A Great Date!

Last week I received an invitation to attend the "Grand Opening Gala" of....the Chocolate Bar! Oh my, I think I may have been the fastest person to reply to that invite! You know I would not miss such an opporunity.:) I was also wishing I could take all willing ladies with me to join in on the fun!:) It's a really sleek, neat new place in downtown Cleveland (on Euclid). The VIP party included a sizeable chocolate fountain with a nice variety of goodies to dip. The most unusual item up for dipping were the roasted red peppers. I was suspicious at first but they were suprsingly tasty!:)


It was such a blessing to be with Jim and do something so unique and fun (and dealing with chocolate)!:)


Really, the best part was the company. We met Holly and her husband and their daughter Jessica and her fiance' Doug. I love hearing people's stories!

Looking forward to the weekend. Our book club is meeting about "The Love Dare". I'm not done with it yet but so far, it definitley deserves a thumb's up.:)

Tissue Alert

Okay, I usually try to write totally original posts and personal stories of our day-to-day happenings, but this one I had to borrow and I can't take credit for. Props to Danielle Bean at Faith and Family Live for uncovering this beautiful retrospective of motherhood. It's author Katrina Kenison from her new book "The Gift of an Ordinary Day". Whether you are preparing to start a family, or you are on the other side of raising full-grown adults...this one hits at the heart! I will be embracing and appreciating the gift of our ordinary day today.

Day at the Museum

The boys love the movie "Night at the Museum" so they were delighted when we went to the Cleveland Natural History Museum over the weekend. I signed Gabe up for a class and the rest of us explored while he was performing various experiments.:)
Here are a few pictures from our fun day!



Grant was amazed by the "pouncing panther" in the background. Meanwhile, I was feeling bad for the poor gazelle. I resorted to a Lion King quote..."it's the circle of life". Lol.



Monkeying around in the gift shop!


The two hours we spent at the museum were fun, but we were ready to go when Gabe's class was done. For us, we may do the class thing a few times a year but it's just not practical to drive that far very often. Here is the link to check out their classes, they have a good variety. The Great Lakes Science Center also has some great camps for kids that we are looking at for summer.

On another note, and speaking of Cleveland....you are invited to come to an important, inspirational event in March! It's with the Cleveland Right to Life and it's a symposium with some amazing speakers. Immaculee Ilibagiza, Raymond Arroyo, Bishop Chaput and many more! It's March 8 and 9th and we already have a full week on our family schedule but I am hoping/praying we can be there. Here is the link and I hope to see you!:)

Okay, last link of the day. I ran across a neat article about "The Seating Plan for the Last Supper" and thought it was interesting. So many things to discover, I love learning!

Delivery!

Last week the FedEx guy dropped off two goodies we've been waiting for. First, after much deliberation and about a year of throwing the idea around, Jim ordered the "P90x" workout system. He has a friend who was impressed with the results and that sold him. It is an intense workout though, no doubt about it. I always thought it looked good, it's just it seemed very high-maintenance and I figured it would be take more time than I had in order to stick with it. A few months ago though, I heard Greg Willits (from the Catholics Next Door radio show) rave about the program...and they have several kids and a busy life too, so that further peaked my interest.
Well, it's been 6 days and so far Jim and I have managed to squeeze in the workouts. In fact, he is even following the meal plan for extra measure. I am proud of him. We'll see how it goes but right now we are feeling the burn!

I also received my "Julius Caesar" book and thankfully that has been a good/interesting read so far. Yet another book to add to the stack on the nightstand!:)

MercyMe Stops By

A big thanks to Robby and Mike from MercyMe who joined us in studio today! They hung out to tell us about their new album "The Generous Mr. Lovewell" which you can read about at their website. Highlight of the interview? The guys saying that right now they are loving the NeedtoBreathe album! Yeahh!! Lol. Here is a little Flip action of the guys singing our "Beat the Toaster" theme song.

The Blessing of Books

It's been a few days since I blogged and there is so much to update, I will have to save some for later!:) There is so much going on from the devestation in Haiti, busy schedules, melting snow and the fact that we STILL have our Christmas decorations up! Yikes. I enjoy the ambiance but that is a sure sign you are too busy!:) Anyway, I just wanted to post a quick piece about some of our favorite family books we've been reading lately. Last week on the morning show I was telling Len about the book "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" and couldn't believe he had never heard of it. Since then, we put it on the top of the book stack and re-read the book. I am not sure who likes it more, the boys or mom!:) If you haven't had the pleaure of digging in to this classic you must check it out! It is so touching and I will admit, I even cried the first time I read it.

This was selected as one of the "100 Best Books of the Century" by the National Education Association. A great one to check out at the library!

Our other nightly favorite is this:


It's a book I bought at the Scholastic book fair at St. Paul's a few years ago and would never have imagined how much that book has been read, appreciated, and used as an illustration over and over again. It's based on my favorite scripture verse from Ephesians 6: 10-18 and an obvious lesson that is timeless and true. I just love that my 3 year old can understand it, but it also applies to my 8 year old and interactions he may have at school. We often talk about the "arrows of doubt" that can come our way and instead of feeling insecure and thinking negative thoughts, to put on the "helmet of faith" (or salvation) and think God's thoughts instead. You can order the book here, or they also have it listed on eBay. A worthwhile investment!



Okay, off to fold clothes! I had another great session with trainer Sonia yesterday. She gave me one of those exercise balls and I was blown away by all the different workouts I could do on that thing! The best part is, I have it in my home and can get a full body workout in and switch it up with something so simple. I am s-o-r-e today to prove it! The Firm "Wave" is still going great, the treadmill runs are okay, but the meetings with Sonia are my highlight! She is tough but in an inspiring way, and I can't wait until we have another session! If you are in the Stark County area, check out Sonia, she will take care of you!:)

Feedback

A big thank you to Barb for her lovely e-mail! I appreciate your feedback so much. Sometimes I wonder if there is anyone out there?! Lol. It's good to connect and hear from you! Here is her e-mail:

Hi Brooke,
First, THANKS for the recommendation on your blog for the make up primer. LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I especially love the smell.

I found an awesome crock pot web site that I thought you might like and may want to share with Mom Squad. Stephanie O'Dea vowed in 2008 to use her crock pot everyday and blog about it. Well she did and now she has compiled all her recipes into a book Make it Fast, Cook is Slow. The cookbook is awesome and she is still cooking and posting recipes on crockpot365.blogspot.com. You can sign up to receive her new posts when she puts them up.

The recipes are simple, she is a mom with young kids (including a newborn) and she gives a little review of each recipe and how her family liked it, or didn't. Check it out if you have some time. (Well, you probably don't have a lot of time but you know what I mean!)

Have an awesome day!
Barb

Thank you Barb! I think I've heard of that website before but it's been a while and I'm grateful for your friendly reminder! Click here for the link to the website. The sweet mustard roast sounds delicious!

Also, I am so glad you like the primer. I mentioned it a few weeks ago and have been using the new kind too. Although I will say, next time I will definitely go back to my Smashbox because no matter what, that has been far and away the best primer compared to others, but the MakeUp Forever is not bad. I imagine it's different for each skin type too. I'm happy you like it Barb and your input is much appreciated!

Have a great weekend!:)

Super Science Pt. 2

Here is our tour of the exhibit "Water: H20=Life" for the Great Lakes Science Center! Thanks to Jeff and Dante who let us get a peek into their amazing facility.

Click here to check it out!

Super Science!

As you can see, the Flip usage is still going strong! Lol. This week we have a "Half Price Deal" to the Great Lake Science Center. It's a great deal to one of the coolest places in Ohio! So, Len and I decided to spend some time there and highlight a few of the neat hands-on activities at GLCS. They also have a traveling exhibit called Water, H20=Life. We are going to be posting a video of that too! Lol. For now, here is a clip of us testing the speed of our pitch. Wouldn't you expect Len to choose something competitive! ;) If you want to get tickets and bonus OMNIMAX passes, click here. The deal starts at 9am on Friday.

P.S. It is embarrassing that a 6th grader throws harder than I do. I am sure my boys will get a kick out of that!

Shine On

This is the best! A great video from my favorite band NeedtoBreathe for the song "Shine On". It may be low budget but the message is priceless! Another home run from Bear and the guys.:)

P.S. It took a few minutes for it to load for me, please be patient. It's worth it!:)

P.P.S. If it still won't load, you can also click here to view the video.

Man vs. Wild, Woman vs. Workout

Jim and Gabriel just returned from a winter camping weekend with Scouts. They were fired up! It reinforced yet again, what a wonderful program the scouts have. They came back smelling like a fire pit and dog-tired from a weekend of manly bonding activities. They were both grinning ear to ear when they walked in the door and loved every minute it! It was there chance to be Bear Grylls for the weekend....kind of. Lol.
Point in case, this lean-to that the guys built for shelter. I didn't know what a "lean-to" was, but I guess it's called that because it leans...to something. Lol. Good to know.


Speaking of Bear Grylls, we have been watching some the DVR'd episodes of Man vs. Wild and observed that he always wears the same pants. He braves every element in all environments on the planet and ALWAYS has those trusty slacks to hold him through! So we looked them up wouldn't you know, Bear has his own survival gear line.
Of course, you saw that one coming!:) Here are the pants:



The brand is Craghopper and they are actually on sale now for 20% off. Too bad I didn't see this before Christmas! Jim would have loved that suprise. As you might expect, some of the items seem way overpriced, but overall I think most are affordable (for that kind of gear). Click here for the website.


On another note, this week on the morning show we are doing a "Health and Fitness" theme. To prepare, I had my very first ever personal training session with my friend Sonia. I learned some great tips! She said that you have to do 200 minutes of cardio a week to really notice a physical difference (in terms of weight and looking toned). No wonder things don't seem to change, 200 minutes is about 100 more than I put in during a week! Wowzers. I am not sure if I can do that with my schedule but I want to at least try. I also realize that is just one part of the battle. The eating is just as, if not more important than exercise. I used to journal my food intake every day but that was after Gabriel was born and I got away from it. I'm trying again (as of Jan 1) and so far, so good.


I do it mainly because I needed some accountability. When I write down what I am consuming it makes me more aware, and sometimes it even helps me in my daily meal planning. The Daily Plate website has also been a great help too. It's not about being a certain shape or size, just being as healthy as I can with the time I have. I am all for it, as long as I can have some chocolate mixed in there too!:)

Slavery and Shakespere

A few weeks ago I posted a photo of the stack of books on my night stand. I have a pile of them that I am trying to read (all at the same time) and my brain has been in overload stage. Instead of reading one at a time I get excited and start a few and don't finish any.:( Probably not the smartest idea. Anyway, the one that has taken hold and gripped my thoughts above all of them, is a book by Christian singer Michael Card.


When this book and press release arrived on my desk I was taken aback by the title. I thought it was polarizing but definitley an attention grabber. After our interview with Michael Card I decided to read it. Now I can't put it down! I read, and re-read the pages because the text is so rich, and the history behind the scriptural references is so deep. I have learned so much! For instance: when John the Baptist says to Jesus "I am not fit to loosen the thongs of your sandals"; that is slave talk. Back in that time, rabbinic students were taught to do everything for their teachers as a way to serve. Everything EXCEPT loosen their sandals because it was seen as too humiliating. So John, is essence, is saying that he is not even worthy to be Jesus' slave.
Anyway, that is just one snippet and the book is loaded with more references that will forever change the way I view certain passages and my own role as a slave to Christ. There is so much more to it and the line that sticks with me is "in this life, it's not a question of slave or free, but rather, whose slave will you be"? If you are looking for something to deepen your spirituality, I recommend this book!

I also ran across a neat resource when it comes to kids learning new things too. If you want to introduce a young boy or girl to Shakespeare you can do it via "Classic Comics". Not only are they real, unabridged classics in graphic novel format, but they also come in original text (for example, Shakespearean English), plain text (modern English) and quick text (~elementary reading level modern English). I think I might need the quick text" myself. Ha ha!

We are expecting a ton of snow so I have the slow cooker fired up with Cowboy Chow. It's from my friend Dawn Hall's book "Busy People's Slow Cooker Cookbook". Just a few ingredients and it's self sufficient and good on a cold day! Plus it has lots of beans...yay for high fiber!:) Lol. Click here for the recipe.

Is this Normal?

The boys received three new Nerf guns for Christmas and I think our arsenal is getting out of hand. This is only a portion of the weaponry, everything else is scattered in other rooms of the house but these are the "big guns" and usually stay in the playroom for concentrated battle practice. How many Nerf guns are necessary anyway?! Lol. The funniest thing is to see Garrett (who is 3) handling one of these doozies that is nearly his full body size like a mini-Rambo. I told Jim that we need a Nerf gun rack because they are hard to store. Just an FYI, the Nerf bazooka does not fit in the standard size toy box, Rubbermaid container, or any other storage system I've been able to find. Lol. Evidently I'm not the only one who sees the benefit to building a rack for the nerf's. Check out this sweet setup!



Notice there is even a bullet holder! For some reason I question if it was built for kids or an adult male! Ha ha. I'll let you know if Jim gets going on the project. In the meantime if anyone else has drafted similar plans, please feel free to pass them along!:)

Fresh Start

The new decade is officially underway and so are my well intentioned but often short lived resolutions. I think the effort has merit though. Anytime you take inventory of your life, what your goals and priorities are and how to live them out it's a good thing.
When we first went on break I was so excited to spend relaxing days with Jim and the boys with no hectic schedule to speak of. Towards the end of our vacation though, I was ready to go back to work and have them back at school (I am ashamed to say)! It was poor planning on my part more than anything. Several months ago I read "A Mother's Rule" and realized the importance of having a routine with both structure and substance. Like a lot of things though, whether it's diet or exercise or whatever..you start off gung ho, but then it's loosely followed until it's basically ineffective altogether. So here we are, the first week of January and ready to try again. Jim and I sat down and first mapped out what we want for our family. We want to memorize a scripture verse every week, we want to read and pray as a family. So we interspersed that around the the homework, piano practicing, chores and other events. I am happy with the final result because it's not too unrealistic (hopefully)! We also threw in a new incentive for Gabe to be prompt in the morning and get himself going, organized and out the door. Today was the first day of the routine in action but guess what...it worked! Not to mention I felt good as a mom to know that everything got done and we even fit in our faith goals too. Yes! If you are in that mode too, you can download and print out free schedule routines here.

Of course it wouldn't be January without a re-focused goal to health and fitness too! I have been searching for info and motivation and ran across an article about how to achieve your fitness goals in 2010. I also found a good piece on how to control compulsive eating. I never considered myself a "compulsive" eater but I guess I misunderstood the real definition. I am definitely guilty of mingling at a party and chowing down as I chat away or gorging on cookies that someone brings in the break room. At any rate, I found these tips helpful....bring on the fiber! Lol.
Off to make lunches and clean the kitchen...must stick to the routine!:)

Doughnut Monday

Monday is here! It was nice to get back in the swing of things today. Aside from the weather we had a great time on the morning show. With the snowy weather and slick conditions Len brought up the topic of how fun he thinks it is to go into a vacant parking lot, make sure the kids are buckled and start doing 360's! I, on the other hand, like the good law-abiding citizen that I am, was horrified by the idea. I would never consider spinning in my vehicle "fun"..intentional or not! What if you spin into a lightpost or a pedestrian?! We had a ton of callers say they loved it though (including a pastor)!:) This proved to be a prime moment for the Flip so Len revved up his Honda and let er' rip! I guess what I was picturing was much different than the reality. Check out his stunt moves.

P.S. *Official disclaimer:
Please do not try this at home unless you are a "professional". LOL.

Comfort Food!:)

It's a snowy Saturday and a perfect afternoon for baking!:) Garrett got an apron for Christmas (just his size) and today we broke it out to bake brownies. We are just recovering from the stomach flu and this might be the first time in history I'm not in the mood for chocolate! Lol. This vid is mostly for Grammie and Poppa, I wanted to use the Flip again so here is a little snippet of our brownie fun!:)