Pardon The Dust - I'm Remodeling

My blog is going to go through a major overhaul. You might not notice very much as a reader but as an owner it's going to be a complete makeover. It's time. In September 2012 this will have been my fifth year of blogging. When I hit publish today this will be post number 2,541. That's nearly 7 years of posts in less than 5 years. Apparently I have had a lot to write about. Special thanks to Matthew Johnson for tweaking my header. He and I go all the way back to Happy Panda days.

I may end up deleting a lot of posts. It's going to take some time to read what I have posted in order to make it better organized but stay tuned. I've got some really fun ideas coming your way. Thank you for all the support!

I started out here in 5/2007-


and then here 9/2007



and here


In August of 2009 I moved over here to A Renaissance Woman and lost a lot of contacts and followers. It happens some times when you make name changes to your blog.



It's a great shot of me hiding behind my kids. Now, I'm over hiding since I've been working out and eating better. Nearly three years later I have a very different look.


Here I go on another adventure! I'm going to be hitting the big 4-0 this year. It's hard not to look back on the last 40 years and think ok this is what I have with my life so far, now what do I want to do with the rest of it? Sounds like an invitation for a bucket list don't you think? I'm focusing on career at the moment. I'm very happy with my skill set. Now I just need to get more clients to pay me for what I already enjoy doing, social media. Wish me luck. I'm going in!

Big Brother

Nope not the "Big Brother" government kind but the big brother that lives 10 minutes away and when I need help he's there. Today the little guy back there found the training wheels I bought (many months ago) for his hand me down bike from his big brother in the garage. He dragged the bike inside the house and opened up the kit! He was done waiting. I did my best to get it all together but I ran into a snag when it came to lowering the seat. I called my brother and he came over with his buddy and they had my son riding in minutes.

He was so excited! He didn't get to ride for very long but he is very excited to practice tomorrow. We are going to have to dig out the bike helmet with the flames on the side. He's going to love it!  I just can't believe how big he looks on that bike. It's going by so quickly. I'm so thankful to have a big brother that can help me with the little things that mean so much.

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1st Day of School

 It's his first day of pre-k. He's all ready to go see his teacher. This is not his first rodeo.

Today was her first day pre-pre-pre K. She doesn't really get what's going on but she really loves her back pack and lunch bag. I'm not sure why she was yelling in this picture? It could have been just a scream of excitement. She does that some times.

They were so cute walking together to class.

She sat down and made herself right at home. When we picked her up she was fast asleep on her nap mat with her blanket and her baby doll. She was so sweet. I didn't want to wake her but it was time to go. Overall they had a great first day of school.



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Potty Training - The Refresher Course

You would think that since this is my fourth child I would have the potty training skills down by now, right? Um, wrong! I had to basically take my own refresher course. First we got the panties! We have the potty chair and we went over and over what to do. After all of that she kept having accidents. I forgot an important step! Proximity, proximity, proximity! Out of sight out of mind. Poor little girl was expected to stop playing and walk all the way into the bathroom to use her potty. What was I thinking? Then I remembered the saying, "Have potty will travel!" lol - I brought it into the living room where I could see her and fold laundry at the same time. How is that for multi-tasking? Eventually you move the potty further and further back into the bathroom.

Another important step is to make sure she has books to look at while she is hanging out. Of course every child is different and has their own spin on potty training. What did she bring new? Well the blankets, that's new! Apparently she needs to cover up when she hangs out. - lol - OK! Go for it.

Another handy step to help me communicate with her is teaching her sign language for potty training. I reviewed this product and tried it with my son. He still loves to read the book and blow the whistle. 



I'm having to get back to the basics. I'm trying the reward system too by using Smarties. We are having a time that is for sure. The first day was not so good, the second day went a lot better but now she is just bored with the whole thing. lol - I'm remaining hopeful but there's really no time like the summer to start potty training. At home it is easier to let her go commando because she associates it more. When she has her panties on she just holds it and waits until I put a diaper on her or just uses the panties like a diaper. I'm using the diaper over night and when she is being watched by someone else. I'm sure this is sending her major mixed signals. Every where we go I show her where the bathroom is so she knows that there is basically a "potty" every where she goes.

Another important reminder is to bring a Ziploc bag with emergency clothes and a towel to use in her car seat in case she has an accident. So much to remember! I'm happy though because she is the last child I will EVER have to potty train! WHOO HOOOOOOOOOOOO --->Insert HAPPY dance<----


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There's No Place Like Home

 After clicking my heels several times and paying over $2K in repairs, we are finally home! I think of my car as my second home. It's where I spend the majority of my time running errands and taxing children around town. My precious van has been in the shop for an entire week. Thankfully I had a rental car. The dealership has an on site Enterprise Rental car.

They put us in a 2010 Chrysler Sebring. Seems fine enough you would think, right? It worked all week until we tried to fit all 5 of us inside over the weekend. Oh what a nightmare! My husband and I in the front and our nearly 5ft tall 9 year old in between two car seats in the back. Did they fight! It was just awful. They were hitting each other and yelling at each other and then came the crying. It was a nightmare. lol - I couldn't go to Sam's to do my bulk shopping because there was not any room with the kids. When the dealership called to tell us our van was ready I drove there in record time.

Ah yes, there's no place like home! Everyone has their own captain's chair and plenty of personal space. We are back to rocking out to our home made cds. Soon we will be off to Sam's to catch up on our shopping. Oh, and now we can grab that little baby pool for the back yard. I don't care if our vehicle is 5 years old, I'm happy to have the space! I'm happy to be home.

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Nice Boobs!

Cleavage, when is it appropriate? Apparently there needs to be some much needed training on this subject or I'm just turning into a prude. The last few weeks I've encountered some serious cleavage every where I go! To me there is a time and a place.

For example, the beach is a fine place because it's swimwear. People expect to see it. Hooters, is another place you expect to see it or in other establishments involving free buffets and dollar bills. It's understood, right?

Victoria's Secret is making a fine profit on their under garment attire. They even design gear to help you lift and separate. I get it. Back to the cleavage, it's appropriate during a date night with your significant other or even a night club.

However, when I'm just out shopping as a customer in a clothing store (non Victoria's Secret) I don't expect to see the cashiers boobs. Those buttons on that shirt are optional but really young lady you should use them! Now don't get me wrong I'm not a boob hater, I have them myself. I'm not opposed to enhancing yourself if you have the time, money and need for it. Go ahead! But seriously, you can still look hot without everyone seeing your boobs. So the next time I see your boobs hanging out instead of keeping thoughts to myself, I'm just going to share them and tell you, "NICE BOOBS!" I figure you must be fishing for the compliment so why not give it? Why not show some appreciation?



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Happy Panda - Our Last Newsletter

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Thieves of Time

The following is provided by Merriam Webster online dictionary.

Main Entry: thiev·ery 

Pronunciation: \ˈthēv-rē, ˈthē-və-\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural thiev·er·ies

Date: 1568

: the act or practice or an instance of stealing : theft

Events of this past week have prompted me to write this post. I'm not sure why, but the act of thievery is always such a surprise to me. It truly does come in all shapes and forms.

The last time I experienced it personally was when I had my garage sale signs stolen. Seems trivial right? At the time it wasn't. What they really stole was more than a sign, they stole my time.

Last weekend someone hacked my hubs World of Warcraft game that he has been playing for the last 5 years. If you are familiar with gaming then you know how truly painful this can be. They sold everything that he had earned. Once again, what they really stole is the time he spent collecting all those things over the last 5 years.

Just now I read a post tweeted by a fellow blogger about someone who plagiarized her entire marketing plan for her blog. Can you imagine? The amount of time that it takes to build a blog, build your traffic, your reader base, the list is endless. It's a lot of work and TIME!

As a college student our professors as well as the university were very clear about the rules of plagiarism. When I taught at our local community college I too carried on this tradition.

When someone steals a possession that (in most cases) can be replaced but your time? No, you can't get that back. On that note be cautious of how you use your time and realize the preciousness of it.


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Next Batter Up!

We have really been through it when it comes to our kids and their hearing! A while back I wrote a post about the warning signs of hearing loss. Last year our eldest son had his second set of ear tubes inserted. It was during this procedure that I had my chance meeting with our other son's surgeon Dr. Bloss. He fixed our baby boy. Feel free to click over if you want to see the before and after photos.

Today our little guy is having his second surgical procedure in just three years of his life. He was experiencing hearing loss due to the fluid in his ears. Here he is in the waiting room in his "big boy pajamas."

 And here he is at home recovering

 Meanwhile his baby sister takes this opportunity to put on his soccer shoes.

He is her playmate and she keeps trying to feed him crackers.

She's not sure what's wrong.

She just wants him to wake up and play.

In the meantime I will have to do.

Apparently my legs make a great riding horse!

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A Photo Shoot

We did something daring today! We dressed our babies up and tried to get one good photo of the three of them together. Do you think we were successful? No, it was sort of like herding hamsters! Here is very short video of our efforts today. Go ahead and have yourself a giggle.

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@JohnCMayer - Who Did You Think I Was? With A Who's on First Twist!

After mixing my own work out cds I listen to them in the car with my three children. We have a rock fest in the van and it's my way of making sure that I'm educating them by exposing them to all sorts of genres.

Today my 3 year old son and I were driving around doing errands. The cd is on Track 10 - Move Along by The All American Rejects. They love to belt out the lyrics to that one!

Track 11 is next - Who Did You Think I Was? by John Mayer

3yo: Mommy, what's the name of this song?
Me: Who Did You Think I Was?
3yo: I don't know.
Me: No, honey that's the name of the song.
3yo: What's the name of the song?
Me: Who Did You Think I Was?
3yo: I don't know!
Me: No, I'm not asking you a question I'm telling you the title of the song. It's Who Did You Think I Was? by John Mayer.
3yo: John Mayer?
Me: Yes honey, John Mayer
3yo: Oh...
3yo: Mommy, what's the name of this song?

I give up! rofl....

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The House of Ick

 

It all started with this guy on Sunday and then his older brother caught it on Monday. Then it came my way on Tuesday and then moved on to the baby! My mother came over to help out with the kids and the next day she brought over the necessities. You know Ginger Ale, popsicles,and chicken soup and when she went home she had the awful stomach virus. By Wednesday my hubs wasn't feeling so well but he's at work today so it didn't hit him that hard. Every one of us appeared to be feeling better within 36 hours according to my husbands calculations. Thank goodness I'm married to an engineer so he can keep track of these things. At least we know it doesn't go on forever. Top that with the ability to diagnosis ourselves off the internet and we are golden. So for all you members of @mamavation I will have to catch up with you next week. I haven't been to the gym at all this week and I'm not exactly able to eat solid foods yet. Thanks to all of you who have prayed for our family. It's been a very long week. Even though I washed all the bedding, sprayed the house with Lysol and opened all the windows we still all managed to get it. I'm going to clean AGAIN, now that I'm functioning. I do hope this is the end of this awful virus. The baby girl isn't at 100% but I can manage her. When I go down the whole house falls apart. My husband and I clearly have our roles. When you're a mom, you're lucky if you get a sick day!

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@Charm_CityCakes - Meet Your Future Intern!

The goal:
Create a cake that is patriotic and make it by yourself. This was our son's project for the Blue & Gold banquet for scouts. It's also the Boy Scouts of America's 100th birthday this year.

My son's idea:
Build a tank cake!

 

He started out with a vanilla rectangle bottom and a yellow circle cake, add some green coloring to chocolate frosting and here you have the beginning of a green tank.

He added tires aka chocolate donuts to his tank! Then to add tracks on the tires he added black dye to some chocolate and spread it across.

He used chocolate covered pretzels for the guns and the fence that the tank is busting through. He used sugar cookie dough to make the soldiers driving the tank and frosted their helmets. He also used the dough to create an American flag that is sitting on the back of the tank. Don't you love the patriotic sprinkles?

  

Here he is with his trophy for "The Most Original" cake. 

His cake raised $70 in the cake auction.

It took him two days to finish it. 

Amazing work don't you think? Hey Duff what you say, do you need another intern?

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What's A Girl To Do?

Our (not so) baby girl has become a climber this past week. By climber I mean she climbs up in her high chair, she climbs on Daddy's desk...

(exhibit a)

She's so proud of herself! Dad well he's proud but wishes she wasn't able to change his gmail color schemes. lol - not funny - lol - serious face now....
This morning she came to me carrying her pair of black shoes. She sat directly on the floor and lifted her feet up to me. It was her unspoken way of commanding me to put her shoes on. I couldn't resist, she is so cute! Look at her froggy pajamas! I decided to sort out her rubber bands, barrettes, head bands and all the things that she refuses to wear for any length of time in her hair. She climbed right up on the table! Of course I'm just a dork because I grab my camera and have to snap pictures. lol ...

 

We were playing and she was fine for about a second and then....

It was time to get them out! How cute are those shoes?

 

Oh dear! She's spotted the clip and .....

right in the mouth it goes! *sigh* oh well.....

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Are you a blood donor?

I've beendonating blood since 1998 off and on in between my pregnancies. My husband donates regularly. He gets all the mugs, t-shirts and points. Today I decided to get back on track to regularly donate every 8 weeks. They have changed their operations since the last time I was there in 2005. They have different machines to check the blood floating and now you can sit at the computer to answer all those personal questions. My husband's name is on one of their huge posters hanging in their office as a donor. He's so proud! What is great about giving blood is that not only are you helping others but for those of us on the fitness train you can get your blood pressure read and cholesterol level checked. All the results can easily be retrieved online! If you have been following my blog you know that since December I've been working out like a mad woman to get the weight off. My cholesterol level as of today is 180. That is the lowest reading I have ever seen. The highest was 264 and I was 130 pounds at the time. That goes to show you that skinny isn't necessarily healthy.  The ideal level for women is anything under 200. Whoot! Go me.....

I would encourage everyone to go donate and see the real results of your healthier lifestyle.







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There's a First Time For Everything

 

The entire week I have been walking with my grandmother. I'm trying to make sure that she and I get our thirty minutes a day in. I know the benefits of exercise and it is my hope that maybe, just maybe, she can get off of some of her medications if we continue to get a walk in a day. At the same time I have been encouraging bugging my mother to walk daily too. Today it was raining and cold outside. I had to get my grandmother indoors to walk. Oh sure we could have gone to our local mall but instead I took her to my YMCA. This was her first time in a gym and her first time on a treadmill. Even at the age of 82, it seems there's still a first time for everything. I'm so happy that she and my mother have become members. Now they can get her walk in without having to worry about the weather! Whoo Hoo... does she rock or what?

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No Phone Zone

Image from Oprah.com

Have you taken the pledge yet? I did.
"I pledge to make my car a No Phone Zone. Beginning right now,  I will do my part to help put an end to distracted driving by not texting or using my phone while I am driving.  I will ask other drivers I know to do the same.  I pledge to make a difference." If you would like to make the pledge click here.

I caught Oprah today and was blown away by the stories of fatalities from texting while driving. OK - I admit that I too have sent a text before. They have not been conversations but more like, "k" or "ttyl" because I can't drive and text. I am plenty guilty of talking on the phone to my friends and family because I have a minute to spar in the car. Honestly none of my conversations are important and I don't need to be on the phone. I am carrying precious cargo! The other day I was at a four way stop. Each stop sign had a car stopped and each person driving was on the phone. You can't be on the phone while driving through a school zone but I see people do it any way. I will still have my phone with me but I won't be on it while I'm driving. After all what kind of example am I setting for my kids? I will encourage my friends and family to stay off their phones too. They are all too important to me and no conversation is worthy dying for! Take a moment when you are out on the road and just see how long it takes you to count 10 people on cell phones. I'll bet it will be under five minutes. For information on today's show please click here.



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Play Time - Boys Style

My boys decided to play in the leaves today!

What in the world?

Oh it's you!

Come up for air!

Stinker!

He did that to you? Of course he did.

Just when I thought they were still playing in the leaves, I look out the window and see this!

Big Brother is helping him down now.

I'm so glad my hubs nailed those boards to the tree.

Down safely! Time for some hot chocolate.

What did your kids do today?

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He's Here! All 10lbs. 14oz. of him.

Meet Forrest!

We have been waiting for him and he is finally here. I just got home myself. I didn't want to leave until I could hold him. :)

I just had to hold him. He's so sweet and handsome. My boys are going to go nuts when they see him. I'm so thankful to my husband for hanging out with our kids so I could be there with Emily. Her mother is in the hospital and her mother in law was not feeling well either. Her Dad was there!

He's waiting so patiently! I have tons of photos on Facebook so if you are linked to me you can check out the photo album that I created. Here are a few of my favorites!

I love the way they stamped the baby's feet on Dad's scrubs.

This is Forrest out in the hall way waiting to go inside the nursery.

She's one happy mama!

Congratulations Emily & Daniel.

I can sleep now. lol

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