Big Sisters are great!

Lately with all this baseball going on these two have been spending a lot of time together.


She has been a great help watching this wild boy during late night games. He comes with me unless we have a 7:30 or 8:00 game. And the times he is with me...he runs...a lot...all over the place...and I can't watch the game...he's wild!



So the other night I night have begged Princess to PLEASE keep this destructive wild boy. And she had to entertain him as I was leaving..because he screams when he knows I'm leaving...so she distracted him with making cookies.



And she so wonderfully took pictures to surprise me. She even let him lick the beaters! And she taught him how to dunk his cookie in milk.



She made homemade play-doh and played Lincoln Logs.



And when it was time for bed, she read his favorite book "Goodnight Moon"...three times...and told the moon goodnight out the window...a trillion times.


I'm so proud of how she is growing up. And I absolutely love her teaching her little brothers all the things that she learned from me.



They will grow up being able to say "I learned that from my sister."



And that makes everything worth it. I love to see them grow!

Weekend Fun

Well this week's weigh in was not nearly as great as the rest...only .2 lbs. lost. It's a loss so I'll take it, but I've got to get my butt back on track. This week is full of baseball games and no time for the gym. But this is how life is right? Can't fit it all in all the time and we have to figure out ways around the bumps in the road.

Despite being a little upset at only losing .2 this week I decided Princess and I needed some mommy/daughter time. I spend so much time with the boys and baseball that the 2 girls of the house don't have much time alone together. So, Friday night daddy took the boys up to the ball field to watch other games (and I convinced him to take the little ones too:) And the Princess and I went to P.F. Chang and had a lovely dinner chatting it up about all the 8th grade gossip. Good times! As we were driving home we saw the movie sign...Opening Night for The Bounty Hunter. On a spur of the moment I swung in to the movie theater and Princess went to see when the movie started. It had started 5 minutes before but we figured that was enough time to get through the previews. We quickly ran to the bathroom and right as we sat down the movie began. It was so funny! We both laughed all through dinner and the movie. It was a great girls night out!

We spent Saturday at the ball field. All day and it was great. Then yesterday the two older boys were supposed to start their Sunday Select teams. But the rain was coming in and the coaches cancelled. But the boys and I were already at the field while Princess was watching the two little ones. So, I decided to play some ball with the boys. It was so much fun and made me miss playing. It was nice b/c usually it's daddy who gets to have all the baseball fun, but the boys were excited to see that mommy has some skills too:) And the fact that I got a ton of running in while they hit the ball all over the field for me to chase after gave me just the workout I needed for the day.

It was such a nice weekend really getting to spend time with the older kids. The little boys and I spend all day everyday together...which is great...but I really need to have more time with the older ones too. So I am going to start making sure to set aside quality time doing the things that they really like.

And on another note...the house will be listed next week and I am so ready to get this going. Of course I hope we find something we like before we sell...and I hope we sell by the end of summer if the kids are going to have to move schools. We are staying in the same middle school and high school but might be changing elementary. We shall see...everything in time right? Now to keep it clean...ha!

Hope everyone is having a great Monday!

I can almost see it...

It's a little foggy, but I can almost see my old self! This week has been rather difficult on the eating end. My workouts have been great...but I have eaten much much more this week. We went out Friday night, Saturday 3 times were eaten out, and Sunday night too! And even though I really shoe healthy meals off the menu I'm sure that I still ate much more than I would have at home.

After reviewing the checking account and looking at it dwindle down b/c of multiple visits to Target, Publix and eating out we've realized the great need to buckle down and make a better budget. So this week I sat down and made menu's to finish up everything that we have in the pantry, fridge and freezer. And in doing that I have made a little too many treats...butterscotch clusters, white chocolate Krispy Treats, choc./p'nut butter balls...and um I may have eaten 90% of them myself.

But I've made myself workout twice as hard...which isn't exactly erasing the extra calories, but it has shown me that I'm super tired and it would be a lot easier if I would just eat healthy and not have to workout twice as much. But it is week 3 of the challenge and I am ahead of schedule so I gave myself a little wiggle room. But I'm determined to step up my game b/c the weather is getting so nice and I really want to go buy some spring clothes.

So every time I have a craving for something not so healthy I'm picturing myself in a new outfit! Some shirts with out sleeves and maybe even some shorts this year. I really want some new skirts and a few dressy girl things...since I mostly wear jeans and sweats I am really wanting to get some nice stuff to look good in my new body!

Let me introduce you...

To my favorite time of year!

Baseball Season! Three of our boys play and I get the most enormous sense of pride watching them play. Of course it's also the most stressful time of year for us as my husband, who works 60-70 hours a week, also coaches the two older boys. So, while I work my 60 hour week I also am on my own to deal with the house, homework, cooking, cleaning and all things pertaining to raising 5 kids. But when I get to the field and can watch them play it makes it all worth it.

T-man plays 2nd base, pitcher, and (his favorite) catcher. He really is one of the best 10 year old catchers I've seen.



He loves to bunt when up to bat, and he is the fastest base stealer! He steals home and slides in right under the glove and most often is SAFE!



He was also chosen for our Sunday Select team (the elite players of the park...consisting of 12 kids.)



My Bubby plays 2nd and 1st bases. I like him at 1st and so does he, but this season dad is getting him to try out 2nd base b/c then he gets more experience. This boys eats, sleeps, and breaths baseball all year. This is his 5th season playing and was on All-Stars last year. He has also been chosen for our Sunday Select team which is the top 12 kids out of the whole park to get him more experience and really focus on perfecting his skill. It also helps prepare them for All-Star try-outs and experience playing with the other top players...which he absolutely loves.





And this year is Tookers first year. He loves being like the "big" boys and is so proud to play. He loves to tell his brothers all about his hits and anytime he gets the ball. This weekend he did a lot of waving to us from his "post" out on the field.

"
Little Monkey just enjoys the concession stand...especially homemade lemonade and snow cones!


And I just wanted to add a picture of the Princess and I since I didn't take any at the field this weekend...but didn't want to be left out:)

No working out happened at all this weekend. And lots of eating that was not so healthy. So I have a lot to work on this week. But I will do it! I really enjoy my clothes fitting better and am

From Snow Cream to Sting Rays

Here in the good ol' south...which we live in for it's warmth and sunshine...it has snowed a lot this year. So for the very first time ever I made snow cream. And the kids loved it!


And since we were tired of all this snow a couple of weeks ago we headed down to Tampa to visit with hubby's twin brother and his family.

We celebrated their 36th birthday while we were there.

We spent a lot of time doing baseball things...since 3 of ours play and their 2 boys play. Our girls weren't too excited about that, but we did get to see the kids big sister since she lives in Florida and came over for the weekend. We headed off to Rays Fan Fest and the kids enjoyed feeding the sting rays...well except Princess. She thought it was gross!
I can't blame her though....I didn't want to hold dead fish in the water for a stingrays to take it out of my hand either.

Uncle Dave helped the boys while daddy helped the girls.

And Little Monkey wanted to get right in!

They had batting practice set up for the kids.



And even some pitching stations...which I gladly participated in.

Oh how I miss my softball days. I played from the time I was 5 until I got pregnant with Princess my senior year. And I miss getting out there and relieving some stress hitting that ball like it was my worst enemy.
And then we headed off to my nephews baseball game. Our kids really enjoyed watching their cousins play..and Little Monkey enjoyed sitting like a big boy with his big sisters.


And for those of you hanging on my every word waiting to hear about my weigh in...hahaha....It went great! I lost another 2.8 pounds! That's 5.3 since we started The BLC. 8 weeks to go and I'm right on track. Thank you for all your kind words of encouragement.

Last Chance Workout, Yummy Food, and a glimpse of the old me

Today is week 2 weigh in...and...I'm...not...as...confident...as last week. But I know that week 2 is always a challenge so I'm chocking it up to just that and determined to push through.

I also think I have a bi-polar scale that I cannot trust. I can weigh myself w/ all my clothes on and weigh one thing. Then go to the bathroom and take my clothes off and weigh myself again and gain 2 pounds. WTH!?!? And the opposite can happen. I can lose 2 pounds but adding my clothes and walking from one room to the next. Whatever! I don't want to be dependant on the scale or be defined by a number. I will go by what my clothes feel like and look at myself in pictures and know that I'm losing weight. However, because I'm part of this challenge I would hate to not realize I've gained a pound instead of losing. But for now I will rely on the scale they use to weigh me weekly.

This week I have enjoyed some yummy foods. My favorite snack of the week is Kettle Popcorn sprinkled w/ cinnamon and a tbs. of dark choc. chips. Mmmmmmm!!!!! Just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. And my favorite meal I made was shrimp and asparagus on the grill sprinkled w/ EVOO and Cavendar's seasoning. I was lacking in the H20 department so that is one goal I have for next week.

My workouts have been pretty good. A little hard to get in because of baseball, but when I did workout of took full advantage of my time. Monday I had to miss Zumba and it looks like tonight I will have to miss again. I'm really bummed about that, but to make up for it we've been dancing to some great old throwback jams...a little Brandy, SWV, Salt N Pepa, and a little Rump Shaker. Funny story - the other night I was cooking dinner and jamming out to the cool OnDemand throwback station and Rump Shaker came on. I was stirring and spinning and singing "All I wanna do a zooma zoom zoom zoom in a boom boom. Just shake yer rump." My husband looked at me as if I was some alien he'd never seen and said "Who are you? And what have you done with my country singing wife?" If he only knew me before...ha..he probably would have had no interest.

On a super good note my size 6 jeans are beginning to feel a bit loose! And the other day I had on my size 8's that I was so excited to buy at Christmas...and I had to fold the waist over just to keep them on. My husband laughed and said "Honey you are allowed to go get new jeans you know." I told him I'm waiting so I can get some I'm sure will last for a while:)


Today last chance workout is consisting of scrubbing bathrooms, scrubbing the floors by hand and cleaning baseboards, laundry, running up and downstairs since my laundry room is upstairs, and chasing kids around the backyard (oh and shoveling dog poo so we don't step in it). And trying to get it all done during nap time....so off I go.

Hope ya'll are having a good week!

Local mom emerges after a harsh winter...

A local mom was spotted at the park this week. Neighbors reported her missing when Georgia began getting too much snow and rain this year. One neighbor said, "Between the rain and snow we were all wondering if she would ever come out of her house again." Another reported, "We've seen her take trips to the grocery store, but other than that we were afraid her children had tied her up." "We all thought maybe she had begun drinking just to keep her sanity." Many others have said, "We don't know how she does it with 5 kids of her own and numerous others being dropped off at her place daily. I mean with not being able to go outside she must really be going CRAZY! We've been waiting on a white van to show up with a straight jacket to take her out of there."


But just last week there was a sighting of her at a local park. She was seen chasing her kids, running up slides, and pushing them on the tire swing.
She was even reported to be hiking and skipping rocks into the creek. The whole community is breathing a sigh of relief that spring might finally be returning. And this woman's husband and children are so grateful because now that means she can keep the laundry going round the clock to keep their baseball uniforms clean.

Now friends are reporting they see her sleeping in a camper at the ball field because she has so many games to keep up with. But they are all glad that she has been found alive and ready for spring!

Another little quickie...

Just a quick update b/c I have 1.1 million things do be doing tonight...


Super good news...drum roll please...my weigh in went well...I lost 2.4 pounds for week 1 of the challenge. I'm so excited!

The kids came in 2nd place with all their points...not good enough for a prize but I was so proud of how well they ate and how much they were active this week.

Another good thing...they are coming to pressure wash the house tomorrow and get it ready for painting...so in the next 3 weeks we can finally get it on the market.

Bad thing is...crap we are really doing this and I need Clean Sweep BAD! I think maybe just a bulldozer might might be a better option...we just have so much stuff! And I really need to de-clutter, get ready for a garage sale (which I feel confident if we could sell everything for $1 we could make a $Million$ since that's how full our garage is.

And they cancelled our opening baseball weekend b/c everything is flooded and it's still raining. So now I'm bummed b/c I LOVE baseball season and am so ready to watch my boys play.

And since it's raining and everything is cancelled I don't have an excuse of why I can't get the house clean and de-cluttered at this time.

Another bad thing...I cannot procrastinate anymore...gotta get busy!

So I'm on a hiatus...hiding the computer...and getting busy around here...see you Monday...and have a good weekend!

Nit Pick Thursday

Today is brought to you by things on my list of irritations.

#1 Why do Girl Scouts, who are supposed to be all about helping Americans and all that yadda yadda, sell their freakin' cookies at the beginning of spring? People are trying to lose weight to get ready for bikini season...and these flippin' little cookie pushers are on every freakin' corner around here with their cute little voices "Would you like to buy a box of Girl Scout cookies?" I purposely did not order any this year knowing full well I'd eat them all. But now they're camped out at every store I frequent. It's like they're taunting me.

#2 Why do they tell you to weigh yourself naked first thing in the morning? After all people see us with our clothes on...why not call that they weight you really are. And when you go to the doctor they don't ask you to remove all your clothes...and I can't ever seem to get an appointment first thing in the morning before I need my coffee and breakfast. My frustration for this is because our weigh in is at 6:00 tonight and I have to keep my clothes on after a full day of eating. I've decided to wear the same outfit to every weigh in b/c this will give me a true picture of my weight loss.

#3 What's up with this stupid new Shake Weight gadget? Have you seen the commercials for this? Obsurd! It loks obsecene and I can't believe people actually would purchase this thinking it would make their arms super tone. Why not just walk around flaling our arms about?

#4 Women on their cell phones at the gym! That's a big one. On the elliptical I have enjoyed many conversations between young girls fighting with their boyfriends. And during Zumba cell phones ring and people actually go to answer them. "Hello?" (Like they don't know who it is with caller ID) "Oh yeah hey. At Zumba...Can I call you back?" Ugh! I just want to turn around and say "HELLO you're interupting my groove." But then I'd call attention to myself and I'd rather leave the attention on yappy chic in the back.

#5 Why do Lifetime movies always suck me in when I have a million things to do? I don't even know why I turn the channel on.

#6 Why do my kids come banging on the door of the bathroom the second my rear end hits the seat? It's like the house is on fire and there's this huge emergency. Do they really think I won't come back out?

#7 Why is it raining so much it's flooding the baseball fields and ruining our opening weekend? I really want to see my little cuteies in their uniforms.

#8 Why can't I see the floor of my laundry room? Just one day of wearing clothes around here seems to add up to two more loads. And then they want to use clean towels to shower! As I was loading the washer after baseball practice the other night my husband says "Just imagine when all 4 boys are teenagers and all playing sports. Man you'll have a lot to do." First of all he's lucky I didn't deck him for say "you'll". And then my future flashed before my eyes. I could smell them! Ick! Oh lord I have a lot of training ahead of me.

#9 Why did my daughter get an eye for fashion? I was a tom boy growing up. I was very much into sports, jeans wearing, and tennis shoes...She loves skirts, and fancy shoes, and cute tops...she enjoys fashion magazines. When I take her shopping for new clothes she believes that means entire outfits including matching shoes and accessories. Heck I only own about 6 pairs of shoes...and 3 of those are cheap Old Navy or Payless flip flops. My running shoes are pricey...but other than that I'm not a big spender on shoes. But I guess if I was as cute as she is then I would enjoy a little more fancyness:) But heck I work from home and endure lots of snot noses being rubbed on me, wiping off sandy hands on my pants, and spit up on my shoulder.

#10 Why do women get the crap jobs? It must have been in the fine print! Carry the babies for nine months, gain a lot of weight, work hard at losing the weight, nursing the babies, smelling like sour milk, monthly visitor keeps coming back...and so on. While the men just get to hold the nice clean baby after it comes out, they can shower and shave and be ready in 5 minutes, no pushing involved, and only monthly moods no messisness attached. My husband can just say the words "walk" and "no more Coke" and he can shed 10 pounds...no working out involved...and no dieting. I get the jobs of cooking and cleaning while he gets to enjoy the wrestling and playtime. I guess I do enjoy lots of snuggles and kisses though. But it would be nice for them to call "DADDY" at the top of their lungs once in awhile.

On the upside of Thursday here's my workout from last night and today.



And when we were down in Tampa the Rays Fan Fest they were giving out lots of free stuff. Here's what I got


So what's on your "nit pick" list?