Recipe Contest

Hop on over to Fit Me Pink to check out our recipe contest. All are invited to enter! Shout it from the rooftops, if you must, and tell everyone you to know to join in. We want to hear from you! The first prize winner will receive a $20 visa gift card and the 2nd prize winner will receive some custom vinyl wall lettering from moi! Have fun entering and hope to see you over there!

My Buddy

For the last two weeks, Luke and I have had the same conversation over and over again...

Luke: "How much longer 'til I go to school?"

Me: "Two Weeks."

Luke: "How much is two weeks?"

Me: "14 days."

Luke: "How much is 14 days?"

And so on, and so on, and so on...12 days later...

Luke: "When do I go to school?"

Me: "Tuesday."

Luke: "When is Tuesday?"

Me: "In two days."

Luke: "Oh. How much is two days?"

Me: (showing with my fingers) "1, 2"

Luke: "Oh, that's not much at all."

FINALLY...two days later...

Me: "Guess what, Luke? You start school today."

Luke: "Yay! What time do I go to school?"

Me: "At 1:00"

Luke: "How long until it's 1:00?"

Me: "Five Hours...after lunch."

For the next five hours, you can imagine how our conversation went. FINALLY, 12:30 arrived and it was almost time to leave for school.

Just as we headed out the door Luke said,

"Mommy, my new school is so cool. But, I'm just going to miss you today. I love you."

Me: (choking back tears) "I love you too, Buddy! I will miss you, but you are going to have lots and lots of fun!"

And, boy did he have fun! What a sweet boy!

First Grade Moments

After substituting a first grade class on Friday, here is what I heard, experienced, and observed:

• "Heads Up 7-Up" is a terrific way to pass time when you have nothing else to fill time with!
• Not only does my hubby like to pinch my back side and talk about my "boobies," but so do little perverted first grade boys! Geeze...first grade, can you believe it?!
• Just as my sons turn everything they play with into a make-believe-gun, little first-grade boys turn every scrap of paper they cut out into make-believe-guns.
• When a first-grader sneezes and splashes snot all over her artwork, she will show you it is ruined and expect you to fix it and make it all better.
• Just the thought, of splashes of snot, will make you want to sanitize your hands over and over again.
• First graders can be quite the cleptomaniacs! It is amazing how anything in the classroom can be discreetly snuck out of the classroom to play with at recess.
  
• It is so sweet when little ones fall instantly in love with you, want to hold your hand at recess, give you hugs, and become your best friend.
• Hearing children say "Teacher, Teacher," is cute, but not as cute as hearing my own children say "Mama, Mama" after arriving home!
  

Exercise Your Skin

Everyone wants luminous, natural, beautiful looking skin...am I wrong? All throughout high school this is what I longed for most. However, I was cursed with oily/acne prone skin. My senior year, my complexion was a mess! Sometime, during that year, my skin calmed down, but the emotional scars left on my memory of those days will forever haunt me. Since then, it has been my life-long quest to find skincare and beauty products that leave my skin feeling refreshed, healthy, and beautiful.

Read On...

My sister and I have a new fitness blog. Visit often for more fun and fitness tips.

Riding The Bus to School

I recently signed up Luke for preschool and discovered that both schools end at 3:30. Although I am a total SuperMom (yeah, right), there is no way I can be two places at the same time.

Solution: Taylor must ride the bus to school.

Problem: She is new. She has never taken the bus to school before. She doesn't have very many new friends yet.

Solution: Older cousin, Caleb, can help her not feel so nervous.

Problem: Caleb is 9. He is a boy. Emotions and little girls feeling nervous aren't his expertise!

Solution: To ease Taylors anxieties about riding the bus, I will drive and follow the bus all. the. way. to. school. the first day.

Side Note: I never knew a bus could make so many stops in such a short amount of time and had no idea how fast bus drivers drive through, somewhat, rural/residential areas.

Problem: Now I have to get Taylor comfortable riding the bus home from school.

Solution: Go to school. Pick Taylor up from class and show her where the bus picks up and wait with her in line.

Problem: Caleb and Taylor want me to drive them home. Too bad I say!

Solution: Follow bus all. the. way. home. from school.

Next day: Taylor and Caleb rode the bus together. I didn't even have to follow in my car this time. And, even though Taylor was nervous, she made it home on the bus without me!

Problem solved!

JAWS

When I was 5 (or so) years old, my dad was some kind of Scout Leader. While entertaining these boys with their weekly scouting activity, I would stand by and watch and mingle. There was one scout, in the group, who, for no reason (at least not that I'm aware of) would call me "JAWS."

Yes. Seriously! He called me "JAWS." Who knows, maybe it was his fascination with the movie or maybe it was his immature way of flirting with a 5-year old girl. Whatever his reason, look at me...how could you call that sweet, cute face "JAWS!!!"

Every time he said "Hey, JAWS," I imagined a combination of the scary JAWS man with the ugly sharp silver teeth from one of the James Bond movies and JAWS (the shark) himself!





Looking at this man's picture still gives me chills!







So. As a child, you can imagine my disgust and total dislike for scouts across America! Every time I would hear the word "scout" I would associate it with the word "JAWS" and picture my 5-year old self with ugly silver sharp fangs hanging out of my mouth!

Yes. I know. Some of you may be thinking that I have two sons and I need to gain an appreciation for scouting since they will be scouts. Well, my world has just been turned upside down! Yes, indeed!

I am now in charge of weekly Bear (cub scout) activities. Thank goodness the scouting program doesn't have anything called "sharks!" First of all, I really don't know what these leaders were thinking by asking me to do this?! I am a girly girl! I don't camp. I don't tie knots. I don't know the first thing about merit badges. I don't wear scout shirts...there is nothing feminine about them! I have never attended a pack meeting. I don't play sports. There is not one ounce of tom-boyishness in me at all!

I enjoy pedicures, trips to the mall, buying makeup, reading celebrity gossip magazines, dancing, watching Musicals, singing, etc.

So, like it or not, I am going to do it. I have to admit, these three bears are kind of cute, they like my pumpkin bread, and they don't call me "JAWS."

I think this scouting thing may work after all. However, I am considering changing a few of the activities in the handbook to learning how to paint your moms toenails, cook her breakfast in the morning, or learn Pilates (I'm thinking the whole mind & body thing could be good for them). You know, the kind of stuff all young sons, husbands, and fathers-to-be need to know!

What Makes Me Smile!

Little Blakey...whenever we tell him to "smile" he says, "CHEEEE!" I can't help but laugh every time he says it!

Watching my babies love each other, play with each other, and explore the outdoors.

The mountains, the fresh air, and the beauty.

Watching my boys grow up. They are two little men on a mission to explore, discover, and enjoy life!

Laughing and smiling at the amount of dirt their little hands and faces collect during the day. Smiling even more when I wash it off and watch it go down the drain at the end of the day!

Watching these two little boys have more fun playing with water and dirt than playing with sand in a sandbox!

Watching their determination as they build their stream.

Looking for Blakes shoes ALL DAY and finding them in the fridge!

Watching Blake sleep. This is nice because he hasn't been doing much of it lately.

Other things that make me smile:

• Ice Cold Coke in the fridge (even though I'm not currently drinking it, man I could really use a sip!)
• Swearing off sugar for a week and (so far) sticking to it!
• Taylor coming home from school with a smile on her face
• Finding a preschool for Luke
• Taking the kids to see Star Wars
• Cost Vida (YUM!)
• Naps (for me)
• Teaching my first Step Class