A little about me

I got this from plasticplease. Love it! You highlight what you have done. Now you guys do it! Leave a blog comment so I can come read yours.

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabatized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hotel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

Erin's 10 month photos

Just got them today and they are super cute. Check them out at G-Rated Life. Click on photos in the upper right hand corner, then on Portraits from the list on the right. You will have to scroll through them all to get to Erin's most recent ones.

Pre-teenage children

I was watching my DVR'd Supernanny last night and this episode centered around 11 and 8 year old sisters who were complete pills to their poor practically single mother. The dad traveled for work Mon-Thurs every week. These girls were CONSTANTLY fighting with each other and the mom. Everything the mom said was subject to argument and a battle would ensue. It made me a little nervous.

Then the 11 yr old said, "My mom just doesn't know how to communicate with me. All I want is for her to love me." Mike asked me if I thought it was true or the girl was just being dramatic.

So I started thinking about the book I read a while ago called His Needs, Her Needs. I talked a little bit about it here. Let me give you a quote from the introduction:

"Marital conflict is created one of two ways: (1) Couples fail to make each other happy, or (2) couples make each other unhappy. In the first case, couples are frustrated because their needs are not being met. I call it failure to care. This book addresses the failure to care - failure to meet each other's most important emotional needs. Ignorance contributes to this failure because men and women have great difficulty understanding and appreciating the value of each other's needs. Men tend to try to meet the needs that they would value and women do the same. The problem is that the needs of men and women are often very different and we waste effort trying to meet the wrong needs."

How does this relate to the Supernanny episode? Well, I think the same can be true of any relationship, even if it is not man/woman. A parent/child relationship may have the same issues. This girl needed to feel loved. And even though the mom loved her, she was not showing it in such a way that the girl understood. The way to meet the girl's needs was not what the mom thought it was.

My hope is that if you establish the lines of communication early on and work with your child at each stage to understand what their needs are and help meet those, not just what you think they should be, it is a little easier when you get to the sticky part. Kids need to feel that they are being heard and they are respected too. When that doesn't happen, that is when you see the disrespect get out of hand. Not that I am saying that kids don't get nasty sometimes for no reason. Of course they do, but I like to think those times are limited and you can get through them if you show that you respect their needs.

It will be SO interesting for me to go back into the classroom with middle schoolers now that I have all these philosophies and see how it pans out.

SYTYCD Week 3

This was last night's favorite.


This one was a close second.


I think I have a sinus infection so I took Benadryl last night. I was kinda out of it for some of the dances. But these stood out...

Brain Dump

I liked Erica's concept the other day, so I am stealing it. :)

- At 4:30am Mike and I heard some whispering. It sounded like Leah, but we did not have her monitor on. We thought maybe she was in Erin's room, because it was coming from the monitor. I got up and checked on Leah; she was still in her bed snoring away. Erin was whispering in her room. I didn't know she knew how to whisper! It was freaky.

- All Erin wants to do lately is stand up. She hasn't figured out how to pull herself up anywhere but using my fingers in her hands. So she constantly wants me to be holding her up. This little girl is demanding! She lets you know when she wants something and right now the screeching is not okay with me. If this is what the future will be like with her, we better watch out. :)

- Leah has been potty-trained for a while now. But at least once a week she has an accident. Now that I think about it, it is always at our house. Maybe it's because I don't suggest going to the potty when we are at home like I do when we are out. It seems like when she does have an accident, it is because she just waits a bit too long to go and can't make it to the potty. It usually happens when we have some commotion going on like visitors or whatnot. It's kinda annoying.

- Yesterday I just put in a reservation for a ski boat for July 11th. We are getting it for a half-day to celebrate Mike's birthday. His parents and sister will be here. It should be lots of fun.

- We are going on a cruise! Granted it isn't until NEXT July, but I am super excited anyway. My dad's family is planning it and so many of them will be there. I don't often get to hang out with them so it should be a BLAST! My mom has agreed to come up here and watch the kids. It will be our first vacation without kids! (if nothing come up before then, which I doubt it will) My kids will be almost 2 and 4!!! That in itself is freaky.

- We are still not definitely going to have another kid. But if we do decide to do it, we were either going to start trying late winter/early spring 2009 for a baby born in the late fall OR the following year. Due to the aforementioned cruise, it will probably be 2010. I am NOT going to be pregnant on our first vacation without kids!!!

A shirt issue (I know, it's odd)

Here is my dilemma: almost every shirt I own has hole(s) in the bottom front right in the center. They are right where a button would be on pants or jeans, maybe even a little lower. These shirts are from all different stores: New York and Co, Target, Old Navy, and one is a Disney T-shirt I got from one of those random touristy places last October. The one from NY & Co actually had a hole the third time I wore it! This never happened to me before I moved to NC.

Is anyone else out there having this issue? Why do you think it happens? Is there anything I can do to prevent it? If I were to get rid of all the shirts with holes, I would have like 3 shirts left to wear! HELP!

Week 2 SYTYCD

This one was great!



Update: You know, the more I watch this video, the more I realize that there were a LOT of mistakes/missteps in the dance. I think I loved it because I loved the concept and choreography more than the actual dance.

I also loved the Argentine Tango but I can't find the video out there. You will have to find it yourself if you missed it.

Leah Ballerina

Leah started her "pre-ballet" on Monday. OH MY GOSH! Those little girls are so adorable!!! There is only a regular door to the studio and ALL the mothers were crowded around trying to watch the entire 45 minutes. The teacher was amazing with them. She had them doing plies, standing with happy feet (first position), and walking on little mouse feet (on tiptoes). She had so many props. They played with wands and crowns, baby dolls, and a little stuffed bear. At the end of each class she gives them a lollipop. I can't wait to enroll Leah for the fall! Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure.

Q & A #14

I am finally getting into the habit of flossing every night. If you knew my teeth, you would know how necessary this is in order to avoid high dental bills. So I put this question to you.

What is your most beneficial habit? Do have any habits you would like to get rid of?

My MOST beneficial habit is probably wearing a seatbelt. I put it on EVERY time I get in the car. I don't even think about it. Sometimes I realize my seatbelt is on and I don't remember putting it on. That's how much of a habit it is.

I am also slowing forming the habit of drinking at least 48 oz of water a day. I eat so much less when I drink enough water.

Bad habits - not putting on sunscreen every time I am out in the sun. I do put it on when we are going to the water park. But if, say, I am outside with the kids swinging or riding bikes, I almost NEVER put sunscreen on myself. And I don't put it on the kids EVERY time either. Erin is usually put in the shade somewhere, but still. This is something I need to work on.

Father of my children

I couldn't have chosen better. I love that you are teaching the girls to be well-rounded. I love the things you are able to introduce to them. I love that we are on the same page with our kids, yet you always bring a new perspective when I am burnt out. I love knowing yet not knowing what the future holds for us as a family.

All three of your girls adore you.

Get your priorities straight...

A while back a friend's then-fiance asked me what advice I would have for a couple about to get married. And the advice I gave him keeps coming back to haunt me as the best advice out there for newly married couples. Here it is...

The two of you probably want the same things out of life. That is an important foundation in a marriage. BUT. Your priorities in everyday life may be vastly different. If you can learn to compromise and/or understand and accept that, things may be easier for the two of you.

I still struggle with this one.

Congrats & TV suggestions

First of all, congratulations to Jason & Nikki on the arrival of baby Elena. We are so happy it went well and can't wait to hear more about this new miracle.

Next, Leah has been watching Word World lately. It is on PBS and it is AWESOME. It teaches letters and spelling through a unique format. You have probably seen the toys that go with it at Target. Now that we watch the show, I will be looking at the products more closely to see if we could use any of them at home. Anyway, I highly recommend this show.

The other show we love that is finally on TV is Signing Time! We have learned SO many new signs from borrowing the DVDs from the library. Now we will just DVR them and make our own DVDs. You can check out their website for listings in your area.

Q & A #13

Mike and I were talking the other night about expectations. Some examples we brought up were:

Marriage - If you are a romantic, you may idealize marriage as this thing where people are so in love all the time. I guess you think it will always be like the beginning. Even if, or maybe especially if, you have lived together before marriage, you may think it will be more when you are married.

Having kids - Mike was the first one to say this exceeded his expectations BY FAR. He had always thought that having kids would be SO much work and you would lose the ability to do anything you want to do. While that is all true, he did not realize the reward you would get in exchange. He claims it was all worth it, ten times over. :)

Teaching (for me) - Right now, being a bit bored at home, I am currently romanticizing teaching. I am always thinking about how much I miss it and how much I liked my students. Of course I am never thinking about the days (many) where I came home saying I was so done with those flippin' kids and when was the next holiday?

So my question to you all is this: What has met or surpassed your expectations? Has anything been more difficult than expected?

Nudity: Good or bad? Let's discuss

I was listening to the Cooper Lawrence show on the radio tonight on the way home from the playground. (Mike met me there, then he took the girls home while I ran to Arby's to get him some dinner.) The discussion was that men love to see women naked. Any woman, any time. Strangers, people they know, whatever. But women do not usually want to see men naked. I mean they don't object to seeing their significant other, most even enjoy that. But to just see men naked, as in Playgirl or something like that, most women are just not interested. Cooper Lawrence was trying to get to the bottom of it by taking calls.

So I wanna know, do you agree? If you do, why do you think that is? One caller gave an explanation that made sense to me, but I wanna hear you ideas before I spill it.

SYTYCD (c'mon, you know what that means)

This was my favorite dance of the night.



How 'bout you?

Swim lessons

Leah attended her first swim lesson yesterday. I was a bit worried that she would still be scared of the water, but the water park has pretty much cured her of that (except in the tub, what's up with that?). So it went very well. The instructor had them float on their backs and bellies while she held them. Then she taught them "monkey arms" where they reach for their bananas. They have to keep their fingers closed so they don't lose their bananas. How cute is that? While they wait their turn on the side, they have to kick their feet and splash. At the end, the instructor has them do something to get their faces wet, either Ring-Around-the-Rosy or jump in. I have been very happy with it and may actually sign Leah up for the next level, which starts after this one ends. It's nice that the lessons are at the gym too because I can put Erin in the gym daycare and just concentrate on Leah.

Next week, ballet camp. :)

Blowing bubbles!

The choo-choo is leaving the pool

Q & A #12

Here's the question I referenced yesterday. Describe your relationship with your parents during your teen years. Was it more harmonious or more harmful? What do you think your parents did that was successful during that time? What absolutely did not work? Try to look at it from your current perspective, not from your teenage perspective.

I have already described my parental relationship in a previous post. It was pretty far from harmonious. There were good times too though. It wasn't as bad as it could have been. I was loved, no doubt about that.

Successful - forcing family time on me. They may have overdone it a bit, but I have enough fond memories of family time that I think it will be something I expect from my teenagers also.

Did not work - being outrageously strict, being wishy-washy on rules, forcing babysitting on me without asking or compensation, making me do MANY chores but not my sisters, not allowing me to have my say

Ha, ha I'm bored

Got this from Erica… looks fun. :)

COUNTRY WESTERN SINGER NAME: (mother & father’s middle names)
Lucy John

NASCAR NAME: (first name of your mother’s dad, father’s dad)
Benny Whitney

STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name)
Galan

DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Blue Hippo

SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Cathleen Metairie

FLY NAME: (first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name)
Anrs

GANGSTA NAME: ( fav ice cream flavor, fav cookie)
Rocky Road Peanut Butter

ROCK STAR NAME: (current pets name, current street name)
Lily Lexington

STRIPPER NAME: (name of your fav perfume/cologne, fav candy)
Truth Snickers

PORN NAME: (1st pet, 1st Car)
Penny Tercel

AMERICAN GLADIATOR NAME (model name of your current car)
Odyssey

Firefly Lane

So I finished this book last night at 1am.

It began as most of these coming of age stories do. Two girls, at their most awkward and troubled, befriend each other. They share men and dreams. Somewhere in the course of their lives, the dreams change. One goes on to become an anchor on the early show. The other one becomes a stay-at-home mom to a pre-teen daughter and twin 5ish year old boys (I say 5ish because the story spans time).

Anyway, I won't spoil the ending but I cried for the last 50 pages. I was trying to keep quiet because I didn't want to wake Mike up, but man, I was full out sobbing at some points. Nose dripping, vision blurring crying. I have not done that in a long time over a book. It felt good. :)

In the book the mother and pre-teen daughter have knock-down, drag out fights. I started thinking about Leah and Erin and what our relationships will be like at that time. I got a little nervous, I won't lie. So I have a Q & A for tomorrow that will be about your teenage years. Get ready.

PS Check out my Goodreads sidebar if you want a link to the book.

Taking a break...

on Q & A's for a while. Comments are starting to slow down and I am running out of thoughts. I will compile a few and start them up again in a bit. If you have any suggestions for interesting questions, feel free to let me know...

Q & A #11

Another of my favorite things is reading. Any of you who know me in real life know that I have an uncanny ability to speed-read. Not quite like you may see on those old TV commercials where the guy is trying to show you how to read faster. I just naturally read quickly. If I am uninterrupted, I can finish a regular length novel in an afternoon. So here are my questions:

What is your favorite genre to read? Do you have a favorite book? A least favorite? Is there a book that made you think more than usual?

My favorite genre used to be romance, but I don't read as many of those as I used to. Nowadays I really like either fantasy/science fiction OR books about women/families and their lives.

Favorite book... that is a hard one. At the risk of being a nerd, I REALLY liked the Harry Potter series. I think my favorite of those was the Half-Blood Prince. I liked reading Dumbledore's part in it all. I also LOVE the Anne of Green Gables series. I know, I know, kids' books are where it's at.

Least favorite... have to agree with Rhiannon that Grapes of Wrath is my least favorite of all time. It is rare that I can't get through a book and that was one of the majors.

I just finished the Golden Compass series. I have to say that the trilogy made me think a lot. Also the book, His Needs, Her Needs made me think pretty hard too. That one is a book about relationships. I recommend these books to all who like to think once in a while.

My favorite things...

Well, at least one of them. I LOVE going to the Taste of... festivals. I used to love going to Taste of Bay Street in Tampa and now we have Taste of Charlotte this weekend. Actually the girls & I are driving up there this afternoon and meeting Mike. We can tour around and have some linner (you know, lunch and dinner together) before the crowds arrive after work and on the weekend. It is supposed to be HOT! Oh well, we can handle a FEW days of record heat, but hopefully not too many. I will post about all the yummy food I eat (I think I am obsessed with food, that is why it is so hard for me to lose weight) when we get back later tonight.

Speaking of weight, I am now only 8 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight! I was the same weight pre-pregnancy with both kids. So that would make me really happy to get back there again. So close!

Q & A #10

Today's topic is routines and schedules. Do you have a daily routine? What does it consist of? What ONE thing could you NEVER skip in your routine?

My routine is very loose. We get up around 6:30-7. Breakfast at about 7:30. Leah gets to watch a show with breakfast. (We have been watching Word World, Britt.) We play a bit inside. Erin naps at about 8:30-9. I try to do my daily chores during Erin's first nap. Leah usually helps me. When Erin wakes up is when I do any errands I have to do for that day.

This is where the problem has been. I haven't had any errands so this time is fairly empty. We play inside some more, but we really need to be out doing something.

Lunch is at 12-12:30. Leah can watch a show during/after lunch while I put Erin down for her second nap between 1:30-2 (hopefully). If it is any earlier she has a hard time staying up until dinner. Then after Leah's show, she has rest time in her room for 45 minutes. During this time I try to scrapbook unless I have some other pressing thing I HAVE to do. Many times Leah will be summoned outside by a neighbor right after rest time. We tend to play outside from like 3-4:30pm, unless it is super hot.

Once we come inside, we all play together on the floor for a while, then Erin plays in her exersaucer or jumper and Leah watches her last show while I make dinner. We eat when Mike comes home, generally at 6:15. Then it is straight to bath and bed for Erin. I try to get Erin to bed between 7-7:30. Leah sometimes goes up with her and sometimes gets to swing on the swingset with Daddy for a little while before bed. Leah is usually in bed by 8pm.

Then Mike and I get 2 blessed hours to OURSELVES! We watch TV or do yard work or just swing on our porch swing.I would love to be in bed at 10ish, but it is usually more like 10:30-11.

There is my routine. I would not skip eating as a family. Even though Mike gets home a little later than I would like as far as the girls eating dinner, we just make do because I think it is important for us all to eat together everyday. On wakeboarding day though, we eat out just us girls. I like that time too.

Q & A #9

I am looking for free things to do with the kids. I am SO bored. We do the same things ALL the time. Play outside in the cul-de-sac, go to the playground, go to the library, etc. Anything new to do out there?

Q & A #8

Mike posed this question yesterday. How do you feel about the whole nature vs. nurture debate? Do you feel a child's environment influences him more or his genetics?

I agree with many of you, that nature plays a smaller part than nurture. Looking at Leah, she goes right up to kids on the playground that she has never seen before and HUGS them. No one taught her that. That is just her personality. On the other hand, she is throwing less temper tantrums and uses her words much more. That is learned from us. As time passes, we will see many more of her behaviors that she has learned.

I think inherent qualities like shyness are predetermined, but how you deal with your shyness depends on how you are taught to deal with it. Over time you can alter your personality by learning ways to cope. I bet most of you wouldn't believe that Mike was more of an introvert as a kid and preteen. He changed his behavior when he moved to FL and was able to alter his true personality. Now hanging out in groups and being active are part of who he is. Strange, but true!

Q & A #7

This weekend we sat down and looked at Mike's vacation days to plan out our trips for the rest of the year. So it got me to thinking, what did you do on your favorite vacation you have ever been on?

I'm having a hard time deciding for mine. It was probably going to my uncle's lake house for a week when Leah was 3 months old. We got to spend a few of the days on a pontoon boat. There were lots of people to help with Leah. It was really fun.

I also really liked the trip last fall to Orlando. We went to theme parks and saw lots of friends and family. It was our first vacation as our little family of four and it was fun trying to figure out the logistics of having two to care for.

The second part of my question is this: what would you do for your ultimate vacation? No parameters, any length, any place, doing whatever.

I would like to go to an all-inclusive resort like Beaches or something that is family-friendly when my kids get a little older. I would invite other families too, so that the kids could play together. But then a few of the nights, I would send the kids to the babysitters they have and go out as adults. To be fed, watered, and have childcare, that would be the ultimate.

My 3K

Motivated by all that talk in my exercise post, I went to the gym on Friday and took a class called, ironically, "Boot Camp." We cycled for 15 minutes, jogged on the track for 15 minutes, did step for 15 minutes, THEN did tricep dips, situps, and pushups. I am a bit sore. :)

Saturday morning, Mike and I put the girls in Laurie's jogging stroller and ran in our gym's 10th anniversary 3K race. He ran ahead with the stroller because he has significantly longer legs than me and I don't think he could jog my speed if he tried. I finished in 24 minutes. That actually put me on track for about a 40 minute 5K which would be my fastest time ever. So for a road race with a few inclines, that is quite an improvement on my treadmill time. I was so proud of myself.

The gym had food and rides for the kids in their parking lot to celebrate their anniversary. We played a bit, then went to the water park. Erin LOVED IT!
She splashed with Daddy and sat for a long time in the shallow end just having a grand ole time. I was so proud of Leah!!! She was actually going down the slide by herself by the end.

While we were there, Leah saw a little friend of hers from school. Mike and I started talking to the parents while the girls played. They have 4 girls, ages 7, 5, 3, and 11 months. Their kids were adorable! I could see them joining in on our barbeques and stuff. Now I totally understand why all my parents' friends were always the parents of my friends. When you are this age, many of the people you meet are through your kids. You bond over preschool, sports, dance, whatever your kids participate in.

Last night we went with Bryan, Tiffany, and Brandon to see the new Indiana Jones. It was our first time with a babysitter who was not one of our parents!! Our next door neighbor's daughter, Deja (not sure if I'm spelling that right), came over to sit while the kids were sleeping. She has been GREAT with the kids out in the cul-de-sac so I trusted her. Plus I did not anticipate anything happening, so I wasn't worried about it. Well, at 11:30 she calls me to say that Erin woke up crying and she changed her diaper. But she wouldn't settle down. UGH! When we got home, Deja was rocking Erin in her glider and my baby was WIDE awake at midnight. I hope Deja wasn't too scarred and will consider sitting for us again, because she handled the situation well, I think. Although if I were going to have someone put the kids to bed too, I would ask someone older and with more experience. Deja is only in middle school. So we survived another milestone, our first babysitter.

Q & A #6

To lighten the mood, I decided to go with something more fun today. What do you like best about summertime? I like taking my kids in the water. Well, this year anyway. Leah was afraid of water in her face last year, so the water park was no fun.

Really my favorite thing to do in the summer is go boating. I LOVE being in a boat. I love the speed, I love the wind, I love stopping somewhere and swimming around. We have a boat in our not too distant future because it is something that Mike and I both love and want to do with our kids. So in the next few years, come visit us and we will take you out in our boat!