Rainy Day Snuggles And A Creepy Windsock Hot Dog

Today is one of our rare rainy and cold days and as if that wasn't good enough, my little one has been extra snuggly today.

Feelin the lurve!

 

After the snugglefest, someone (me) needed lunch ASAP because they (me) were getting hangry. I decided to make some quick veggies with a side of Nathan's hot dog and this is what I found when I took it out of the package.....

Whaaaat?! Is it just me or does it look like one of those creepy windsock things with the waving arms that businesses inexplicably use for advertising? Suddenly, I am not hangry anymore....

 

 

Since we do not have any exciting New Year's Eve plans, we have decided to go to the store to get snacks and maybe some poppers and hats to help us ring in the new year. Perhaps we will get wild and rent a movie....woooooo!

 

Happy New Year! Be safe and see you in 2015!





A Few Highlights

I love this time of year not only for the usual festive holiday reasons, but because my daughter gets a nice long break from school. She gets to be home with us all day and we also get to take a nice long break from schedules. Today was a perfect relaxing day. I thought I would share of few of my favorite parts.

1. My daughter made me a personalized marker in her Crayola Marker Maker. She made it purple (my fav) and said she named it "Big Mama" after me.

Wow, thanks kid!

2. I made an amazing hot chocolate and drank it from my favorite mug (also made just for me by my daughter)

That's me...#1 Big Mama.

3. We finished the day drinking our cocoa, snuggling and watching Christmas movies....perfection!

Big mama loves her some Christmas movies.

And now I am off to do my absolute favorite thing....sleep. Night night!





X Box Fitness And Ditching The Scale

I have always had a bit of a struggle with my weight. I have been pretty much stuck in a permanent state of wanting to lose 20 lbs for the last fifteen years or so and I recently went through a phase where I was weighing myself every morning.  I hate to admit it, but the number on the scale seemed to affect my mood. If my weight was up at all from the previous day, even just a pound or two, it set me in this kind of annoyed funk that would take me at least a few hours to shake. If I was down a pound or two, it was happy time. I finally decided that I was being way too hard on myself and I grabbed my scale and packed it away in the garage to avoid my daily weigh-ins. I have to say that the result has been quite amazing for me. My happiness is no longer dependent on that number and it has been easier for me to eat healthier and stay motivated. I think that, for me, knowing that I had gained a pound or two discouraged me from eating better. It was kind of like, "Oh well, I have already gained a pound, so I will just eat this cupcake." Now, I have no idea what the number is and I think my attitude towards food is healthier and I just feel better overall.

Around the same time I kicked the scale out of the house, I also got motivated to work out daily. I prefer to go outside and walk, but that isn't always possible for me for various reasons. Instead, I have found X Box Fitness on my X Box One. It is an interactive workout program that you can download for free and it has a ton of different workouts. Most of the workouts have one try for free workout and then if you like it, you can purchase the program. I started with the Jillian Michaels Cardio Kickbox and it is awesome because it is only twenty minutes and it is killer.  Even better, the X Box Fitness actually uses the camera on the Kinect to see you during the workout and score you on how well you are doing.

Peek-A-Boo. Do you see me?? I'm totally the one in the green sports bra and NOT the grey waving outline thing. Totally. 

It has challenges to complete and you get points for form and stamina. I find it is really motivating for me because I try to beat my previous scores and my ultimate goal is to get a perfect score on the entire workout. It is super fun. So fun, in fact, that I ended up purchasing the Jillian Michaels program. It was around $9.99 and I use it every night, so for me it was a bargain. I have noticed that in the month and a half that i have been doing it that I have a ton of energy and my clothes fit better. I haven't been focusing on the weight, partly because I am not getting on the scale, but also because I just want to feel good about myself and be healthier. 

Overall, the combination of the workouts and absence of the scale of been amazing for not only my physical health, but my mental health as well. If you or your kids have the X Box One with the Kinect, I highly recommend you check X Box Fitness out. It's a super fun way to get fit and feel healthier. Also, if you find yourself a slave to the scale like I was, try making it less accessible like I did....you may be surprised at how good you feel without it! 

Happy Holidays!

The Naughty List

I have a potty mouth. A pretty bad one really. I keep things a bit PG here, but when I'm talking to my family and close friends, all bets are off. I am pretty good around my 8 year old because I don't want to get a note home that my daughter called a classmate and as$hole, but my hubby and I haven't been editing too much around the baby. Those days are over though because she has recently become a parrot. There is a long standing argument in our house about who's mouth is worse, so we have decided the best way to curb the sailor talk around the baby and also finally settle the argument is to make it a contest. We have made a chart and every time we curse in front of the kids, we get a check mark. This goes on until Jan 1 when the winner will be announced. The big prize is being right....the best prize in any marriage in my opinion.  I would be lying if I said I don't occasionally go somewhere private and let a few f bombs fly...old habits die hard, but I know that we need to lead by example. In the meantime, I shall bite my tongue and say a lot of darnits and shooty-poops and hope that I win because the bragging rights will be glorious. Here is the scorecard as of today:

Team Mommy isn't looking so good.....shit. 

Jenna Hipp Pout Polish....Nothin To Pout About

Today when I was fighting my way through the sample lines at Costco, a beautiful shiny package caught my eye.

(Insert Angels Singing Here)

 

Now I don't usually buy my makeup at Costco simply because I know what I like and I usually get it at Ulta or Sephora, but when I saw this shiny package of lip glosses, I was intrigued. The product is called Jenna Hipp The Lip Glossary Pout Polish Collection. If you would like to see it on the Costco website you can go here.  According to the package, the colors are: Illusion, Mountbatten Pink, Rose Cerise, and Melonaide. I think those are just fancy names for coral, rosy pink, nude, and light pink. I am usually pretty hesitant with lip glosses because I HATE when they are sticky or if they have a weird smell. Basically if either of those apply, then I am out. No way, Jose. I figured these were inexpensive enough that they were worth a shot. As soon as I got into the parking lot I ripped these bad boys open and I have to say it was instant love. They are soft and a little bit minty and the colors are so subtle with the perfect amount of shine. You can layer for a deeper color, but I like just a hint of color, so one quick layer is perfect. They were even kiss approved by my husband who said my lips felt nice and soft, not sticky at all. I wanted to share now while there is a manufacturers discount going on ( all four for only $12.99! Bargain!). I know the website says sold out online, but if you are a Costco member and you see these babies while you are there, I highly suggest you give them a shot. They would make perfect stocking stuffers as well. I love them so much I may just stock up and give them as gifts here and there and keep some in my car, purse, etc. Seriously, they are that good. So, HURRY, run, go now....before they sell out.

What is your go to lip gloss/lipstick?

On A Bus With 17474647373 3rd Graders

I am going on a field trip with my daughter's class today and I forgot how much school buses smell like farts. Also, I may need hearing aids after this.

Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there YET?!?!?!?!?

A Chalk Art Gallery

When we moved into our current home, I knew I wanted at least one chalk board wall in the house. Since it was my first experience with chalk board paint, I decided to start small and use the longest wall in the laundry room. It ended up working out perfect because our laundry room connects to our garage, which is the main door that we use to go in and out of our house. My daughter and I would draw funny or sweet messages for my husband to see as he left for work and came home in the evening. Now that my husband has changed to primarily working from home, the chalk wall isn't getting much action. I decided tonight to make revamping the chalk wall a family project and it ended up being a lot of fun. First, we cleaned all the chalk off of the wall so we had a blank canvas. Next I had my daughter pick out some of her art work to hang and had her decide where to hang them on the wall. Then came the fun part....we used chalk to draw picture frames around the pictures in different styles. I think it turned out super cute and it got my daughter interested in drawing on the wall again. Even the baby got involved. It was a fun little Sunday evening project.

My budding artists.

 



 

 

I think we will periodically change out the art and maybe even do themes for the art that we hang up like winter themed, portraits, etc. I also need to pick up some colored chalk to make colorful frames and drawings. Our own little chalk wall art gallery.

 

Now we move on to do the less fun Sunday night activities like making lunches and all that fun get ready for the week kinda stuff! Night night!

 

 

 

Have you ever used chalk board paint?

 

What kind of artsy/fun projects have you done?

Strange Signs That You Are Living With A Toddler

Today as I was cleaning my house, I came across several things that my BC (before child) self would have thought to be very strange. Since this is my eighth year in Mommyland, it all seemed quite normal to me, but I decided to share them here and see what other parents think. Take a peek and tell me if this is/was normal for you during the toddler years:


1. Snacks and crumbs hidden throughout the house

Mrs. Piggy is going to have some explaining to do when she brings these babies home.

 

 

 

2. Tiny toy booby traps EVERYWHERE

Toys everywhere the eye can see waiting to attack your bare feet or to send you flying across the room. Sadly, in my experience, the toys just get smaller and more painful the older they get (Legos anyone?)

 

 

3. Fingerprints on everything

For some reason even their clean hands leave sticky fingerprints. Weird...and kinda disturbing.

 

 

4. Random items in even more random places

Today I found this DVD sleeve in the bathroom shoved under the counter. Perfectly normal.

 

 

5. The bathroom door appears to be stuck in the open position





Now I didn't find this one while I was cleaning, but you cant talk about having a toddler and not mention how impossible it is to get a minute alone, even in the bathroom. Shut the door and instant screaming will commence. Using the restroom alone is a LUXURY.....a very, very sad luxury.

 

 

So there you have it...these are some "normal" everyday occurrences around here. All in all...its pretty awesome! Hope your day is great!