Bow to Your Corner!

Len put together this little diddy courtesy of Jib Jab. It's me, Len, Mark Rein, and, well...a very special guest!:) Lol.

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Saturday Slopes!

Since it looks like the end of winter is nowhere in sight, we decided to make the most of it! Over the weekend Gabriel went skiing for the first time. A good family friend, Ms Jean is an instructor and gave helped him with the basics. He loved it! Here are a few snapshots:



Getting his balance:


Woopsie Daisy!


Lookin' good, nice form:


Fun times. His legs are going to be sore tomorrow!


Now Gabriel wants to take up skiing. Jim said it would be nice for our entire family to pick up the hobby. So I added it up, we can get everything we need (equipment etc) for only about $4-5,000! Ha ha. I laugh, but it's the truth. A great pastime but a bit too pricey for us. At least he was able to learn though, good job Gabe!

This is so Cute!

What an adorable video. It's called "Why Dads Buy a Wii". There is nothing sweeter than a baby's belly laugh. Too cute!

A New Day

I am officially on a diet as of today. I know it sounds familiar; I tried to give up chocolate last year and I swore I would do better but fell off the wagon. Well, I am back ON and there's no stopping me now! Lol. I usually just gauge my weight by how well my clothes fit. If my pants are fitting too tight, then it's time cut back on sweets and load up on the fruits and veggies. I don't weigh myself because I know I'm within my limit if my pants are normal. Well, apparently I have stretched out all of my clothing because when I got on the scale, I blew that "limit" by a good 8 pounds! Wowzers. That is depressing. I need to make a game plan though because if I just rely on my willpower I know I'll cave. Keeping a food diary has worked well for me in the past, but life is so busy now that I don't know if I'll be able to maintain it. What I need is a goal. I'm not sure what it is yet, but I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, I found some good tips from a mom who lost her baby weight and journaled her experience. Here is what worked for her:

The biggest difference makers…

~ Do Something!!!!
The greatest lesson I’ve learned is that I cannot simply sit around and wait to become the best version of myself. I have to CHOOSE to be that person every single day. Which puts me in control of myself, and the impact I have on the people around me.

~ Yes you have to work at it
This transformation has been one of the most challenging times in my life. However, I learned that I don’t have to be perfect. I’m not perfect. Very relieving….Phew!

Progress not perfection! It’s okay to cut myself some slack, and to realize the enormous task it is to become a mother.

~ Food and Mood
I find that tweaking my diet has had a huge impact! Not just on how quickly my belly and body changed shape, but also my mood is. I no longer have the mood swings I used to!

~Working out 3 times a week is a must - resistance training followed by intervals.

~ Support!!!!
The ONLY thing that can get me back in the saddle when I’ve fallen off, is the support from ClubFYM. I cannot stress enough the importance of having the group behind me.

These women pulled me through the toughest time of my life, struggling with sleepless nights, nursing, and keeping myself accountable. I love them for sticking with me, and dragging me along to the other side

I never imagined I could ever learn to ask for help, and to receive it as well.

Good motivation!

Held

I had every intention of posting a nice, upbeat update today. I don't much feel like it anymore. Sometimes you get an unexpected call and you know, as soon as you see the phone number, it's not going to be good news. That is what happened to my mom while we were on the phone earlier today. Since then, I've just been trying to digest what she told me and keep my tissues close at hand.

When my mom was a teenager she became great friends with a young married couple, Dick and Carol. Over the decades their bond never waned, she has maintained a connection with them no matter where we lived. When they were newlyweds they had a little boy named Ricky. Ricky was not expected to live more than a few days. He had horrific birth defects but due to the love and fierce devotion of his mom, he survived much longer. Then after nine very difficult but beautiful years, he went to be with the Lord. They also had a little girl with health problems, but nowhere near anything like Ricky. A few years later Carol had a stroke (when she was only in her 30's). For as long as I've known her, she was paralyzed on one side of her body and had difficulties with her speech. Over the years she grew worse, and eventually had another stroke. Dick loved Carol like something you see out of a storybook. He was lonely but she kept him going. Then last year, she passed away. Dick also lost his only brother, his dad, and his mother. Now, fast-forward to the phone conversation with my mom today. It was my aunt, telling her that Dick's only daughter had been killed in a car accident today. My mom called him and he said: "I have no one left".
I can't stop weeping for him. Imagining the amount of loss he has endured is just too much. Please pray for Dick. Working at a Christian station, has allowed us to share in the grief of many people. The little girl who ran out the side garage door to say goodbye to her daddy and got run over by his car and killed (he never saw her). A woman whose husband was murdered in a robbery, the two teenagers who died in a car accident etc. etc. It's hard to understand. Sometimes when you hear one thing, the floodgates just open and it brings up all the old things too, thinking about Dick has done that.
I have been holding my boys like crazy tonight. Grateful for the abundant blessings of health, of laughter, of all we've been given TODAY. It's one of those moments where you become acutely aware of the preciousness of life. I couldn't help but think of the song "Held" by Natalie Grant. There are so many things that happen that are difficult to reconcile in our finite minds. How could one person be put through so much long-term, consistent suffering? This is a good version of that song. I know, it's very sad but it's also awesome at the same time. To trust that God consoles us, that he holds us in the midst of pain is a comforting promise.

Happy Valentine's (Birth)Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! I'm not ready for Monday; we had a great weekend. Grant turned 5! Friday was our shindig at Chuck E Cheese, not a party but that's what's nice about CEC, even if you are there for dinner, it feels like a celebration. We went back to the Carlisle Inn in Sugarcreek on Saturday. I made the mistake of saying in an enthusiastic voice "We are going to AMISH country for your birthday"! Note to self; that is not a 5 year old's key phrase for fun.:) He wasn't thrilled to go, but we kept emphasizing the indoor pool aspect and he was okay with it. Thankfully, once we got there it was a great time for all. My mom and dad joined us and it was a beautiful weekend. Hopefully I will get those pictures posted. We took them on our new camera and it's not as easy to transfer them to the computer (translation: I have been avoiding the manual and learning how to do it!:)) Here are the photos from Chuck E. Cheese:
Garrett Earnhardt Jr. racing (with mom at the pedal)!:)


Gabe and Daddy ready to shoot hoops!


Grant's favorite; he loves the "clock" ride!

How to Handle Worry

I love Fr. Leo Clifford! With my long commute in the wee hours of the morning, I have a lot of time in the car. Aside from praying my Rosary, I really love listening to "Reflections" by Fr. Leo Clifford (on EWTN). He hits the nail on the head every time. Plus, he's got a great accent!:) The other day I was so moved by his words regarding worry. Wouldn't you know it, it's actually posted on You Tube! I know it was recorded years ago, but wow...it's perfect for today's times.

Say Cheese!

I'm excited to test our our new camera! As we prepare for our trip to Rome, we were hoping to have a nice quality camera to capture all of the memorable moments along the way. We settled on the Sony A3oo SLR Digital and although I still have a lot to learn, it's a keeper!:) Here are a few of the "practice shots" we've taken:

3 cutie pies willing to ham it up!:)


"Portrait Shot" of Molly Parton. What a looker!:)


Another photo of a few charming boys!


Testing out the Macro mode w/ our artificial flowers. Not too shabby!:)



That's about it for today. We are anticipating Grant's birthday on Saturday. My Valentine's birthday boy turns 5!! I can't get over how fast time flies. I know, I know I say it all the time but it's so true.:) It feels like just yesterday I was dressing my little cupid baby up in a gold diaper and taking him to get photographed. The day will be here, all too soon, when I use that same picture to embarrass him in front of a date. Lol.

$30 Challenge

A few months ago I started a routine of going to Hartville Marketplace every week. It's worth the 15 minute drive because we save so much! My husband gave me $30 cash to pick up a few things and this is part what I brought home.

Not only did I NOT go over the limit, I also brought him back $5 in change! The prices are incredible! I was able to get 4 pounds of bananas for $1.50, a bag a salad lettuce for a dollar, and a bundle of asparagus for $1.50 , and 4 red peppers for $2.00 (WOW)!! They also have a place called "R Grocery" that is almost too good to tell anyone about (like it's my own secret). Ha. They get items from regular stores that have been slightly damaged (you can see the Juicy Juice lid is a little bent) or just recently expired items. If it's something like cereal, I don't mind if it's expired by a few weeks. I got a 5oz. bottle of Deslym (cough medicine) for $2.50 and we get pop tarts and cereal there for an avg. of $1.50. R Grocery was down the road from the Marketplace but they added a location inside the Marketplace so everything is in one spot...it's a frugal mom's dream come true!:)

Here is the website for Hartville Marketplace. P.S. I've discovered the best time to get the fruits/veggies is on a Friday evening or Saturday. Just my two cents!

You are Beautiful

I saw a video today that I think everyone should see! The story behind it is so cool I can't wait to gather the boys around the computer and fill them in. Sean Forbes is deaf but that has never prevented him from loving music and even playing the drums! He has created D-Pan which stands for Deaf Performance Arts Network and it is changing lives. For the first time, deaf and hearing-impaired people can enjoy music videos much the same way we do. It makes me realize how much we take for granted, music is such a gift! I was curious and didn't know what to expect, so I clicked on the video for "Beautiful" by Christiana Aguilera. The production is very high quality and the message made me cry! A good, positive vid. for sure. To check it out, click here.

Music Mix

I just added Josh Wilson's "Savior Please" to my iPod running mix. I love it!! It's my new favorite song and I can't get it out of my head. I thought it would be tough to keep my stride because the song starts slow, but something about it just works! The lyrics take on a new meaning when he says: "I can't do this alone, God I need you to hold on to me" (because I might pass out)!:) I have it as a buffer between "Single Ladies" and "Gotta Get Thru This" (what a combo)!:) I'm doing everything I can to try to keep it fresh and stay motivated during these treadmill months. I really struggle when I can't go outside and hit the pavement. I've even gotten to the point where I don't even use music in the summer because I'm so deep in mediation and taking in everything the Lord has to offer. Not so much in the winter!:) My all-time favorite running music is still Jim's Army Ranger Cadence cd, I have that mixed in with my other stuff, include "MMM Bop" by Hansen (I can't believe I just admitted that)! Hey, desperate times call for desperate songs!:)

Baseball and Belly

Happy Monday! We had a crazy, busy weekend but it was wonderful. My dad and I took Gabriel to the batting cages over the weekend to practice. This is a new world for me and I have to remember FUN is the objective. While we were there, I was talking to another mom who said her son has been playing "competitively" since he was 5. FIVE?! Oh great, that means at 7, my boy is already behind the curve! She said they moved to Ohio last year and the 6 year old's were unorganized so she's hoping this year the team is better. I get that, and I give the family credit for being focused and dedicated but man, why do the super competitive people have to ruin it for the learning-and-just-having-fun people?!:) I'm sure I'm being over sensitive about it but this is our first crack at the kids/sports thing. What happens is that my mama bear instincts come out and I get worried he won't be at the same level . Then I take a deep breath and kick myself for worrying about the "Jones' " in the first place. The funny thing is, he hasn't even STARTED yet! We are just warming up and refreshing his skills. So I hope Jim and I are able to just truly nurture him and motivate him to do his best and enjoy it. Everything else is distraction. Besides that, Gabriel himself was oblivious to that entire conversation and he was just thrilled to whack the ball a few times. That's what it's about (and besides that, he was pretty good)!

I have more to update but it's nap time for the kiddos. I need to sit down and read this Prevention article sometime. It's about getting a flat tummy. Ha! I gave up on that along time ago b/c I'll never be showing it anyway, and I would rather have a little pooch and still enjoy my chocolate. Still, I know it's important with running so I'm going to give it a shot. At some point.:)

OH! I have to share this with you. It was posted on Twitter (I love Twitter). So cool, pass this along, it's "what really happened on flight 1549"....Click here.