Parenthood

Hi, my name is Shannon and I have an addiction to the TV show Parenthood on NBC.  I have recently found this  amazing piece on Netflix, and cannot seem to stop  watching it.  I am eagerly awaiting the season premier this year even more then my birthday.  Well, truth be told it's ON my birthday, so it's like NBC's little gift to me.  There.  I  said it.  I openly admit my addiction.

I have found myself emotionally attached  to  these characters, and drawing on their experiences and how things parallel life.  It's such a good show.  It's true to life.  It's made me stop  and really appreciate little things with my family that I may have otherwise not even noticed.  I have actually felt a wave of  calm    wash over me  after watching an episode.  It's like, see, even TV families have a lot of crap to deal with, its not all Norman Rockwell.

One of the things I  find after watching it though is how aware I am of time passing.  My oldest turned 13 yesterday.  She is officially a teenager.  I can't believe  it.  My youngest,  my baby,  my mini me...she started kindergarten last week.  Where has the time gone?  Where is it going? Why do my babies have to  keep getting older and more independent?   I know that is what is best for them,  I really do...but they are my babies.

There was a storyline that I just finished in the show (I won't tell you...no need  for a spoiler alert for  those who intend   to watch)...but it made me really start to think about the things that I want my girls to know  and remember and think and feel and believe.  So here it goes.

My sweet Bayba..

You are  now a teenager.  I can't believe it.  When did this happen?  You were just me sweet little girl yesterday  pressing her  face against the window at daycare crying, begging me not to  leave you there (which made me constantly  late for work-because I couldn't just leave you there).  You were the first person to make me realize just how full of love my heart could really be.  You were my sleep  hating baby at night that would gently lay on my chest and hold my finger as you napped during the day.  You were the first amazing child  in my life to utter  the word  Momma, and make me realize just how special that word really is.  You made me look at my relationship with Mimi (my mom)  in a whole new light.  You make me laugh, you make me cry, you fill me with fear and also hope.  You have grown into a beautiful young woman.  Quiet and reserved,  smart, witty,  funny with your Dad's crazy sense of humor.  You know what is important to you and you protect it fiercely.  You try to be SO independent, but still come and just  hug me or rest  your head on my shoulder so I know you still need  me,   and guess what...I need  you too.   You will always be my first baby.  The first one to fill my heart and make me realize how precious life is and can be,  I have so  many hopes and dreams for you.  You doubt yourself, we  all do,  but you are stronger  than you know and can do anything.  I know all parents tell their children that, but you my sweet girl really can and will.  I am so  proud of the person you are becoming, it's an honor to be your mom.

Oh my sweet, sweet mini me,

I don't even know where  to begin with you.  You are  my soul, my heart.  You and I connect in a way no one else  ever will or will ever truly understand.  You made  me realize that love is bigger and stronger  than anything in this  world.  You spoke  to me even when you were still rolling around and kicking in my belly.  You are me.  I  look into  your big beautiful eyes and see such love reflecting back at me.  You may look like  your  Dadoo, but you my dear, are  all Momma.  You are my perfect angel.  The dream that I wasn't sure would ever come true.  You have taught me so much about myself, and have made me better for it.  You are my sassy, smart, creative, outgoing,  vivacious girl that can't be stopped.  You are as determined  and stubborn as me, you are adamant (Daddy's favorite word to describe Mommy), you know what you want and go after it.  Don't ever lose that!  In a world that  is  so  scary and out of control, you are  my center.  You remind me of what it is all  really about.  Kindergarten.  WOW!   I am still in disbelief that  it is already that time.  You have handled it  all with grace and style, as  I knew  you would.  You are  just starting on this adventure as a "big girl" and I could not be more proud of you.  You will move mountains.  Follow your heart and your dreams always.  I can not wait to see what life has in store for you, whatever it is I just know you will take it all in and make things better, brighter.  You are  a shining star in a dark sky. 

You are sisters.  You are always going to be sisters and connected to  each other.  Support one another, love one another,  celebrate each other, fight, laugh, love, scream, live for each  other.  You are so similar and yet so  different.  Thank  you for  allowing me to  be your mom.  I am honored and blessed by your greatness, and love you more then the moon, and the sun, and alllllllllllll  the stars  in the sky infinity amen.

Healthy Heart, Happy Heart

me on my run

This is me in all  my sun squinty glory!  You may not be able to tell, but I am pretty happy in this pic.  Ok, you can't tell but come on now, I'm blinded by the sun and trying to take a selfie while running. :)  I have made mention MANY times before (Running Along, Have running shoes, can travel, Re-program my run, Put my face on the milk carton!) my love of running.  I used to run multiple times a week...then the doc said no more when I was prego with mini me.  After that little ball of perfection came forth, I started again and things weren't quite right...but I muddled through.  Then I broke my foot (and didn't realize it) and after a year of on again off again pain, had to have surgery.  Since that point...I have been trying to find a show that didn't feel like it was basically killing my feet when I run/workout/etc.  I am hoping that the most recent order I made is my "knight in shining treads"...more on that is to come though in a later post. 

I decided to start the couch to 5K program, well I talked about it and the good ole hubs actually pushed me into finally starting...and I am LOVING it!  I forgot JUST how good that runners high can be.  I'm easing back in and just loving it.  It's my time for just me...and my kiddos are loving seeing me go!  Now, I've said before on my face book page that I have been lucky enough to join the ranks of three other AMAZING writers on another blog page as well, The Journey, and I hope you will check us out over there too!  Lots of great things happening!  Well last week to get ready to kick off Get Active America Week I talked about this whole "getting back into running thing."  I it has been go time ever since.

Something different this time around is where I am running.  To keep it as easy as possible to start, I am just running in my neighborhood.  I used to be a trail runner...and then was relegated to the treadmill when the weather didn't cooperate...but this time I am just hitting the pavement (literally)  which means no excuses!  C25K is a 3 day a week program, so as long as I check the forecast...I am good to go.  It rained and rained yesterday so as I was leaving work I bundles up in my raincoat, got on my rain boots and headed down the 3 flights of stairs...imagine my surprise when it was sunny and beautiful!  I mean, I went for a short walk at lunch and it was MISERABLE...so this was practically a miracle.  My first thought...I can run tonight!

So I am on track...and loving it.  I am making my heart happy and healthy and making time for me and being cheered on (literally) by my family!  What an amazing feeling.  I am so blessed.  On top of that...we are continuing our "get outside when you can" plans with the kids and being active and playing outdoors whenever the weather allows.  So after dinner last night and before family dog walk time...mini me and I got in some badminton, bubble mowing and chalk drawing.  Then it was dog walk, bath, treat and bed right before the storms rolled back in.  All this healthy activity is making my heart healthy yes...but this precious time with my family is what is REALLY making my heart happy!!

my beauty making something beautiful

Add on to ALL of this excitement the fact that I just found out yesterday that I was selected to be an I'm Fit Possible Ambassador!!!  I feel like this is the start of a wonderful windfall of good fortune due to good health!  How exciting! 

My Kiddos

my babies

Look at these two faces...OMG they make my heart full and happy!  They are the driving force behind my wanting to get healthier and in better shape.  They inspire me, motivate me, make me crazy at times, but they are the reasons I wake up in the morning!  I am so blessed to be able to be their Mom and want to be around for them for a long, LONG time! 

My focus since starting this blog has really been about them.  It has been to inspire them to be healthy and fit.  To show them "See Mommy and Dadoo are doing it, you can too!"  They are both active in their own ways but I feel like we need more.  They both play soccer.  My oldest on our local city travel team and on a premier level team...my mini in a "munchkin" league (too cute), plus they will play and practice together.

my girls enjoying the sunshine as they play together

 

My oldest also does horse back riding.  She LOVES it.  She smiles through her entire lesson.  She is prepping to starting jumping in the next few weeks (nervous Momma) and for her first show this summer.  She has been riding for six years and the strength she gets from it (both physically and mentally) is amazing!

sorry its blurry, its through the glass in the observation room

My mini me is still doing her swim classes which she really enjoys.  She is a natural born "floater" which is the exact opposite of her sister.  She will do pretty much whatever the teacher says as long as Mom isn't watching.  If I am there, she refuses to put her head under.  If she thinks I'm not watching and I catch her dive from the side and go under she insists I saw it incorrectly.  The little stinker.

Momma's little floater

Mini is also still dancing.  After the Christmas holiday we stepped it up a notch from just tap and ballet to tap, ballet and acro.  She is too cute learning cartwheels and back bends.  She is starting to really like all three components to her "dance" class now.  They are too darn cute with their recital dance too.  OMG!

my little dancer is on the left
 

As any parent would, I have concern about making sure they are getting enough activity and the right food to fuel their ever growing bodies.  My oldest was concerned after her last physical that she was on the high end of the BMI scale.  Mini had the same high BMI at her 4 year check up, but as I said when I posted about that...my pediatrician puts NO stock in BMI calculators.  This got me thinking though, could I be doing more for them? 

Then one night while my hubby was working out, mini was playing on nick junior on the computer.  Every few minutes she was asking for a snack.  This went on for the entire 50 minutes he worked out.  Once he was done he watched  a few minutes of the computer time with her to find that she most likely kept asking for treats and snacks because every few minutes there were commercials most of which were focused on snacks.  Can you say RED FLAG????  Couple this with my 12 year olds obsession with both her iPod and kindle and locking herself in her room as most tweens seem to do...

Then as in response to this new found fact, I get an email from Fitness Magazine the next day with the subject line How Healthy is Your Family?  I like to think that we keep the kids fairly active, as well as ourselves but now I'm nervous.  With both of the girls BMI;s being higher than normal, should I be making them do more?  This article said that "a new study suggests short bursts of exercise-as little as 15 minutes-can dramatically reduce your child's risk of Type 2 diabetes."  That night I was putting away laundry and mini asked to help.  We had  a lot of laundry to out away, I mean a lot...like of the apocalypse DIDN'T happen so now I need to do something for clean underwear a lot, and she wanted to help.  She ran back and forth from my room to hers as she only likes to out away 1 thing at a time.  SUCCESS!  That took her close to 20 minutes of running back and forth.  Then on "family dog walk" she wanted to walk and not be pushed along in the stroller.  SUCCESS!  Before I even had a chance to worry about the big girl, her soccer coaches (on both teams) have instituted a new conditioning format at practices.  The hubs watched last night and said its running with bursts of "Insanity like" exercises.  Hopefully these steps will make a difference. 

We (the hubs and I) have also committed to adding in more family exercise...jogs in the park coupled with bike rides...the kids, the parents and the pup are all en route to healthier lives.  I am loving it! 

Now if I could just kick this cough and give my workouts 100% I'd be SUPER happy, but hey...I'm still pushing through...even 60% is better than 0%!!!

Thankful for the "little" things

This little ball of sunshine is my sweet mini me!  I will openly admit that I LOVE that she is a tiny version of me.  I was jealous for YEARS with my older daughter.  The sun would rise and set on Daddy with my oldest...but this little stinker....she is Mommy's girl through and through.  We had her big holiday dance concert this past weekend, and my heart was bursting with pride watching her smile and dance up on that stage.  Sitting next to MY mom who knew EXACTLY who I was feeling...as she had felt that same way $%$& number of years ago with me on the stage.  She smiled, knew her dance, and you could see the joy sparkle in her eyes.  She LOVES to dance.

This beautiful crew is my oldest (in the middle) with two of her BFF's (whom I love like they're my own as well).  My big girl is strong and smart, tender hearted and funny.  I know why she is a Daddy's girl because I see so much of him in her.  The very best qualities he has are part of her soul.  She makes me so proud, and as my first, holds a special place as she is the one who gave me the gift of being a mom.  She gets more and more challenging everyday as she figures herself out and moves closer to the teenage years, but she makes my heart so happy it could burst!

And this guy right here...this is my hubby!  I loved him before I even knew him.  He really is the other half of me.  He gave me the greatest gift I could have ever hoped for (yep, you guessed it those two crazy yahoos above).  He loves me faults and all and he encourages, supports and believes in me. 

As I was laying in bed all snuggled up with mini the other night, the hubs came up and told me to get out of bed and workout.  He had just finished his workout, the big girl had already had an hour long riding lesson that day, the little one is in constant motion (although she does like to grab a small hand weight from time to time and join me...or join in a down dog).  I did NOT want to get up, but was so glad I did.  Feeling alive!  These three fill my heart...and are the reason I have to keep it in great shape! 

I am so thankful for my three "little things!"  No need for any gifts under my tree for me as long as I have them!

Feeling a Bit MisInformed

I don't know about you, but I take great issue with BMI calculators.  I always have, even at my skinniest.  It seems to me that they are just too arbitrary.  There is no consideration of musculature or activity.  My hubs, awesome man that he is, is on the end of the BMI charts that he does NOT want to be on...but his arms and legs are like tree trunks of pure muscle. And now, in the past two weeks I have had to more pushes over the BMI line.

I took my sweet mini to the pediatrician for her 4 year check up.  She is perfect.  Smart, funny, healthy, quite brave (she sat through two shots), and according to her BMI overweight.  The look on my face said it all I'm sure as my pediatrician explained how it's not a concern because of how strong she is...she has a lot of muscle (she comes from strong parents after all).  It did help that the doc also said that she hates the BMI stuff and doesn't put stock in it.  If our medical professional disagrees, that is enough for me.

My second push was my own biometric screening.  I am VERY proud to say that I was in the "green zone" on all areas: HDL, LDL, total cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, BMI...but I was darn close to the overweight zone on the BMI (also the glucose...worry!!!!!)

While I struggle with my weight, I know my fight is not the same as others.  Mine is more of a vanity fight...but with health repercussions.  I watched my Dad collapse with a heart attack when I was 15.  I am lucky that he was ok, but I know my genetics and my eating habits and workout habits (or as of late lack of workout habits) is going to bite me in the butt!  I have heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer looming out there in my genetic cloud...and I am trying to take action to overcome them all.  I will not be passive in my life.  While I am on the "normal" side I am barely hanging on there so I am taking action.  I am on the downward slope to 40, I have a family history that is not so great, and I have 2 amazing kids that I plan to watch grow old...so I have to take action and this whole BMI thing makes me think I am failing sometimes.

So in the interest of good health I got a Fitbit flex from my parents for my birthday, as I mentioned in my last post.  well it arrived yesterday and I promptly charged it up and have it on now.  Already adjusted the step goal to 12,000 since its been awhile since I tracked my progress and am ready to go.  To top it off, mini asked if we could workout together after reading (yet again) The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food.  I love that she is actively involved in her own health already...our example must be in the right direction!!

What are YOUR thoughts on BMI???

 

 

Whirlwind Weekend

So this (see above) was my weekend! With a month full of September birthdays and the ongoing activities that they kiddos are in we always have the "when to celebrate their birthdays" dilemma.  This year we had already decided to do "destination" parties so that we didn't' have to also make time to clean and prep the house.  It was nice too because it actually saved us a little green in the long run so that is always a plus right?!? 

So we started out our weekend bright and early with soccer for the little bear.  She is REALLY loving it, and that just makes my heart happy!  I just wish my heart could be happy closer to 10 then 830...but oh well.  She was VERY excited this week that her Sissy was coming to watch too, so she was able to really show off her skills :)  Sissy went right out on the field to help with warm up.

Then we went home for a quick outfit change and got on the road for back to back club games for the big kid.  It was a beautiful day for soccer, just an already over scheduled one.  But three games down, a trip to the orchard, and a stop to pick up the cakes for the parties and we were back at home and changing clothes again (and showering, I mean...that's a lot of soccer playing).

My big girl turned 12 this year (her birthday is right around Labor Day so generally celebrating the weekend of the holiday with friends doesn't work), and she wanted a laser tag party.  The Dad's decided to get in on the action and they all seemed to have a great time.  If you have a pre-teen at home, you will understand when I say how hard it is to make one of "them" smile, well I am happy to report that there was nothing but smiles (well, nothing but smiles and a lot of smack talk) at laser tag.  We feasted on the traditional destination party pizza and a yummy cookie cake.  The big kid prefers cookie cake to regular, and proudly I managed to control myself.  That was Saturday night.

Bright and early Sunday morning, little bear rolls over in bed and without even opening her eyes says "I'm so excited!"  FINALLY her party day was here.  Don't get me wrong, she had a blast playing arcade games at her sissy's party, but today was about HER!  Sissy decided to forego the 4 year old party and go to her soccer game (yep, ANOTHER one...different team).  So we got bathed, dressed, dropped Sis off at a team mates house and headed to the Jumpyard.  A warehouse full of inflatable bounce houses.  It's like a preschoolers best dream ever! 

Blurry pic, I now but they were literally moving too fast to get any good ones while bouncing/sliding/running/partying/having a blast!  So needless to say on Sunday we feasted yet again on pizza but this time we added cake into the mix instead of cookies.

To top of our weekend of "not so great eating" weekend, I cat sit for our neighbors a LOT.  To thank me, they give us lots of veggies from their garden (which is much more abundant then ours) and very generous gift cards to the Macaroni Grill.    We decided we would go there to celebrate turning 4!  So onday night off to the grill we went for dinner.  Have you ever looked at a calorie breakdown for MG?  If not, spare yourself the horror.  The food is totally yummo. but the sacrifice...let's not even talk about it. :)

The hubs and I had already discussed the plan of attack for Tuesday morning and the changeover to less cals so we were okay with splurging for the little bear's birthday.  So many yummy choices, but I guess my body knew better then I thought it would and this delish dish is what I ordered, grilled salmon and spinach orzo salad!

 

 

Now, I did give half to the hubs in trade for half of his lasagna, but (without actual verification) I feel like I did pretty well.  And it was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good!  It's funny to me how much I like salmon having grown up refusing to eat fish.  I just love me some salmon now!  (moment of pride)

So that was my whirlwind weekend.  Now we are back to "game face" on with our food choices.  Ready to re-vamp the workout schedule.  The tricky part is...there is one more birthday left this month....what healthy choice can I pick to celebrate my day with that will fly with the kiddos?!??!!

 

What is your celebratory food of choice when watching what you eat?

Always Remember

I will always remember and never forget that fateful day, as we all will.  Today I stop and say a prayers of thanks.  To all of the men and women who have fought tirelessly throughout history for our country, for our freedom.  I say a prayer for the people who perished that fateful day.  I say a prayer for their family and friends.  I say a prayer the medics, police, firefighters, first responders, everyone who risked their own lives to save as many as possible.  I say a prayer for a city still healing.  I say a prayer for my children, that they may never live through such a terrifying attack in their own lifetimes.  I say a prayer for the world.

Days like today make me stop and really think.  The number on the scale, the amount of reps or calories.  It's all so small in the grand scheme of things.  Always remember!

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary

Today is my anniversary with the worlds best husband ever in the history of marriage.  Now, that is not my biased opinion...it is just fact.  In a survey that I did recently, he received 100% of the vote!  This wonderful man has been by my side for more than a decade and I love him more every single day.  I remember a point when we had not been dating that long when I looked at him and told him "I have always loved you, I just didn't know who you were until now."  Good right?  Maybe I should really think about this whole writing/screening writing thing. :)

Like all couple we have battled our fair share of ups and downs...many of those being on the scales.  When we got married, I was running everyday.  I was strength training.  I was counting calories.  I would have to say (honestly) that I was in the very best shape of my life on my wedding day.    SO now, a few years later...older, less metabolism, a baby...I am not at the same weight I was then.  Sad, but true. 

So the other night while playing dress up with the wee one, she was having me try on all the dresses on my closet.  Intrigued by the big white bag at the back of my closet she asked what it was, so I told her "That's Mommy's wedding dress."  Her little eyes lit up as she said "lemme see lemme see."  Oh man, I felt the panic...the hesitation.  Well, who can it hurt?  She won't judge me, she's 3....well, wait a sec hahahaha.  So I started to take the dress out of the bag and had this surge of emotion as I remember every detail of that day.  I was so happy.  And then I pulled the dress on...and was even happier.  Despite the change in weight, despite the years, thankful for the corseted back, it still fits! 

I couldn't believe it, but then I remembered one of my professor sin college talking about how your weight may go up and down a few pounds but the real devil in it is how is redistributes itself.  I may way a few pounds more then I did on my wedding day, but there are certain parts that look better now and other parts that aren't quite as tight as they once were...and that's okay.  My abs aren't as tight and fit...but that's because they stretched out around my baby and protected her.  My hips aren't as small but again the made room for baby...but my actual legs look better now.  Hell, they look great.  Despite not running as much anymore I do walk a LOT and take the stairs EVERYDAY.

Happy?  Yes, I was quite happy.  An early present to me.  And you know what, I look at where I am today, and even though my wedding day was beyond amazing...today is better.   Look what the years and those few pounds have brought me.  Sheer bliss! 

Introducing....a few new things at W&M

I am excited to write today's post.  I have been working on some ideas of new things that I want to incorporate into my blog.  The response to last weeks blog of my friend Suzanne's story has been so overwhelming, that it got me thinking (dangerous I know).  One of the goal's I have for myself is to grow this little blog into a NOT so little blog.  I jump started this idea with the introduction of the Waits and Measurements facebook page, but how can I keep building....think, think, think!  Well there is Friend Making Monday over at All the Weigh that gives us bloggers a chance to share and reach a bigger audience (thanks Kenlie)...what else can I do?  That is when the idea struck!  I have found some great blogs out there, some on my own and some on the recommendation of others...so why not start showcasing some of the great finds?  So without further ado.....<insert drumroll> I bring you...

 

For my first installment of Blog of the Week I have chosen Project Unfluff!  I love reading PU postings and the facebook updates are awesome too!  You know how sometimes you read or hear something and you think...wait did I say that because its something SO right up your alley?  Hello Project Unfluff...its like reading the musings that I think in my own crazy head sometimes.  I laugh, I empathize...it's one of my newest fav finds and I hope you take a sec to go over and check it out!  Also, when I talked to PU about featuring her on W&M, she was AWESOME and offered some great advice to help jumpstart W&M!

 

So as if BOTW wasn't enough...how about a little Friend Making Monday too...

 

 

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

Let's Talk About TV

1.  Share your current "Must-See" TV shows.  Drop Dead Diva  and Pretty Little Liars (I now, how old am I with the PLL) are the two I am recording and making sure to watch right bow.  SO happy DDD came back…I was getting antsy.

2.  Do you prefer reality shows or sitcoms?  With the exception of Food Network/Cooking I prefer sitcoms and drama to reality TV. 

3. Who is your favorite talk show host?  Hmmmm…we watch a lot of Fallon and Coco, I should give my vote to Fallon though since one of our dear friends works for him.  Although I do like Jim Cantore…

4. Which network(s) do you turn to for news?  The Weather Channel…anything else on the news is to sad or horrific.  See also #3 JC

5. Do you have Tivo or DVR?  If so, which programs do you have set to record?  I record Drop Dead Diva, PLL, and Grey’s Anatomy and I have recently come back to Criminal Minds.

6. Have you ever started watching a show simply because you heard so much about it on social media?  If so, which one did you watch?  We did just DVR the TV movie Sharknado after hearing so much about it on FB.  J

7. List any TV series that you own on DVD.  None.

8.  Do you have a subscription to Netflix, Hulu, etc?  We used to have Netflix but canceled it.  We are thinking of getting it again since they have worked out some sort of deal where they are showing lots of Disney movies.  Not sure…may have to try Verizon streaming first with Red Box…

9.  If you could star in a TV show that already exists, which one would you choose? Hmmmm maybe Criminal Minds, how cool would it be to work for the BAU?!?!

10.  If you could bring back one TV show that is no longer on the air, which one would you choose?  Friends.  I <3 Friends. 

Now it's your turn to answer this week's questions!  Don't forget to come back and link up in the comments, and don't forget to take a little time to welcome some of our new FMM friends!  Happy Monday everyone!

 

Making Waves

Mini me and me at the beach


What an AMAZING weekend!  While we are all a bit sad this week while my oldest is off with her Aunt in South Carolina, it is giving the hubs and I a great opportunity to spend lots of 1 on 1 time with the wee one.  After we packed up Maddy and sent her on her way, Arden decided she wanted to go to the beach.  Once Momma's little bull headed baby gets an idea in her head its nearly impossible to sway her.  We had a laundry list of errands that needed to be taken care of but Dadoo announced, "ok lets get our swimsuits on and go."  It is moments like these that make me stop and really appreciate how lucky I am to be teamed up with him.  He reminds me that there is always time for Home Depot and mulch buying...he makes me a better parent.  So we slathered ourselves in sunscreen, got in our suits and hit the beach.

It was a PERFECT morning.  We got there before the crowds rolled in, before the oppressively hot temps took over (which they did later that afternoon) and just played and laughed and had a blast.  It was especially nice to mark another milestone off of her list...baby's first trip to the beach.  Living in NE Ohio, nice beaches are few and far between...but this weekend we seemed to find our own little slice of Heaven in the sand.



sandcastle by dadoo and daughter designs :)

 

On Sunday we took the dog to the park to swim in the river and walk the trails some.  Now back in the day these trails were well worn by my hubby and me.  We would take the dog over and run 2-3 miles, then "dunk the dog in the river" and head home.  I LOVED these runs!  Even in crazy hot weather, running along the bridle trails under the tress with my hubby was always one of my favorite times of day.  Soooooo as we were walking along yesterday on the trails I decided that I wanted a bit of a run, but how to make this fun?  I tried tag and it worked BEAUTIFULLY!  We got mini me engaged in about a mile or so of interval running trying to chase and tag me, me trying to chase and tag her, chasing Dadoo and the pup, being chased by Dadoo and pup.  It felt amazing to run, and even more so to run with my little miss and hear her giggling along the way.  Bu doing it as tag and in intervals no one was overworked, we let her set the pace...and afterwards she asked it we could do it again.  How amazing would it be to instill my love for running into my wee one?!?!  I am hoping this could be the start of a healthy and fun new activity for us to do as a family. :)

 

The benefits of getting us all up and moving is obvious, but we can also bond as a family through exercise....I LOVE IT!!



Mary Mary Quite Contrary

I think that if I had known how hard it would be to get a good garden going, I would have done a little more research before jumping in to get my hands dirty.  It has been AWESOME so far, but due to unseasonably cold weather for late May, it has been a tough road to hoe (get it...hoe hahaa gardening humor there).

Anyways, we literally went from having our AC on one day last week to flipping the furnace on the next.  It has made for a panicked little gardener on my end.  This week with the craziness has been a full force family effort on the garden.  My hubby made tent topper like frames for our raised bed and got plastic sheeting to cover from the frost warning...oh yes, the frost warning issued the day after we hit 91*.  My big girl and my hubby made sure to get the plastic off a day later when the sun finally reemerged and the temp started its SLOW ascend again. 

my sweet garden boxes with there weather protection



Once the weather started to break (again), we were able to uncover and see how we were doing.  My mini me is having some luck with her potted strawberries, there aren't an abundance of berries yet, but she gets a couple every few days so far.  We noticed yesterday too that there is some little critter that has sampled our berries. :)

 

one of the strawberry pots

up close of the "fruit of our labor" (in progress)

showing off her freshly picked berries!  Ready to eat!

 

 

This whole process has been so educational for all of us, and it actually has my girls EXCITED about trying more veggies.  They want to sample their hard work, which to me is a miracle!  Don't get me wrong, mini me has always been good about trying things....but to have the 11 year old willing to try squash and kale...I am just beside myself.  This could open so many doors to better eating for all of us!

 

our broccoli patch

the broccoli and mint

herbs and red and orange peppers, also 1 snacking pepper plant

zucchini, squash and peas

various lettuce plants, kale, collards, Brussel sprouts and spinach

green peppers and various tomatoes

 

 

 

Do you do any gardening?  What are your fav veggies or fruits to grow and what tips do you have?

 





 

 



Busy hands are happy (but exhausted) hands

enjoying the flowers on the viburnum that FINALLY came this year

It has been a crazy few weeks in our world.  We have had two out of town soccer tournaments, Mothers Day, recital prep and rehearsals, garden beginnings, house/cat sitting and our usual day to day.  I love when the weather gets nice, but it seems like everything explodes all at once when that happens and we need time to re-adjust our time tables and loads.

Where to begin in the wide world of updates.  As you can see from the pic above, we have been enjoying spring.  As a kid my parents had (well the still have) a viburnum tree that I just loved, so when my hubby and I bought our house (8 years ago) my parents bought us one.  This is the first year that we have actually gotten flowers on it which makes he have high hopes for our gardening aspirations this year! 

Along with our beautiful flowers, I think I mentioned before that my hubby was building me a few raised garden beds so we could try our hand at growing our own veggies, and as of this mornings report we have sprouts!  We planted a few starters that were already going, but added some squash, zucchini and peas that we are starting from seeds and the hubs and the mini me texted this morning to report sprout sightings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 So here are my fabulous garden beds, along with mini me and the neighbor in the play area and Violet the neighbors dog.  This is pre-planting.  So far we have planted lots of herbs, zucchini, 2 types of squash, peas, spinach, brussel sprouts, 2 types of lettuce, kale, broccoli and a few strawberries.  We have tomatoes and peppers started in pots.  I am hoping the soil is warm enough this weekend to get the tomatoes and peppers in the ground.  The pepper plants look great like they are ready to go!

With veggies on our minds, but not yet in our grasp, we took our first trip to the farmers market as well.  LOVE the farmers market!  We opted for the smaller one closer to our house and got some great finds...spearmint honey amongst them.  What fun would the market be without cute stuff for the kids, seeing this makes me love broccoli just that much more.

 

 To round out the past few weeks we have had soccer tournaments

 

found a nest of baby birds in our honeysuckle

 

had our first ever dance pictures with the mini

had our last day of pre-school (tears), and thanks to pinterest I have a new tradition started to surprise my girl with when she graduates from high school

and we are getting ready for our first recital...more fun pics of that to come next week after the big event.  dress rehearsal was last night and was SO much fun!

So those are the past few weeks in my world and why I have been absent from the page.  I do want to discuss my thoughts on this whole Abercrombie and Fitch craziness and why I will never shop their stores again...but that upsets me and I want this to be a happy post!

What have you been up to the past few weeks?

Short lived Sunshine

Baby Bear adding some curb appeal!

Happy Monday dear ones!  What a wonderful weekend we had here in NE Ohio!  The sun was out, we broke into the 60's.  What a blessing for March, and my little family took full advantage.  We had our regular weekend fun scheduled (soccer tournament, dance class) but luckily for us things were all scheduled early enough in the day that we were able to get LOTS of quality time outside enjoying the unseasonably warm weather! 

We did yard work, bike riding, chalk drawing, washed cars, went on walks, collected sticks, played soccer in the yard...it was wonderful!  I also got to open the windows and air out the house.  Good bye germs!  I'm hoping it helped, it definitely made us all smile.  It is SO much easier to keep moving and be active when you have good weather to enjoy it all in.

To finish out our fun in the sun weekend, Dadoo made homemade burgers on the grill with sautéed veggies on toasted rye bread.  We went and bought lots of fresh berries yesterday, so we had a delicious fruit salad as well (Baby Bear's fav thing to make in the warm weather.)

We also got a lot done on our little family business, Ardeline Arts & Crafts.  With the warmer weather we were able to paint outside some and do all our finish work outside.  It was so much fun.  It gave me that need for more though, which is sad since today is low 50's and rain, and tomorrow the snow returns.  Ah March, in like a lion right?!?!  I look forward to the lamp portion of that! 

And now, for a little Friend Making Monday!

Friend Makin’ Mondays: Food Questions

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

Food Questions

1.What did you eat for dinner last night? Homemade burgers with sautéed onions and peppers topped with provolone on toasted rye bread.

2. If you could make one food calorie-free for the next year, what would you choose? Guacamole.

3. How often do you go to the grocery store?  We usually go once a week or so, in the summer we go a little less as we hit the farmers markets instead.

4. Do you make a list before buying groceries? I do, but the real key is to shop without the kiddos.

5. List three things that can always be found in your kitchen. Milk, coffee and cherry coke zero.

6. How often do you clean out your fridge? Every Thursday for garbage day.

7. Do you ever use a slow cooker? If so, will you share a recipe? I do every once and a while.  I like to slow roast pork for pulled pork sandwiches.  My hubby uses it MUCH more than I do.

8. How often do you try new recipes? I have been in ebb and flow with trying new recipes…I attempt something new at least once a week now I’d say.

9. What is the most delicious meal(s) you make? My hubby LOVES my homemade meatloaf, but I like my pan seared pork chops better.

10. Share at least one thing that is currently in your kitchen even though you don’t like it.  Hmmmm…I’m not a fan of soy milk let alone very vanilla soy milk, but my hubby and oldest daughter are lactose intolerant so we always have it in the house.

 

Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions!  Don’t forget to come back and link up in the comments.  Happy Monday, friends!

 

Valentine Gifts that are good for your Heart

This is my valentine, my hubby.  He has my heart.  He is an amazing Dadoo.  He is an adoring husband.  He is my best friend as well as my partner in crime.  He completes me, and I expect him to stick it out with me until we are old and gray (much grayer then we are both becoming already).

I know that it seems a little early for a Valentine's Day post, but we have kind of gone off track with when to give things and instead have gifted early.  I have mentioned before how frustrated my poor hubby has been with his weight.  He works out like crazy, and doesn't see the numbers on the scale go down.  He has tried almost every extreme diet there is.  Atkins, vegetarian, juicer, all in the hopes of dropping pounds.  He has done P90X, Insanity, he runs...to no avail.  I see his shape shift, but he wants to see numbers dropping.  He has had success with Atkins (lost over 100 pounds and gained back less then half), he dropped 30 counting calories...but that gets hard sometimes when trying to keep up with the kids and there is no accountability other then to himself.

He has mentioned Weight Watchers a few times.  he has also mentioned that he doesn't think he'll live to see our girls grow up so I now this time it is different for him.  He REALLY wants to commit to change and get help.  So last night we went out to buy the Baby Bear a new car seat as she is growing growing growing and needed to move up to a bigger kid seat.  We took her to get her own soccer gear too as she has been asking to play like her Sissy and is going to start some open foot skills this weekend.  While we were out and about he asked me if I needed new workout pants.  I am someone who HATES to spend money on myself.  To prove my point, my "go to" workout pants are an old pair of maternity yoga pants with bleach stains down one leg, a hole in the knee and a waist that gets rolled until they stay on.  So, I looked around at what target had to offer when we were there...nothing.  Then while at Dick's I found some nice ones, but I wasn't about to pay the Dick's price for them...not after just buying a very nice car seat.  So my dear hubby, knowing how well I have been doing with my workout schedule, bought me a fancy new pair of workout pants as an early Valentine's Day present.  They are VERY nice...I wore them this morning for my hot date with the elliptical that I crushed almost 300 calories on!

So, how to say I Love You back for V day with the same focus.  Last year I got him a heart rate monitor that never really worked out for him.  Thinking back, we tend to give "fit" gifts at Valentine's day each year.  I got a fancy new workout watch too last year, and the year before that I think we did videos or something.  Anywho...I decided that to thank him and help him and show him I love him, I am going to jump start his WW life!  We had looked before and they have a 3 month special right now with no initiation fee if you want to do the online program.  So, I told him last night that I wanted to buy him 3 months of something new to try!  The real irony in this too is that during the day yesterday I was online at our local library and ordered a bunch of WW cookbooks.  Must be my awesome wife intuition. :)

So tonight we get him all signed up and see how things go.  He has a smart phone so he can get the app to keep handy at all times.  I'm excited for him.  I think he is too.  We have talked to so many people who have sung the praises of Weight Watchers, I hope it lives up to his expectations.  I hope it helps him lose the weight he wants to lose, and most importantly I hope it gives him back the confidence that he is stuck with me for at LEAST another 40 -50 years on this planet!

Any WW advice to help get started??