The Biggest Loser

I watched The Biggest Loser last night on t.v. It was so inspiring. Can you imagine losing 12 pounds in a WEEK! Many of the participants did. But they also worked out 5 hours a day. Oy!

I watched one gal who started out in the 200's who is now in the 160's get eliminated. She was so upset because she had never been able to break the 160's and was afraid she was going to be "a fat girl" forever. It is so sad that we learn to call ourselves fat.

I never was concerned about my weight until I had four babies. Then stuff went south and so did my self-esteem. I empathsize with the gal on TBL. I hope for her that she is able to obtain her goal so she can see that she is not a fat girl and so that she appreciates herself for all her strenghts and weaknesses.

The show inspired me to put a little more effort into my exercise. Afterall, if they can workout that many hours a day I should be able to up my efforts some. I only do about 55 minutes a day so I decided to give it a little more. Today I ran for 20 minutes on the treadmill and then did my usual Denise Austin show. I felt soooo good when I was done! Of course now my behind is sore, but I will take it. :)

Bible Knowledge

I have read the bible. But I thought I would fail this miserably. I surprised myself by getting 6 out of 10! How did you do?

Bible Quiz

Frantic Woman

Ever have one of those days where you don't want to make dinner?

Umm, I have those everyday. I hate to cook. Part of that is because I don't plan ahead. I walk in the kitchen at about 6 p.m. when my stomach is already growling and start looking for something to make.

I finished a book called The Frantic Woman's Guide to Feeding Family and Friends (by Mary Jo Rulnick) the other day.

It is basically a list of menus, groceries, and staples that you need to have a planned meal on the table every night. Even holidays. It is broken down by season which I think is awesome since I don't usually want potato salad in the winter or chili in the summer. It has some really yummy recipes too.

It has great menus and it is a great premise but honestly I found it to be a bit overwhelming. There is a lot of cooking ahead (for the next night's meal) while you are cooking for the current dinner. One meal at a time is enough for me. You have to make stops to the grocery store in the middle of the week to get the fresh stuff you need. I shop once a month and that it is it. I don't like making extra trips to the store. I always come out with way more than I went in for. And I think if you missed a day or meal it could screw up the entire system. That in itself would make me quit and sit down and eat the ice cream saved for day 14.

I think if you are organized and don't mind cooking this would be a good book to follow. For me, I think I will use some of the recipes and then put it on the bookshelf.

We're Back!

Did you miss me?

We had planned to stay home for Thanksgiving this year. I had all the food and the fixin's. Then we got the call. Billy's grandma is sick, very sick. We decided to run out to the hills to see her. The upside was we got to spend Thanksgiving with my family.

His Grandma is hanging in there but is not expected to live beyond this week. She is unable to eat and hasn't had food for over 5 days now. It is all very sad. She is such a spunky lady. I have always admired her. We will most likely be making another visit to the hills this week for a funeral. So sad.

On the way home we hit about 3 hours of freezing rain. It created a traffic disaster. We saw five accidents and all of them involved at least three cars. We saw two mini-vans rolled over and a truck sitting on its side. I am glad we made it home safely.

Today is life back to normal. The kids are at school and I have a disaster of bags and clothes to clean and put away.

OMG! YOU WILL LAUGH!

Too funny! See it here!

Butt Crack

Our kids are all very skinny kids. Which is a good thing. Except when it comes to finding pants that fit.

Usually someone in the house is walking around looking like a plumber. I almost always say something like, "I see London..." or "Crack exposed" and the offender knows to pull up her pants.

Well this morning I put on a pair of 11/12 pants that are a tad too big for me. They tend to fall about my hips instead of my waist. As I was sitting on couch I reached down to pick up a ponytail holder and Becca, who is sitting next to me, says, "I see London. And they are red with lace on the top."

Thanks for the announcement dear. Obviously Mom needs some new pants.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my 30-something husband!

Clearance

I love when Target has things on clearance!

I had to go today to get Mr. Bill some more jeans. The poor child only has 4 pair to begin with and then yesterday he ripped a hole in one pair. I do not like doing his laundry every other day so I headed off to Target to get him some new ones. He wears a 4T in length but they HAVE to have the adjustable waist since the boy has no butt. He seriously wears a 24 month size for his waist. When I got to Target all the boys Cherokee jeans were on the clearance rack. What I paid 12.99 for two months ago I got today for 4.98. Woooohooooo!

He was also in need of tennis shoes since his feet have suddenly grown 2 inches. I found him a fire truck pair that he loves for 3.98!

There were lots of shirts in his size on clearance too but since I bought all of his last spring when they were 2 bucks each he doesn't need anymore shirts. (Oh and I grabbed 4 pair of size 5T jeans for next year too. They were 4.98 too!)

I love good deals. Clearance is my friend.

A Hiccup In The Road Of Life

Tonight at 7ish my hubby calls. He was on his way home from work and got a flat. He pulled over and jacked up the car to put the spare on. But for some reason the old tire won't come off. I pack the kids up (all in their jammies) to go help him.

I get to where he is, about 15 miles from home, and sure enough the tire will not come off. The lug nuts are off but the tire won't budge.

We decided to lock it up and come home. We will deal with the car tomorrow in daylight and hope whatever the problem is fixes itself.

Just a little hiccup in the road of life.

Tidbits

How about some random tidbits for today?

The kids don't have school today or tomorrow. The volleyball team is going to state today so they gave the whole school two days off.

I am way behind on NaNoWriMo but am hoping to get caught up this weekend. I am determined.

The remodel upstairs is going well. I will try to get pictures this weekend. We are almost done with sheetrock and are starting the mudding in both rooms. Our goal is the end of December to get both rooms done. Then we start the attic. With Becca playing basketball every Saturday, it is really cutting into our work time.

I haven't bought a single food item for our Thanksgiving dinner. Store, here I come.

We started a "Super Nanny" chore chart last week. I bought a magnetic white board and put each kids name and the days of the week. When they do their chore they get a star (magnet). At the end of the week if they have more than 3 stars they get a prize (dollar store loot). No one got all 7 magnets last week. Today we start fresh. So far it is working pretty well. Would it be approved by the Nanny if I added my husband's name to the chart? ;)

I am done Christmas shopping. Except Mr. Bill's stocking. I can't find anything stocking size he would like. Girls are so easy. Boys not so. Give me some suggestions please!

Thankful

I am so thankful to have a healthy and happy family.

Basketball

Becca has been in baskeball for several weeks now. They have had a game just about every Saturday for the last two months. She is good but never has been a starter until tonight. She started her first game! I am so proud!

She has been working really hard at practice and getting really good. I am so proud of her effort and her enthusiasm. Go Becca!

Gearing up

I am ready for Thanksgiving! I can't believe it will be here in just over a week but I am ready. I want the turkey and fruit salad and pumpkin pie. mmmmmm.

We are in the midst of the remodel right now. I am trying to get the mudding done on the sheetrock. I also have 30+ loads of laundry going right now. I hope to be done with it tonight. :)

I will be back!

Andrea Girl! What happened to your blog? It was gone and now has been replaced with some weird technical thing. Are you gone? Come back to us. :D

NaNoWriMo is On!

15, 436 words and counting! Not bad.

I was skimming the NaNoWriMo website and discovered that year two is always a stickler for participants. That would explain why I struggled so much last year. Something about living up to your expectations of the year before?

But this year is year three for me and I am working through the pain.I am trudging in my novel right now but the week two email came today and Chris of NaNoWriMo had this to say:

"It all adds up to the fabled Week Two Wall---a low-point of energy, enthusiasm,
and joie de novel that strikes most NaNoWriMo participants between days 7 and
14. This is when our inner editors, who largely turned a blind eye to our novel
flailings in Week One, return to see how things are going. And their assessments
are never kind.

The plot is draggy. The characters are boring. The dialogue
is pointless, and the prose has all the panache of something dashed off by a
distracted kindergartner.

If you're feeling any of these things---or find
yourself starting to feel them this week---know that nothing is wrong. In fact,
you're likely on track for a great NaNoWriMo. Just lower your head, pick up your
pace, and write straight into the maw of your misgivings. If you are thinking
about quitting, DO NOT DO IT IN WEEK TWO.

If you have to quit, do it in Week Three.

I'm serious."

Tagged

I was tagged by Jay:

A book that changed my life: A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
One Book I read more than once: Are You There God, It's Me Margaret
One book I would want on a deserted island: Any reading material would be fine with me.
One book that made me cry: Little House On The Prairie.
One book I’d wish I’d written: Harry Potter.
One book I wish had never been written: Ummmm, ???.
One book I’m reading now: Find Me by Rosie O'Donnell
One book I have been meaning to read: Kinship

Smarty Pants!

I get up at 5:20 to exercise every morning.

Yesterday Megan got with me again, for the third day in a row.

Me:
"You know you wouldn't be so crabby after school if you would sleep until I come get you up at 6:40. Getting up early is making you crabby after you get home."

Megan:
"Maybe that is why you are so crabby."

Who told our secret?

Words Women Use:

FINE
This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and
you need to shut up.

FIVE MINUTES
If she is getting dressed, this is half an hour. Five minutes is only
five minutes if you have just been given 5 more minutes to watch the
game before helping around the house.


NOTHING
This is the calm before the storm. This means "something," and you
should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with 'Nothing' usually end
in "Fine".


GO AHEAD
This is a dare, not permission. Don't do it.


LOUD SIGH
This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often
misunderstood by men. A "Loud Sigh" means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why
she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over "Nothing".


THAT'S OKAY
This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman can make to a
man. "That's Okay" means that she wants to think long and hard before
deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.


THANKS
A woman is thanking you. Do not question it or faint Just say you're
welcome.


WHATEVER
It's a woman's way of saying *!#@ YOU!



I use a few of those. How about you?

It is a beautiful day for

Voting!!! I just did.

If you haven't already, go vote! One voice can make the difference.

I promise I won't repeat this ever again.

Today Mr. Bill was getting dressed and chomping on his gum. He took off his shirt, took of his socks, took off his pants and all was fine. Then he took off his underwear and looked down in the process.

And the gum fell out of his mouth and landed on his "tail" (yes he still calls it that)

This is not the no-stick hubba bubba type of gum. Oh no, it is the cheap halloween candy gum. It sticks and sticks good.

Since I was in the kitchen and not watching him he attempted to get it off himself only to make matters worse. He yelled for me and I came to the rescue. I pulled off all the big pieces and then got the vegetable oil out and smeared it on. Then I managed to rub all the stringy little pieces off.

It took all I had not to laugh. He is so overly-sensitive emotionally that if I had he would never forgive me.

Taking Stock

Remember in January when I set some financial goals? These goals:
1. 500.00 in savings by the years end
2. Contribute to Billy's 401K
3. Begin to payoff our revolving debt (i.e. credit cards) Get at least ONE paid off by years end
4. Eat out NO MORE than one time per week as a family.

Yesterday I sat down and did the budget up to April of 2007. I took a look at my progress on my goals.

1. There is .10 in my savings. I need a savings account they don't let you take the money back out of. I just can't leave it there if I know it is there.
2. DONE! We started putting 2% in the 401K at the beginning of the year and just upped it to 6% in October when Billy got his raise. Checked the balance today and it is up to 5500.00. Not bad. Good thing we don't retire for a few years yet though.
3. Well I had two paid off at different times this year but right now they have a small balance on them again. Hopefully I can get them paid off before December. It is looking good right now.
4. Well I totally blew this one. I just hate to cook but I am working on it. Today I put some leftover meatball stew that I had frozen in the crockpot so we will have an instant dinner tonight. I am trying but fast food tastes ssoooooo good!

It isn't December yet. I will keep going and trying.

Saturday Morning

Today Becca has a basketball game but Cassie has a birthday party so we had to do the parent split this morning. Billy took Becca and Marea to the game (they won't be home until 4) and I have the other three kids who are happily playing on the dining room floor with their "Little Pet Shop" animals.

Twice in the last hour I jumped and realized I hadn't been keeping track of what Marea is doing and then I realized she isn't here and I don't have to. That is the way it is with her. I have to be her conscience and her brain because she doesn't make very good choices if left on her own. I am suddenly looking forward to the rest of the day. I can take a shower without having to worry about what she is doing. I can sit on the computer all day (if I want to) and not have to constantly be peeking over the top of it to see what she is doing.

NaNoWriMo is going pretty well. At least on my end anyway. I find I get in this zone as I am writing. It sucks up time pretty quickly but I enjoy it. I am up to 5300 words as of today so I am on track for my 50,000. I am still not sure about my story line. I don't know if the format is working or if the content is even interesting. I guess that would be part of the revisions but first I have to plunk out the 50K! :)

Have a great weekend everybody!
(Listening to Pandora Radio again. This thing is so awesome!)

Heart-Stopping Moment

After school today the kids all came in and got their homework out. Something smelled funny.

I ignored it as I have a super sensitive nose so I figured it was rub-off from someone on the bus. Megan came and sat by me so I could help her with her homework. Then the smell was really strong. I kept helping her but everytime she moved her hair I could smell something very strongly. Then I realized it smelled like marijuanna!

I was suddenly paralyzed with fear. How do I deal with this? She is only in 4th grade. She has some iffy friends but I never thought it would come to this. Maybe the friend's parents do pot and it just rubbed off? Oy.

I just sat there and tried to compose myself before I said anything. Megan turned to say something to my face at that moment and suddenly my overly sensitive nose caught my error.

"Have you been eating Green Apple gum or candy?" I stammered.

Megan nodded. She had green apple gum on the bus.

Thank heavens. Her breath smelled like stinky-feet-green-apple gum not pot.

I will be in need of pacemaker in about 3 years. Thank.You.Very.Much.

Vote Smart

I saw this link to this Vote Smart website on another blog. You can enter your zip code and it gives you information on all the elections pertinent to your area. Go do some research so you can vote smart and then GO VOTE on the 7th!

I did some research and was shocked at some of the things I found. It was worth the time.

T-O-Ting

We made it through trick-or-treating last night. We had a dead bride, a butterfly, a rock star, and The Thing from the fantastic four. Marea sat out the festivities as a punishment for some serious misbehavior last week. (This is the first time I have EVER taken away anything of this magnitude from her. I hope she "gets" it now.) Unfortunately we were so short on time after doing homework that I didn't get any pictures of the kids. By the time we got home the costumes and makeup were in shambles. Boo hoo. The kids did each get quite a stash of candy though.

Today is November 1st. The first day of NaNoWriMo. I will try to get my first entry up today. The goal is 1667 words per day to make 50K at the end of the month. You can keep up on my progress at Novel Idea. This year I am going for a young adult novel.