So far, so good!

Today is Tuesday, March 28th and so far, we are having a great day! We were all dressed and ready to go nice and early this morning. First stop was Eddie's preschool... I had a flyer to drop off for an upcoming event we are hosting at the library. Next stop was the library! The kids love the library. We picked out some books, DVD's, computer games and music for the car... then we did a puppet show, cozied up in the reading corner, and read for a while before we headed out. Two books we ordered from other libraries were in so we will look forward to reading those at home. After the library, we went to the Holbrook playground (Eddie's favorite) for about 1/2 an hour. We came home for our usual 10:45 am lunch. Eddie is in school during lunch but they only have time for a snack (10 minutes) so we have a full fledged lunch at 10:45. It works out nicely for Kevin and Ryan too because they are napping during usual lunch times... Eddie played one of his new computer games while I made lunch. We all had lunch... I had a turkey and cheese on an oat bran wrap (the wrap is actually really yummy and only 1 point)... and my designated lunch time Coke Zero... now I will read with Kevin and Ryan for about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes as we usually do before they go off to their nap. While they are napping, I will tidy up the dishes and then hop on the treadmill for my 45 minute run... take a shower and then try to get some organizing done in the bedroom! After Eddie comes home and Kevin and Ryan wake up... we will most likely play outside for a while and then come in to get dinner ready. On Tuesdays, Ed comes home a bit early (just a few minutes) so I can head to my Body Pump class... after that is my weigh in at Weight Watchers (wish me luck) and then I go grocery shopping! It's so much easier and faster when you can go alone! So that's it for our busy Tuesday. I'll post some pictures from this morning! Thanks for reading!

Eddie picking out his computer games


Ryan putting on a puppet show


Kevin playing with the roller coaster toy


The tire swing


Peek-a-boo!


Kevin doing the dishes


Ryan too!

Points Worthy?

One of the great things about Weight Watcher is you can have anything you want to eat, you just have to count the points. One of my favorite foods is ramen noodles. You've probably seen them in the grocery store. You can get like 12 for a dollar. Well, I love them! I usually make 2 packages, throw out the broth and just eat the noodles. Well, I finally got around to calculating the points and for 2 packages, it's over 40 points (the calculater only goes SO high).... It's not out of the question, I COULD have it if I wanted to use all my weekly bonus points on it... so we'll see.

And by the way... I consumed 8 points worth of coffee today... worth it? Oh, you betcha!

Monday Morning Ramblings

Good morning! Today is Monday, March 27th and I'm feeling pretty chipper. Why you might ask? Well, because I got 13 hours of sleep last night. How great is that? I went to bed at 4:30 PM intending to take a nap and I woke up at 5:15 this morning. Can you believe I *still* did not want to wake up even after the massive amount of sleep I had? So I went back to sleep and got up at 5:45. I got dressed quickly and was going to run on our treadmill on the backporch until I saw how cold it was. So I hopped in the car and went to the gym. I did my usual 45 minute "run" (I put quotes around it because I'm pretty slow but I still call it running)... and it was *really* hard. It was one of those days where I was counting the minutes. Miraculously, I remembered to bring my MP3 player but I'm finding out that I am not technically skilled enough to use it. So that was pretty frustrating. I watched the news by reading the words going across the bottom of the screen (the name of which escapes me at the moment). It's funny because the "words" are a few seconds behind the actual person speaking, so don't try to lip sync or you'll be very confused. I've decided I'm going to listen to book on tape while I run... any suggestions? Now I just need to find a tape player walkman and I'll be all set. I'm sure I'll figure out the MP3 player someday but for now, I will get caught up on "reading" all the books I've been meaning to read. And just for some comic relief, I'll tell you that while I was wiping down the treadmill after I was done, I was still on the treadmill, leaning over to get my jacket on the the floor when I accidentally turned the treadmill ON and couldn't stop it. Sure, it was going slow but I was kneeled down on it and almost couldn't find something to grab onto. Did anyone notice? Well if they did, they kept their laughter to themselves. I was able to find the stop button and recover nicely but that could have been really embarrassing!

We don't have much on the schedule for today. Eddie will be getting on the bus at 11:05. His class has been doing "The Letter of the Week" this year and today they start the letter Y. Each Monday, he brings home the new letter and we have been putting them up in his room. I will post a picture of his letters.... also pictured are Eddie's fish... Eddie is on the left and Steven is on the right. Kevin and Ryan will nap while Eddie is at school and I'm going to attempt to get some cleaning done. We don't have anything planned for the afternoon yet but hopefully it will be warm and we can either play in the yard or go to the playground.

We are getting a fence! I'm so excited. We are going to move our swing set to the other side of the house. That will give the kids more room to play around the swing set and hopefully they will make use of the picnic table under the slide. That would be nice. In the new location, I will be able to see the kids out the kitchen window and since they will be safely contained by the fence, I will be able to be inside and see them out the window! Yippee!!!

What else is new? I'm trying to write about "regular" stuff because when looking back on this in years to come, those are the things I'll want to remember.

I'm sure you remember my friend, Norma, the TV star... well, she has been an inspiration to me. I'll share 3 reasons.

1) She is very good with her money. We have just started cutting back on spending. Not that we were crazy before... but careless you could say. Not anything extravagant but those iced coffees add up. And going to all those home parties and buying the obligatory one or two items that you totally don't need but wanting to help out, sure add up. And then there's my scrapbooking spending. So we are keeping a spreadsheet of all spending. I have it broken down into categories so we can see where we are spending money the most. And can I say that if you have to write it down, it makes you think about what you are spending and it makes you say "Do I really need that?"... Norma is very good about not spending money and I need to take some more tips from her! (Norma, maybe you can do a blog post on saving money and budget tips!)

2) Her handiwork! Norma is quite crafty as I am finding out. She can crochet a SWEATER! I think that's pretty amazing. She is now doing thread work which I find pretty neat... looking at her needlework has reminded me of all the cross stitch I have done (mostly for gifts) and Saturday night I pulled out a project that is not completed yet. I have a few of those... sigh... Anyway, it's a really nice sampler of a lighthouse and it will look perfect in my bathroom. Look for a picture of the completed version hopefully SOON!

3) Her awesome cooking. I can only hope of being as good as a cook as Norma! Her recent post about her tuna steak lunch (www.notnormajean.blogspot.com) made my mouth water! I have a feeling that Ed will appreciate my new efforts too!

So thanks for the inspiration Normie!

And speaking of cooking, we are trying out a weekly menu. That way instead of not knowing what is for dinner, I will know ahead of time and can plan. Want to hear our schedule?

Sunday - Big roast chicken dinner after church...
Monday - Crock pot... less cooking after the big Sunday dinner...
Tuesday - Casserole... Eddie claims he does not like casseroles but I don't think he knows what he is talking about... I'll let you know how the casseroles go over.
Wednesday - Pasta... the kids love spaghetti and meatballs.
Thursday - This is Ed's night out at the lodge so he doesn't even come home after work. I have designated this chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese night. While not the best things in the world for the kids, I have found a really good brand of nuggets that are delicious and taste like you made them yourself... and I always say, everything in moderation... so they can look forward to it once a week.
Friday - Every Friday night Ed picks up some dough at Bertucci's and the kids make pizza with Dad. They love it... and it's delicious too.
Saturday - Cookout

That's the plan anyway.... What do you think?

I suppose I shall wrap it up for now. I am going to print off some "Y" coloring sheets for the kids.. and get the day started.

Enjoy your day!!!

The toddler lifestyle

There is a lot to be said about the lifestyle of a toddler. It's all about the schedule, right? They wake up, have breakfast, some activity, a snack, maybe play some more, lunch, then a nap... wake up have a snack, play or go out, dinner and bed. Sounds good, doesn't it? Most toddlers thrive on a schedule. I think most adults would too. I have been changing my schedule and it's working out great.

Well, I said I wasn't going to diet this year and I made it all of 3 months before going back to Weight Watchers. I started a couple weeks ago and I'm doing pretty good. I am calling my eating plan the "toddler diet" because like a toddler, I'll have breakfast, then a snack, lunch, then a snack and then dinner. Keeps everything nice and even... never getting TOO hungry. I have been making good food choices and my exercise really is a big help too. I have 53 lbs left to lose. I started out with 80 lbs to lose earlier this year so I am down 27 and have 53 to go. My goal is to lose 40 by Christmas and hopefully the remaining 13 lbs next year.

Day 2 of my new plan and I'm sooooo....

tired! Tonight I will go to bed even earlier (at 9) and hope it all works out. Tomorrow I will head to the gym early - probably leave here at 5:15 that way I can run for an hour or so and still take a shower before I head home. I think the sleep will level off soon.

My crazy little climber

Kevin has become quite the climber as of late...

The kids love this cute little grocery cart... how did he get in there?

Time to grow up?

I have come to figure out that I can't do it all. I can't get up early with the kids, be tired all day and then stay up to the wee hours of the morning playing on the computer and scrapbooking. Sad, but true. For the last two weeks, I have been tired and admittedly, pretty cranky. I've been worn out and chasing two year old twin boys has not helped. In the past week, we have taken lots of safety measures as our little boys turn into little climbers. So, in an effort to keep things on an even keel (meaning that the dishes are done when hubby gets home and we actually have food in the house, not to even mention, dinner once in a while, I am going to make a few changes. First of all, I will be going to bed between the hours of 9 and 10!!! Yikes, did I just say that? No 11, 12 or 1am? It's actually kind of sad to go to bed that early, because I like to stay up and goof off but the trade off is worth it. Today I got up at 5:30 and went to the gym. I ran for 45 minutes. That was a record for me. I felt fantastic and had lots of energy and even did a lot of housework... and I think I'll be good and tired by the time 9:00 rolls around......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Crib Tents

We recently put Kevin and Ryan into toddler beds. The really cute little race car ones. The reason we made the switch? We were visiting friends and I put them in for naps in their Pack n Plays. They are such great sleepers, I didn't anticipate any problems. They were laughing & talking to each other but I figured that was fine, they do that at home in their cribs. However, when we checked on them, they had climbed out of the PnP's and were in another room playing... Back at home, Ryan could get one leg entirely over the crib so we figured it was time to get the toddler beds. Kevin and Ryan have always been fantastic sleeers so we figured no problem, right? Soon after we made the switch, I heard the usual silliness but figured it was fine. I went in to check on them and this is what I found:

Evidently, they had climbed the air filter to the bookcase and the dresser. After that, we decided to clear all equipment/furniture out of the room except for the dresser which is attached to the wall.. so at least we knew they couldn't hurt themselves... did that solve the problem? No! Even though they couldn't hurt themselves with furniture falling on them (the dresser was going to end up in the closet), they could hurt EACH OTHER. I think if they were in separate rooms, they would have been fine but with the two of them together, they would climb into each others cribs and fight! So, we opted for the crib tents.


2 crib tents: $150
Peace of mind while precious children sleep: Priceless

Looking for a way to wear out your kid?

Eddie loves the treadmill. He wants to do it "just like Mom"... I am going to put him in track this summer! Braintree offers a great track program. Eddie's very excited about signing up!

Norma was on the Today show today!

She's famous, she's really really famous!

For those who missed it, you can see the clip in its entirety on the Today show website. Here's the link:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11762904/

The piece is about a book called "Mommy Wars" and Norma is the stay at home mom featured in the segment.

My friend Norma, the TV Star

Set your TIVO's, get your VCR's ready... my wonderful friend and frequent COMMENT POSTER on my blog is going to be on TV next week. Not just any TV but NATIONAL TV. That's right folks, Norma is going to be on the TODAY show! Friday the 10th... I'm going to TIVO the whole 3 hours. It's going to be a segment on parenting and Norma will be doing the piece about the SAHM (Stay at Home Mom)... the TV crew was at her house in Plymouth yesterday and followed her and her two little girls on a typical day. It sounds like all went well and Norma made some excellent points she wanted to get across... so check it out if you can! In the meantime, you can read more about Norma and her fabulous family on her blog! In fact, Norma is the one who inspired ME to get my blog going... so pay a visit to her site, have a few laughs, LEAVE A COMMENT and tell her Dawn sent you....
http://www.notnormajean.blogspot.com/

It's a jungle IN here

Ok, as I sit here in the kitchen, there are wild animals in my living room. Ok, not really but it sounds like it. The boys are having a grand time making loud animal noises and chasing after each other. Does it bother me? Not today! Why you ask? Because today is March 3rd... and today I am going away for the weekend to scrapbook. This is the weekend I have been waiting for! 30 hours of scrapbooking bliss. No diapers to change, no fights to break up, no meals to make, no cleaning to do. So, no, the noises don't bother me quite as much as usual today. Would I normally be saying something like "Someone's going to get hurt"... sure!

I figured I'd fill you in on some of the latest events going on here and then I'll post some pictures on Monday... I hope to take some pictures this weekend but that would involve charging my camera and that would involve finding the cord so we'll see about that.

I guess the biggest thing going on around here is that Ryan is in a big boy bed. Sigh... they are growing up too fast for me! Over the weekend while Mom was here, we went to Reading to visit Carol, Debra, Chris & Hannah. I knew I'd be there for a while so I brought the Pack & Plays for naptime. I got the beds all set up with Kevin and Ryan's blankets, stuffed animals, etc... after I put Kevin and Ryan in, they chatted for a while and I told Debb that was normal, that's what they do at home. Well, Debb snuck up to peek in on them and they weren't in the room I had left them in, they were in Hannah's room playing. That means they climbed out of the PNPs. Granted, the PNPs are much easier to scale than a crib, but we figured it was only a matter of time before they were hopping out of the cribs and Ryan was getting pretty good at getting his leg completely over the rail... sooooo after much debate, we decided to skip the crib tents and go for the toddler beds. We had one already - a cute race car bed so Ryan is all set up in that one. We just need another. I saw one on Craigslist so hopefully Ed can scoop that up on Saturday.

Oh, another sign of my babies growing up in front of my eyes is now when we go swimming, I not only don't have to get in the pool with them but I don't even need to wear my suit. What a difference a few months makes. A few months ago, I really need to be in there to keep them safe and now they are just fine on their own.

What does Ferris Bueller say? Something like life goes fast... if you blink, you might miss it? Believe it, it's true! I can't believe Kevin and Ryan are almost 2 and a 1/2 and will be heading into preschool in January. Eddie's going to be FIVE and will be enterting KINDERGARTEN in the fall. Did you hear that??? I said KINDERGARTEN... my baby! I tell ya, it's too fast, too fast!

I can't think of anything else exciting going on. Eddie has a mystery fever. He was sound asleep on the bus yesterday and willingly took a nap and then didn't complain about going to bed last night. Yesterday morning he woke up AFTER Kevin and Ryan. You definitely know something is up when THAT happens. His fever was 102.8 all day and all night. Of course it comes down with meds. This morning it was 101.9. So we are following the "24 hour rule" and staying home from art class and school today... I'm packing and getting ready and cleaning up the house... Good thing there is a Little Einstein marathon on today. They are loving the leisurely life today. Have you ever seen that show? It's the cutest thing ever! Check it out sometime.

Well, that's all for now. I am going to finish getting ready. I am going to make up some sandwiches and snacks and pack some drinks so we'll have plenty of food... don't want to get us scrappers hungry.

I'll post more on Monday and hopefully have some pictures too.

Hummus and Carrots

OK, try not to be jealous but I am having a snack of hummus and carrots. I have "re-newed" my dedication to watching what I eat and trying to lose weight. (Notice: I did not say "diet") Man, does it ever stink. I figured out what my problem is - I like to eat! That's a news flash! I guess when it comes down to it, I know what to do - I just don't want to do it. Due to a lousy metabolic disorder, carbohydrates wreak havoc to my body. And those just "happen" to be my favorite things in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD. Not chocolate, not ice cream, not hot fudge.... but rich, creamy mashed potatoes.... yummy, delicious macaroni and cheese... all those wonderful "comfort" foods. MMMMMMM.... but for me, those are my worst possible choices. So it makes me wonder... is it due to the disorder that I crave those foods or is the cravings that CAUSED the disorder. Who knows... but in the meantime, I am cutting back on my favorites foods. Note: I didn't say CUTTING OUT my favorite foods... all in moderation, all in moderation... and I know, all I need to do is "make some lifestyle changes" as my doctor lovingly tells me but isn't easier to just eat whatever you want when you want it? I would really like to lose 25 lbs by the end of the year. Think I can do it? I have the weight lifting thing down. Love weight lifting... but that's not going to make me any thinner. Sure, it will compact what I have and get my heart going and burn calories at rest and all that good stuff but what I REALLY need is some good old fashioned cardio... walking.... and more walking and even more walking. So my plan is now that the weather is getting a bit warmer (and hopefully staying that way) is to take Kevin and Ryan to the playground as soon as Eddie gets on the bus. It's one mile each way. So we can go, run around, have lunch and make it home in time for nap time. That is my GOAL. Those of us with children know that plans can change at any second without any advance notice... and that's OK... as long as you know it can happen... So that's my goal and hopefully we can get out there and get some fresh air. I truly do love to walk, I just REALLY prefer to do it outside as opposed to the treadmill. Well, that's my story for today. Ed has the kids at Scalliwags and I'm doing some cleaning around the house, opening the windows, mopping the floors, etc - all the good stuff. Til next time...

I Stand Corrected

After watching the movie with Ed for a few minutes, I realized I was mistaken. While Grey's Anatomy's love interest stories, etc don't require much thinking and it's all in good fun, etc.... there is absolutely NO THINKING required whatsoever in watching my husband's choice of viewing this evening.

Boys versus Girls

Ok, so is it in the genes or what? As I sit here in the kitchen, checking my mail, my message boards and updating my blog... my hubby, Ed, is in the living room killing himself with laughter over some ridiculous movie about people pulling pranks on one another or something like that. I think he is on the verge of vomiting. What is it about men and those kinds of movies? It is because they are so mind-numbingly simple, you don't need to think? Oh, well, he enjoys it. Is that like how us girls enjoy McDreamy on Grey's Anatomy? Sure, from the outside, it looks far fetched and ridiculous, but like the said prank show, you don't need to think much about it but it sure is fun... Oh, well - I guess we will never know...........

1 hour 15 minutes til Grey's Anatomy is on...

Anyone else on the edge of their seats as well?

Wonder Twin Powers... ACTIVATE!

OK, so I never thought I'd use one of those really cheesy comments about twins but in this case, I thought it was appropriate.

We have a gate that you have to step on a "lever" in order for the gate to open. Kevin and Ryan figured this out a long time ago but they are not heavy enough to release the gate..... SEPARATELY that is. Not long ago, they realized that if they did it TOGETHER, it would open.

Looks like we need a new gate... or a new kitchen... whichever comes first.

It's a learning process...

OK, so I just posted those 4 pictures in a cube which I think came out really cool... However, did they come out REALLY HUGE on your screen? Well, not REALLY huge but big enough that you had to scroll right to see all of them? Let me know so I can try to fix it next time. THANKS!

[Update: I changed the way the pictures looked...]

Gymboree

The kids had a blast at Gymoboree!!!

New England Weather

You know what they say about New England weather? The saying goes something like this: "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute, it might change." That was been SO true this winter. Right now is is SO COLD outside. I think it was 15 degrees today as we drove to Gymboree. 15 degrees!!!! That's CRAZY! Just a few days ago, we were at the playground enjoying 60 degree weather. I have to say, though, that we HAVE been pretty lucky this year with our weather. January was the mildest January on record. And WE DO live in New England, so what do we expect? Of course it's going to be cold and snowy! But one can always hope for those beautiful warm days. So even though I'm NOT enjoying the cold weather at present, I'm hoping if I wait a minute... it WILL change!

Off and Running

Vacation is in full swing. I'm very excited! Remember how I thought yesterday afternoon after naps if it was nice out, we could potentially go to the playground? Well, it wasn't nice. It was raining and cold. And this morning, it was snowing furiously... for a little while and then the sun came out. It's bone chillingly cold though. I think I should either start watching the weather, paying attention to the news or checking the weather on the Internet because my prediction about the weather couldn't have been more wrong!

This morning, Ed and I went to Body Pump together at the gym. It was the first time we have taken it together. Up until a couple weeks ago, there wasn't a class we could both be at and have the kids in the babysitting... so it was fun! We had to leave a few minutes early to get to the movies on time. We took the kids to see "Curious George". Eddie's friend from school came. They all had a fantastic time. It was funny because I pre-ordered the tickets online and printed them out so we could save some time knowing that we'd probably just make it in time... No one asked to see our tickets or anything! I was surprised. It was $48 for our tickets and $22.00 for 3 drinks and 2 popcorns. This is definitely not the 70's. Remember movies were like a couple bucks? And this was a matinee! It was fun though and I'm glad we went! George was charming and cute... the animation was perfect. After the movie, Eddie's friend came over to play... Kevin and Ryan took a nap... I ran out to do a quick errand. It was all good.

Well, let's see... tomorrow we have a playdate at 10:00 at Gymboree with Eddie's preschool. It was actually scheduled for last Sunday but was cancelled when we got all the snow. After Gymboree, we'll all go to the gym. Eddie will go to a lunch & tennis thing... and we'll take Kevin and Ryan to the Splash Pool.... then home for naps.

Here's what we have planned for the rest of the week: Monday we plan on going to a craft day at a local craft museum. Ed has an appointment with a physical therapist since he just found out he has two herniated discs in his neck... so hopefully he'll start PT soon... the doctor wants him to go 3x a week for 6 weeks. I called the insurance today just to make sure it was covered and it is! $15 copay per visit ... so the 6 weeks will cost us $270! But if it can prevent surgery, it will be well worth it! Tuesday, we are getting together with Kelly and the kids and some friends to have a Kids Crop at the library. That should be fun. Eddie loves to scrapbook - it's so cute! Wednesday we are going to open play time at a local gymnastics place... Eddie has swimming lessons in the afternoon and I have an appointment with our Family Service Coordinator from Early Intervention to set up Kevin's speech therapy which he will be starting soon. Thursday and Friday are open! If we do have a nice day, we'd like to get to the zoo... and somewhere in there, Ed will take the kids out for an entire day so I can have some time to myself and I will do the same for him. Friday night is scrapbooking at Kelly's and that will leave us Saturday and Sunday before Ed goes back to work on Monday. So, I'm looking forward to having lots of time together and it will probably be the first vacation that we've taken where we didn't need another vacation to recuperate from the vacation!

OK, bed time! Stay tuned.... more posts to follow...

Getting excited!

Next week is school vacation and I'm getting excited! You see, Ed has vacation next week too. And for the first time probably ever, we are not going anywhere! We are going to do lots of little fun family things! Technically you could say our vacation is starting today. Eddie has no school today because the teachers have an inservice day. This is good because Fridays we go to art class... Class is from 10-11 in Easton and Eddie needs to be at school at 11:30 in Braintree. So by the time we get out of there and in the car and all strapped in, it's at least 11:04 if not 11:08 and then we need to drive like the speed of light (OK, not really but stressful nonetheless) to get to Braintree High on time. Today we will be able to stay and play! We won't have to cut out during the "Goodbye" song... with me whispering across the circle of toddlers saying "Eddie... let's GO" without disturbing the other children. So this will be nice. We can help our teacher Jane clean up and then go downstairs and play with the "ball balls" (as Kevin would say). We can leisurely make our way home for lunch and put Kevin and Ryan in for a nap. After naps, if it's a nice day, maybe we can go to the playground again.

I'm planning on doing a lot of walking outside now that the weather is getting nicer. I have a double jogger for getting Kevin and Ryan places but what do I do if I have all 3? Anyone have any ideas? Are those "skateboard" things worth buying? I suppose Eddie could ride his bike but I'd need to find a nice safe place to ride. Normally I would say Pond Meadow because I always see lots of kids riding their bikes there... but after going to a child safety meeting the other night, I'm not so sure I'd feel safe there by ourselves!

Anywho, tonight is scrapbooking at our house and I'm very excited! I've been getting very organized and getting things in order and actually getting a lot done. Is there a possibility that someday I might be caught up? Probably not but one can hope! All this organization is leading up to a fun-filled weekend away the first week of March. Yep, March 3rd - 5th I will be in my scrapbooking glory. Yes, 3 solid days of uninteruppted scrapping time. We will start at 3pm on Friday and scrap til 1 am. Yes, that's right folks, 1 am. Saturday will begin at 7 am and continue til 1 am. That's right folks, 1 am. And Sunday from 7 am til 4 pm or something like that. All meals are provided so all you need to do is walk to the next room, eat and return to SCRAPPING! Who could ask for anything more? It's going to be a fantastic time. I really am looking forward to it (incase you haven't guessed)...

Well, I guess I need to get back to reality. I have some poopy diapers to change, a bag to prepare (diapers, wipes, snacks, drinks, Epi Pen, Benedryl, you know, the usual kid gear)... get everyone's socks and shoes on, and I'm sure about 10 other things I forgot, load up the van and head out to art class. Wish me luck.

Keep your eyes peeled for more posts today. Upcoming topics will be a really tricky little skill Kevin and Ryan have figured out and I will tell you all about the fun and exciting things we have planned for our upcoming "vacation at home"...

Enjoy your day! It's all GOOD! (Another one of Donny's favorite sayings... )

Isn't everything so much better when the sun is shining?

I mean, really! Yesterday, it was a beautiful day. It was hard to believe that just a few days ago, we had 17 inches of snow. It was 60+ degrees yesterday. People were in t-shirts... there was a certain energy about everyone. It was exciting! I dropped Eddie off at school (he usually takes the bus)... the other Moms downright giddy about the gorgeous weather! I felt like I had more energy. We got a lot done before school. Kevin and Eddie got haircuts at our favorite barber shop in Quincy. After that we went to Marshall's in Braintree and got Eddie a pair of sneakers. Remember those cool Kangaroo sneakers (aka "Roos") from elementary school? The ones with the zippered pocket covered by a velcro flap? I remember thinking those were just the coolest things EVER when I sported them back in the 70's. I mean, you never know what you might need to keep in YOUR SHOES! You know, some coins, a key, the possibilities are endless. And remember those totally cool friendship pins? The ones made out of safety pins and beads? I loved those! I was always jealous of the girls whose entires shoes were covered with friendship pins thinking "Wow, they must have SO many friends"! Did it ever occur to me that they were probably making their own? Um, no! But anyway, I'm getting sidetracked...

My original plan was to find some for Kevin and Ryan but they didn't have anything in their sizes. OK, they did but I didn't like them. Eddie saw the Kangaroos (and after finding out they didn't have his size in the Spiderman sneakers), he just HAD to have them. According to Eddie, he can run even faster than before and jump REALLY high! And then he had to SHOW me his new abilities! At "any rate" (as Donny would say)... We dropped Eddie off at school which is always a novelty because there is a little playground that Kevin and Ryan like to play on. Kevin and Ryan love seeing the other kids and running around outside. Ryan tried to climb on the bus today as we were waiting for the kids to line up. I suppose they will be more than ready for school when the time comes. After Eddie got in the line up and his class walked inside... Kevin and Ryan played in the play area for a while and then we went to the Hollis Playground in Braintree. There was snow on the ground but it was still a beautiful day. There were some other kids there and they had a lot of fun. After that, we went to Shaw's to do some grocery shopping. I fed Kevin and Ryan lunch as we shopped which is a great way to keep them quiet... and when we got home, they went right in for their nap. That's what I call a great day!

I can't believe it's been two weeks since my last post. Over two weeks actually. I was going to write one big gigantic post but I figure I'll break it up into smaller, more digestible portions.... look for more posts to come! Happy reading!

Slow and Steady

I weighed in today. My plan is working. I am down 3.4 lbs. And the best part is, I didn't feel deprived or cheated at all. I am just eating right and exercising. Making lots of little choices to do better and they are adding up. I never think all those little things would matter but they are. I'm hoping this is just the beginning of a lifetime of good habits and healthy living. I will keep weighing in every Monday and posting my results here to keep me going. Thanks for checking in!

Study Schedule Revised

Alright, so who thought my crazy study schedule would last? I should have known better! We are back to the drawing board... while I do, indeed, need to cut back on extracurricular activies, there is no reason I need to cut all of them (not that I ever intended to cut out scrapbooking of course!) So I will be studying either 3 or 4 nights a week and keeping up with the household chores during nap time (or napping myself which I did today!)... I'll keep you posted! I'm working on "Bones & Joints" and "Muscles"!!! Look for more updates...

Couch to 5k

I've started a plan to get me running. It's called Couch to 5k or more commonly referred to as C25K. The idea is to get yourself up and running but slowly so you don't overdo it and then quit. It's really pretty neat. The first week, you do a 5 minute brisk walk followed by 60 seconds of running and then 90 seconds of walking. You do this til your total time is 20 minutes. I've done it twice so far. It's really great! I figure I can do anything for 60 seconds. Then you have your break and you start up again. I'm really enjoying it. It gives you a sense of accomplishment. I end each session looking forward to the next. I am tempted to stay on longer but knowing how I like to overdo, I am taking it one step at a time. My goal is to "run" (more like jog) a 5k in the early summer. Ed and I ran the Quincy Police Athletic League 5k many moons ago. Maybe we will do that one again. For more information on C25K, click here: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

I've been downgraded by a 2 year old

Ryan is such a loveable, kissable boy! And up until a couple days ago would spontaneously kiss me! It was cute! He still kisses me but just in a different way. Now he puts his hand over my mouth and kisses me on the cheek. What's up with that? Is he worried about germs already? Jeepers! He must have got that from big brother Eddie who hasn't let us kiss him in years for fear we would "share germs". So my two year old has downgraded me to a kiss on the cheek and my four year old will permit me to kiss him on the top of the head or his arm. Well, there's still Kevin and so far, he is a regular smoocher!

Kevin's Baby

Kevin has wanted a baby of his own for a long time but we just haven't got around to getting one. Last night at Wal-mart, we found the perfect one. It's a Cabbage Patch Kid. His name is Dominic Jason and he was born on October 15th. However, I think he will be more commonly referred to as "baby" at our house. Dominic came with his very own pacifier. The only thing is, it doesn't fit in Dominic's mouth. Of course, I have very limited experience with dolls and such in recent years so I don't know if that's the norm, but it sounds like a surefire way of quickly losing said paci. Kevin hasn't put his baby down since he got it. He has been trying to put the pacifier in baby's mouth and when it didn't work, he decided that he would try it himself. Now, if Kevin could have taken to a pacifier so easily when he was a baby, that would have made my life a whole lot easier!

Quesadillas!

For those following the "Letter of the Week" cooking at Eddie's school, he came home with quesadillas today! I could not think of a Q food! Makes perfect sense! YUM!

Art class!

Guess who loved art class today?! One of the activies was a plexiglass easel the kids could paint on. There were two kids on each side. After they painted, they had a squeegee to wipe the paint off with and start over again. This was really fun. I am trying to think of how I could duplicate it at home. Any ideas?



Eddie and Kevin painting on the plexiglass easel.


Painters busy at work.


Ryan working on tracing circles to make a snowman mobile.


Eddie and Kevin making a snowstorm out of white paint and paint spatulas.


We have really been enjoying this class. We have 6 more weeks left. We have picked up some great ideas for projects at home too! It's a bit stressful at the end because we have to really hurry to get Eddie to school on time but I think it's been worth it. Today we even had 5 minutes to spare as we pulled into the school driveway. Plenty of time for Eddie to get in the lineup. Phew!

P is for Penguin

Eddie's class has been doing the letter of the week. They are going through the alphabet one letter at a time. Last week was P. He brought home this fabulous penguin. I really love how he loves art! He did really well with coloring the right colors in all the appropriate places. They used tin foil for ice and cotton for snow. Eddie is doing so well this year. He loves his teachers too. Each week they cook something that starts with the letter of the week. Last week they did pizza for P. This week is Q. Any ideas on what he will have cooked today?

Crunch Time

So as most of you know, I have signed up to do an online medical transcription course. The great part is you can work at your own pace, you don't have to commit to a schedule and you can do all the work from the comfort of your own home. Sounds great, right? They give you a year to complete the course so plenty of time, right? Well, it's now two months til time's up and I'm just in the beginning stages. My new plan is to study 7 hours a day. I am going to have to turn down all extra-curricular activities (with the exception of scrapbooking once a week of course!). Right now I am studying muscles as part of my anatomy and physiology section. I'm sure I will have to apply for an extension but hopefully at my new pace, I will be done by summer's end. I plan to study two hours a day while Kevin and Ryan nap (with the exception of Wednesdays when Eddie is home from school) and 5 hours each night - 6pm to 11pm. Wish me luck, I'm gonna need it!

Is anyone out there?

I know you're reading my entries... so if you're out there, make a girl happy and leave a comment! Thank you!

Selling Out

OK, so Blogspot (the people who make my blog) offer members a deal with a company called Ad Sense. If you sign up, Ad Sense will post a banner on your blog in which they will display ads for various things related to the topics of your blog entries. Then they pay you for allowing them to do that. I don't know how they know what you are talking about in your blog but you know, these days they can do just about anything! I don't know how much the pay is or what the deal is but I thought I'd give it a whirl. I figure if it's really annoying, you all can let me know and I'll get rid of it. Deal? Let me know, OK? Thank you!

Art Class - Take One!

Yesterday was the first day of art class for Eddie, Kevin and Ryan. We went to "Friday Frolics" at the Children's Museum in Easton. It was really fun once we got settled. I thought the class was downstairs so I took the kids into the main part of the museum to ask where it was. That was when Kevin saw the balls and wanted to stay and play! Once I finally convinced him that we would have fun in art class, he was OK. Next time, we will know to go right up the stairs when we go in. There were 5 projects to work on at your own pace followed by stories at the end. After the class, we drove Eddie to school since we would miss the bus. He made it just in time to line up with the other kids. We had a great day!

What do you get...

when you combine 3 boys and a can of shaving cream?

Tomorrow Back

When talking to Eddie, when he wants to say "yesterday"... he says "tomorrow back"...

The Sweetest Thing

If ever there was a child who wore his heart on his sleeve, it would be Ryan Patrick. He's very sweet and extremely polite too! It's seems as though we only had to explain the whole "please and thank you" thing to him one time and he's had it down ever since. It's funny that even when he's very upset, he always makes sure to say "thank you". This usually happens if something is taken away and he's upset about it. When given back to him, he will say "thank you" right through his tears. He always says "please" when asking for something too. It's so nice to hear! He is very sensitive to others' feelings and he doesn't like to see his family cry... especially Mommy! If Mommy is sad, he will come over and say "Mommy! NO!" and he will pat Mommy's head and give her a hug. Lately we have been reading a book called "Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs"... you could say it's one of Ryan's favorites. It's a book about opposites. On the first page, you will see various dinosaurs holding balloons and having fun. The caption says "Dinosaurs Happy"... on the opposite side, there are two dinosaurs with a popped balloon and the caption says "Dinosaurs Sad"... one of the dinosaurs has tears coming down his cheek. First Ryan points to the happy side and says "Party!".. then he'll point to the sad side and say "CRY".. while pointing to the tears. It's really very sweet. That's my boy! Good job Ry Ry!

Twinspeak?

Do twins have a special language known only to themselves? Listen to this story. You be the judge:

Kevin and Ryan have a baby stroller that Auntie Kelly gave to them. They absolutely love pushing their animals and Ryan's baby all around the house. Shortly after we got the stroller, one of the wheels fell off. We didn't have a chance to fix it so they were playing with it with 3 wheels. Later in the afternoon, Kevin was playing with the stroller and remembered that a wheel was missing. He went in the living room. He found Ryan and had a conversation with him. Now, Kevin has a lot to say but you just can't understand most of it. He has some words including bah-bah (for brother), baby (this is for Ryan's baby and this is also what Kevin calls himself), Mommy, Daddy, ball, and several others... the rest of his talking is not understandable although very cute. Here's how the conversation went. "BAH-BAH, .a.dkajl boidlkjadj alkjdoaudj adkajdlaocukd BABY, aoudaht lkjad dousdjlskdj aboudjskje emmmdalkjd a BAH-BAH adklfja df;akd fa ldjfa d BABY!" Ryan jumped right up, found the wheel, followed Kevin to the bedroom and helped put the wheel on the stroller. Ryan got THAT out of THAT?

Makes you wonder, huh?

Boing, boing, boing, boing!

Yesterday we went to the pool. The kids had a great time. Kevin stood in front of me, holding onto the straps of my bathing suit and bounced up and down saying "Boing! Boing! Boing! Boing!" the entire time we were there! That was an hour and a half of bouncing. We could call him Tigger!

Bowling for Preschoolers?

What do you get when you combine 15 preschoolers, their siblings (all younger), 5 bowling lanes and countless bowling balls? Planned chaos! Today we went bowling with Eddie's preschool and although the kids had a blast, it was pretty crazy for the adults! Ok, maybe not ALL the adults but for me, it was!



Here's Kevin waiting his turn for a ball:


Good shot Ryan! Right down the middle...


"Cheese"


Kevin giving it a shot:


Eddie waiting for the ball to return:


Ryan's up:

For the love of fabric softeners

Kevin is in love ... with fabric softeners. You know, the dryer sheets that make your clothes all soft and yummy smelling? He loves to carry a crumpled up one in his hand... all day long! And if a fabric softener is not available, you never know what you will find in his hand. In fact, we try to check his tightly closed fist every night before bed. You never know what you might find in there... the famous fabric softener sheet, some rumpled up toilet paper (another favorite), some paper, a marble, or who knows what will be there. Kevin is a funny kid! Today he has been carrying around two little board books in one hand and a fabric softener sheet in the other hand.

The cow says "moo", the cat says "meow" and Kevin says "bah bah"?

Kevin and Ryan are learning what all the animals say. They love reading books and have come to say "bookie" when they want to be read to. However, you can be pretty sure when Kevin says "bah bah", he is referring to Ryan. Kevin says "bah bah" for brother and you will hear him say it when he is looking for Ryan. The other day they were napping and Ryan got up a few minutes before Kevin. I brought Ryan out to the living room. I heard Kevin talking so I went in to get him. He was standing up in his crib, peeking over into Ryan's crib and yelling "bah bah" as he was looking for him. How cute is that?

We have poop!

As most of you know, when you have little kids, poop is a big topic of discussion! Well, today, Ryan pooped on the potty. I was so surprised! He's never done anything on the potty before, not even pee! He's sat on the potty maybe a handful of times but nothing has ever happened. Today he kept saying "Poop" with a distressed look on his face while grabbing his diaper. I asked if he had to go poop and he said yes so off we went. Nothing happened so we went back to what we were doing. A few minutes later, same thing. He said "Poop" while grabbing his diaper and making the same stressed out face. Back we went to the potty, this time with book in hand ready for the long haul. A few seconds later, he was done and was so proud of himself! He flushed the toilet and said "Bye Poop!" I'm sure it was just a fluky thing... we weren't even going to start them til much closer to 3... but's it's a start and he was just so proud of himself! Yay for Ryan!

School is back in session!

Today is Eddie's first day back to school since the Friday before Christmas. He is very excited! He would have gone back on Tuesday but it was a snow day. Wednesday is his regular day off. This week his class will be studying the letter O. Eddie is wondering how they will get a week's worth of O work into two days. He's looking forward to tomorrow because they always cook something starting with the letter of the week on Fridays. Hmm, what will they cook for O? Octopus? Eddie thinks maybe an octopus shaped sandwich. He is also looking forward to tomorrow because he will be getting off the bus at his friend's Sam's house for a playdate! That will be so much fun!

Next week we will be full swing into our regular routine. Mondays will be gym days with Eddie going to Jump class at 4:30. I will go to Body Pump. Kevin & Ryan have fun in the Energy Center. If we have time after naps, we will go swimming before everything starts at 4:30. Eddie will start his next session of swimming lessons Wednesday afternoons at 4:10. On Fridays, I have signed up all 3 boys for art class. It's called Friday Frolics and it's held at the Children's Museum in Easton. I think they will all love it! It will be so fun to see them all in the same class. It gets out at 11:00 so we will have to leave quickly to get Eddie to school by 11:30. On the other days, we will swim a lot and I will try to squeeze in some cardio at the gym maybe after Eddie gets on the bus and before Kevin and Ryan have lunch & naps.

New Year's Resolutions

This year I am making a resolution. My resoltion:

This year, I will NOT go on a diet

Yep, you read that right folks. There will be no low carb, no carb plan for me. No Weight Watchers, no Jenny Craig, no Slim Fast, no watermelon and cabbage diet, no skipping breakfast, no counting points, no counting calories.

This year I will be eating food and enjoying it!

That's my plan, simple as that. I met with a nutritionist and sometimes it takes sitting down with someone to open your eyes. We talked about my habits which have a proven track record over the years. Follow a "diet" to the T, do well, lose weight... everything's great but you miss those "bad" foods. For me, one taste of the "bad" stuff, and all is lost! My nutritionist described something called "deprivation". This is when you try and be SO good that by the time you eat, you are SO STARVING, you eat whatever is in sight. She explained that food is not "bad" and people who eat yummy, delicious foods are not "bad". So if someone is serving tiramisu at a playgroup and I eat some, that's OK. I will take a small piece and enjoy it! I don't need to then go home and eat everything in the house because I couldn't stick to "my plan". It's OK, eating tiramisu is OK! It's all about choices and I will try to make more healthy ones. And when I want something that I love, I will have a small amount. No deprivation, no binging. That's my plan. Slim Fast says "Give us a week, you'll take off the weight"... I'm saying "Give it a year"...

Sleep Out turned Camp Out

The phone rang at 5:30 this morning!! Of course the first thing you think of is "What happened? Who's hurt? Is everyone OK?" Ed answered in the bedroom since I was at the "sleep out" in the living room. It was the school department. No school today. A snow day! Our sleep out has turned into a camp out. Eddie, Kevin and Ryan are all watching "Finding Nemo" since Kevin and Ryan missed out last night. They are having a great time watching and snacking on Goldfish (how appropo!) I will go back to my cleaning/organizing project! Hopefully I can get lots more done. There is no school tomorrow (usual day off) so Eddie thinks we can have another sleep out!

New Year's Eve Party Take Three

Our first attempt at a New Year's Eve party failed. Everyone was having fun playing with all the new Christmas toys and Mom and Dad were running around cleaning up and getting organized. By the time we got our act together and in true "party mode", Eddie had crashed on the living room lounge chair. He only made it til 10:30 PM. If you ask Eddie... he will tell you that he DID NOT fall asleep on the chair. OK, Eddie, whatever you say! ;-)


Our second attempt failed as well. Eddie was so tired from staying up late on New Year's Eve, that he fell asleep at 6:30.

Our third attempt is a success! Mom and Dad have been running around all day putting away Christmas decorations and organizing the attic but we finally slowed down at 7 PM to watch Finding Nemo with Eddie. Instead of pizza and popcorn, however, we had cake and ice cream. Sounds like a good combination to me! Our plan is to have a "sleep out" on the living room floor!

Sleep out at last! Eddie chillin' out with Dad.

Day After Christmas Bargain Shopping

I got a great deal on this singing and dancing Santa at Walmart the day after Christmas. I also bought so many lights for outside next year, we may well outshine the Griswalds. 50%! Can't beat that deal!