Memory Makin' Mondays

Ooey Gooey Fun

Precious Pretty #2 is not thrilled with PP #1 right now

Showing little sister how it's done

Getting her own ooey gooey prize....

and not really impressed with it.

But she is still a happy-cheetos-face girl!

I really look forward to Mondays.  Not as much as I look forward to Sundays, but Mondays are now one of my favorite days.  I couldn't have said that when I was working, but now that I am "retired", Mondays are pretty great.  It usually starts up with me rounding up the girls and heading out to their preschools.  After the double dropoff, I grab a coffee and either balance our bank account, or have some bible/Jesus time.  Then it's off to the gym to meet up with some new gym buddies and go to some classes.  I have enough time to squeeze in a quick shower or and couple of errands before it's time to pick up Precious Pretty #2.

During her nap, I usually eat lunch, fold laundry (story of my life!), make an after school snack for Precious Pretty #1, before it is time to go get her.  We come home & eat snacks, and then we pick something to do together.  Two weeks ago, we went to the pumpkin patch and carved a pumpkin when we returned home as documented in the pictures above.  Last Monday, we baked and decorated Halloween cupcakes which are still sitting in our kitchen.  I refuse to eat them because I am trying to keep my Eye on the Prize (which I wrote about in my last post), and Kate refuses to eat them because they have orange icing.  Why is orange icing so bad?  Because it is the color of the Texas Longhorns, and Kate is an Aggie.  I am not kidding.  Kate wore her orange Halloween shirt once for me this month and is adamant that she will not wear it again.  Since Mary Clare prefers to eat nothing but apples, the cupcakes are going to waste.  It was fun nonetheless.

This week our Memory Makin' Monday will consist of gathering leaves from our backyard and using them to make a family tree.  I have brown construction paper to make the trunk of the tree, and I plan on going to Hobby Lobby tomorrow to get some large sheets of scrapbook pages to use for the background and to mat the leaves on.  Should be fun.  I hope to post pictures of our tree this week.

I will leave you with a quote I heard on my favorite show.  It's not verbatim, but it's close enough.
"Being a great parent is the best gift you could ever give."  - Nora Walker
With God's guidance, it is what I strive to be every day.

blessings,
sf

Eye on the prize

I have a huge problem with staying focused, especially focused on one specific goal.  I let too many things get in my way.  Call it ADD - call it life - call it what you would like.  But the bottom line is at least I am admitting that I have a "problem".  

 Since moving to a new town a couple of months ago where I really don't know anyone, I have made an effort to go to the gym more.  I've met some other mommies to meet up with there at the different classes, and you can ssssllloooowwwllllyyyy but surely see the poundage coming off.  That's great, right?!?!?!

My problem is, despite the lack of focus, is that I can't seem to have any self control when it comes to the consumption of food part.  Since moving here I have lost 7 pounds, which needs to be celebrated, I know.  However, I can't help to think how much more I coulda/shoulda/woulda lost if I had been more diligent with my workouts, eating habits, and especially keeping track of everything that goes into my mouth. I'm bored with the things that I cook ALL. THE. TIME.  I took up watching the Food Network to help revive my cooking creativity but that doesn't help either, because I get online and print off the sugary, buttery, and salty recipes.  I guess I need to watch Rachael Ray and cook her healthy stuff.  She does have healthy food, right?

It's time for me to do this.....Again!  As of today, I am grabbing on to the reins of the food log again.  And I'm keeping my eye on the prize which is that I hope to lose another 15 pounds before my sister in law's wedding in January.  Did I mention the wedding in is the Big E-to-the-Z?  I need to lose this weight because I will more than likely gain half of it back during my trip there!  I know I can do it!  I'll keep ya posted.

blessings, 

SF

Entertaining ourselves

 Those of you reading this more than likely know that I went to Boston, Massachusetts, last Thursday for my cousin Laurie's wedding.  She actually lives in Leicester, Mass., and we stayed in Auburn, Mass.  We were all over that state!!!  The gorgeous brunette who joined me on this trip was my cousin Carolyn, and we were so excited about this trip that we maybe got three hours of sleep the night before.  You would have thought that we would have slept on our flight that departed at 6:35 am, but we didn't because we were too FIRED UP.  Plain and simple.  I attempted to do a couple of pages of my bible study that I wrote about on my previous blog, and Carolyn didn't have anything to read/do so I gave her my MacBook to entertain herself.  She discovered some bells and whistles on bad boy Mac that I had no idea he had!  She took a picture of us to document our trip, and then that is when the giggling began.....

 She would take a picture of herself and try to stifle her giggle.  

This picture brought her to tears she was laughing so hard.  I finally had to join in on the fun!

Camel!!!!!!

Our seats were in the very back of the plane (2nd to last row to be exact).  Every time some one would go to the restroom or an attendant would walk back there, they would stop to look and see what we were doing and laugh with us.

Once we made it to BAH-ston, we showed our family all of the fun we had on the plane. (we took over 100 pics!)

They wanted a piece of the fun too!

This picture is kind of scary, but it makes me laugh.  I LOVE mi familia!