycheck is only going to bring in as much as the unemployment we're on now, it's hard to get excited.

Attn: Panera... If you need baby models, call me!

2009-02-17T11:28:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentines Day... Uh maybe weekend?

2009-02-15T20:48:00.000-06:00

Oh, what a busy Valentine's weekend this has been. Such a good one, but I'm exhausted! It started on Friday evening when some of our best friends told us they would watch the boys so we could go out. So we did a little planning, made some reservations, and gathered all of the gear it takes to care for two toddlers late into the evening... suddenly I realized I had nothing to wear! NO, REALLY, I had nothing dressy to wear. I have lost so much weight that the only pants I own right now are jeans or yoga pants, and a skirt has been out of the question for a couple of years now... so I rushed out to find something... don't laugh, but these legs haven't seen the light of day in quite some time. Cole even said, "what are you wearin' mom?"... " a skirt Cole!"

After dropping the boys off, we headed to The Old Town Warren to watch He's Just Not That Into You. The funniest part of that was that when we arrived, there were no seats left in the theatre except two in the front row, so I headed over towards them and realized that some of our other best friends were going to be sitting right next to us!... I felt like a date crasher... thank you Kristina and Andy for being so gracious and allowing us to sit next to you.

When the movie was over, Brian and I headed to our FAVORITE restaurant, Cafe Bel Ami. It's a tiny cafe downtown. I say that we can only afford to eat there once a year, but I want to lick my plate it's so good. They had a live string quartet there on Friday night, and when we arrived they were playing the Beauty and the Beast theme song. So romantic.

Saturday we went to the YMCA to work off some of our Valentines splurge, and then Brian had two different interviews (I know, so weird to interview on a Saturday.) So while Brian was interviewing I had lunch with Nana and the W-O-Es. We tried Hu Hot. I did enjoy it, and Cole thought it was great getting to watch them cook his food on the "hot, hot, grill".

After lunch we took the boys to get new shoes. Like Nana says, "it would be easier and cheaper to just buy them boxes for their feet." I'm beginning to agree. MY BOYS HAVE HUGE FEET... and you know what they say about boys with huge feet,... huge shoes! Carter is now wearing a size 7.5, and Cole needed a 12. I don't really know how to explain this to someone who doesn't have toddlers with a shoe size to compare this to, but I had to move Cole up to the boys shoes this time instead of the toddlers shoes... he's only 2. It's so hard knowing if you are getting the right shoes for your kids. Cole was so interested in the basketballs they had in the store that I was just chasing him around trying to check the length, and Carter thought that they all crawled the same... uh Carter, ... why don't you try walking in them, please and thank you in advance. Here are some pics of them in their new shoes with their "Valemtimes" from their buddy Mason. Thanks Mason!

Saturday evening we stayed in, cooked chili, and watched movies. Just where I wanted to be, cozied up with the ones I love.

Sunday was another packed day. Church, lunch, a quick trip to Newton to buy the boys some spring digs... (hope they can wear them soon!), followed by dinner, and back to church for our last Fireproof class. Next week at Fireproof our pastor will be renewing our vows. I'm not sure this is how I pictured our vow renewal (a mass of people doing it also), but I think it's important, so we are going to do it.

So, it was a good weekend. Thank goodness we have an extra day to recover. I hope my "Valemtimes" know how much I love them.

Happy Birthday Dear Daddy!

2009-02-12T21:55:00.000-06:00

I love hearing Cole sing those words. We have been talking a lot about birthdays because our daddy Brian turned 28 today! We had a fun and special day with our daddy. Since he wasn't working we got to spend the WHOLE day with him!

(You know I am not an experienced blogger yet because I didn't have my camera the entire day, but I will share some memories and a couple of pics!)

We started the day off by taking all of the babies to Jimmy's Diner for breakfast. Brian loves pancakes and chocolate milk, so I knew this would start his morning off right.

Then we went to the Great Plains Nature Center. We were a little late for story time, but the lady that runs the center opened up a snake cage, and just dropped a snake in daddy's hands... YUCK, GROSS, EWWWW, GET ME AWAY! Then we spent about an hour touring the nature center. Cole loved pushing the buttons to make the bird sounds and standing around the huge aquarium.

The rest of the afternoon was leading up to this evening... the big surprise. I can't say I have ever done much like this, but I decided to invite 12 of our closest friends and family over for a mini-surprise party for Brian. I cooked Diet Coke Chicken, Green Bean Casserole, and Rolls for dinner and ordered a DQ ice cream cake. I told Brian around 4:45 that I wasn't feeling well and that I needed him to take the kiddos to the YMCA so I could lay down for awhile, then I scurried to clean the house, cook dinner, and set up tables before everyone arrived at 6:30. Brian arrived at 6:45 (thinking he was picking me up to go out to dinner) to find friends and family to wish him a Happy Day! What fun!

I hope he always realizes how much I adore him. One line of the card I bought him says, "And I'll be making another wish- for a hundred more lifetimes to share with you."... now you know what I'm wishing for when I blow out the candles on my birthday cake... Happy Birthday Brian, I love you.

Playdough

2009-02-10T12:35:00.001-06:00

I told Cole this morning that while daddy was "working" (actually at an interview with the City of Derby), that we could play Playdough... as you can see he was thrilled!

It always amazes me how those colorful balls of nothingness can excite. Santa brought Cole this Playdough organizer for Christmas. It came with all kinds of tools for him... shots, knives, scissors... how painful and destructive...I'd never noticed the theme... maybe that's why he likes it so much.

We spent time cutting and pressing shapes into the dough. We rolled up snakes and chopped them into pieces, or waved the "scarwy nake" in each others faces.

He also loves making "paghetti"... it takes his entire body to make a heaping pile of pink spaghetti, but oh, so worth it.

Carter Boo wanted desperately to play Playdough also this morning, but I would not let him... do you know what slobbery Playdough looks like? I do! He finally settled on his favorite pastime, putting things in and out of each other... this can be anything... a ball in a cup, a straw into a lid top, anything... today it was putting one shot into another shot.

I really do love mornings like this when things are low key and I can just play with my boys.

Checkmate...

2009-02-09T21:49:00.001-06:00

I was taken by the sermon our Pastor Jeff Gannon gave at church yesterday. What he said I always want to remember.

He was discussing an Champion Chess Player that was at an art museum looking at a painting titled "Checkmate". The Chess Player looked at it and told his friend that there was something wrong with the picture. He studied it for quite some time, moving his hands back and forth, pondering the problem... then he said, "AHA, either this artist is going to have to change the painting or the title, because The King has one more move."

Remember... God does not promise us an easy life, but when we feel backed into a corner, THE KING always has one more move!

50 Pounds...

2009-02-08T13:27:00.001-06:00

I've wanted to start a blog for quite some time, and just never seem to get around to it, but I think it's truly time... I've spent two weeks "designing" my blog... not that it's anything great, I'm just that technology illiterate (ha!)! So here it is The Anderson Shuffle... a daily encounter... with the Anderson's... RAW!

I'm starting out by sharing my latest (and close to greatest) personal accomplishment...

I'VE NOW LOST 50 POUNDS!

I'm going to go back a little bit to confess some things and answer some questions about what I've been doing over the past few years and weeks..

As some of you may know I lost my best friend and mom 5 years ago to a heart condition. She was taken suddenly and unexpectedly on New Years Eve of 2003. She had been to the doctor for a full physical just a few weeks before, and she was found to be healthy except overweight. (I haven't had a full physical, but looking at myself a few months ago, I'm sure the doctor would say the same thing to me.)

I ate my way through lots of pain and stress, had two babies in two years, and quickly found myself at a place I never thought I would be... not wanting to move, breathing heavy when I did, not wanting my picture taken, and wishing it could be erased when someone did. I don't know what made the light bulb come on, but on August 15th, I decided it was time to change.

We started out by joining our local YMCA, and on August 15th, Brian and I made our first trip there. I trudged through 10 minutes on an ARC trainer and wanted to fall of and lay on the floor when I was done, but for dignity's sake, I got off and took a couple of laps around the track... READY TO GO HOME AND NEVER COME BACK!... but we did, day after day, week after week. Next Sunday will be our 6-month anniversary to a healthier life. A lot of things have changed...

1. I now eat 1550 calories per day. Not to say I never go over, but a piece of birthday cake is now a sliver (literally), and I'd prefer a salad over a cheeseburger. My body craves something different now, and I try to be more sensitive to what I really need. LET ME MAKE THIS VERY CLEAR... I am not on a diet. I never will be. They don't work, they don't last, they deprive you. I will not be deprived. I eat sweets, carbs, regular fat items, etc. I am making this change for good... I needed bread yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

2. I am still a popoholic... but now I drink diet pop. I HATE that word, but I know it's been a key to my success. Anyone who knows me, knows I loved drinking 2-5 Cokes per day. Now I drink about 2 diet drinks per day... there is a wonderful world of diet drinks out there... Diet Dr. Pepper was my starter (the least repulsive), followed by Diet Coke. This week we tried sugar free Koolaid (we had a free sample, but it's DELICIOUS), and Diet Root beer. YUMMY!

3. I work out 5-6 times per week. I do 60 minutes of cardio, and about 30 minutes of weight. I try and treat it like brushing my teeth... you just have to do it. I had a friend tell me very early into my journey "The only way you can lose weight is through pee, poop, and sweat." Gross, I know, but true, and I try and remind myself of this when I don't want to go. I love spin class the most, but spend time on the arc trainer, and have even started jogging.

So there you have it... no secrets. I started this journey weighing 259 lbs, and now weigh 209 lbs. Brace yourself... I have pictures if you want to see me in my sports bra and yoga pants...

Me in August: 259 lbs... hard to admit to.

A side view...

Me today... 209 lbs! Still a long way to go, but much better.

A side view of me today! (Sorry it's so grainy... I'm having trouble with my pics.)

I have to say I have truly and selfishly done this for myself. However, I hope that because of doing this my children have a mommy that lives a long and healthy life, and can drive them crazy late into their 70's! I want to do things differently. Like I said I am not perfect, and I have a long way to go, but I am seeing changes now, and that is exciting!

(P.S.- I am sorry for some of the layout errors... I cannot seem to get the spacing to save changes... it's driving me crazy, but I'll never post this if I just don't let it go.)