Kid Quote

I was chatting with my buddy Renee and I found out this morning that she's starting a new blog dedicated soley to random (cute!) stuff her kids say. I loved the idea - and since I have kids that say pretty random stuff (sometimes cute, sometimes not so cute) and since I've been keeping a journal of my kids' random rantings, I thought I'd totally steal her idea and share them every once in a while for you to enjoy.

February 2009:  The other day we were riding in the car listening to Taylor Swift and that song "Stay Beautiful" came on. Carter goes, "Mommy... you don't need to stay beautiful, you can just be yourself." Uh, thanks?

This kid keeps me on my toes but ohmygoodness, I love him!

I "might have" Monday

This morning I might have felt like one blessed woman when I realized that while I was getting the kids ready for school my husband made our bed, started coffee, started my car, scraped all the ice off the windows, and took care of the dog.

I might have missed him while he was gone the last couple of weeks. A lot.

Because I love my family...

Today is cleaning day because my house looks like a dusty toy store threw up in it so I set out and started doing all the glamorous house-cleaning jobs such as washing bathroom mirrors, cleaning sticky finger prints from all the door frames, and using a vacuum attachment to clean both the cobwebs hanging from the chandeliers and the dust balls under the furniture. Oober sexy, right? Then I got to thinking. Why isn't housework sexy? Housework could be the sexiest job ever... If my husband were doing it.

Anyway, it's not really fun, or rewarding - especially since I will have to do it all over again as soon as I blink. But while I'm making my way through the house, I pick up random things that I find. Things like macaroni noodles that fell off a class project Carter made for me. I found a flosser thingy from the other night when Natalie was lovingly helping Jack get his back teeth that he couldn't reach by himself. I found the super sweet birthday card Jeff got for me last month when I was having a hard time with turning 30 (shhh!) and as I'm looking at all of these things I realized that I am one blessed woman. I might not have the most glamorous job (I don't even get out of my pajamas for it), it might not pay monetarily, and I might not have a day off (or even an hour off for that matter) in weeks - but really, it's the best job I could ask for. I get to be the wife of the best husband I could have ever imagined. I get to be Mommy to three kids who fight like crazy yet help each other cheat to beat me in UNO can be the sweetest little people in the world.

I do have an important job. I am a hero to three little kids (which is actually terrifying) and even doing the "smallest" of household chores is another way I can demonstrate my love to them. When I'm done, I will shower. That's another important way.

Fit Friday (Do all these weekly posts drive you crazy!?)

[You don't have to study the scale - it's not me on it. My toenails are not that pretty. And my number is.. not that number.]

There's this blog I follow that I really enjoy. She does a McFatty Monday post every week to help her stay accountable with her weight loss goals. I love the idea. I'm stealing it. Only, McFatty Monday seems a bit harsh for my sensitive self esteem (even though it's perfectly fitting in my case - or not fitting, as hardly anything does anymore - but I digress) so I'm going to do mine on Fridays and I'm calling it - ready? Fit Friday! I know, I'm just gushing with creativity these days, eh? (Could be worse: Fabulous, Fit, Fun and Funky Friday! - yeah, no.)

I decided to do this because, well, it's just time. I don't remember inviting all these pounds back after working so hard to beat them to death two years ago, but somehow they have made their home yet again on my thighs (and pretty much everywhere else). They.have.to.go. PRONTO.

So, as I mentioned in a previous post, I started Weight Watchers online. I'll admit, I wasn't all that strict with myself over the holidays (read: I didn't do Weight Watchers over the holidays. At all.). So, instead of getting a jump start on my weight loss before the storm hit (holiday season) I just dove into the season of eating and made the waves bigger (okay, not the prettiest analogy, but you get the point).

I would like 20 pounds to be my initial goal. When I get there I will reevaluate and set another goal but for now that seems reasonable. As of today I am +20 on my weight and working to get down to 0. Does that make sense?

If anyone would like to join me I would love it! The hardest part of losing weight - and believe me, I've been losing and gaining long enough to know this - is feeling like you're doing it alone. So, I'm all about encouraging each other! Even if you don't have pounds to lose but just want to get more physically fit, or maintain what you've already lost and just need somewhere to feel accountable without the pressure or judgement, this is the place. It could be fun! (Did you just roll your eyes at me like I did at myself for writing fun in a weight loss post?)

Anyway, here I go. I'm nervous to be all "out there" with it. But maybe it's what I need. So, here goes nothing (or, hopefully, a whole lot of something!).

Starting weight: +20

I'm BAKING! I bake. I'm a baker.

Not really, but I have been baking more this week than I ever have before (besides birthday cakes and stuff like that - but those are always from a box) and the kids have actually been eating what I've been making! Without cringing (don't laugh).

 This week I made (from scratch!) pizza dough, cheesy biscuits, and banana bread! I'm going to the store today to get more ingredients so I can experiment some more, too! (Are you tired of the exclimation points yet?) I've discovered that when the kids help me make dinner (stir the stuff together, get ingredients out of the cupboard, measure it out, etc.) they feel invested in the dinner we're eating and they eat more of it.

Another thing I tried for the first time ever this week? Pomegranates! They take forever to eat, so they're perfect for snacking on at night while I'm reading watching TV after the kids are in bed and they are perfect when paired with water a Mikes Hard Lemonade.

I know. I'm all kinds of crazy wild this week.

How has your week been so far? Did you do anything crazy-like? Please, dish!

Not So Wordless Wednesday

{I miss this guy. Really, really. Five more days until he's home - according to my the kids' calendar countdown.}

"I might have" Monday

I might have forgot (forgotten?) my camera at Jeff's parent's house, so I haven't posted any pictures from Christmas - or taken any over New Years. Bummer, eh'?

I took the kids to the movies on Thursday. Although Jack usually loves going to the big theater, this time he was having none of it and wanted to make sure I knew he wasn't enjoying himself (after the popcorn was gone). I might have told him that the window in the back of the theater (where the movie streams from) was where the police were sitting watching to make sure all the little kids were obeying their parents during the movie.

Earlier this week when a bag of pasta broke open and spilled on the floor of the grocery store after Carter  dropped it on accident, a lady looked at him and said, "Oh, brother!" in a tone that insinuated he was being a horrible kid (which he was not). My protective "mama bear tone" came out and I might have used one of Jeff's lines when I said, "Seriously? It's only as big a deal as YOU are going to make it!" even though there were a ton of people around and it's really not my personality to say something like that anything. Carter was already feeling bad enough (and really embarrassed) over it (he had tears in his eyes for dropping it before she even said anything) and apparently I'd had enough of old judgey ladies in the grocery store (see here).

I might have been really relying on God's amazing grace this week (obviously). I am so thankful that His mercies are new every morning. I'm also glad that my kids are young and hopefully won't remember much from the last few days - right?