Meet my two new BFF's....

My Box of Tissues

And my Sudafed

Guess who isn't feeling so great today???

Man Down.....

My poor husband is feeling pretty crappy. We all got colds last week but his has really hung on and this morning he woke up feeling terrible. I always know he is really sick when he says he needs to go to the doctor. So I got him an appointment for this afternoon and after attempting to go to work he came home and slept most of the day. So he gets home from his appointment and tells me that they called him in a prescription for an antibiotic and a nasal spray and told him to take sudafed. So I asked him if he liked the doctor and he says "mmmm yeah sure" I said was it a women or a man? he says "oh it was a women" I say "Why are you snickering" He says "Because she looked like Rebecca Romaine Stamos and she was hot" UGH!!! I think that was the happiest I had seen him all day!!!!

This is my Mood Right About Now.....

I feel like I could live on this street!

I'll take my olympic gold medal with a Big Mac Please

So like many of you we have been watching a lot of the Olympics on tv this year. The boys LOVE watching the skiers and the ice skating. In fact Sam was running around the living room using his nerf swords as ski poles and pretending to do the "Super G".

I'm a little disturbed with all the Mcdonalds commercials. I mean REALLY are we supposed to believe that these Olympic Athletes eat that junk? Don't get me wrong, I love me some French Fries and I've always been kind of a fast-food-aholic but obviously it has not gotten me into Olympic shape:)

So do we really think that Lindsey Vonn runs through the drive through for a quarter pounder with cheese, large fry and a chocolate shake on her way to do this????

Time To Get Crafty!

So two weeks ago I took the boys on a tour of a pre-school that we are going to be sending them too. I realized after about 5 minutes into "arts and crafts" time that we needed to expand our creativity from just play-doh and crayons to things like painting, using scissors and using glue. So I have been trying my hardest to come up with ideas of things for us to do together. One problem is that I seemed to have not been gifted that "Crafty" gene. I honestly can't stand doing crafty things so I'm trying to channel my inner Martha Stewart and get motivated.

I bought these wooden letters at the dollar store and yesterday we each painted our letter the color of our choice. The boys had so much fun and I have to admit it was kind of fun for me too! I am going to hang them up downstairs. Everything "Crafty" is going to have a special place downstairs! Ha Ha ha!

If you have any crafty ideas PLEASE send them my way!!! Thanks!

I think we left a trail of tissues from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati!

Parker really enjoys himself an Icee

Do you think this one has a little food coloring in it??

Nothing like a little Naked hotel time!

Parker being silly!

Heading down to the pool!

Parker jumped right in like a pro

Look at the size of this hot tub!!

We are back from our little mini-trip. Two things put a HUGE damper on our trip. One the weather, it was snowy and FREEZING cold. And two the fact that we all got monster size colds. Other than that I think it would have been just fine! Ha!

I have never been to Pittsburgh and of course the time I go they are having RECORD snow. One thing I never realized is that its basically a city built on a bunch of tiny mountains or hills. So driving up and down giant hills during a snow storm is a little scary. The boys thought it was a cool city because of all the bridges and tunnels. The drive from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati was really scenic and I would love to try it again when the weather is nicer. By the time we were on our way home Nate and I were at the peak of our colds and pretty miserable. The boys had fun and seemed to only be a little bothered by their colds. We will have to try this again some day!

Road Trip!!!

We are almost done packing!!! Tomorrow we are heading to the FREEZING cold city of Pittsburgh. Why, you ask? Well Nate has a meeting there Wednesday morning so we thought we would all go just to get away from this boring house and see something new. I've never been to Pittsburgh and I'm sure we won't really see too much of the city but we have a hotel with an indoor heated pool so we are going to pretend that its some place tropical. Sam and Parks are thrilled. They are becoming excellent travelers which is a huge bonus. We have about a 7 hour drive tomorrow and to be honest I'm not even sweating it. I threw some movies in the car and we will pick up some snacks on the way. The only bad part is that Parker has been sneezing up a storm and has a runny nose so I'm hoping that he will be up for the trip. Nate's meeting is in the morning on Wednesday so we will just hang out at the hotel and swim while he works and then we will drive to Cincinnati and do the whole swim, sleep, swim thing all over again. Looking forward to getting away and spending some time in the pool with my two little fish!!!

Happy Valentines Day!!!!

Not a whole lot going on for us for Valentines day. We hung around the house and ate candy and thats about it. Oh we made a fascinating run to home depot to get a new kitchen light. Aren't we fancy:)

Today I'm doing laundry and packing. The boys and I are tagging along with Nate on his trip to Pittsburgh and Cincinnati this week. YES we are actually going on another road trip. Its fun though and the boys will get to swim in the hotel which I'm sure they will love! So I have to pack and do laundry so that I can spend the afternoon at my Moms house with my Aunt, sister in law and niece.

Playin Games

This cold weather is Super annoying!! But I have been having fun hanging in the house playing games with my two chickadees. Their favorites are Ele-fun, Hungry Hungry Hippo, Whack A Mole and the fishing game.

One thing I CANNOT stand is Play-doh. I'm not going to lie, when the boys ask for it I tend to come up with excuses on why we can't play with it. It's so messy and always ends up all over the house. But they LOVE it so I have to just try and go with it sometimes!

Why we don't let Sam out of the house to often......

When he eat's Ice Cream!!!!

Crazy Boys!

I downloaded my camera and found these funny pictures of the boys on our way home from Florida. The one of Parker with the Dino on his head was a picture I snapped while he was sleeping on our last night. We went in to check on them before we went to bed and he was sleeping like that. Ha! Sam got a little carried away with the Dry Erase board on the way home too! At least they provided good entertainment!!!

Seriously? Gum? Seriously?

Ok first of all, I don't mean for this blog to turn into a "Weight Loss" blog BUT its pretty much my top priority these days since I'm trying to get into shape.

I started watching BL last night before my "Lost" date with my husband. I won't even get started on my frustration with that show HOWEVER I do enjoy my Biggest Loser night because I do feel like it motivates me to work out harder. Wish I had the time to work out 6 hours a day and lose 30 pounds in a month but um that just isn't going to happen.

One of my biggest pet peeves about the show is that they can be VERY un-realistic. Last night a girl was drooling over the deserts and Bob says " Oh no, you don't want to eat that" WHAT? He then says "when you are having a craving for chocolate cake, have some EXTRA Sugar Free Gum as a treat" I'm sorry WHAT? Did he just call gum a treat? I must have misunderstood. So I rewound played it again and YUP he did call Gum a treat. PULEEEZE! If I'm craving a giant Blizzard from DQ a piece of gum is NOT going to satisfy me. Sorry but that is just Crazy!

However I have found some yummy things to satisfy that craving I get for a Large Chocolate Milkshake from Steak & Shake...... (and no you will not find friggin GUM on my list)

Skinny Cow Vanilla and carmel Ice Cream cones are DELICIOUS! The cone is coated in chocolate! They are 150 calories

Slim-Fast Peanut Butter Crunch Time snack bars. Tastes a lot like a butter finger. It's small but really yummy and is only 100 calories.

Packaged Rice Krispy Treats. Only 90 calories and tastes pretty darn good!

100 calorie Nutty bars. Just like the real thing only smaller.

I love Edy's Slow Churned Light Ice Cream HOWEVER it's hard for me NOT to eat the entire 1/2 gallon at one sitting (think I'm kidding, I'm not) so I try to only bust that out on special occasions!

Wow I really am out of shape

So today is day 3 of "Lose The Chub" and YIKES I'm feeling so out of shape!!!

Let me start by saying that I haven't really...technically...officially worked out in like 2 months. Which is really bad because in order for me to eat ANYTHING other than celery sticks and Lean Cuisines I have to work out!

I got to a point that I was running 5 miles on the treadmill at like 45-50 minutes like 5 times a week and now I'm lucky if I can run 1/2 a mile. In my defense I'm trying to take it a little slow because I don't want any injury's or anything that will slow down my progress. I may be one of the few people that actually enjoy my treadmill. I HATE going to the gym. I think my #1 reason for being Gymphobic is because I sweat like a dude. Thanks to my father I have some SERIOUS sweating genes and to be honest I'm very self conscious about it and don't like being around other people when I work out.

LUCKILY I have a good set up in the basement. We have a treadmill, bike, punching bag and a ab/weight bench and then a bunch of hand-weights which is basically all that I need. Oh and I also use Dvd's. I have a love/hate relationship with my Jillian's 30 day shred. She drives me nuts but dang do I feel it afterwards so apparently it works!

This morning I did a workout from my "On Demand" from Comcast it was a strength training workout and Sam came in and was "helping" me workout. He loves to jump around and thinks it Hilarious to make fun of how sweaty I get. You know its bad when a 3 year old says "Mom you need to take a shower" Ha!

How much weight did I lose while in Florida?

NOT A POUND! In fact I gained about 6 pounds:( So Nate comes home and has lost like 4 pounds. Switches to the Diet Dew, eats maybe one bag less of Chex Mix and eats only ONE candy bar a day instead of two and waa laa he loses weight. No exercise, no fruits or veggies, no water drank. MEN SUCK!!! However I did eat like I was on vacation instead of doing what I wanted to do and working out and enjoying all the fabulous fruits that Florida has to offer. Instead I sampled all the yummy dips and spreads that Super Target has to offer. Not kidding I think I consumed about 5 tubs of their French Onion Chip dip over the month we were there:( I worked out ONCE and then was over it.

And don't give me grief about using the word "DIET" To me, eating healthy will NEVER be easy. I love me some JUNK FOOD!!! I'm not one of you rabbit girls that just loves to eat salads all the time and feels satisfied. Some French Onion Dip, Chips and a side of twizzlers is my idea of a balanced meal. You got your Onions to counts as veggies, your sour cream/Mayo for some protein, Your Chips which are carbs and your Strawberry Twizzlers which count as a fruit! No? Well that could be why I struggle. But even if I have to diet the rest of my life it would be better than feeling like a chubba wubba!

I hate that all my clothes are tight! I hate that I feel lethargic and lazy! And I'm sick of eating! Like just over all the junk food. I'm going to get back into my healthy eating habits, I'm going to renew my relationship with my treadmill and hope to hell that by summer I can actually fit back into my summer wardrobe!

This morning Nate and I worked out (yes Mr I don't need to work out to lose weight) we each did a mile and a half on the treadmill and 5 miles on the bike. Needless to say we are a little tired today. But I feel better than I have in a long time because for some STUPID reason you actually do feel better when you work out. Wish me luck and I'll keep you posted on my progress. Don't expect this to become one of those "biggest loser" blogs where I actually post my weight and my weekly progress. Unless you plan on giving me a million/bizillion dollars NOBODY I repeat NOBODY will ever know my digits! Ha ha ha

Sam Says "WHAT"

So this is my sweet little boy who has the mouth of a Trucker!!!

Our conversation yesterday:

*Sam to Parker when he thinks I'm not listening*

Sam - Parker You FRICKIN

Parker - Uh Oh you said a bad word (pushes Sam down)

Sam - YOU FRICKIN

Me - Sam what did you say???

Sam- I said FRICKIN

Me - That is a bad word (which he learned from me)

Sam- OK I won't way FRICKIN anymore

Me - Then STOP saying it

Sam - OK I promise Mom, I won't say FRICKIN anymore

Me - STOP SAYING IT THEN!!!

ABOUT TWO HOURS LATER

Sam and Parks are arguing over something and Sam Slaps Parker in the face and yells FRICKIN. The funny thing is he got it from me but I'll say "Ouch that frickin hurt" or "I can't get this frickin door to shut" I know I know its terrible and I should stop and I have tried but come on it could be worse. But Sam literally just yells " YOU FRICKIN" Does he have tourettes syndrome? I guess he probably just realizes it makes me made and gets my attention but I'm kind of stuck at to what to do. I've threatened to wash his mouth out with soap the next time he did it and then of course like clock work he did it again. So I took him into the bathroom and picked up the bottle, he screamed, I chickened out. So for now, each time he says it he has to go to time out. I just hope that he doesn't learn anymore bad words or else I'm going to REALLY have my hands full!

Home Sweet WHAT???

Well we are pretty much all unpacked from our trip to Florida. Hard to believe that last year at this time we were swimming OUTSIDE in a pool. I think Michigan weather SUCKS! But it's where our home is, our family and are friends are here and for about 6 months out of the year the weather is good. While in Florida Nate and I pondered moving there. What would it be like, could we handle being away from everyone. We came up with the decision that NOPE we aren't ready to move even if it does mean warm weather and sunshine a majority of the time.

One thing that our trip did was gave us back a huge feeling of "Family". Sometimes we get so caught up in the day to day stuff that we forget why we are really put on this earth together. I think the four of us really came together in a way we never had before. I feel like I got back to my roots on why I wanted to be a Mother. To see your kids so happy and excited and just enjoying life is something that I think I became a little desensitized too back here. This trip was a gift to my children of pure FUN! We were able to just have fun, I wasn't worried about all the monotonous things I do around the house instead of spending time with them. I really hope to implement that now that we are home. To not spend so much time worrying about all the little things and to find "The Fun" no matter where we are.

For Nate I think our trip really helped him with his "anxiety" over the boys behavior out in public. They were very well behaved and learned how to behave while dining out, having patience while waiting their turn and just having confidence in his ability to block out what other people are thinking about our kids while we are out and about. It was great to see him so at ease and not worrying about what "might" happen.

The boys got SOOOO Much closer over the past month. They shared a room in Florida and insisted that they share a room once we got home so we moved Parker into Sam's room and now Parks old room is a playroom. They seemed to laugh more, they would giggle over inside jokes and make up crazy words. It is fabulous to see what great friends they are becoming.

Parker was probably the most homesick of all four of us. He struggled with not being in his comfort zone and away from his toys, his beds and just his usual surroundings. After the first week he seemed to settle in very well. He LOVED meeting Aunt Ruth, Uncle Jack and Peppy. He talks about them often! He loves people, gets VERY excited to try something new but I think at times his emotions get the best of him and he either burns out or becomes over-stimulated. It's a toss up between Dinosaur World and Magic Kingdom as to what Parker enjoyed the most but whatever he did he would talk about it for days afterwards.

Sam REALLY came out of his shell in Florida. He seemed to love everything about being there. He ate better, he slept better, he whined less and talked more than he ever has. He also really seemed to battle through some of his biggest fears while we were there. He became a lot less fearful of things and seemed to be more daring and outgoing. It was awesome to see him kick butt in situations where he may have cowered in fear previously. Sam will always be more sensitive than most but darn it he has really learned to stand up for himself and I LOVE THAT! He was very scared of the water and before and by the end of the trip was swimming by himself with his life jacket on. He used to shy away from theme park rides or even riding the horse by himself at the mall carousel and by the end of the trip he was jumping right on and afterwards he would say " Aren't I so brave" ADORABLE!

This trip has been such a blessing for our family and we have made memories that we will never forget!

We're BaCCkkkkkk

And it's snowing........Enough said!!!!

Just arrived LATE last night and now we are starting the unpacking process. I'll add more later!