Can't believe the weekend has already come and gone on us!
Friday morning I took Rachel out shopping with me. We needed to find a dress for Brooke to wear for the Father/Daughter dance next Friday night. Brooke doesn't wear a lot of dresses (at least not "fancier" ones) so I didn't have anything to choose from. We went to several places and I couldn't find anything I liked. Finally in Sears I found a bunch of dresses marked down.. they all looked like Christmas dresses to me, but I found a white and pink one in there rack that looked like a Spring dress (dont know how it got marked down) But it was on clearance, then they were running an additional 30% off sale that weekend, so I was already happy at that price. But then when I checked out the lady told me I had some Sears rewards bucks saved that I could use, so I got the dress for $12! I was so happy. It can also be worn as her Easter dress, so it will get more use this year. Will just have to find a sweater to throw on her too since it will still be pretty cold in February ;) While all this was going on, Rachel was doing her usual stuff, running around and throwing stuff off shelves and hiding from me. I promised her if she just held tight for a little longer I'd get her a cookie at the cookie place in the mall when we were done. So a little while later you have never seen a happier 2 year old than this one carrying around her HUGE cookie with m&ms in it. Is she spoiled or what? this kid seriously gets so much, im ashamed some days at home much I give in, but what can I say? She's my last baby!!!!
After that we went to do our grocery shopping. Rachel rode in the cart this week (thankfully) and I kept filling up the cart and at the end she was so covered she couldn't get out. Basically it was a pile of food and Rachel's head sticking out :) Poor thing. It is always an adventure shopping with her, this time she threw off her socks and shoes in the dairy aisle and almost hit the woman stocking some cheese. I didnt even blink an eye this time and just threw the stuff in the cart and kept on going. Man, food is expensive these days! Especially when you're trying to get healthier foods at the same time. Speaking of "healthier" foods, I tried some of the Weight Waters fudge bars this week and they were soooo good! Anyway, later on we went to school to surprise Brooke at lunch. She's always asking me to come see her and I feel so bad because I hardly ever get up there. Its just so stressful taking Rachel with me. She won't sit still and I spend my time there chasing her around. The bigger kids think shes pure entertainment though.. so go figure. Anyway, I could tell Brooke was excited that we showed up. Her eyes and face lit up and it seriously made my day :) I am going to go and surprise Caleb this week at school so I can do it all over again!!
Saturday morning we got up and got the kids ready. I made some cinnamon buns for all of us for breakfast, thats the kids latest "thing." And I didn't burn them this time, yay me! I know how to ruin all the finer things in life :-/ Anyway, then we went out to a few consignment stores. Saturdays are usually "deal-hunting" days for me. Arnold can help me out with the kids and its not AS stressful. I was able to find some cute spring clothes for the kids. And a few things left over from last season for 50% off. And the kids found a few new books. We are going to have to get more bookshelves if we keep bringing more books into the house! Around 11 we stopped and got some food for lunch. Saturdays are usually my cheat days so we ate at Backyard Burger. Does anyone else think their kids meals are huge? Ican eat one and its plenty for me! I was happy to get a burger and some sweet tea though. Actually I think I cheated way too much this weekend.. this diet thing is hard.
That afternoon I met my mom at the movies. I was wanting to take her out to the movies as part of her birthday (which was back in OCTOBER!) but stuff has kept coming up so we never got to go. So we finally made it this weekend. When "Joyful Noise" came out Mom said she just had to see it. She just loves Queen Latifah and we end up going to all her movies ;) She ended up showing up late and I was afraid I was going to have to leave and go home (stood up by my own mom, haha) but she showed eventually and we went in. Although it was packed by then so we had to sit in the very FRONT and look up. The movie was awesome. Better than I had imagined. But I love most movies with singing and dancing in them ;) It made me cry 2 times.. almost 3. But it made me laugh even more. I would recommend it! During all this Arnold took the kids to see their cousin play in a basketball game. They were so excited, they kept asking all morning how much longer until they could go. Brooke came home afterwards and told me that their team lost and that a girl got hurt.. I love how she always goes into so much detail.. that girl loves to talk :) (and I have no idea where she gets that from either!! ;)
Saturday night our lifegroup was supposed to help out and serve dinner at Celebrate Recovery. It was sort-of a last minute thing, so it just ended up being 5 of us out of the group that were able to help out. Ray asked me to go pick up the pizzas, so we headed up there and I went in, and had to make two trips to carry out the 12 boxes. And then we had an even harder time trying to stuff all the boxes in the van with us.. it was already packed with us, the kids, and their stuff! But somehow we managed. And we also had to pick up enough salad for everyone, so Arnold ran into Walmart and bought 12 bags. Yes I sent him in there because I knew it would look stupid buying that much salad and I was a little embarassed. And yeah, he did get strange looks and also mean looks from the people around him trying to buy salad because he cleaned them out (haha!) Anyway, it was really fun hanging out with friends and getting to chat all while serving the food to the people who came in. In between spurts of people coming in we were all sneaking some pizza and garlic bread ;) It was sooo good (more cheating on my part!!) About halfway through the kids came in (they had been in the childcare) and Rachel was hot like she had a fever, so Arnold took them home to put them to bed and I stayed with Lauryn and Ray for the service.
Sunday morning I got up and got ready and headed to church before the rest of the family because I had to work in the Boxcar Babies. We only had 2 little ones in the early service this week. There was a new baby girl, this was only her 2nd week at the church. And she wasnt used to being left with other people, so her mom was really worried. But i kept her busy and she was happy as could be (the baby whisperer at work again-- its a true gift people!! ;) Nah but really, she was such a sweet girl, only 9 mos. old and I had a great time playing with her. She only cried when I tried to change her diaper and she kept rolling away from me trying to escape. Man Im glad those days are over! Then Arnold finally got to church and brought the kids in. I had laid out their clothes before I left so at least I knew they matched, but their hair all looked horrible... Its funny, all the workers now know to look out for my kids on those days when Arnold brings them because there will always be something funny about their hair or clothes on those days when Daddy handles it ;) The church service this week was great. We are having a series about money and relationships. I am looking forward to the rest of the series!!
This afternoon after we got some lunch we went over to my friend Jessica's house and hung out with their family for awhile. It had been forever since Arnold had seen baby Hunter, he has grown so much! Cant believe he is 7 mos already! The kids all had a great time and were pretty well-behaved, except when we caught them "stealing" money out of Hunter's piggy bank. Darn kids, they are theives already haha ;) As of this year, Jess and I have been friends for 10 years! 10! Can that be? We met when we were in high school, man that makes me feel so old! We have actually planed a "girls night" for the first Friday in March, where the two of us are going to go out and it will be like a celebration for our anniversary ;) Hehe.
Well I guess thats about it. We didn't do much more tonight but hang around the house and rest. It was relaxing. Caleb played Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the wii (he is GOOD at video games, its like a natural talent to him!) And BROOKE ended up falling asleep on the couch. If you know that kid, you know she usually never stops running around, so she must have been exhausted. Poor Rach still didnt feel good this evening and kept snuggling up to me :( We got them all in bed early this evening.. they needed it!
Hope everyone else had a wonderful weekend! :) :)
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Our Anniversary Trip
First off I need to mention this is my 400th blog post! woohoo! ;)
Arnold and I had a great weekend away! (well most of it!) We dropped the kids off around 9am and headed to Greensboro. I could already feel us relaxing on the ride.. we were able to talk and listen to music and not have to worry about any screaming or whining in the back seat. I had decided that I would "cheat" that weekend on my diet so I wouldn't have to worry about counting calories, so we stopped to get some breakfast on the way. My first splurge-- a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit and some sweet tea! On the way we stopped at Hanes Mall and decided to walk around. I must mention that we had NO set plans for the weekend, just wanted a break. We did have the concert plans, but the concert we were going to got cancelled due to a death in the family, so we really didnt have any plans after that. So anyway, we must have walked HOURS around that mall (so I did end up getting exercise in after all! ;) I was a typical mom and ended up buying lots of stuff for the kids, but not really thinking about me. But I did end up with some new shoes and 2 new necklaces! (one had an owl!) I ended up getting Rachel's Easter dress (yes already) at Gymboree, using my Gymbucks. They also had a Crazy 8 store there (which I LOVE) and got some things for Caleb. Poor Arnold went into SO many stores with me, but he was a good sport. Arnold actually doesn't mind shopping, he has as many or more clothes than I do (seriously, you should see our closet!) We stopped by the Godiva Chocolate store and bought us some candy bars. Arnold told the guy we were celebrating our anniversary (kind of embarassed me b/c I hate getting attention like that.. but it was sweet!) Oh goodness the chocolate was SO good. That was splurge #2 ;)
After we had walked the mall for so long that our feet were hurting, we decided to leave and start driving again. By then it was past lunch time, so we stopped for some. We went to a place called the Brick Oven. And on to splurge #3- I had a personal pizza with pepperonis and banana peppers. I also had a salad too! The food was pretty good. There was a pizza hut across the street, but we decided to go into the place we had never tried before. Then we were back on the road again. I forgot to mention that the weather outside was SO cold and rainy. It was kind of depressing, but it did remind us of our wedding day! (it was also rainy on that day-- which we heard was good luck ;) We finally got to Greensboro and found where out hotel was (but we couldn't check in until 3pm) Mom had let us use her GPS which was awesome, we didn't get lost the whole time we were down there. (we used to have one but it got stolen and we haven't replaced it yet) We then went out to do MORE shopping. Yeah, we are so exciting huh? We got a new lamp for our bedroom. The kids broke our old one, so we really needed one.
Eventually it was 3pm, so we went back to our hotel and checked in. The girl working at the front desk was really sweet. I noticed that everyone we came into contact with was nice this weekend (not at all like Hickory!) She asked what brought us to the area and Arnold told her about our anniversary again-- and how the concert we were going to got cancelled, but we were still glad to be away b/c we had 3 young kids at home. The older lady checking in beside us was listening to him talk and was saying "awww" and then nodding her head and saying "YEAH" like she really understood... I'm guessing at one point she had had young children ;) Anyway, then we went up to our room to check it out. We were on the 2nd floor.. not too awesome, I always like to be way up high in a hotel. I also get the urge to run up and down the carpeted hallways in my bare feet (which I used to do as a kid) but was afraid someone would look at me strange, so I didnt (sometimes being an adult sucks!! :) The room was really nice.. I loved the hotel ad we got a great price. I am usually very thrifty but when it comes to hotels I like a nice one. It needs to be at least 3 stars (the higher the better though) and have good reviews and nice pictures, and of course free INTERNET!!! We had a HUGE tv which Arnold said he wanted to take home with us along with the travel shampoos but he was afraid they might notice ;) Oh and they even had a GREEN ice bucket. I had my ice and my internet.. what else could I have asked for?? The first thing I did was update my facebook on the kindle so that everyone knew what we were doing (I know, I have a sick obsession with facebook-- tell me something I don't know :)
After hanging out in the hotel for awhile, we went back out. We didn't do much of anything. For some reason I was starting to feel bad with a headache and I was pretty much tired of walking by then. We ended up in TARGET of all places (haha) And their store was like the mirror image of ours' back at home. Everything was BACKWARDS and really messed with my head.. but at least it was Target ;) Arnold ended up buying some new clothes (told you he loved to shop) and I ended up with more new shoes but when we got home I realized I had grabbed the size 8 1/2. I wear a size 10! What the???? No way I could squeeze my feet into a size 8 1/2. So I guess I'll be TRYING to exchange at our store this week. It was starting to get later in the evening so we made a phone call home to the kids to see how they were doing (yes I already missed them terribly!) And Brooke got on the phone and was talking to me and then she just got tired of it and walked away. Caleb got on the phone however and wouldn't stop talking-- he had to tell me every little detail of his day (funny how different their personalities are!) Mom had taken Caleb to the barber shop to get a haircut. His hair is now short and not all "bushy" like it had been. He kept telling me that he "had hair like Daddy's now!" And when we eventually talked to Rachel, she didn't have much to say-- but she did say HEY MOMMY, LOVE YOU! So that made me happy ;)
Since we had had such a late lunch we didn't end up getting hungry until later. We stopped by Red Lobster but since it was later in the evening it was PACKED. So we said we'd go back to the hotel and order in. I went straight back in our room and put on my pajamas... felt good after spending the day out in the cold rain! But all of a sudden Arnold got really sick on his stomach. He now blames it on the sandwich he had at the place we had lunch at, but I don't think he can prove it. Needless to say he wasn't thinking about dinner anymore, so I called in dinner just for me. He went to pick it up for me and brought it home and I pigged out-- It was an anniversary dinner for one. HAHA it sucked so bad, but what can you do? So splurge #4 was a seafood dinner, which included crab legs, garlic shrimp, fries, salad, and biscuits. Oh my gosh it was so good! Then Arnold and I hung out on the couch and watched several episodes of Big Bang Theory (some sort of marathon or whatever) and then fell asleep. Like I said, we have SUCH exciting lives ;)
I always freak out about hotel beds because you always hear the news stories about places that never wash their bedspreads, or places that have bed bugs. So it was tough for me to climb into that bed without shuddering a little, but since it was a nice hotel and the bed WAS comfortable I was able to sleep. I did wake up several times in the night though.. it was so loud out in the city. Plus at one point during the night I heard yelling going on down our hall-- not sure if there was a fight going on or what. Someone had set an alart for 7:30 and it was going off and Arnold was cursing it...haha. By then I was wide awake though, because I'm so used to getting up with the kids for school anyway. So I went ahead and took a shower. It felt weird not going to church, because we have gone basically every single week for forever. Arnold turned on the tv and Joel Olsteen (sp??) was speaking, so we listened to him while we got ready. I packed up all our stuff and then we went downstairs for breakfast.
We rested in our hotel room for about an hour before we checked out. We were sitting there lounging around on a Sunday morning without a care in the world or anything to do-- it was SO NICE. I was on the kindle for awhile.. I have started to love that thing. Much nicer than carrying around a huge, heavy laptop everywhere we go. They had an express checkout so all we had to do was swipe our card, press a few buttons, and that was that. I didn't know it was going to be so cold that day so all I had brought was a light weight jacket, so when we got outside I was begging for mercy. It was COLD!!!!! We walked around some more in the area, then went to Fatz Cafe for an early lunch. So spluge #5 became chicken tenders, fries, and those AMAZING little biscuits they give you. I don't even want to know how bad I was this weekend and how many calories I ate-- we just won't even think about that at all. At least I had fun, right?! ;)
Soon after that we headed home. I can't believe the weekend went by so quickly! It always happens that way when you are having fun. Of course the kids had a blast with their Grandparents, so we weren't worried about them at all, but we were happy to be back and see them. Happy 6th Anniversary Arnold, had a great time! :)
Lunch at Fatz before we went home
On my kindle in the hotel room
This proves that I am a good wife and let Arnold go into the Guitar center while we were down there ;) It ended up being really crowded though, so we didnt stay long.
Hanging out in the hotel room
When we first got there
Outside our door-- Room #211
Arnold pulling our luggage into the hotel :)
When we first got to the hotel
Lunch at the Brick Oven on Saturday
Arnold and I had a great weekend away! (well most of it!) We dropped the kids off around 9am and headed to Greensboro. I could already feel us relaxing on the ride.. we were able to talk and listen to music and not have to worry about any screaming or whining in the back seat. I had decided that I would "cheat" that weekend on my diet so I wouldn't have to worry about counting calories, so we stopped to get some breakfast on the way. My first splurge-- a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit and some sweet tea! On the way we stopped at Hanes Mall and decided to walk around. I must mention that we had NO set plans for the weekend, just wanted a break. We did have the concert plans, but the concert we were going to got cancelled due to a death in the family, so we really didnt have any plans after that. So anyway, we must have walked HOURS around that mall (so I did end up getting exercise in after all! ;) I was a typical mom and ended up buying lots of stuff for the kids, but not really thinking about me. But I did end up with some new shoes and 2 new necklaces! (one had an owl!) I ended up getting Rachel's Easter dress (yes already) at Gymboree, using my Gymbucks. They also had a Crazy 8 store there (which I LOVE) and got some things for Caleb. Poor Arnold went into SO many stores with me, but he was a good sport. Arnold actually doesn't mind shopping, he has as many or more clothes than I do (seriously, you should see our closet!) We stopped by the Godiva Chocolate store and bought us some candy bars. Arnold told the guy we were celebrating our anniversary (kind of embarassed me b/c I hate getting attention like that.. but it was sweet!) Oh goodness the chocolate was SO good. That was splurge #2 ;)
After we had walked the mall for so long that our feet were hurting, we decided to leave and start driving again. By then it was past lunch time, so we stopped for some. We went to a place called the Brick Oven. And on to splurge #3- I had a personal pizza with pepperonis and banana peppers. I also had a salad too! The food was pretty good. There was a pizza hut across the street, but we decided to go into the place we had never tried before. Then we were back on the road again. I forgot to mention that the weather outside was SO cold and rainy. It was kind of depressing, but it did remind us of our wedding day! (it was also rainy on that day-- which we heard was good luck ;) We finally got to Greensboro and found where out hotel was (but we couldn't check in until 3pm) Mom had let us use her GPS which was awesome, we didn't get lost the whole time we were down there. (we used to have one but it got stolen and we haven't replaced it yet) We then went out to do MORE shopping. Yeah, we are so exciting huh? We got a new lamp for our bedroom. The kids broke our old one, so we really needed one.
Eventually it was 3pm, so we went back to our hotel and checked in. The girl working at the front desk was really sweet. I noticed that everyone we came into contact with was nice this weekend (not at all like Hickory!) She asked what brought us to the area and Arnold told her about our anniversary again-- and how the concert we were going to got cancelled, but we were still glad to be away b/c we had 3 young kids at home. The older lady checking in beside us was listening to him talk and was saying "awww" and then nodding her head and saying "YEAH" like she really understood... I'm guessing at one point she had had young children ;) Anyway, then we went up to our room to check it out. We were on the 2nd floor.. not too awesome, I always like to be way up high in a hotel. I also get the urge to run up and down the carpeted hallways in my bare feet (which I used to do as a kid) but was afraid someone would look at me strange, so I didnt (sometimes being an adult sucks!! :) The room was really nice.. I loved the hotel ad we got a great price. I am usually very thrifty but when it comes to hotels I like a nice one. It needs to be at least 3 stars (the higher the better though) and have good reviews and nice pictures, and of course free INTERNET!!! We had a HUGE tv which Arnold said he wanted to take home with us along with the travel shampoos but he was afraid they might notice ;) Oh and they even had a GREEN ice bucket. I had my ice and my internet.. what else could I have asked for?? The first thing I did was update my facebook on the kindle so that everyone knew what we were doing (I know, I have a sick obsession with facebook-- tell me something I don't know :)
After hanging out in the hotel for awhile, we went back out. We didn't do much of anything. For some reason I was starting to feel bad with a headache and I was pretty much tired of walking by then. We ended up in TARGET of all places (haha) And their store was like the mirror image of ours' back at home. Everything was BACKWARDS and really messed with my head.. but at least it was Target ;) Arnold ended up buying some new clothes (told you he loved to shop) and I ended up with more new shoes but when we got home I realized I had grabbed the size 8 1/2. I wear a size 10! What the???? No way I could squeeze my feet into a size 8 1/2. So I guess I'll be TRYING to exchange at our store this week. It was starting to get later in the evening so we made a phone call home to the kids to see how they were doing (yes I already missed them terribly!) And Brooke got on the phone and was talking to me and then she just got tired of it and walked away. Caleb got on the phone however and wouldn't stop talking-- he had to tell me every little detail of his day (funny how different their personalities are!) Mom had taken Caleb to the barber shop to get a haircut. His hair is now short and not all "bushy" like it had been. He kept telling me that he "had hair like Daddy's now!" And when we eventually talked to Rachel, she didn't have much to say-- but she did say HEY MOMMY, LOVE YOU! So that made me happy ;)
Since we had had such a late lunch we didn't end up getting hungry until later. We stopped by Red Lobster but since it was later in the evening it was PACKED. So we said we'd go back to the hotel and order in. I went straight back in our room and put on my pajamas... felt good after spending the day out in the cold rain! But all of a sudden Arnold got really sick on his stomach. He now blames it on the sandwich he had at the place we had lunch at, but I don't think he can prove it. Needless to say he wasn't thinking about dinner anymore, so I called in dinner just for me. He went to pick it up for me and brought it home and I pigged out-- It was an anniversary dinner for one. HAHA it sucked so bad, but what can you do? So splurge #4 was a seafood dinner, which included crab legs, garlic shrimp, fries, salad, and biscuits. Oh my gosh it was so good! Then Arnold and I hung out on the couch and watched several episodes of Big Bang Theory (some sort of marathon or whatever) and then fell asleep. Like I said, we have SUCH exciting lives ;)
I always freak out about hotel beds because you always hear the news stories about places that never wash their bedspreads, or places that have bed bugs. So it was tough for me to climb into that bed without shuddering a little, but since it was a nice hotel and the bed WAS comfortable I was able to sleep. I did wake up several times in the night though.. it was so loud out in the city. Plus at one point during the night I heard yelling going on down our hall-- not sure if there was a fight going on or what. Someone had set an alart for 7:30 and it was going off and Arnold was cursing it...haha. By then I was wide awake though, because I'm so used to getting up with the kids for school anyway. So I went ahead and took a shower. It felt weird not going to church, because we have gone basically every single week for forever. Arnold turned on the tv and Joel Olsteen (sp??) was speaking, so we listened to him while we got ready. I packed up all our stuff and then we went downstairs for breakfast.
We rested in our hotel room for about an hour before we checked out. We were sitting there lounging around on a Sunday morning without a care in the world or anything to do-- it was SO NICE. I was on the kindle for awhile.. I have started to love that thing. Much nicer than carrying around a huge, heavy laptop everywhere we go. They had an express checkout so all we had to do was swipe our card, press a few buttons, and that was that. I didn't know it was going to be so cold that day so all I had brought was a light weight jacket, so when we got outside I was begging for mercy. It was COLD!!!!! We walked around some more in the area, then went to Fatz Cafe for an early lunch. So spluge #5 became chicken tenders, fries, and those AMAZING little biscuits they give you. I don't even want to know how bad I was this weekend and how many calories I ate-- we just won't even think about that at all. At least I had fun, right?! ;)
Soon after that we headed home. I can't believe the weekend went by so quickly! It always happens that way when you are having fun. Of course the kids had a blast with their Grandparents, so we weren't worried about them at all, but we were happy to be back and see them. Happy 6th Anniversary Arnold, had a great time! :)
These pics are way out of order, but you get the idea!
Arnold sticking his lip out-- sad we were having to leave!
Lunch at Fatz before we went home
On my kindle in the hotel room
This proves that I am a good wife and let Arnold go into the Guitar center while we were down there ;) It ended up being really crowded though, so we didnt stay long.
Hanging out in the hotel room
When we first got there
Outside our door-- Room #211
Arnold pulling our luggage into the hotel :)
When we first got to the hotel
Lunch at the Brick Oven on Saturday
Thursday, January 19, 2012
What I'm Loving Wednesday!
I'm not crazy, I know it's not Wednesday anymore, and I know that this is a day late, but I couldn't blog yesterday! So here it is anyway! :)
~I'm loving that our heater was fixed and we have heat again! The guy that fixed it is really nice and he was really reasonable. It ended up only being a part that had gone bad, so It wasn't as expensive as I had imagined, either. Which is GREAT considering we are leaving on our trip this weekend and want the extra spending money!
~I'm loving how awesome our Lifegroup meeting was last night. We had a packed house! Everyone really opened up shared last night, which is what it's all about. I can feel us all getting closer as time goes on. I am so thankful for these people in my life!
~I am loving this new book I am reading, called "Unplanned." It's about a girl who used to work for the Planned Parenthood and one day watched a girl get an abortion and something inside her was shaken and she turned everything around and became a huge pro-life advocate. I've only gotten thru about 1/3 so far but it is great, and hard to put down! And to be clear I do not JUDGE anyone. I just stand for Pro-life because that is in line with my beliefs. I love babies, whether unborn or not. And I want to help in any way I can! One of the many reasons I volunteer at the Pregnancy Care Center in my area :)
~I am loving that I went out to Target yesterday, tried on some clothes, and they actually looked halfway decent on me! I can already see my body changing a little bit! I was able to fit into a size smaller in a dress! I found this cute and "sexy" black dress that I almost bought for mine and Arnold's trip. I even almost took a pic of me in it and show it online, but that would be pretty vain wouldn't it?! Haha!!! Anyway, it was Rachel's first time in a dressing room (that I know of) and she was entertained the whole time with the mirrors, the hangers, you name it. I DID find a cute top to wear for our trip though, and some OWL pjs that were on clearance!
~Speaking of clothes and the weight loss thing, I am loving that I have lost another pound, for a total of 6 lbs since I started! I am losing about two pounds a week. I know that won't always be the case. BUT if I kept up that trend, I would lose about 40 pounds by Rachel's birthday in June! Wouldn't taht be awesome! I'd be back to my high school weight! My father-in-law jokes with me and says what weight I "lost" he has "found." And he says I am trying to get my old figure back, but even with the weight loss I know my body with be different since I've had 4 kids, but I' ok with that! I'm just proud of myself and getting stronger and more healthy.
~I am loving that our laptop wasn't "doomed" like I thought it was. Something WAS wrong with it, but Arnold got it to work again. Thank goodness, because I was afraid for a minute I'd lose all our recent pictures I save on here. We do save them on an external harddrive, but haven't lately. Also, I knew that I wouldn't be able to BLOG for awhile! Arnold was just upset because our warrenty had JUST expired and the laptop is only a year old. But everything is good!
~I am loving that Caleb's teachers are so sweet to Rachel. Every morning when we drop him off they make a big fuss over her and talk to her. She likes to walk around and play with the toys before we leave. This morning one of his teachers gave her a pack of teddy grahams before we left. Well that made her day! She keeps telling me she can't wait to go to school.
~I am loving that we only have TWO more days until Arnold and I leave on our weekend getaway! We found out that Miranda Lambert has postponed her concerts for awhile because a family member died I think, so we definately aren't going to the concert anymore. But we are still going to the same town because we already have our hotel booked there. I know we will find more things to do though, Im not worried about it!
~I am loving that the website said the IRS accepted our taxes yesterday! So good, that means Arnold didn't screw them up! (haha just picking with him, it was his first year doing them himself) We are supposed to get it back next week sometime, I can't believe its that fast! We have a lot of bills to pay off, so that will be a relief to get that over with. We also would like to buy a nice camera and get some new floors in our kitchen depending on how much extra we have.
~I am loving the Mother-Daughter morning Rachel and I had today. My friends that usually go with me to a playdate once a week at the mall couldn't make it today, so we just went ahead and went anyway. Rachel played in the playarea for awhile with another little girl. Then we went to Gymboree and I used my Gymbucks I got awhile back. Found some more good deals! While we were there Rachel was a mess, she took off her shoes, tried to escape a few times, and hid in the clothes rack. Its so hard to go shopping with kids! But at least it was only one kid today! Then we went to Jc Penneys just to look around, and they put a lot on clearance so we got Rach some new shoes, and she picked out a Dora blanket. Total for both? $8 :) She HAD to put the shoes on while we were in there, so I had to take off the tags and carry them to the counter to pay. Thankfully the girl working didn't mind! Lastly we went to the food court and had Subway for lunch. Rachel got some stickers with her kids' meal and spent lunch covering her jacket :) We had a great time!!! :)
~I'm loving that our heater was fixed and we have heat again! The guy that fixed it is really nice and he was really reasonable. It ended up only being a part that had gone bad, so It wasn't as expensive as I had imagined, either. Which is GREAT considering we are leaving on our trip this weekend and want the extra spending money!
~I'm loving how awesome our Lifegroup meeting was last night. We had a packed house! Everyone really opened up shared last night, which is what it's all about. I can feel us all getting closer as time goes on. I am so thankful for these people in my life!
~I am loving this new book I am reading, called "Unplanned." It's about a girl who used to work for the Planned Parenthood and one day watched a girl get an abortion and something inside her was shaken and she turned everything around and became a huge pro-life advocate. I've only gotten thru about 1/3 so far but it is great, and hard to put down! And to be clear I do not JUDGE anyone. I just stand for Pro-life because that is in line with my beliefs. I love babies, whether unborn or not. And I want to help in any way I can! One of the many reasons I volunteer at the Pregnancy Care Center in my area :)
~I am loving that I went out to Target yesterday, tried on some clothes, and they actually looked halfway decent on me! I can already see my body changing a little bit! I was able to fit into a size smaller in a dress! I found this cute and "sexy" black dress that I almost bought for mine and Arnold's trip. I even almost took a pic of me in it and show it online, but that would be pretty vain wouldn't it?! Haha!!! Anyway, it was Rachel's first time in a dressing room (that I know of) and she was entertained the whole time with the mirrors, the hangers, you name it. I DID find a cute top to wear for our trip though, and some OWL pjs that were on clearance!
~Speaking of clothes and the weight loss thing, I am loving that I have lost another pound, for a total of 6 lbs since I started! I am losing about two pounds a week. I know that won't always be the case. BUT if I kept up that trend, I would lose about 40 pounds by Rachel's birthday in June! Wouldn't taht be awesome! I'd be back to my high school weight! My father-in-law jokes with me and says what weight I "lost" he has "found." And he says I am trying to get my old figure back, but even with the weight loss I know my body with be different since I've had 4 kids, but I' ok with that! I'm just proud of myself and getting stronger and more healthy.
~I am loving that our laptop wasn't "doomed" like I thought it was. Something WAS wrong with it, but Arnold got it to work again. Thank goodness, because I was afraid for a minute I'd lose all our recent pictures I save on here. We do save them on an external harddrive, but haven't lately. Also, I knew that I wouldn't be able to BLOG for awhile! Arnold was just upset because our warrenty had JUST expired and the laptop is only a year old. But everything is good!
~I am loving that Caleb's teachers are so sweet to Rachel. Every morning when we drop him off they make a big fuss over her and talk to her. She likes to walk around and play with the toys before we leave. This morning one of his teachers gave her a pack of teddy grahams before we left. Well that made her day! She keeps telling me she can't wait to go to school.
~I am loving that we only have TWO more days until Arnold and I leave on our weekend getaway! We found out that Miranda Lambert has postponed her concerts for awhile because a family member died I think, so we definately aren't going to the concert anymore. But we are still going to the same town because we already have our hotel booked there. I know we will find more things to do though, Im not worried about it!
~I am loving that the website said the IRS accepted our taxes yesterday! So good, that means Arnold didn't screw them up! (haha just picking with him, it was his first year doing them himself) We are supposed to get it back next week sometime, I can't believe its that fast! We have a lot of bills to pay off, so that will be a relief to get that over with. We also would like to buy a nice camera and get some new floors in our kitchen depending on how much extra we have.
~I am loving the Mother-Daughter morning Rachel and I had today. My friends that usually go with me to a playdate once a week at the mall couldn't make it today, so we just went ahead and went anyway. Rachel played in the playarea for awhile with another little girl. Then we went to Gymboree and I used my Gymbucks I got awhile back. Found some more good deals! While we were there Rachel was a mess, she took off her shoes, tried to escape a few times, and hid in the clothes rack. Its so hard to go shopping with kids! But at least it was only one kid today! Then we went to Jc Penneys just to look around, and they put a lot on clearance so we got Rach some new shoes, and she picked out a Dora blanket. Total for both? $8 :) She HAD to put the shoes on while we were in there, so I had to take off the tags and carry them to the counter to pay. Thankfully the girl working didn't mind! Lastly we went to the food court and had Subway for lunch. Rachel got some stickers with her kids' meal and spent lunch covering her jacket :) We had a great time!!! :)
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
50 Facts
Most of you already know me pretty well but i thought i'd do this today for fun. Plus I can't think of much to write about right now :)
1. My full name is Abigail Elizabeth but everyone calls me Abby. Or Abbs.
2. I was born in NC but not sure what town. I was adopted at 5 weeks old.
3. I was a Girl Scout for 13 years of my life (thats a LOT of cookies)
4. I am close to both my parents, but am so much like my dad.
5. I was very close to my grandma Louise. She died when I was 15. And yes, that's where Rachel's middle name comes from.
6. I am a big worrier and have been my whole life. I wasn't officially "diagnosed" with anxiety until this past year. I thought how I felt was normal
7. I married Arnold on 1/21/06. We met on Yahoo Personals (I know, cheesy). He is my best friend and an amazing husband. I'm so glad we can share life together.
8. We had Brooke on 8/26/06. Caleb came less than a year later (not planned!) on 8/08/07. Rachel came on 6/18/09 (somewhat planned!) I love my sweet babies!
9. I have never had a broken bone or cavity in my life.
10. I've worn glasses since I was 8 years old. I am very near-sighted.
11. I am a horrible driver. We won't go into all that though!
12. I love to read, I am a huge bookworm. I was the kid who went to the library for fun.
13. I love to write (obviously) I love having this blog as my outlet and to remember things.
14. I LOVE to shop. For anything and everything. I especially love finding good deals. I get a little bit of a "high" from that. I love consignment for kids' clothes. I go overboard on Christmas.
15. I am very, very fearful of bugs, snakes, clowns, tight spaces, and public speaking.
16. I was born and raised a Methodist. Still am to this day. I was baptized this past Nov. Just became a member of our new church, and I LOVE it!
17. I volunteer at the Pregnancy Center as a call-in receptionist.
18. I am big-time on Pro-Life issues. The unborn need a voice!
19. I have a weak stomach and a very low-tolerance for pain. I am a wimp!
20. I am silly, goofy, get way too excited over things, talk too loud, and can come across as ditzy.
21. Things that bug me- bad drivers, incorrect grammar, rude people, lies, popping gum.
22. I am a hardcore internet addict. I am on facebook way too much. I post way too many statuses. I post way too many pics. Get over it! ;)
23. When you are my friend, I will be loyal and true.
24. I feel deeply and am extremely passionate. I am the sweetest person you ever know, but don't ever do me or my family wrong, or I will unleash the inner BEAST!
25. Some bad habits I have- caring too much what people think, impatience, nail biting.
26. I have an obsession with owls! They are too cute. Rachel's last bday party was "owls!"
27. I love to plan and host parties. I go all out for birthdays, they are the best.
28. I LOVE LOVE LOVE babies. I would have had 100 if I could have. I really did want a 4th, but health and finances kept us from it. I work in the Boxcar Babies class at church so I can snuggle all the babies. When my friends have babies I LOVE to spoil them!
29. I hate talking on the phone, just not a phone person
30. I am extremely shy until I get to know someone, then they bug me to shut up ;)
31. I am 5'10 and wear size 10 shoes. Not exactly a dainty girl! But I have learned to love myself as the years have gone on.
32. My very favorite color is green
33. I love chocolate and could eat it all day long if I could
34. I am not a morning person, I love my sleep. I just can't function too early!
35. I love to go on dates with Arnold. We make sure that we have "couple time" to keep us close.
36. I don't like wearing shoes. I wear flip flops or sandals as long as I can. People find it weird.
37. I dont like fights, or confrontation. I like keeping the peace. I've ound that people come to me for advice often.
38. I would like to find my biological parents one day, just out of pure curiousity. I hear my mom looked a lot like me. Adoptions were closed in the 80s, so its really hard to find people though.
39. I am more of a mountains-girl than a beach-girl. But i do love the sound of the ocean!
40. When Rachel goes to school I hope to finish up my schooling. My dream is to become an adoption social worker. Adoption is very close to my heart.
41. I am very sentimental and keep way too many things. I think this bugs Arnold!
42. I have a hard time staying organized, but i am trying harder!
43. I have WAY more ideas then time!
44. I have a fear of the dentist and hate going!
45. I sleep with the quilt my Grandma Louise made me a year before she died. Means so much.
46. I love summer-time thunderstorms.
47. I have brown eyes, but all my kids (and Arnold) have blue eyes!
48. I am currently in the process of trying to lose 35 lbs. Already 5 down!
49. I have a younger brother, Alex. He is 4 years younger than me. Also adopted. We used to fight all the time. We are a lot closer now. The kids love their Uncle Alex!
50. I am a believer and lover of Jesus Christ! I am a born-again Christian and trying every day to walk stronger in my faith. I know this was last on my list, but he is FIRST in my life! :)
1. My full name is Abigail Elizabeth but everyone calls me Abby. Or Abbs.
2. I was born in NC but not sure what town. I was adopted at 5 weeks old.
3. I was a Girl Scout for 13 years of my life (thats a LOT of cookies)
4. I am close to both my parents, but am so much like my dad.
5. I was very close to my grandma Louise. She died when I was 15. And yes, that's where Rachel's middle name comes from.
6. I am a big worrier and have been my whole life. I wasn't officially "diagnosed" with anxiety until this past year. I thought how I felt was normal
7. I married Arnold on 1/21/06. We met on Yahoo Personals (I know, cheesy). He is my best friend and an amazing husband. I'm so glad we can share life together.
8. We had Brooke on 8/26/06. Caleb came less than a year later (not planned!) on 8/08/07. Rachel came on 6/18/09 (somewhat planned!) I love my sweet babies!
9. I have never had a broken bone or cavity in my life.
10. I've worn glasses since I was 8 years old. I am very near-sighted.
11. I am a horrible driver. We won't go into all that though!
12. I love to read, I am a huge bookworm. I was the kid who went to the library for fun.
13. I love to write (obviously) I love having this blog as my outlet and to remember things.
14. I LOVE to shop. For anything and everything. I especially love finding good deals. I get a little bit of a "high" from that. I love consignment for kids' clothes. I go overboard on Christmas.
15. I am very, very fearful of bugs, snakes, clowns, tight spaces, and public speaking.
16. I was born and raised a Methodist. Still am to this day. I was baptized this past Nov. Just became a member of our new church, and I LOVE it!
17. I volunteer at the Pregnancy Center as a call-in receptionist.
18. I am big-time on Pro-Life issues. The unborn need a voice!
19. I have a weak stomach and a very low-tolerance for pain. I am a wimp!
20. I am silly, goofy, get way too excited over things, talk too loud, and can come across as ditzy.
21. Things that bug me- bad drivers, incorrect grammar, rude people, lies, popping gum.
22. I am a hardcore internet addict. I am on facebook way too much. I post way too many statuses. I post way too many pics. Get over it! ;)
23. When you are my friend, I will be loyal and true.
24. I feel deeply and am extremely passionate. I am the sweetest person you ever know, but don't ever do me or my family wrong, or I will unleash the inner BEAST!
25. Some bad habits I have- caring too much what people think, impatience, nail biting.
26. I have an obsession with owls! They are too cute. Rachel's last bday party was "owls!"
27. I love to plan and host parties. I go all out for birthdays, they are the best.
28. I LOVE LOVE LOVE babies. I would have had 100 if I could have. I really did want a 4th, but health and finances kept us from it. I work in the Boxcar Babies class at church so I can snuggle all the babies. When my friends have babies I LOVE to spoil them!
29. I hate talking on the phone, just not a phone person
30. I am extremely shy until I get to know someone, then they bug me to shut up ;)
31. I am 5'10 and wear size 10 shoes. Not exactly a dainty girl! But I have learned to love myself as the years have gone on.
32. My very favorite color is green
33. I love chocolate and could eat it all day long if I could
34. I am not a morning person, I love my sleep. I just can't function too early!
35. I love to go on dates with Arnold. We make sure that we have "couple time" to keep us close.
36. I don't like wearing shoes. I wear flip flops or sandals as long as I can. People find it weird.
37. I dont like fights, or confrontation. I like keeping the peace. I've ound that people come to me for advice often.
38. I would like to find my biological parents one day, just out of pure curiousity. I hear my mom looked a lot like me. Adoptions were closed in the 80s, so its really hard to find people though.
39. I am more of a mountains-girl than a beach-girl. But i do love the sound of the ocean!
40. When Rachel goes to school I hope to finish up my schooling. My dream is to become an adoption social worker. Adoption is very close to my heart.
41. I am very sentimental and keep way too many things. I think this bugs Arnold!
42. I have a hard time staying organized, but i am trying harder!
43. I have WAY more ideas then time!
44. I have a fear of the dentist and hate going!
45. I sleep with the quilt my Grandma Louise made me a year before she died. Means so much.
46. I love summer-time thunderstorms.
47. I have brown eyes, but all my kids (and Arnold) have blue eyes!
48. I am currently in the process of trying to lose 35 lbs. Already 5 down!
49. I have a younger brother, Alex. He is 4 years younger than me. Also adopted. We used to fight all the time. We are a lot closer now. The kids love their Uncle Alex!
50. I am a believer and lover of Jesus Christ! I am a born-again Christian and trying every day to walk stronger in my faith. I know this was last on my list, but he is FIRST in my life! :)
Monday, January 16, 2012
Weekend Review
Friday morning I took Rachel to the mall for a playdate with some friends. It hardly ever happens where Joanne, Erika, Jackie and I are all there on the same day! After we played for awhile Joanne and Erika had to go, but Jackie and I and the kids went to the foodcourt to eat lunch. We had Subway again (its getting more and more natural to resist the bad food places but its still hard :( That evening Arnold took the kids to his Parents' house and I had some friends over to watch a movie. I rented "The Change Up" because it looked funny and I hadn't seen it yet. Wow-- at the language and all the boobs in the movie, I wasn't expecting that. I cringed alot but it was a pretty funny movie. I enjoyed having the girls over and getting to relax a little bit. Arnold had gotten the times wrong and ended up coming home with the kids a little too early and they walked right in while we were watching the movie. Tooootally inappropriate for them, and Arnold took them off to play in Brooke's room until we were done :)
Saturday was the first time in weeks that NONE of us had plans. We had a free, open day to do whatever we wanted. We got the kids ready and headed out to get some lunch. Since we were in the area, we went to Mighty Dollar. That store gets me every time, haha! They have some cute stuff for cheap. I especially like the greeting cards, they had some pop-up ones I got for some kids' birthday parties we have coming up. I also found a new picture frame for one of my pictures of a bunch of my friends and I last summer, to frame... now sitting in my bedroom! They get a lot of stuff from stores that didnt sell well or whatever so Im always finding stuff in there from Hallmark and other places like that. Each of the kids picked out a new book... but Rachel just had to have a fireman hat.. she is the odd one of the bunch ;) To be fair, she has worn it alot! Anyway, after that we stopped by a consignment store that I love, and they were having a 50% off sale, so I got a few things. I got Caleb a long sleeved dress shirt that I thought he could use for Easter this year, and a few other things. Then we went to Ritas. Yes I went to Ritas, I'll admit it! I did a little bit of cheating on Saturday, first time I had since I started this lifestyle change. They had a flavor called Strawberry Colada, and ohh my goodness! So, so good! It was freezing outside, but eating that made me swear it was summertime ;) I won't be going back there anytime soon though, because I found out that their regular-sized italian ices have over 300 calories in them.. yikes! While we were there, Rachel spilled her ice all over herself and was a sticky mess, so we decided to go back home.
On the way home we decided to go through the car wash and get the van cleaned off. Oreo (our dog) always gets his muddy paws on our van when its in the carport, so it had mud all over it. Anyway, Brooke has this strange fear of the carwash, so she was screaming and crying the entire time while Arnold was paying for it, and I kept telling him he was a horrible father for making her go thru it (haha) and we sat there and tried to convince her that it was a good thing and that nothing was scary about it.. and eventually she stopped crying and was laughing. I felt so bad for her, If anyone knows what its like to have crazy fears, its me! but anyway, the van looked good when we got done, but I know it will only be a matter of time before its all grungy again. It was such a fun morning out with my family, with no agenda, just having fun! When we got home, the kids played with this art thing they had gotten for Christmas. It spins around and you put paint on it and it makes designs. (sounds messy, right? well it was!!!) but they had a blast doing it. Arnold kept getting sprayed with paint and he was ticked.. he hates getting his hands dirty :P That evening after the kids went to bed, Arnold and I watched "The Change Up" yet again. Arnold had never seen it so I thought he could watch it too and we would really get our money's worth out of it ;)
Sunday we got everyone ready and went to church. Rachel has been crying lately when we try to drop her off, and I have no idea why, she usually runs in there with no problem! But later on they told me she did good, and had even sat on the potty again! (she didnt actually DO anything, but she tried, and she was so proud of herself! :) After church we went home to have lunch. I also went to the grocery store to stock up on some "healthier" snacks and I ended up spending $40 on that stuff! I got grapes, more of the Special K chips, those Slimbear icecreams, whole grain goldfish, string cheese, and some other things. I also got some Special K chocolate cereal that was recommended to me by Erika. Don't care for it too much, but its ok, because Arnold has taken it over! Also got me some DR PEPPER 10, which is Dr Pepper with only 10 calories! Tastes pretty good if you ask me!
Sunday afternoon we went to a friend's baby shower. She is having a baby boy in March.. so excited for her! Arnold put Rachel down for a nap, and I took Brooke and Caleb with me. They had a great time playing with all the other kids. I sat there and watched everyone else eat big ol pieces of chocolate cake, and it looked sooo good! It was so hard to resist! But I was proud of myself! Especially when the kids left so much food on their plate and left it sitting right there in front of me. (so cruel, right?!) Brooke was so cute, when it was time to go she told me we couldn't go yet, because we hadn't seen the baby! I had to explain to her that the baby still had awhile before he came out. And Caleb was so interested in the presents, until he found ot taht it was just a bunch of useless "baby stuff' :) When we got home Arnold and the kids ate dinner while I ate one of my Lean Cuisines. And later on when the kids went to bed, Arnold and I snuggled on the couch and watched the Golden Globe Awards. I was happy to see one of the girls from "The Help" win an award. That movie was so awesome! (but the book was better! ;)
Hope this week goes by fast! Only 5 more days until Arnold and I leave on our Anniversary weekend-trip! :)
Saturday was the first time in weeks that NONE of us had plans. We had a free, open day to do whatever we wanted. We got the kids ready and headed out to get some lunch. Since we were in the area, we went to Mighty Dollar. That store gets me every time, haha! They have some cute stuff for cheap. I especially like the greeting cards, they had some pop-up ones I got for some kids' birthday parties we have coming up. I also found a new picture frame for one of my pictures of a bunch of my friends and I last summer, to frame... now sitting in my bedroom! They get a lot of stuff from stores that didnt sell well or whatever so Im always finding stuff in there from Hallmark and other places like that. Each of the kids picked out a new book... but Rachel just had to have a fireman hat.. she is the odd one of the bunch ;) To be fair, she has worn it alot! Anyway, after that we stopped by a consignment store that I love, and they were having a 50% off sale, so I got a few things. I got Caleb a long sleeved dress shirt that I thought he could use for Easter this year, and a few other things. Then we went to Ritas. Yes I went to Ritas, I'll admit it! I did a little bit of cheating on Saturday, first time I had since I started this lifestyle change. They had a flavor called Strawberry Colada, and ohh my goodness! So, so good! It was freezing outside, but eating that made me swear it was summertime ;) I won't be going back there anytime soon though, because I found out that their regular-sized italian ices have over 300 calories in them.. yikes! While we were there, Rachel spilled her ice all over herself and was a sticky mess, so we decided to go back home.
On the way home we decided to go through the car wash and get the van cleaned off. Oreo (our dog) always gets his muddy paws on our van when its in the carport, so it had mud all over it. Anyway, Brooke has this strange fear of the carwash, so she was screaming and crying the entire time while Arnold was paying for it, and I kept telling him he was a horrible father for making her go thru it (haha) and we sat there and tried to convince her that it was a good thing and that nothing was scary about it.. and eventually she stopped crying and was laughing. I felt so bad for her, If anyone knows what its like to have crazy fears, its me! but anyway, the van looked good when we got done, but I know it will only be a matter of time before its all grungy again. It was such a fun morning out with my family, with no agenda, just having fun! When we got home, the kids played with this art thing they had gotten for Christmas. It spins around and you put paint on it and it makes designs. (sounds messy, right? well it was!!!) but they had a blast doing it. Arnold kept getting sprayed with paint and he was ticked.. he hates getting his hands dirty :P That evening after the kids went to bed, Arnold and I watched "The Change Up" yet again. Arnold had never seen it so I thought he could watch it too and we would really get our money's worth out of it ;)
Sunday we got everyone ready and went to church. Rachel has been crying lately when we try to drop her off, and I have no idea why, she usually runs in there with no problem! But later on they told me she did good, and had even sat on the potty again! (she didnt actually DO anything, but she tried, and she was so proud of herself! :) After church we went home to have lunch. I also went to the grocery store to stock up on some "healthier" snacks and I ended up spending $40 on that stuff! I got grapes, more of the Special K chips, those Slimbear icecreams, whole grain goldfish, string cheese, and some other things. I also got some Special K chocolate cereal that was recommended to me by Erika. Don't care for it too much, but its ok, because Arnold has taken it over! Also got me some DR PEPPER 10, which is Dr Pepper with only 10 calories! Tastes pretty good if you ask me!
Sunday afternoon we went to a friend's baby shower. She is having a baby boy in March.. so excited for her! Arnold put Rachel down for a nap, and I took Brooke and Caleb with me. They had a great time playing with all the other kids. I sat there and watched everyone else eat big ol pieces of chocolate cake, and it looked sooo good! It was so hard to resist! But I was proud of myself! Especially when the kids left so much food on their plate and left it sitting right there in front of me. (so cruel, right?!) Brooke was so cute, when it was time to go she told me we couldn't go yet, because we hadn't seen the baby! I had to explain to her that the baby still had awhile before he came out. And Caleb was so interested in the presents, until he found ot taht it was just a bunch of useless "baby stuff' :) When we got home Arnold and the kids ate dinner while I ate one of my Lean Cuisines. And later on when the kids went to bed, Arnold and I snuggled on the couch and watched the Golden Globe Awards. I was happy to see one of the girls from "The Help" win an award. That movie was so awesome! (but the book was better! ;)
Hope this week goes by fast! Only 5 more days until Arnold and I leave on our Anniversary weekend-trip! :)
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
What I'm Loving Wednesday!
~I'm loving listening to the rain outside
~I'm loving that I found a great deal on an SD card for my camera on Amazon, so I bought it and it should be here soon! Then I will be able to put pictures up on FB and the blog again :)
~I'm loving the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. I got the first book and read it in two days! They are "thrillers" I guess you'd call them. So good.
~I'm loving that Im taking my Mom to the movies this Saturday to see that new movie called "Joyful Noise." Mom loves her some Queen Latifah! Ha! :)
~I'm loving that its only 10 more days until Arnold and I leave for our Anniversary weekend trip! I officially booked our hotel. We are going to have such a good time.
~I'm loving the Fiber One Brownies I bought yesterday! I was skeptical, but they taste soo good! better than the other low-cal snacks I've bought lately. I wanted to eat the whole box, believe me! ;)
~I'm loving that my workouts dont hurt me as bad anymore. I did the Jillian M. workout again and wasnt nearly as sore afterwards! I am getting stronger!
~I'm loving that I finished my book "A Wife after God's own Heart" the other day. It was really good. Really made me think, and showed me ways I could be an even better wife to Arnold. Theres so many things that make a big difference. Respecting him, letting him be the leader of the household, even ironing his shirts for work on the days he has to dress up (I hate ironing!)
~I'm loving that Arnold got his tax papers from work early this year! He has decided to do them himself this year. So we will see how that goes. I cant wait to get some medical bills paid off and get some people off our back! I hope there is ANYTHING left over. We have big dreams of getting new kitchen floors put in, ha.
~Im loving that Brooke is now writing sentences as her homework. I am more amazed at her every day. She knows so many words and her handwriting is getting neater and neater. Its fun watching your kids learn and grow.
~Im loving that my pants are feeling looser one me! Always a good thing, right?
~Im loving that the people at our grocery store right down the street know Rachel by now and are always so sweet to her. The woman in the bakery usually gives her a cookie while we are there. And the cashiers always let her help out and then wave bye bye to her when we leave :)
~Im loving that my Glee #7 Cd finally came in the mail. So Rachel and I have been rocking out to that in the van the past few days.
~Im loving that we are going to have family pics done soon! Its been almost a year since we've had any done. I have a friend who does pics and is going to do ours outdoors! I found some of the most fun photo poses and ideas on Pinterest that I hope we can try. And who knows how much weight I will lose by then? Hoping to look good for the pics! :)
~Im loving that I found a friend who was selling some of her daughter's old stuff. I am buying a bunch of shorts, skirts, tops, etc for the girls for Spring!
~Im loving that Arnold's Uncle Gene sold his house. Well actually its bittersweet because I know that we will miss him living right next door. But I know he was glad to have that over with! And I found out there are KIDS moving in as our new neighbors. So hopefully we will be able to meet them soon and everything will work out in this situation.
~Im loving that I found a good deal on some of these CUTE personlized valentines cards and ordered some the other day for Brooke's class. I KNOW its early still, but I wanted to order before the deal was over! Havent decided what kind of candy Im going to put with them yet, but Ive still got time ;) Sorry for the small pic-- It says YOU'RE SO SWEET! Happy Valentine's Day! Your Friend, Brooke. Cute right?!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Lifestyle Change, Week 1
As of yesterday, it has officially been a week since I started my "lifestyle" change. It has been a long week! I never really had problems with my weight until after I had kids. I never lost all of what I had gained when pregnant with them. Now its a struggle. But now that I am doing these new things, I am already starting to feel better, and feel more energy! So I guess its working. Here are a few of the ups and downs Ive gone through this past week:
~I started the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred dvd. That is brutal. People aren't kidding when they say that. Who knew I was so out of shape? Who knew I would be yelling at the tv scream and sometimes cursing Jillian? Who knew I would at one point be laying on the floor with my chest burning and my breathing heavy? Well it was so hard for me the first time I tried it I thought I was going to die. I didnt finish the entire segment. As the week went on, things got a little easier though. And last night I did the WHOLE thing, and I wasn't even that sore afterwards. The first time it hurt to walk for 3 days almost. So from that alone I can tell im getting stronger!
~I have changed my eating (and drinking) habits. I used to not read any labels or really think too much into what I was eating. This past week when I have had fast food it was healthy choices. I have for the most part given up sodas, but I still need the caffeine, so when I need some, I drink diet drinks. I really, really dont like the taste, but its almost worth it to me. I find I like diet Dr Pepper the best out of all the kinds. I have also given up eating chocolate/candy except for the night I had a cupcake at Lifegroup :) Its been hard, especially when watching the kids eat something. I love my chocolate! I've become one of those buying the "diet" snacks at the grocery store. Man those things are expensive, and you dont get alot! But I am trying to find things I actually LIKE and will not mind as a snack. One day I actually counted out 55 goldfish crackers, because thats what they said a serving was ;)
~I have started drinking a LOT more water. I know my body needs it anyway, but was never big on it. I average around 6-8 cups a day now. Now that I am doing a lot more workouts, I actually crave it. Yeah I have to go the bathroom a LOT more! But i am feeling so much better! I try to drink that when Im thirsty instead of anything else.
~I joined My Fitness Pal with a few friends. It tracks everything for me, my calories for that day, my exercise for that day/week, my weight loss, etc. Its been neat to have everything right there to keep up with what Im doing, or id never remember! I am glad that friends are doing it too. We can post statuses of what we have done and support each other.
~I am tracking my calories. This is what bugs me the most. I feel like I have to think about every little thing I eat (which I guess is actually a good thing!) Sometimes when I see what something has in it, I say its not worth it anymore (go me!) While Arnold eats his hamburgers at Mcdonalds sometimes, I eat the salads now. By the way, did you know that a large Mcdonalds sweet tea has 230 calories in it?! Just in a drink!!! I used to get those ALL the time, by the way. I LOVE my sweet tea, but its not worth it now, especially with all the work I've been doing.
~I've decided to make Monday my weigh-in day every week. I got a little too excited and weighed myself a day early, on Sunday. I weighed the same! I was shocked because of all the changes I had made. But everyone told me to weigh in in the mornings instead, so I tried that, and it says as of today Ive lost 2.5 lbs! So that makes me happy. Any little bit helps keep me motivated, because I see that its working. But the health benefits are worth it even more to me than the pounds lost.
So now we are onto week 2! I had a strong start with doing my video last night, and eating pretty good all day yesterday and today. And today I bought more healthy foods at the grocery store when Rachel and I went shopping. This time I even found "diet" chips. Wonder what they taste like??
Will leave you with a thought I saw on my friend Jackie's page-- "Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels!"
Monday, January 9, 2012
Weekend Review
First off, I need to mention that I won't have pictures up for a few of my recent blogs, because something is wrong with my cord, and connection, so I need to buy a card to take the pics off my camera. I know yall will miss all the pics I usually take, haha! ;)
Friday I took Rachel to the mall and met a few friends for a playdate. After awhile rachel warmed up to the idea and ran around chasing the other kids.. I never know what her mood will be on any given day.. she is a girl, thats for sure! ;) While we were there I stopped by Gymboree for the Red Balloon Sale I had talked about in another post. Im so glad I stopped by! I found Rachel pjs for $4, underwear for Caleb for $1, sunglasses for Rachel for under $1, hairbows for Brooke for under $1, a few tops for Brooke for summer for under $5 and so on. I also had a coupon and earned a Gymbuck to use later in the month. I seriously love getting good deals, it makes me happy ;) Then we took the kids to lunch in the foodcourt. Yall know I look forward to going to Sbarros when we are there, for that yummy, greasy pizza that I love so much. So it was SO hard to resist it. But we were good and went to Subway instead. Eating a sandwich and baked chips there comes out to be a yummy lunch, with so many less calories. Although Jackie's husband ate fries in front of us, and that was so cruel! they looked so good! ;) I was so proud of myself for resisting them.
Friday evening I went to a friends' house and they had Craft night for the Lifegroup girls. I am not very crafty at all, but I wanted to go and hang out. The other girls, however, are. They all have their boxes with all of their supplies.. its serious stuff ;) I watched them all make things and wished I had that talent. Kim did show me how to make these cool bracelets using just ribbon and pop tabs from soda cans! They are soo cute! I made a pink and black one. I got so frustrated with the ribbons, but I eventually finished! Kim also gave two of them to have, one with purple and green ribbons, and one with Carolina ribbons. Ive been wearing them too, they are so unique! I will have pics of them up soon ;) Erika made Brooke a bow with OWL ribbon too, isnt she she best? ;) Teresa made a gorgeous wreath, and that inspired me to try to make one soon. I actually think that is something I can do. Maybe I'll become crafty after all?! Who knows. Kim was so sweet and had bought all this healthy food for us to eat since alot of us are trying to lose weight. It was all so good, too, and I had a diet coke! Ugggh I hate diet drinks but I have been desperate to keep up my soda. I Wish I could give it up all together, but one step at a time!
Saturday morning we got the kids ready and went to Hickory Dickory Dock to use up the rest of the gift certificate they had gotten for Christmas. We bought 100 tickets and split them up for the kids. Those things dont last very long at all! Arnold and Caleb played some sort of shooting game almost the whole time.. they almost beat it too! I know Arnold loves having a son to play things like that with ;) The kids only ended up with around 135 tickets, and the prizes start at 100 tickets! The girl there was nice enough to let all the kids get something though. Chuck E Cheese has things for like 10 and 20 tickets.. I dont know why they dont do that too. Not every kid is going to win a ton of tickets! But anyway... after that we went by Wendys for lunch. I even ate healthy there. There are somewhat healthy choices if you just try. Once again, I stared at the kids' fries though and wished I was eating them too! After lunch we went home and Arnold and Rachel took naps because they weren't feeling too well :(
Sunday morning we woke up late.. I cant believe the kids actually slept in! I had to work at Boxcar Babies and so I went ahead to church before Arnold and the kids. I held a sweet little guy the WHOLE time I was in there, and rocked him to sleep. He had come in there screaming and crying, but he calmed down for me.. The baby whisperer is at work yet again! ;) Then I went to the 2nd service with Arnold. After church we got some lunch (at Subway again-- they have the best choices for dieters, I think!) And Brooke and I stopped by the Goodwill Outlet. Have yall seen that place? I didnt know what it was but I wanted to see. I love getting books, picture frames, etc at Goodwill when I can find them. So whats different about this place is that they are NOT organized.. their stuff is just in big bins. But if you are patient enough to look through for awhile, its worth it sometimes. I found 2 new books to read, one that I was actually getting to BUY, and I got it there for less than $1. Once again.. gotta love those deals! They also charge by the pound, instead of individual items. You can get a lot of clothes cheap there that way!
Sunday afternoon my mom came over to visit the kids since she hadnt seen them in awhile. She brought them over special snacks she had made them, and even bagged up some with notes for Brooke's school snacks-- thought that was sweet! She brought them each a new book, too. ( we are big on books in this family! ;) I showed her my newly painted bedroom, and she was like "wow, thats a lot of purple!" I could tell it wasnt her style at all. And to be honest, I was hoping for a diff shade in there, it came out a lot brighter than I had imagined. But its paint.. we can always change it again someday. And its so much better than that old, ugly green that was in there before! It is growing on me. I just wish it looked more "relaxing lavender" and less "little girl purple." ha! Anyway-- I also tried out a new show (ok not NEW but new to me!) on Netflix this weekend, called Rita Rocks. I love it! Even Arnold had watched some episodes with me too. Did I mention how much use we are getting out of the Netflix?! :)
Friday I took Rachel to the mall and met a few friends for a playdate. After awhile rachel warmed up to the idea and ran around chasing the other kids.. I never know what her mood will be on any given day.. she is a girl, thats for sure! ;) While we were there I stopped by Gymboree for the Red Balloon Sale I had talked about in another post. Im so glad I stopped by! I found Rachel pjs for $4, underwear for Caleb for $1, sunglasses for Rachel for under $1, hairbows for Brooke for under $1, a few tops for Brooke for summer for under $5 and so on. I also had a coupon and earned a Gymbuck to use later in the month. I seriously love getting good deals, it makes me happy ;) Then we took the kids to lunch in the foodcourt. Yall know I look forward to going to Sbarros when we are there, for that yummy, greasy pizza that I love so much. So it was SO hard to resist it. But we were good and went to Subway instead. Eating a sandwich and baked chips there comes out to be a yummy lunch, with so many less calories. Although Jackie's husband ate fries in front of us, and that was so cruel! they looked so good! ;) I was so proud of myself for resisting them.
Friday evening I went to a friends' house and they had Craft night for the Lifegroup girls. I am not very crafty at all, but I wanted to go and hang out. The other girls, however, are. They all have their boxes with all of their supplies.. its serious stuff ;) I watched them all make things and wished I had that talent. Kim did show me how to make these cool bracelets using just ribbon and pop tabs from soda cans! They are soo cute! I made a pink and black one. I got so frustrated with the ribbons, but I eventually finished! Kim also gave two of them to have, one with purple and green ribbons, and one with Carolina ribbons. Ive been wearing them too, they are so unique! I will have pics of them up soon ;) Erika made Brooke a bow with OWL ribbon too, isnt she she best? ;) Teresa made a gorgeous wreath, and that inspired me to try to make one soon. I actually think that is something I can do. Maybe I'll become crafty after all?! Who knows. Kim was so sweet and had bought all this healthy food for us to eat since alot of us are trying to lose weight. It was all so good, too, and I had a diet coke! Ugggh I hate diet drinks but I have been desperate to keep up my soda. I Wish I could give it up all together, but one step at a time!
Saturday morning we got the kids ready and went to Hickory Dickory Dock to use up the rest of the gift certificate they had gotten for Christmas. We bought 100 tickets and split them up for the kids. Those things dont last very long at all! Arnold and Caleb played some sort of shooting game almost the whole time.. they almost beat it too! I know Arnold loves having a son to play things like that with ;) The kids only ended up with around 135 tickets, and the prizes start at 100 tickets! The girl there was nice enough to let all the kids get something though. Chuck E Cheese has things for like 10 and 20 tickets.. I dont know why they dont do that too. Not every kid is going to win a ton of tickets! But anyway... after that we went by Wendys for lunch. I even ate healthy there. There are somewhat healthy choices if you just try. Once again, I stared at the kids' fries though and wished I was eating them too! After lunch we went home and Arnold and Rachel took naps because they weren't feeling too well :(
Sunday morning we woke up late.. I cant believe the kids actually slept in! I had to work at Boxcar Babies and so I went ahead to church before Arnold and the kids. I held a sweet little guy the WHOLE time I was in there, and rocked him to sleep. He had come in there screaming and crying, but he calmed down for me.. The baby whisperer is at work yet again! ;) Then I went to the 2nd service with Arnold. After church we got some lunch (at Subway again-- they have the best choices for dieters, I think!) And Brooke and I stopped by the Goodwill Outlet. Have yall seen that place? I didnt know what it was but I wanted to see. I love getting books, picture frames, etc at Goodwill when I can find them. So whats different about this place is that they are NOT organized.. their stuff is just in big bins. But if you are patient enough to look through for awhile, its worth it sometimes. I found 2 new books to read, one that I was actually getting to BUY, and I got it there for less than $1. Once again.. gotta love those deals! They also charge by the pound, instead of individual items. You can get a lot of clothes cheap there that way!
Sunday afternoon my mom came over to visit the kids since she hadnt seen them in awhile. She brought them over special snacks she had made them, and even bagged up some with notes for Brooke's school snacks-- thought that was sweet! She brought them each a new book, too. ( we are big on books in this family! ;) I showed her my newly painted bedroom, and she was like "wow, thats a lot of purple!" I could tell it wasnt her style at all. And to be honest, I was hoping for a diff shade in there, it came out a lot brighter than I had imagined. But its paint.. we can always change it again someday. And its so much better than that old, ugly green that was in there before! It is growing on me. I just wish it looked more "relaxing lavender" and less "little girl purple." ha! Anyway-- I also tried out a new show (ok not NEW but new to me!) on Netflix this weekend, called Rita Rocks. I love it! Even Arnold had watched some episodes with me too. Did I mention how much use we are getting out of the Netflix?! :)
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
What I'm Loving Wednesday!
~Im loving that Lifegroup starts back up tonight. I missed everyone!
~I'm loving that Caleb thinks his occasional projects his teacher sends home are real "homework" and he gets so excited over then. I cant remember a time when I was actually excited over homework!
~Im loving that Ray M. is slowly changing his political views ;)
~Im loving that the burn I am feeling in my thighs and abs today. That means I actually did a nice workout. Even though it hurts... ugh.
~Im loving that one of my friends found out she is pregnant! So happy for her! always love news of new babies coming into the world :)
~Im loving that Rachel was so tired yesterday afternoon that she actually fell asleep on the couch SITTING UP.. it was so cute.
~Im loving that I totally re-arranged our bedroom. It maximizes on space!
~Im loving this book Im reading, that Erika let me borrow. I plan to finish it today. Its called "For One More Day" by Mitch Albom. He's the guy who also wrote "Tuesdays with Morrie."
~Im loving dancing on the Wii to the JUST DANCE game. Unfortunately I have to give it back to Joanne on Friday :( haha! But I still have my KIDS dance games! And i do plan to buy more games eventually.
~Im loving that Gymboree's Red Balloon sale is starting this week. Its where they put old lines out for really cheap. And their underwear, hairbows, etc are around 99cents each and I always find great deals. I found Rachel a navy pea coat for like $6 one time. You can also use a coupon on top of the sale prices. I dont mind if its "old lines." I just love the stuff but cant afford it brand new!
~Im loving that I resisted eating sweets last night. I really REALLY wanted to. Wonder how long it will be before I cave? This is hard!
~Im loving that Brooke read me a small book yesterday. She is learning so much!
~Im loving that I am back in the swing of blogging. I feel like writing just about every day lately.
~Im loving the wonderful news they got about Baby Pearce getting to go home! If you dont know what Im talking about-- look up "Prayers for Pearce" group on Facebook. She is TRULY a miracle!
~Im loving that the week is halfway over already. I am looking forward to Friday. Going to a playdate and lunch with some friends. And then the weekend is always good because Arnold is home to help me with the kids ;)
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Recent Ramblings
~Brooke got her ears pierced. This wasnt the first time! She had it done when she was a little younger than Rachel. And she kept pulling out and losing her earrings. So we let it close up. She kept bugging us to get it done so we finally let her, as part of her Christmas present. She was so excited. She promised to take better care of them this time. She was so brave and didn't cry when they did it. She picked out little pink hearts as her first pair of earrings :)
~I had a girls' night and had some friends over to play Wii. Jess brought over baby Hunter (boy has he grown!) and I finally got to give him his Christmas present. (a good excuse to buy for babies again!) And he loved it.. he chewed all over that packaging ;) He must have thought we were crazy for all of us jumping around playing Just Dance. It was so much fun though.. and somewhat of a workout ;) Thanks to Joanne for letting me borrow the game and an extra controller since we still have only one so far! Anyway, after we got tired of dancing we watched Big Bang Theory and talked. Arnold was sweet enough to take all 3 kids to Hickory Dickory Dock that night with a giftcertificate they got for Christmas. They had a BLAST from what I heard! ;)
~Arnold finally got around to painting our bedroom. He said he was going to do that as part of my Christmas present. We picked a purple/lavender shade, and it ended up brighter than we had imagined. I like it. Arnold has joked around about it alot. Lets see, hes said he is "less manly" now, he has said it looks like a dorm room, and he has said it looks like something out of the show "Friends." I was about to smack him last night! at least it is more cherry and happy than that old ugly color I had to stare at for the first 6 years we were married! we also rearranged the room some and I cant tell if I like it or not yet, we will see!
~Broke down and bought Glee #7 cd. Yall knew I would eventually ;) I am patiently awaiting its arrival in the mail.
~For New Years Eve this year we went to Joanne's house for the evening. Erika and Billy came over too. And yes we brought all the kids too! Thankfully they stayed in the playroom most of the time and were good. We all hung out and played Just Dance, Guitar Hero, and Boogie Superstar singing game. It was especially hilarious after some people had had a few drinks ;) I am so shocked but the kids made it and stayed up ALL NIGHT. I didnt think they'd make it, well at least not Rachel. She was so tired at the end that her poor eyes were droopy, but she made it! We all had such a great time. When we got home everyone crashed.
~New Years Day was also Arnold's 30th Birthday! Woooo its finally happened. I am married to an old man now ;) Haha, I love giving him a hard time. We went to church that morning (I went early because I was working in Boxcar Babies) and then they met up with us at the 11:00 service. I was soo tired that morning from staying up so late. Then we met up with Arnold's family for the buffet at a local hotel. They had LOTS of desserts to sample so I was happy ;) He seemed to have a pretty good birthday, overall.
~I am now into a show called "Hot in Cleveland" thanks to Newflix! I have almost watched all the episodes they have to offer for it. We signed on for Netflix when we got the Wii and Im glad we did. We have found so many things to watch. Its easy to quickly pick a show the kids will like when they want to watch something. And Arnold and I have watched a few movies on it so far.
~Arnold had the Monday after New Years off. But the big kids went back to school. So we went out to hang out with Rachel. We went to Target and looked around, and I wasn't expecting to get anything at all, actually. But they had put soo many of their women's things on clearance. I ended up getting a REALLY cute new pair of boots, 2 fleece jackets (one pink and one black-- already had the white one!) and a green purse for around $30. May have to go back for a few things when Arnold gets paid again ;) Tried on some hats and loved the way they looked but they just didnt fit me right.. I have such a big head! I've never been big on wearing hats at all. But think they are so cute on other girls. I really did need some new shoes and jackets though, so Im glad I went. Usually im buying for the kids. We then went out to lunch at Panera bread. I had the turkey sandwich and tomato soup, it was sooo yummy! Kindof a late birthday lunch for Arnold since I feel like he was cheated out of a Birthday dinner (the night before we hadnt gone out since no one was feeling that great) It was fun having him home for an extra day!
~Yall already know, but I've started my lifestyle change. Yesterday was my first day and I did pretty well. I drank 8 cups of water, ate healthy snacks, and started the Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred. That dvd is tough! I never realized how weak I really am. I am still feeling it today.. my legs especially are so sore, and it hurts every time I bend down :( Oh well, its worth it if it works! I may have to do every other day on that one, though. I also didnt eat ANY sweets yesterday, which is huge for me. I just hope I can keep it up. My first goal is to lose 30 lbs (by summertime or around 6 mos, etc) And eventually Id like to train for the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot. I think Arnold and I will be doing that together :)
Joanne and I on New Years Eve
~I had a girls' night and had some friends over to play Wii. Jess brought over baby Hunter (boy has he grown!) and I finally got to give him his Christmas present. (a good excuse to buy for babies again!) And he loved it.. he chewed all over that packaging ;) He must have thought we were crazy for all of us jumping around playing Just Dance. It was so much fun though.. and somewhat of a workout ;) Thanks to Joanne for letting me borrow the game and an extra controller since we still have only one so far! Anyway, after we got tired of dancing we watched Big Bang Theory and talked. Arnold was sweet enough to take all 3 kids to Hickory Dickory Dock that night with a giftcertificate they got for Christmas. They had a BLAST from what I heard! ;)
~Arnold finally got around to painting our bedroom. He said he was going to do that as part of my Christmas present. We picked a purple/lavender shade, and it ended up brighter than we had imagined. I like it. Arnold has joked around about it alot. Lets see, hes said he is "less manly" now, he has said it looks like a dorm room, and he has said it looks like something out of the show "Friends." I was about to smack him last night! at least it is more cherry and happy than that old ugly color I had to stare at for the first 6 years we were married! we also rearranged the room some and I cant tell if I like it or not yet, we will see!
~Broke down and bought Glee #7 cd. Yall knew I would eventually ;) I am patiently awaiting its arrival in the mail.
~For New Years Eve this year we went to Joanne's house for the evening. Erika and Billy came over too. And yes we brought all the kids too! Thankfully they stayed in the playroom most of the time and were good. We all hung out and played Just Dance, Guitar Hero, and Boogie Superstar singing game. It was especially hilarious after some people had had a few drinks ;) I am so shocked but the kids made it and stayed up ALL NIGHT. I didnt think they'd make it, well at least not Rachel. She was so tired at the end that her poor eyes were droopy, but she made it! We all had such a great time. When we got home everyone crashed.
~New Years Day was also Arnold's 30th Birthday! Woooo its finally happened. I am married to an old man now ;) Haha, I love giving him a hard time. We went to church that morning (I went early because I was working in Boxcar Babies) and then they met up with us at the 11:00 service. I was soo tired that morning from staying up so late. Then we met up with Arnold's family for the buffet at a local hotel. They had LOTS of desserts to sample so I was happy ;) He seemed to have a pretty good birthday, overall.
~I am now into a show called "Hot in Cleveland" thanks to Newflix! I have almost watched all the episodes they have to offer for it. We signed on for Netflix when we got the Wii and Im glad we did. We have found so many things to watch. Its easy to quickly pick a show the kids will like when they want to watch something. And Arnold and I have watched a few movies on it so far.
~Arnold had the Monday after New Years off. But the big kids went back to school. So we went out to hang out with Rachel. We went to Target and looked around, and I wasn't expecting to get anything at all, actually. But they had put soo many of their women's things on clearance. I ended up getting a REALLY cute new pair of boots, 2 fleece jackets (one pink and one black-- already had the white one!) and a green purse for around $30. May have to go back for a few things when Arnold gets paid again ;) Tried on some hats and loved the way they looked but they just didnt fit me right.. I have such a big head! I've never been big on wearing hats at all. But think they are so cute on other girls. I really did need some new shoes and jackets though, so Im glad I went. Usually im buying for the kids. We then went out to lunch at Panera bread. I had the turkey sandwich and tomato soup, it was sooo yummy! Kindof a late birthday lunch for Arnold since I feel like he was cheated out of a Birthday dinner (the night before we hadnt gone out since no one was feeling that great) It was fun having him home for an extra day!
~Yall already know, but I've started my lifestyle change. Yesterday was my first day and I did pretty well. I drank 8 cups of water, ate healthy snacks, and started the Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred. That dvd is tough! I never realized how weak I really am. I am still feeling it today.. my legs especially are so sore, and it hurts every time I bend down :( Oh well, its worth it if it works! I may have to do every other day on that one, though. I also didnt eat ANY sweets yesterday, which is huge for me. I just hope I can keep it up. My first goal is to lose 30 lbs (by summertime or around 6 mos, etc) And eventually Id like to train for the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot. I think Arnold and I will be doing that together :)
Brooke and I while she was on vacation
Joanne and I on New Years Eve
Monday, January 2, 2012
2012 Goals
I decided to make a list of GOALS rather than RESOLUTIONS this year. I always mean the best but never really stick to them. So here are the top 5 goals I'd really like to try to accomplish in the coming year..
*Lose 30 lbs- Start a healthy lifestyle, actually. I have never really had a problem with my weight, until after I had babies. I never lost much after that. I also have never been big on exercise. Thankfully I just always had a pretty good matabolism earlier on in life. But I decided I really want to try to change this year. I really do want to lose some weight, so my goal is set at 30lbs. That will put me back to almost what I weighed in highschool, and that was a good weight for me. I also want to be more fit and healthy in general, and have more energy. I can get tired so easily now. The eating part might be a little tough-- I'll admit, I love food. Not as an emotional thing. I actually CANT eat when Im upset. I just love food in general. And really love sweets. I am going to try to limit what we have here so I dont get tempted as much. And I am starting to drink more water throughout the day. I also am starting more exercise. I am doing the Jilliam Michaels workout dvd. The first day kicked my butt! seriously! I was actually pretty embarassed about how hard it was for me, and how sore I was afterwards. But I know it will be worth it if I stick with it. I also am going to do workouts on the Wii, and continue with walks around the block and the mall like I do sometimes anyway. So by Summertime, here's hoping I will be 30lbs lighter and looking great in some NEW clothes I will get to buy then ;)
*Read my Bible more. I say this alot. I get in these spurts where I will read every night and really dive into it. Then I can go along time without reading it at all. I need to get better about it. Because the Bible truly is the instruction manual to life! It is all laid out there for us, we just have to read and study it. I also would like to do a study for more understanding on what its actually saying and how I can apply it. Because reading it is nice but I want to know more. The kids all got Bibles for children from their Grandma at Christmas and I have started reading Brooke's to her. They really love the stories. I love reading them in the "kid version" because they really are neat stories to hear!
*Potty Train Rachel!! Wouldn't it be nice to make 2012 the year we FINALLY say goodbye to diapers in this house, for GOOD?! (or at least until we have grandchildren?? ;) At this point Rachel will tell me if she needs a diaper, so I kno she is getting close. She still fights going to the actual potty though. I have seen the kid pull down a wet diaper and throw it across the room.. you can tell the diapers bother her, but she won't help me out by actually going to the potty! Arnold has sat her on it several times but she just cries and cries. I know its one of those things you cant rush. I wish it was though, because I will be glad to wipe "Diapers" off my shopping list!
*Stay more organized. Ive gotten better in the past few months actually. Started cleaning out stuff I really dont need anymore. stuff that I thought holding on to was important, but its really not. I am just way too sentimental. I know its the memories that are important, not the actual item. If I keep everything I think is ever important it will be getting all "Hoarders" in this house and we cant let that happen! We have always had way too much stuff in this house-- having 3 kids with all their stuff doesn't help any. But we've gotten rid of ALOT lately and its getting so much better. Its also a good idea to weed out old toys before you bring in new ones at birthdays/holidays, or your house will become OVERRUN before you know it. I speak from experience!!
*Be more patient. I will admit, I'm not a very patient person at all. I wish I was. I can lose my temper too quickly. Hate waiting in lines. Have bad road road sometimes. Always wanting to hurry up and get somewhere. Kindof always been like that. But I know having patience is a good thing, especially with kids. You can't recover the words after they are said, or the experience after it has happened. So might as well enjoy the here and now.
Hope everyone has a great New Year and good luck with everyone's goals! :)
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