Awards Are Good M'Kay

Angie was nice enough to bestow this award to me among her 15 favorites and now, in return (since this award is all about making new friends) I must nominate 15 of my favorite blogs for this award. They in turn will need to nominate their friends and so on and so on.

Here's my list of 15 (in no particular order). Check them out.

1.) The Diary of a Poshpreneur
2.) Popcorn House
3.) Pudget
4.) Three Peas in a Pod
5.) Next Door To My Ex
6.) Ordinary and Awesome
7.) Piece of Me
8.) Pink Lemonade
9.) Mel's World
10.) La Dolce Vita
11.) Her Bad Mother
12.) Holy Mackerel
13.) A Simple Kinda Life
14.) Mademoiselle Robot
15.) Small Town Mommy

No One Wants To Be The Fat Chick

Today was a day that I was suppose to attend an event with my dh but I didn't. He was very unhappy with me for not going so that we could all go as a family. It's the kind of event that requires (on my part) confidence, energy and being sociable and looking good. It's hard to feel all of those things when you are overweight. What was I going to wear? Seriously, my wardrobe consists of nothing but jogging pants of some sort, t-shirts, sneakers and church dresses. None of these things would have been appropriate. I haven't worn shorts in maybe 4-5 years. I'm going to show up for outdoor event in work out clothes? That's no way to climb the social ladder folks. There's a huge difference between the hot wife and the woman you are after you finally have stopped having kids and haven't gotten rid of the baby weight.

Let's face facts in social settings people talk. Most woman are critical and not only do they talk among themselves but they also talk with their husbands too. I didn't want to myself in that situation. People really start doing the math after you have a baby and how much weight they think you should have lost by now. Celebrities bring it to the front of magazines all the time. They just gave birth and two weeks later they are their prebaby weight.

People pass judgment and then they proceed to give advice on how you can fix what needs to be fixed. I've heard the people I love the most make comments about other people who are overweight. I have to wonder...what do they say about me?


There is no one more critical than that woman looking back at me in the mirror. My life is finally in a place where physical fitness is fitting in but I have a long way to go. So fess up! Have you ever hid out? Do you use that cute baby of yours as a distraction? Maybe you hide behind that baby? I do, especially in photos!

Blueberry Muffins from The Land of Monkeys and Princesses

Rachel has a great recipe on her blog for "Easy and Delicious Homemade Blueberry Muffins" that I wanted to try. She has lots of great recipes on her blog so if you are looking for something new click over and check it out.
Don't they look yummy? They weren't yummy but that's because my blueberries were not up to par. I also left out the sour cream because mine went bad and I thought it was best to leave it out rather than use it. I'm going to try this recipe again when I get better blueberries and fresh sour cream. Till next time.

Freebie Friday - Week 9

Are you hosting a #contest? Great! Post it here on Freebie Friday. What better time to search and enter contests than on the weekend? Sign in so that others can find your giveaway. I will be hosting Freebie Friday each week from now on so be sure to drop back by. Now go grab your tasty beverage, sit back and relax and contest hop with me!

Aloha Friday #45

Kailani at An Island Life has created this really fun idea. If you are interested in joining in, please visit her site for more details.

Today's question is:
What's your favorite exercise genre? Yoga, spin class, step, Zumba, water aerobics, weight training, pilates...etc.

Flash Back Friday #45 - Time To Make The Donuts

Some mornings when I get out of bed I feel like this guy. I remember this commercial really well. It's time to get the kids up, time to get breakfast ready, time to get them to school...blah, blah, blah....rofl. Some days are just like that but next week school is out for the summer. Can you hear the fearful shreaks from all the moms in bloggy land? lol

Namaste Kind of Day

Today I tackled a one hour class of Yoga. Truth be told I haven't seen a Yoga mat in two years if not more. That is a long time. As we are going through the poses I'm thinking, "oh yea, I remember this!" That isn't the same thing as actually getting your body into the poses. My body feels like someone took a baseball bat to me. I'm not kidding, everything feels so sore and I hurt in my back and shoulders. The instructor kept saying "ok, now roll your shoulders back." Um, mine will not roll nor will they go back. I could feel the tension in my entire body. Honestly it was a serious wake up call that I have NOT been taking care of myself. How am I to be a good mother or wife if all of this stress is sitting all inside my body? Then again when your spouse comes home from work every few days and discusses more job losses, it's hard not to feel the weight on your shoulders. Ah struggle, bubble!

Thursday Thirteen #68 - Lucky Moms

This week I'm dedicating my Thursday Thirteen to thirteen moms who I believe are pretty darn lucky!

1. A Cowboy's Wife - She got to enjoy a first class flight sitting right next to Shaq.
2. 5 Minutes for Mom Janice and Susan (should they count as one or two?) - They have some of the best sponsors on their site and there is always a great contest going on.
3. Julie from Momspective - She's going to Blogher '09 with EA Sports Active promoting Wii Mommies. How cool is that?
4. MamaJoss - Check out her mad skills with scissors. This is amazing click over and see what she did with her wedding dress.
5. Elizabeth from Parenting Pink - She got go wine tasting over the holiday. I'm trying not to be jealous.
6. Secret Agent Mama - She came upon an Art Festival and took some of the best photos.
7. The Pioneer Woman - She's lucky to take such clear, detailed photos. I don't know what camera she is using but I wish I had one.
8. Mama Kat from Mama's Losin' It - She will be speaking at the SITS conference in Las Vegas in October.
9. Amy from Milk Breath and Margaritas - She got to tour FedEx. I think that would be very cool to see.
10. Toni from A Daily Dose of Toni - She's in love. Look how happy she is to be in love.
11. Alyson from 3Ps in a Pod - She has a really good friend with a great sense of humor.
12. Tracey from Tiny Mantras gets to endure this cuteness.
13. Me! I just won an EA Sports Active game. Now all I need is a Wii.

Numbers Game

photo credit scales.phantomscales.com

If you are watching your weight then most likely you are using a scale to keep a watchful eye on how you are doing, right? It's all about your number! Let's say you keep track by using your scale at home. Then maybe you go see your doctor and you weigh in on that scale and your number is different. Which scale do you believe?

This happened to me today! The doctor's scale added 7 pounds to my weigh in yesterday. How is that possible? Was it first thing in the morning? No. Did I have my clothes and shoes on? Yes. But really, seven pounds worth?

What's a girl to do? Go back to the old measurements of arms, chest, hips, waist and thighs? Which numbers should we all follow?

Wordless Wednesday - What's For Dinner?

Treasured Memories

It's a tooth treasure. Our young boy had two teeth pulled today. My dh took on the task of the tooth removal by the dentist. He said our son handled it like a trooper. He didn't have any Valium just the Novocaine alone worked just fine. He told me it took about 45 seconds to remove both of these bottom eye teeth. When our son came home he had all these bloody gauze in his mouth. It was oozing and oh so gross! He loves to gross me out. The braces won't be far behind now. The "Tooth Fairy" will be visiting this evening. What's the going rate for teeth these days? Anyone? Anyone?

Tip The Scale Tuesday - Week 6

This week resulted in losing one whole pound. Basically my number is the same as when I started this meme. That's not cool at all. In my previous post I mentioned that I am back at the YMCA taking water aerobics. My plan is to spend an hour there each day if possible doing something! The kids respond well to going and that really is the most important part. I'm still working on what I'm eating and taking in more water. I lost another day in my food journal. Saturdays seem to be a problem for me because I keep forgetting to write it down.

My husband for the last 4 weeks has just said no to processed sugar and that has resulted in a 21 pound loss. Yep, he's fitting in his jeans nicely. This is all without any focused exercise regimen. Do you believe that? It's true because I'm here living with him and I see it. I don't know if I could do that. I've cut way down on my sugar intake but to have none at all? I don't know.
Until next week!

If you really want to know what I ate this week you can click here.

Tuesday Toot Meme #44

I'm making more changes. I have returned to the YMCA again. I'm really happy to be there too. This time I have chosen a different location. They are doing more with the children in their child watch area. They change it up every 20 minutes or so. I'm entering the world of water aerobics. What better way to make sure you keep up with all the necessary hair removal?

A Time To Remember - Happy Memorial Day

In honor of this Memorial Day I've posted this wonderful video created with many photos. To those of you serving our country our prayers are with you always. Make sure to take a moment today to remember.

Bring on The Movies

photo courtesy of unrealitymag.com

There's nothing like having an extra holiday to catch up on watching movies. I have three to share with you! First up - The Dark Knight. Maybe, most of you have seen this one but if you haven't it, rent it or put it in your Netflix queue! It's true Heath Ledger's performance was legendary. Personally I'm not a big fan of all the Batman movies but with all the hype surrounding The Dark Knight I had to see the film. Christian Bale was really the supporting actor. The voice change when he is in his Batman suit sounds like a raspy Clint Eastwood. I found it irritating but his toys were cool!


Next up Night at The Museum The Battle of The Smithsonian. We had to wait in line to see this flick! Was it worth the wait? No, not really but the popcorn rocked. It was fun and had some laugh out loud moments (General Custer and Brendan) but personally if you don't have kids begging you to go I would wait for the dvd and rent it.

Are you into foreign films? Do you like movies that will stick in your head long after you have watched it? This is the film for you! Get ready for subtitles and it is well worth the reading. The Orphanage is full of twists and turns that you don't even see coming. The story line is full of mystery, chills and thrills and will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. I'm recommending this one with a five star rating.

BMW M3 - Sweet Ride!

photo courtesy of montecitomotors.com

Today I got to go shopping with my friend from college. She just happens to own a BMW M3 and oh was it fun to ride in this car. Forget the vans and SUVs when my kids leave the nest I'm trading the bus in for one of these babies! I'm going to look super HOT behind the wheel. Who wouldn't?

I found some cute blouses from JcPennys with a skirt and belt to match. Then she took me to DSW to get shoes to match. I haven't gone shopping for myself in 4 years. How sad is that? I didn't even know where to begin. My friend works outside the home and her taste in clothing is awesome so I enlisted her help. Once we were there trying on clothes it all started to come back to me. Too bad I know longer have the figure to wear most of the clothes. It has certainly inspired me though and now I feel feminine again! Here's to my hubby for sending me out to go shopping for myself. Whoo Hoo. I can't wait to go again but I think I need to drop about 20 pounds. It's a goal.

Monkey Bread

It's Monkey Bread, have you heard of it? I ran across the recipe posted on ThePioneerWoman.com. I printed out the recipe days ago and I knew that it was going to be super yummy and full of sugar so I resisted. My son kept asking when we were going to make it and I caved today.

Here he is mixing up the 2 sticks of butter and brown sugar.

The recipe says that you have to wait 15-30 minutes for it to cool if you can resist. We couldn't resist. Can you see some of it missing? lol

Here is what it looks like after the cooling time is complete and you turn the bundt pan over. It's so good! I had to call in reinforcements to help us eat it. My mom and grandma came over to help and we had coffee too. I don't recommend making this all the time because it's full of sugar but it's sooooo worth it!

Freebie Friday - Week 8

Are you hosting a #contest? Great! Post it here on Freebie Friday. What better time to search and enter contests than on the weekend? Sign in so that others can find your giveaway. I will be hosting Freebie Friday each week from now on so be sure to drop back by. Now go grab your tasty beverage, sit back and relax and contest hop with me!

Aloha Friday #44

Kailani at An Island Life has created this really fun idea. If you are interested in joining in, please visit her site for more details.

Today's question is:
In my previous post I was remembering the roller rink as one of my childhood hang outs. Where was your hang out during your childhood?

Flash Back Friday #44 - Roller Skate

Today I'm flash backing to the days of roller skating. When I was in junior high the roller rink was the place to be! We had to go there nearly every Friday night. For the record I couldn't skate at all like this guy but he sure does have skills. While on YouTube searching for a video for this meme I found lots of them for roller skating. It appears to be a really big deal in Chicago. I'm amazed at all the dances and tricks that are done. I remember when you were the coolest if you could just skate backwards! Good times and good fun.

Thursday Thirteen #67 - Extreme Sports

photo courtesy of kearns-utah.org

As I get older I think about all the things that I would really like to have learned. I think that some of these things you really need youth on your side. Here it goes! 13 things I would still love to learn if I was guaranteed not to break a bone.

1. Skateboarding
2. Snowboarding
3. Surfing
4. Snow Skiing
5. Parasailing
6. Ski Diving
7. Rock Climbing
8. Roller Blading
9. Driving a motorcycle
10. Ice Skating
11. Zip Line
12. Jet Skiing
13. Hang Gliding

Wordless Wednesday - The Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades

The New Smoking Section?

What is going on at our local park's playground? It seems to have become the new smoking section. Maybe it's me being a really annoyed mom wanting my children to be able to breath fresh air. Maybe I don't want to have to worry about them stepping on partially lit cigarette butts. Just wondering if this happens at all playgrounds or if it is just ours? I get it, smokers are being banned from all sorts of public places and are pretty much limited to outdoors only. Where are these smoking parents suppose to smoke when they take their kids to the playground?

Tip The Scale Tuesday - Week 5

I'm writing this before weighing in. I'll put that in later. This past week was a very depressing week. Too much has been on my mind without any outlet. Taking the food away from fixing the emotional issues means those issues are exposed without a fix. It's facing those demons head on and none of that is fun because there is no quick easy fix unless I grab that candy bar. I have a choice to make here. Do I want to be overweight or do I want to be fit? How can I pull this off and keep my sanity? Oh and I lost a day in my food journal. I don't know what happened but a day is missing. Thank goodness I'm out of popcorn. I'm so SICK of eating popcorn. I think I might have eaten like every day this week. I'm losing my ability to kick in the exercise with my dh out of town. Oh well....
Gained a pound but I'm not surprised at all. I didn't get a whole lot of exercise in this week. I also didn't drink any water this week. How can I go for so long without water? I'm just not a big water person but I know I should be drinking it.

Until next week!

If you really want to know what I ate this week you can click here.