Cast Free!

The tool:

The cutting:

The laughter that ensues as above tool vibrates whole body of little girl:

The stinky nasty foot that has been in hiding all summer:

(can you smell that where you are?)

Well, dr says Hannah's leg is healed well enough that she should be able to do all things kids do. She is in a little pain in her ankle as all of her muscles are kind of "stuck". Dr said to maybe use cructhes again for a few days to help her get the muscles back in order. Hannah doesn't want to use her crutches so she is trying really hard to walk. She is pretty slow today, but I don't think that will last for long!

1 week down!

1 week down, and guess what! I actually lost some weight! I am down 3.8 pounds and .9% body fat. Only 21.6 pounds and 9.1% to go! It really hasn't been that bad. It does help that Scott is trying to lose weight too, helps keep me eating better anyway. Hopefully this week will go just as well. My goal for the week is to be under 150 by next Sunday. That is only 1.6 pounds to lose this week, should be realistic.

The past few days have been pretty tame, no major events to share. This week should be a little more exciting. Hannah gets her cast off on Tuesday, Haley gets her retainer on Thursday.

We bought school supplies today- woo hoo! I think the girls are both pretty excited to go back, I know Haley is. Hannah is just worried about who her teacher is going to be. I am really kind of surprised that we don't know yet. Oh well, we didn't request anyone specific so it's just the luck of the draw I guess.

I had to post this pic of Will in his helmet. He really likes being Grandpa's biker buddy. The helmet is so heavy that he almost tips over, but he doesn't complain at all. He is definitely all boy!

Well, I suppose that is enough random thoughts for today! Time to boil off a little more grizzle in the tub and off to bed to rest for tomorrow's 2 mile run!

Why do I have to force my kids to have fun?

It seems like some days I have to force my kids to go outside and play and be "kids". Today was no exception. Until I said the word squirt gun. Then Hannah and Will both started running around the house and yelling "squirt guns, squirt guns". Haley didn't want to play until Hannah told her she could just dump water on her if she wanted. That got her outside. I had to get a picture of Will, cuz for some reason he thought he needed Hannah's goggles on before he could play. Strange child.


Well, today is day 2 of the new diet. So far so good. I had my last appointment for the research project I was taking part in, so now I am done with adding the extra oil to my meals. That should help with the diet too! Tonight we are having turkey meatloaf, red potatoes and green beans. My poor kids don't know what to think about these meals. Maybe it will help them like more variety in their foods. I have to force myself to eat the veggies, I don't want my kids to be the same way. Poor Haley- hates anything different so she is really not liking this. I truly believe this will be good for all of us.... if I can just stick with it.......

Ready or not, the weight must come off!

I did it, I got on the scale this morning. The verdict? Well - ok - I guess I did say I would tell you. 155.4 lbs. For those of you that don't like math, that means I need to lose 25.4 lbs to get to my goal weight. YOWSERS! But, that wasn't even the scariest number. My body fat came up as 35%. Holy crap! That number has got to go down by at least 10%! I just made a huge pot of chicken noodle soup from a recipe out of Eating for Life. I am going to freeze it in single serving portions and that will be my lunches at least twice a week. I need to get to Sams today and buy some more chicken breasts, cuz I am going to be eating a lot of chicken. I am also going to start making myself eat vegetables. If you know anything about me, you know I don't like anything green. On my menu this week are green beans and (gulp) brocolli. Yup, I am that serious about needing to lose this blubber. No more pop, no more eating of the free meals at work. Gotta stick to my plan and maybe just maybe I can make this work. That's enough fat talk for today!

Yesterday was a day that I think Scott and I will remember for a while. We were supposed to have an outdoor wedding in the bride's parents' backyard. It stormed early yesterday morning and the clouds all just kind of stuck around. As we were shooting pics of the couple , the clouds started to get a little thicker and a little darker. We decided to start shooting some group pics and that's when the rain decided to start. Just a few sprinkles at a time. We would hurry and shoot, stand under a tree. Hurry and shoot, stand under a tree. Well, our lights didn't like the sprinkes and decided to stop working. So, it was hurry and shoot with two flashes, stand under a tree. Pretty soon we skipped the standing under a tree and just did a "smile" click, "next! smile" click "next" . Boy do we work well under pressure. We just got the last family shot done and the sprinkes turned into streams and by the time we made it to the garage it was a full downpour. As we were all in the house, the hail started to fall as well. Needless to say, we ended up with a church wedding yesterday. By the time we got to the reception, it was gorgeous out! Go figure.

Well, Scott is at a wedding by himself today. The kids and I are just going to do some bumming around and maybe hit the pool this afternoon. Weather guy was talking chance of rain again so we will see. Sams this afternoon and then we are going out for one last supper before the diet starts. Guess I'd better get to the bumming around part of my day!

psyching myself up

Yesterday I received the two books that I ordered: Body for Life for Women and Eating for Life. I read thru both of them last night. Then I actually sat down and typed up 4 weeks worth of work outs and 1 week of food. I am starting this on Monday so I figure I better start psyching myself up now. I will do a "weigh in" on Sunday. I am going to try to not get on the scale more than once a week. Hopefully that way I can see more progress at a time and not get too frusterated. According to the books, my "target" weight should be about 130. YIKES! I don't remember the last time I only weighed 130. I think right before I got pregnant with Haley I was 135. Not to say that I was skinny then, but way better than I am now. If I can get to 130, I just may be HOT! Ok that's probably pushing it, but it's good to have goals right? I am thinking I might be brave enough to post my weight progess on here. We'll see how I feel about that come Sunday. My thought is that if I am being honest about my weight with other people, maybe it will keep me being more on track in the diet department. I'm going to try to get some "before" pictures taken too, but I promise I won't subject you to those!
Not much else to talk about this morning- so guess that means it's shower time!

no braces....yet

Haley had her follow up orthodontist appointment yesterday. She went for a consultation 6 months ago and they told us to have 2 of her teeth pulled and to come back in 6 months. Yesterday they told us she should do a retainer now to fix her crossbite and then she will need braces in about 5 years. So- in about 2 1/2 weeks we go back to get her retainer. They did all of the impressions and pictures yesterday. Sometimes Haley really suprises me. She didn't put up a fuss at all about the molding stuff. If I had asked her to do something like that she would have yelled and pouted and run away. I guess it's true that kids listen better to strangers than they do their own parents. I suppose I was probably the same way. I was always butting heads with my mom and dad, but all of my friends' parents loved me and told their kids to be more like me. Seems weird that we take everything out on the ones who love us most and are only trying to help us be the best people we can be. Oh well, I don't think I turned out too bad and I know Haley will turn out to be an awesome person too. (I'm still going to keep telling her what to do, though- I am her mom after all)

Hannah is starting to walk really well without her crutches. We even went to Wal-mart and left the crutches at home. She is so funny- I have been trying for the last week to tell her that life would be easier if she would just try to not use the crutches. Yesterday she said, "this is so much easier mom" Duh, that's what I've been saying for the last week. I guess all the "listening to your parents" comments I made above apply here as well. Dang stubborn kids anyway.

I have a Will funny from yesterday. At the supper table Scott was telling me that on the way to Amy's house Will said " I want to buy a ladder" Random ,but that's Will for you. Scott asked him why he needed a ladder. "So I can fix it". Funny enough, right- oh but there is more. So Scott looks at me at me and said "I wouldn't buy a broken ladder in the first place." Obviously Will had been listening to our conversation because he pipes up with "Fine, don't buy a broken ladder!" He just cracks me up!

Well time to hit the shower. I made it a mile again this morning. I need to keep myself motivated. Next week starts a major diet! I am going to get skinny whether I like it or not! I ordered Body For Life and Eating For Life. Both books should be here tomorrow so I can get a work out and diet figured out this weekend and start it up on Monday. I am tired of being tired, and I am tired of hating the way I look. Time for a major lifestyle overhaul!

got the constipation blues

No- not me, Will. Poor kid has been having a rough time of it lately. Grandma told me last night that she felt like a midwife helping with labor. So- I have been googling "toddler constipation remedies". The first site I opened gave me the giggles cause it talked about your child using the loo. The loo- funny word. I guess it makes talking about poop seem more classy. I have tried changing his drinking habits, I've tried a few different foods. The only thing all of the sites I looked at agreed on were fresh fruits and veggies. I guess I will just have to try to push them a little more at supper time and see if that helps. I really don't want to have to give him any medicines, but will resort to that if necessary.

What a busy weekend. Wedding Friday- hot, windy and almost all pics done outside. Wedding Saturday, not as hot, just as windy, couple not seeing each other before hand, all after ceremony pics done outside. Sometimes I wish couples would think these things thru just a little bit better. A half hour in the church yesterday would have been very beneficial. 40 family members all standing in the bright sun on one level is just not the ideal situation for a good shot. We did the best we could with what we had so hopefully they are happy with the end result. I always feel like we are missing some good shots when we do the majority of the pictures afterwards. Everyone is always in a hurry to get to the party- understandable but irritating.

Well, back to work tomorrow. No early morning meetings this week so that will help. Scott has a busy one this week, so we probably won't see each other much other than to pass off the kiddos. Oh well, we have another wedding next Saturday so that we can spend a little time together.

I'd better get back to the laundry- doesn't seem to fold itself no matter what Scott thinks!

how to make a 100 lb black lab pur like a kitten

GIVE HIM A BATH! Bandit was getting pretty rank smelling and he is in the middle of a major shedding spell. I decided to give him a bath today. While I was scrubbing him he started purring- seriously you would have thought I was scratching a cat the size of a tiger by the noise he was making. While I was scrubbing in the shampoo I moved my hand and noticed that I was covered in fur up to my elbow- gross! I took a picture of all the hair in the tub, but I am not going to post it or you all will think that my house is disgusting. Yeah- it looks that bad. Later I brushed him out and it looked like he had a twin brother standing next to him with the pile of hair I got off. That can't feel good for him. I really need to get both dogs in to the vet, but I am a little afraid of what they will say about Bandit. He has a pretty big tumor of sorts along his side. He is getting pretty old for a big dog, but he is such a good dog that it will be sad to see him go.

Well, Scott and Haley are in St Paul right now. One of Scott's brides couldn't get away from work to come down for engagement pics so she is paying for his gas to go there and shoot. He took Haley with for some company and it sounds like they are having a good time. I think I actually talk to Scott more when he is out of town than when he is at the studio working. Weird, but true.

Tomorrow night is Haley's last summer singers concert of the year. After that I think we are done with scheduled summer activities.

I got Hannah a cast shoe yesterday so that she could start trying to walk without crutches. I think she forgot how to walk in the past two weeks. She looks like a little caveman trying to hop around. She gets all bent over and hobbles- barely touching her cast to the floor. Quite funny and sad all at the same time. I am sure she will figure this out just like she did the crutches.

I have a Will funny to share from last night. We were having supper, he ate about 1/3 of what was on his plate and then said "my food is all gone." I said "What about all this food that is still on your plate?" His response "that's your food, I'm ready for pudding" Sometimes he really cracks me up. Where on earth would he come up with saying the rest is mine? Goofball. Well I better get back to the reason I came to the computer- quarterly tax time. FUN!

Today is Saturday?

Boy my inner calendar is sure screwed up. I can't believe today is Saturday and we have a wedding. I sure am glad I didn't have to be at the salon early this morning. We don't start until 1 and we will be done by 8 so that's not too bad. I would like to have been able to go to the family reunion today, but we already had a wedding booked when they picked the date. Oh well, at least the kids can go with mom and dad.

Last night we went and watched the city fireworks display. We just sat in the Sunshine parking lot, but we avoided some of the traffic and crowds by not going to the fairgrounds. The kids seemed to enjoy watching them so that was good.

Well, mom and dad just picked up the kids so I'd better go finish getting ready for the wedding.

It's all fun and games till the cops show up.

What a great day yesterday! Haley and I went shopping just the two of us. We got her a couple of outfits and, of course, a couple of webkins. We had lunch at the mall too. It is so nice to spend time with her one on one. That's not something we get to do very much.

After the mall, I took both girls to the bank to set up savings accounts. One of the things Haley asked everyone for was money so that she can start saving for a car and college. We all made a quick trip to the fireworks stand to light some money on fire and then headed to home to get ready for the party.

The party was nice. Haley got quite a bit of money as gifts so she was happy. Colleen made some deviled eggs for me so I was happy. We had a "grown up" cooler full so Scott was happy. The kids got to do a bajillion poppers so they were all happy. Will got to sweep up the mess so he was really happy. We started to do the fireworks and eventhough a lot of them were duds we were all still happy. Then, the silly cop had to show up and ask us if we were done. Scott's answer "I guess we should be". The cop agreed with that and just like that, our night was done!

I don't know what the plan is for today. Hopefully we will get our mess all cleaned up this morning and then do some family stuff. We have a wedding tomorrow so it will be nice to hang out today.

My baby is 9!

How on earth am I possibly old enough to have a 9 year old? Seems like yesterday I was trying to convince Scott that he would be a great dad and could we PLEASE try to have a baby? Now look, 3 wonderful kids (most days) and I was right, he is a great dad. We are having Haley's party tonight- grilling out and then some fireworks. Hopefully the weather is nice, I don't think we've ever had bad weather for her party. She must be good luck!

Last night Will and I went to watch Haley and Kyra's summer singers concert at Terrace Park. Will really wanted to take pictures so I gave him my camera to play with. He is the funniest thing. First off, he figured out how to turn it on all by himself. Watching him take pictures is hilarious. He puts his cheek to the viewfinder instead of his eye and he almost always has at least one finger in front of the lens. He did manage to get a couple of pics that are recognizable as people. I love the one of his two fingers and a little bit of sky in between though! I wish I could bottle him up for a couple of years I don't want him to grow up just yet!

new cast, new attitude

Yesterday's dr appt went very well for Hannah. Her leg is already starting to heal. She got a short cast- powder blue. It's even water proof. She can go swimming, take a bath, whatever she wants. She has to use her crutches for one more week then she can even start walking on it if she feels comfortable with it. That news brought old Hannah back. She was smiling bigger than she had for a week. She was giggly and so happy. I think she just needed to realize that it wasn't going to ruin everything. Also knowing that she only has to wear it for 4 weeks probably helps too.

Well just got back from another run. Only went 1 mile again, but as I sit here I am dripping sweat all over so I think it was a good workout. Scott even went with me today. I like having the company and another reason to not stop when I get tired.

Today is an early off day at work so I am getting my hair colored and then I am hoping to get to Sams to buy stuff for Haley's b-day party. Need lots of food and drinks. Hopefully Scott can go with to help pick stuff out. Also need to find something for Kyra's b-day present. Not sure what to do about that. Cash maybe?

Well off to the shower!