The many thoughts of a reader

Rebecca - Final Discussion

2012-02-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I did a horrible job this month. I never picked the book back up since the last post. I got engrossed in another book and I swear I was going to try to read more on Thursday night, but my best-friend is in town and then it was 10:15 and I realized I didn't have this post written. The good news is, that via twitter I have heard that after they got into it many people liked it.. YAY. Maybe someday I will read it...( I also said this about Water for Elephants, hasn't happened...)

1. How might the costume ball—and the heroine's appearance in Rebecca's gown—stand as a symbol for young Mrs. de Winter's situation at Manderley?

2. In what way does the relationship between the young heroine and Maxim change during the months after their arrival to Manderley?

3. How, if at all, do Maxim's revelations change your attitude toward him? Did you feel relief upon first reading his confessions? Can you sympathize with his predicament, or do you censure his actions? What do you think of the heroine's reaction? In her place, how might you have reacted?

4. How does this new knowledge alter the heroine's behavior and her sense of herself?

5. Now return to the beginning of the book. How would you put into words, or explain, the sense of loss and exile that permeates tone of the opening?

Any other thoughts? It appears that our next novel will be Violets of March by Sarah Jio. ;) Can't wait to read that one!

I think I can... I think I can...

2012-02-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

So, remember when I wrote a post about how I was going to work out every day in February and not go to McDonalds until Valentine's Day when I would have a Shamrock Shake?

Yeah, big fail. Fail, fail fail...

But, last Thursday, I made a new plan and I got back on the treadmill.

Thursday - 1.5 miles run/walk on the treadmill, 10 sit ups and 4 pushups

I did a 2 minute walk warm-up and then went 2 minutes at 5.5, 1 minute walk at 3.5 and then did 2 minutes a 5.3, 1 minute walk.. and did that going down to 4.5 and then back up until I finished. I didn't always do 2 minutes of running, sometimes it was a 1 minute, sometimes it was a minute and a half. But I did it. In 21:58.

Friday - 15 minute walk on treadmill, 15 sit ups and 5 pushups

I took it nice and easy and just did a nice walk with no inclines and read while I walked.

Saturday - Rest

Sunday - Rest

Monday - 30 minute walk on treadmill, 20 sit ups and 6 pushups

I did mix this one up with different inclines but I mainly took it easy and read my book!

Tuesday - Rest

Wednesday - 1.75 miles run/walk on the treadmill, 25 sit ups and 7 pushups

I was soooooo tired and didn't want to do it, but made myself. I bought a bathing suit on Saturday that I am wearing in Florida in a month and by golly I want to feel comfortable in it! So, I started out at a slow walk warm up (3.2) and read my book and then moved up to 3.5 for a 5 minute warm up. Then I ran a 4.5 for 2 minutes, walk 1 minute at 3.5, run a 4.7 for 2 minutes, walk a 3.5 for 1 minute, run 4.9 for 2 minutes, walk one minute at 3.5, run 1 minute 45 seconds at 5.1, walk 1 minute a 3.5, run 1 minute 45 seconds at 5.3, walk 1 minute at 3.5, run 1 minute and 45 seconds at 5.5 and 1 minute walk at 3.5. Then I ran at 5.5 o finish out my 1.75 miles! I did it in 25:10.

I want to work on more running and less walking but I always underjudge or overjudge my stamina and usually end up with side pains.

But, I AM DOING IT.

And I will keep doing it. I have to do it.

Oh, and I lost one pound in the last week. Woot woot.

How do you do your run/walk intervals?

What Not To Wear

2012-02-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've really enjoyed Amber's series of what she's worn and Lisa's Monthly Look, so I thought I'd share what I wear in hopes of someone helping my non-stylish self out. Hence, the name -- What Not To Wear. Please excuse all dirty mirrors and blurry photos and any messy backgrounds you may see hahaah.

Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking this day either...

Shirt: Target. Cardigan: Kohls. Pants: Kohls Headband: Twenty-Five Designs

I felt pretty in this outfit, but I couldn't manage a good photo because of my 'helper.'

Shirt: New York & Co. Cardigan: JCPenny. Pants: Express. Necklace: Premier Jewlery. Headband: Gussy Sews

Um holy boobs here. Wow. I did throw a fleece coat over this to wear to work haha.

Shirt: Target. Jeans:Kohls. Headband: Gussy Sews

This is my typical look. Jeans, shirt, vest and boots. I really need new boots, I am far tooa shamed to show those on this blog hahha.

Shirt: JCPenny. Vest: New York & Co. Jeans: Kohls. Headband: Twenty-Five Designs

What you can't tell is this shirt is on inside out and nobody told me until half way through the day hahaha.

Shirt: JCPenny. Overshirt thing: Kohls. Jeans: Target. Shoes: Meijer? I don't remember Headband:Twenty Five Designs

What I learned? My boobs are out of control. My clothes do not fit me right. But I really do appear as I have lost the 10 extra pounds that I have recently! Woot. Also? I wore a lot of headbands in this stint haha.

So.. help?

A day in the life of Angie

2012-02-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hey all! It's that time of week again, I have another day in the life! Today I have Angie , a gorgeous gal, who has chosen to share with us a day in her life.

If you would like to participate in a day in the life feature email me at pinkflipflops44 at gmail dot com!

Here is my day in the life of the most boring girl you will ever read about. I chose to do a day in the life of me on a normal work day.

A little background on me, I work full-time at a data storage company - I am not going to list the name of the company in fear of saying something bad about it and me getting fired. I am a product support engineer. I will break the job down for what I actually do because I still get confused as to what I actually do. Basically big companies like Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, Wachovia... etc. buy our big refrigerator like computer storage unit. They store all their important customer data on this system (examples: Bank of America stores information like when you take money out at an ATM or put money in, the information is in our storage system. Big hospitals store patient information or other things needed for when they are performing surgeries etc.). So basically what I do is if something breaks on one of the storage systems I dial into the unit and attempt to fix it remotely (remotely = not actually at the site of the system but via computer). It is a very high stress job because our customers (Bank of America, Wachovia... etc.) could be losing up to millions of dollars a minute and we are under a lot of pressure to get these things fixed. Sometimes the CEO's of the companies get involved and it can get pretty hot. It's really not my thing but right now it works because the money is good and it's a job.... can't really complain.
So here is a day in my life of being a computer geek. I was working Monday - Friday, 9-5 but recently switched to Monday - Friday, 10-6 so I will just estimate my day as if I were still working 9-5 because that is what I am used to.

5:45 a.m. - alarm clock goes off and I attempt to convince myself to wak
e up and go to the gym. It's typically a no go.

5:55, 6:05, 6:15, 6:25 - my husband continually hits the snooze button because neither one of us can get our butts out of bed. We are big snooze button people but I am going to go out on a limb and say that that's about to change. We have our first baby on the way!

6:25-6:30-ish - I finally get my butt out of bed.

6:30 - 7-ish - I shower and lotion up and brush my teeth.

7-ish to about 8-ish - I continue to get ready. I blow dry my hair put on make-up and get dressed. I usually watch the Today show while I am putting on my make-up. Lately, my husband comes in while I am putting on my make-up and reads our "Pregnancy Day by Day" book to learn what is going on with our baby that day. We are geeks.

8:00 - I leave the house for my long 8 hour work day.

8:10 - I always stop for Dunkin Donuts coffee - in the winter I do a medium hot hazelnut cream and sugar and in the summer I do iced (same thing). Yum (I'm actually having one right now)! This is by far the most exciting part of my day - I look forward to it every day.

8:10 - 8:45-ish (depending on traffic) - I drive to work and listen to music and clear my head to get ready for my day. I actually hate going to work so usually if I listen to some feel good music I have a better day so this is what I do!

8:45 - 9:00 - I get to work and unpack all my stuff and get my breakfast ready. Usually yogurt with fruit and granola. Not that good but healthy.

9:00 - 11:30 - I work. Taking calls and dealing with customers.

Around 11:30 (depending of if I am stuck on a case with a customer or not) - I go down to the cafeteria and get my lunch and bring it back up to my desk. I get a lot of salads but sometimes I treat myself and I will get a tomato, basil, mozzarella on whole grain bread with a bag of light lays potato chips. Yes my diet sounds good up until this point but it usually goes downhill from here. We also don't get lunch breaks so we have to eat at our desks while we continue working - don't get me started on how mad this makes me.

11:30 - 3:00 - continue working.

3:00/3:15 - I usually take a break and go down to the cafeteria and get water and a snack. Lately it's been a big ole brownie. Told ya that my diet takes a downward spiral as the day wears on.
3:15 - back at my desk and working.

4:30 - I usually wind down my cases, take a bathroom break and pack my stuff up to get ready to head home.

5:00pm - leaving the office for the day.

5:15 - finally get in my car because the walk from the building to the garage takes a good 15 minutes. Usually I am freeeeeeezing. 5:15 to about 6:00 (again depending on traffic) - I drive home and unwind from my day. Typically I will call my mom and my husband and talk about our days. After I am off the phone with them I listen to more music. Sometimes I do something illegal and check my Facebook - it is a really bad habit of mine.

6:00 - Finally home!!!

6:15ish - I usually shower again because I am a 2 showerskinda girl.

6:30ish - Make dinner.

7:00ish - Eat dinner!

7:30ish - clean up dinner.

8:00 / 8:15 - FINALLY settle down for the night. I usually sit on the couch and either get online or watch some of my favorite shows which as of recent include Bachelorette (yes, it's my guilty pleasure), Justified, American Idol, One Tree Hill, and more!

9:45ish - brush my teeth and get ready for bed.

10:00pm - bed-time.

Is that the most boring life you have ever read about?

In My Mailbox

2012-02-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

Wow, this past week I collected a large number of books to my ever growing TBR stack! I love books and have a bit of problem but have been doing soooo well with buying them!

Here is a peek into what I got..

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte (I ordered this from Amazon because it was a really cheap deal and I really mean to read it!)

Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green & David Levithan (I got this in a Valentine's goodie box and am so excited to finally read it!)

Blindsighted - Karin Slaughter (A friend recently recommended this author and I am excited to get into it, it is ALSO from my valentine's goodie box!)

Love thy Neighbor - Mark Gilleo (For review via, Partners in Crime, and I am going to have a giveaway as well! but not of this book.. haha)

Abducted - T. R. Ragan - (My first ever book that I borrowed on our Kindle Fire!)

And yes, we do now own a Kindle aka a freaking e-reader. I am still not a fan, but since we get one free book a month via our Amazon Prime I haaave to check it out. Still going to love on my books, but I will admit that it will make traveling at spring break easier, except for how many freaking electronics we need to bring! And it was not even my suggestion or decision to buy it. My non-reading Staple Rewards Points burning a hole in his pocket husband did!

What books have you recently acquired?

Friday Five

2012-02-17T11:27:00.000-05:00

TGIF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1. I am stoked. I found a $100 gift card in my wallet while trying to find a business card! Woo woo!!! New spring break clothes/suit without the guilt!!!

2. While not finding the business card, I had to google to find the email I needed and found out the nice lady I needed, had moved to a different office. I hate change and cold contacting people. So I emailed her and asked for her input on who to email. I'm a wuss. And I need to take master classes. Fark a noogle.

3. I should not drink coffee while driving. I rarely do. But today I made myself some at home, put it in my reusable cup (actually my husband's but I bought it because I liked it ha) and of course tried to sip on my commute. I totally wore half of what I tried to drink. I just need to say no and wait til I get to my destination. And who makes reusable cups so hard to drink out of??? I swear I'm dripping half of if each time I sip, or this could be a personal problem.

4. I completely failed at my February challenge. But I picked myself back up, made myself a workout plan that leads me up to Spring Break and restarted last night. I can fail, but I got to get back on the horse. It is OKAY if I miss one workout, but not if I miss two. BAAAD ME. I am also going to wake up early on Tuesday mornings to get a run in. Hold me, I am NOT a morning person. Ugh.

5. I feel like I never get anything done. I have had to start making even more to-do lists for various parts of my life or I feel all cluttered and I forget things. A to-do list for BEFORE work, a work to-do list, a night time to do list.. ughhh... But I NEED to not be a lump. Baaad me.

What are you excited about today?

Super Easy and Delicious Ham and Bean Crockpot Soup

2012-02-16T08:26:00.000-05:00

We baked a ham the other night and had a ton of leftovers. We discussed different ways to use it up and ham and bean soup sounded like a winner. However, I was not going to the store to buy anything new and I wasn't going to slave over a stove to make it. To the crock pot I went. I used this recipe from simply recipes as a guide and I'm stealing their photo because their soup looked waaay prettier than mine. But mine tasted daaaaayum good!

[ source ]

Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup diced potatoes
- 2 cups cooked ham
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 can white kidney beans
- 1 can pinto beans
thyme, salt, pepper and parsley

I cooked it on low for 7 hours and it was delicious! The only thing I would do different is probably make more!! And add more ham. I totally could have added another cup and adjusted maybe another cup of chicken broth in. So delicious!

What do you do with ham leftovers?

March Group Read Suggestions

2012-02-15T06:00:00.001-05:00

It's that time of month again! For March, I will be hosting the discussions on Friday, March 9th and Friday, March 30th. It seems the selections that get us talking the most/best reviews are those that are written within the last few years and are fiction. However, we are always up for a challenge, or Spark Notes haha. ;)

Here is what we've already conquered..

Rebecca
State of Wonder
The Invisible Bridge
The Postmistress
The Scent of Rain and Lightning
Still Missing
The Sandalwood Tree
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
Something Borrowed
The Blue Orchard
Sammy's Hill
In the Woods
Shanghai Girls
The Weight of Water
Water for Elephants
The Color Purple
The One That I Want
The Secret Garden
House Rules
American Wife
Firefly Lane
Middlesex
The Reader
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
The Awakening
Pride & Prejudice
I See You Everywhere
What do you want to read? I apologize, but the poll sidebar from blogger seems to not let me add in more than 4 or 5 suggestions (can't remember off the top of my head) so I do apologize if you suggest something and it doesn't make the list. I add them in order that they get suggested! I will put up a poll on the 20th on the sidebar!

A Day in the Life of Lori..

2012-02-14T06:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Tuesday! Today we have Lori, a zookeeper, here to tell us about her day!

Everyone who hears my job title gets immediately excited, and I do have some great stories. There's a lot of romance that people associate with the profession of zookeeping, and some of it is well founded. But, here in the chronicle of my day is the absolute truth of what we do, and most of it isn't romantic at all.

6:15am - I wake up grudgingly, throw on my clothes and get through my morning routine. The dogs have to be let out, i pack my lunch, make some coffee, and stuff something that vaguely resembles breakfast down my throat.

7:10am - I hurry out the door, drive to pick up the girl I carpool with and head to work. The commute is only 25 miles.

8:20ish am- I arrive at work, clock in and head to my locker where I change my shoes grab my coat and gloves and check in for a morning meeting which may or may not happen. Today, the morning meeting goes well, no one called out so I grab my radio and..

8:30am - My day officially begins. The first thing I do is grab a giant stack of diets for the animals under my care today. Today, I am working in the small mammals section, although sometimes I work in the "birds" section, or even "education". The pile of diets gets tossed onto the back of my cart and I begin my morning rounds.

8:40-9:00 - Morning rounds. I check to make sure all of my animals are accounted for, and seem to be well. I also check fences, and look for any other obvious external problems.

9:00 - I'm done with rounds and headed to the otters. I clean their exhibit, feed them, let them out, and then clean their off-exhibit holding areas. Lots of scraping, sweeping, raking, and hosing. They're pretty messy, but even so they are my favorites to take care of in the small mammal section. (Neither rain nor sleet nor snow nor hail shall keep me from picking up poo!)

9:45 - Rinse and repeat -- Just throw in a couple of gibbons! The gibbons are a bit of a special case because of the complicated nature of training and shifting them. And they produce a LOT more poop. They also need lots of enrichment, we usually give them enrichment twice a day. This morning it's baby rattles, balls, a big bucket of hay with food hidden inside. They get a short training session before they get to go outside, they have to cooperate with a variety of simulated medical procedures (like getting an ultrasound or a shot).

10:30 -12 -- A LOT more cleaning, feeding, raking, washing -- Toucans, sloth, prairie dogs, geese, ibis, Tortoise, muntjac, crane.. Everyone gets enrichment! Paper chains for toucans, sloth, and tortoise, Bamboo for the prairie dogs and muntjac, a paper mache ball for the cranes, and new nesting material for the geese and ibis.

12:30 -- Time for a garbage run!! Gotta do something with all that poop after all! This is usually followed by emptying trashcans that are full of dirty shavings, and washing lots of dirty dishes. Being fast and thorough is a must have zookeeper trait.

1:00 - Finally! I rush back to our keeper building, drop off my clean dishes, wash my face and hands and head to lunch!

1:15- 2:00pm - Lunch time! Usually lunch time is the only time of day where I really spend any time with my fellow keepers. We have truly entertaining, often horrifyingly disgusting, and occasionally morbid discussions that would spoil the appetite of most of the human population, but after spending the last 4 and a half hours surrounded by poop, it doesn't seem so bad.

2:00pm - Time to make the diets! Small mammal diets are very precise, and consist of a great many fresh ingredients. Everything from fish and meat to fresh fruits and veggies have to be brought up to the kitchen to be chopped measured and prepared. This process takes between 1 to 1 1/2 hours depending on the day. Today, I had to squeeze it into an hour because...

3:00pm - Staff meeting - We discussed a lot of things today from maintenance issues to future plans for exhibits and even the record breaking ZooLights attendance, at least we got to sit down! And it was indoors!

3:30pm - Let the rushing begin! We all break for a run to grab our pm diets and get back out to our animals.

3:40-4:00 - I had time for a short project today and spent 20 minutes collecting pine cones and pine branches to be used as Enrichment for the otters. The extras get put in a storage bucket for later.

4:00-4:30 - Even more cleaning, feeding, and raking -- This time for the Bobcat and Skunk. I also give both of them enrichment today. The bobcat loves scents so I rubbed perfume samples all over her exhibit, and i stuffed the skunk's diet into puzzle balls for him to figure out! Fun :)

4:30- Time to bring in the otters! But first, I have to set up their indoor exhibit with a cozy sleeping area (today was pine branches, pine cones, and pine shavings in a big tub). Provide them with lots of toys (Shells, logs, and some boomer balls), and hide their food (in pieces of PVC corners). Then I bring them inside. Luckily for me they cooperate!

4:45- Time to bring in the gibbons! I set up their indoor exhibit too! I hide their diet items in lots of buckets stuffed with newspaper, a giant candy cane with holes cut into it, and set up a couple of fun things -- a slide, a giant ring to swing on, and a sheet hammock. I also hid a couple of peanuts in the brick walls for them to find. Then, they come inside very willingly making lots of excited noises!

4:55- I quickly fill out all of my paperwork in the hopes that I'll be done by 5.

5:10 - I drive back to the keeper building, change back into my regular shoes, put my paperwork in my supervisors box and hurry out the door

6:30 - arrive home, shower, prepare dinner

7:30-10:30 - eat dinner, watch some TV and do some chores, also I'm doing all my Internet things. Hooray.

10:30 - bedtime. Ah... ZZZZzzzzz

It's a busy, crazy life, but someone has to do it. The biggest change to my day is my afternoon project/ staff meeting time. It can be filled with anything from planting grass seed in an exhibit, to taking an animal for his yearly exam. Sometimes I do fun stuff like make new enrichment or extra animal training sessions, but usually its a big cleaning project like washing all the prairie dog windows or raking all the leaves out of my exhibits. 365 days a year someone has to be here to do this job, weekends and holidays and hurricane days included!

Thanks for sharing Lori! It's interesting to learn about what happens behind the scenes at the zoo!

Do you like visiting zoos? What is your favorite?

I am currently looking for more people to share a day in their life.. even if you have already participated, I'd love to hear from you again! Send me an email at pinkflipfops44 @ gmail dot com !

A Perfect Sunday..

2012-02-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

Woke up at 730 to some happy coos coming from the other room. Had morning cuddles and then got a chance to sleep in until 9 after the cuddler and the husband went to play.

A family breakfast of eggs and toast and then we went visiting.

We went to see my grandpa in his rehab center and made his day. He absolutely adores my child and wouldn't stop going on and on about her. Hip pain, what?

Then we went to my inlaws and had lunch with them and then the child got spoiled for Valentine's Day and entertained her grandparents with her tricks. (Climbing, crawling like a fool and pretending she can walk!)

Then we stopped by my parents to borrow my mom's car (I'm getting new brakes) and we got dinner!

Finally, we came home and watched some Grammy's with our girl and she didn't even pass out until 9pm! She took a 30 minute and a 45 minute nap during our car travels and an hour nap at my inlaws.

It was a great day to hang out together and see multiple family members. It's nice to get out and about and waaay more entertaining for the child! We get kind of boring.

I am impressed we were gone from 1030 until 8pm ha.

And here is an adorable photo from last Saturday.

What did you do this weekend?

Rebecca - Discussion 1

2012-02-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

Yikes. I'll be honest, I can't stand the book and I read SparkNotes. ;) Bad bad me, I know. But I feel as though I would REALLLY like the book if it was written as interesting/entertainingly as SparkNotes!!! I actually kind of want to read it after reading SparkNotes, but then I remember how I skimmed through page after page wanting some action. So, I'll save it for a very rainy day. Or when I want to poke my eyeballs out next.

1. Why does the heroine remain nameless?

2. What kind of character is our heroine—as she presents herself at the beginning of her flashback?

3. What kind of character is Maxim de Winter, and why does a man of his stature fall in love with the young heroine? What draws him to her?

4. What role does Mrs. Danvers play in this story—in her relationships to the characters (dead and alive) and also in relation to the suspense within the novel?

5. Both Beatrice and Frank Crawley talk to the heroine about Rebecca. Beatrice tells the heroine, "you are so very different from Rebecca." Frank Crawley says that "kindliness, and sincerity, and...modesty...are worth far more to a man, to a husband, than all the wit and beatufy in the world." What are both characters trying to convey to the heroine...and how does she interpret their words?

So, how you are you fairing with this book?

Final Discussion over the last chapters/whole book will be on the 24th!

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch

2012-02-09T08:51:00.000-05:00

Oh my gosh this book has such a sweet message! Poor Mr. Hatch is a the typical lonely old man who doesn't talk extra to anyone, doesn't smile and just seems generally unhappy. Until, one Valentine's Day when he gets a box of chocolates with a note that says, "Somebody Loves You."

Mr. Hatch is so surprised that someone loves him that the next day he helps out the guy at the newstand, the grocer and shares chocolate at work. Everyone is smiley and kind to Mr. Hatch and he hosts parties in his backyard and becomes a totally different person.

Until the postman returns with some sad news. He delivered the Valentine to the WRONG house. Poor, Mr. Hatch. Nobody loves him! He reverts to his old ways and EVERYONE in town notices. What will happen to Mr. Hatch?

This book has a really good message about being kind to everyone we come across and how words can affect people.

I recommend it for ages 5-8 because it is a bit longer, but some 4 year olds could probably sit through it too!

A Day in the Life of Rachel

2012-02-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Tuesday! Today we have my friend Rachel. She has an adorable daughter, Riley. Rachel keeps it real and entertaining. Enjoy!

HI! I’m Rachel from The Growing Gibsons . I have been trying to write the post for Emily for well over a month. Things got way to crazy and I never had a moment to sit down and actually write or do anything for that matter.

So here I am! I am mommy to a beautiful 9 month old girl, Riley, who is my absolute center. I live my life in 2 hour increments mostly around the babes schedule/routine. I work part time, Tues, Wed & Thurs 8:30-5. For some it might be a bit sturdy but for us it works well. It’s a typical day.

6:00 – I start to stir. Never fails. I’m not sure why.

6:05 – I tell my husband to breathe quieter

6:07 – I tell him again

6:10 – I loudly question why he never wants me to get any sleep

6:12 – Fine, I’ll just get up.

6:13 – he rolls over and stops snoring

6:15 – 7:00 – It’s my time. I shower, dress; drink a cup or 5 of coffee, take care of the dogs. If it’s a work day I pack my lunch. I try to get bottles made the day before but sometimes I have to do them in the morning. Pack the diaper bag with breakfast & lunch for Riley.

7:00 – Riley is usually up. Always smiling. We do a diaper change & get dressed. She has a bottle.

7:30 – She’s done the bottle and had about enough sitting on anyone’s lap. It’s time to play. Our living room floor is a toy tornado. We really don’t have anywhere else to put them and Mommas not ready to make the move to the small TV in the basement. So instead I spend 90 minutes chasing her under the table and getting her un-stuck from under toys

9:00 – It’s time for breakfast. Usually fruit and a grain, blueberries & waffles or bananas & pancakes.

9:30-11:30 – we’re ready for a nap. Both of us. Morning nap is the worst for me. I want desperately to go back to sleep. Sometimes I do. Despite what some believe, mostly I do not. I might have yet another cup of coffee. Usually I practice my mind control by staring intently at a pile of laundry willing it to wash itself. It’ll work one day

11:30-1:30 – Riley is usually up & ready for another bottle. Afterwards we play, well she plays, I chase. Sometimes we go out, usually to Babies R Us, sometimes the grocery store.

1:30 – It’s time for lunch. Usually veggies & a fruit.

2:00-4:00 – It’s time for another nap. If I wasted time during morning nap I really have to get in gear. I try to vacuum & sweep the floor every day because of the dog hair. Laundry, dinner, dogs, basic housekeeping.

4:00 – I give her another bottle & we play until Daddy gets home.

5:00 – I try to get dinner started & figure out what we & she will eat for the next day. I’ve been trying to do better with a menu & now that Riley is doing table food it’s much easier just to give her what we are eating. It’s also forcing us to eat better.

6:00 – Dinner time for everyone.

6:30-7:00 – We usually start the bed time routine. Bath, which takes 30+ minutes because she usually plays forever in the water. Bottle & a book or 3.

7:30 – She’s down for the count. I finish up what I didn’t finish during the day.

9:30 – I start my bedtime routine & by 10:15 my day is over. I’m crashed.

Boring & tedious to some but we have fun. We dance and sing. I make a fool of myself to get a smile. It works for me. At 6:00 I’ll start it all over again.

Thanks, Rachel! I just bought those pjs for Miss I and we have the same high chair! Riley so adorable, thank you for sharing!

Are you a morning or night person?

If you are interested in sharing a day in your life, send me an email pinkflipflops44 at gmail dot com! ;)

Friday Five

2012-02-03T09:36:00.000-05:00

1. Black coffee is freaking delicious. I forgot how much I loved it. Pregnancy made black coffee seem gross except from the one diner that has the best coffee eeeeeever. I may have been drowning my coffee lately in some delicious creamers but all we have left is my husband's Plain Jane French Vanilla and I'm not a fan, so black for me and it is yummmy.

2. I should not keep butterscotch chips in the house. I think I used maybe a 1/2 cup in a recipe for bloodies or something and the rest of the bag has slowly made its way into my belly by the handfuls.. Yumm!

3. I went from having to sit in a training all day to not having to work at all today and so far I've spent it sitting down. But after the babe wakes up from her nap and we do our breakfast eating together we are getting dressed and I think we are headed out for a bit. I also think Quiznos needs to get in my belly for lunch today after I had it last Friday. I forget how much I love it. I got the Turkey Bacon Guacamole? I think.. On their Chipotle bread.. Hmmmmm.. I think it is honestly the only order I get.

Why are these all about food?

4. I have to admit, I've already failed my February Challenge. But, for a good reason. My grandpa is in the hospital and he wasn't doing so hot yesterday so I packed up the babe and we hightailed it to the town he is in so I could visit with him while she hung out at my aunts house for awhile. We stayed later than I anticipated and enjoyed some super good Italian Sandwiches from a diner there, and it was worth it. Love my grandpa!

5. I don't even care if Global Warming is a bad thing if it means no snow. There, I said it. I HATE SNOW. And at this point in our lives, I sadly do not see us ever moving somewhere better until we are retired. My husband is settled in his career and his own business. While that is FABULOUS, it is sad, because I always dreamed of moving away to a warmer locale.

What should I eat for dinner?

February Challenge

2012-02-01T21:22:00.000-05:00

I am dubbing the month of February, my kick in the butt month. I am using it to jump start my love affair with my new treadmill. Yeah, I am forcing a love affair with it before I really get to know it and all its kinks, I am going to be in a bathing suit on March 31st and I will not scare away small children!

My plan for the month is to use my treadmill every day. I have been searching the web for treadmill workouts and putting together a ring of different workouts to keep things interesting. No, I will not be running every day. I am putting no time limit on this but I am aiming for between 20-40 minutes a day.

I will sporadically post my workouts (to help others find new treadmill routines) and to keep myself accountable. I am not committing to a certain about days/times to update because I am putting all my effort into using the treadmill, not stressing out about sharing.

I am also instituting a 14 day ban on McDonalds. It is sad but they are the ONLY drive-thru on my path to work and you have NO idea how many times I stop for a coffee, a tea or a pop or a sandwich. It gets ridiculous. I made it the month of November with no McDonalds and then fell into a bad bad habit again in December and January.

So in short, 29 days of treadmilling, 14 days no McDonalds.. Ready set go! ;)

Tonight's treadmill workout was GOING to look like this:

Min                    Speed      Incline
0-14:59              3.5
15-21:59            4.0              5%
22-30                 3.5

However, I am STILL getting over my dang cold.. so it ended up more like me doing all of that until 19:05 when I was like, "Ahhh I cannot breathe and I am almost tasting snot and I just want my pjs."

So, there ya have it. Not pretty, but I did it!

Do you have any treadmill workouts to share?

A day in the life of Leah..

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hello All! Today we have my beautiful friend Leah. She hosted the Creative Every Day Challenge that I started and failed miserably in November. She has an incredible gorgeous baby girl, Annabelle, she used December 12th as her day in the life!

5:45 Annabelle is awake. I slide out of bed, change her super wet diaper and bring her into bed with me to nurse.

6:30 I nudge the hubster awake. A is tapping his arm and talking to him too. She's in a great mood this morning. All smiles. We hang out and chat for a bit. I tell the Hubster how he talked in his sleep last night. He said, "I'm trying to anticipate the Cowboys waking up." Some strange dream combination of the Giants-Cowboys game and A waking up I guess.

6:45 Hubster takes A downstairs. I sleep a little bit more.

7:15 Get up, get dressed, and do an exercise DVD. I both like and dislike Jillian Michaels.

8 I can hear the Hubster skyping with A and his brother in NY. Jump in the shower. Get dressed.

8:20 Hubster and A are outside the bathroom door. I let them in while i brush my hair. She's reaching for me, so I grab her, get hugged and get my shoulder gnawed on. Go downstairs to grab a balance bar and a seltzer. Have A wave bye to daddy cause it's nap time.

8:30 Read a few stories (big red barn, yummy yucky, moo baa la la la), nurse a bit, and then lower her into crib. That was easy (for a change!)

8:45 head downstairs with video monitor. Clean up kitchen.

9:07 Talking with the Hubster before he heads to work and I see A is awake. Already? Arg. I give it a few minutes, then head up. Diaper change and belly kisses.

9:20 Nurse, check email on phone

9:45 Play time on the floor. Sit, stand, scootch, roll around.

10:15 Time for solids. She has a few bites of banana, but mostly spits it out and then yells to be taken of the chair. Ok then!

10:30 A few minutes in the exersaucer while mommy runs to the bathroom, then back on the floor. She wants to be held. I sing some songs and play with her on my lap.

10:45 A is rubbing her eyes. I think I'll try for a nap. Back up to her room, read some stories (counting kisses, peek a who, barnyard dance) and nurse her to sleep. She’s in her crib by 11.

11 I hop into my studio and turn on the iron. While it heats up, i put together an order of one calendar and two greeting card sets. Then I use the iron to heat set the onesies I made last month and never got around to finishing. I take the crinkly plastic packaging for the art order downstairs to finish up, so I won't wake the baby.

11:21 I'm filling out the address form and seeing a new order has come in, when I hear her start to cry. These super short naps are not good for either of us. I give it a few minutes, but she isn't going back to sleep.

11:30 Get A up and dressed. Aww, she looks so sweet! We play on the floor for a few minutes, I throw in a load of laundry, take her picture in her chair, then bring her downstairs.

11:45 nurse

12:10 No time for lunch, so I grab a balance bar, bundle us both up and head off to baby music class.

12:30 She's all serious at first, but slowly warms up and enjoys playing bells, sitting in a make-shift ball pit, and getting bounced around. Her favorite part of class is the story, the bubbles and getting a turn on the keyboard. She'd hit the keys and then leans back and claps. So cute!! I buy a couple of the balls she loves playing with in class to wrap up as Christmas presents, then head back out.

1:45 Home again and A is clearly sleepy. I grab some water and we go back up to her room to wind down. We read a couple stories (curious George and dr. Seuss), nurse a bit and she's asleep by 2:05.

I basically goof around online during this nap. Feels good to take a break.

2:50 A is up. Much more reasonable nap, but she's a little crabby, so she probably could have slept longer. Diaper change. Laundry in the dryer.

3:00 Solids time! I make a snack for myself (cheese and crackers) and oatmeal for her with leftover banana from this morning. She eats it all up, but also yells a lot. I think her teeth are bothering her. It’s a good thing this bib has a catch-all tray at the bottom to collect all her drool!

3:25 nurse

3:50 Put A in the exersaucer and talk to her while I empty the dishwasher.

4:00 Talk to Hubster. He has to finish a proposal, so he'll have to work late tonight. Bummer.

4:10 Put on a baby signing DVD. I don't know if it's helping her learn to sign, but she sure does love it! The songs are insanely catchy.

4:30 Put away laundry while A plays in her play gym

4:45 Head back downstairs, play on the floor, sing songs, tickle her belly

5:15 Make a bottle, feed her and have a snuggle

5:30 Play on the floor.

6:00 Check my email and see I have another art order and one of them is an older piece that I need to find in my art files. I take A up to the studio to try and find it, but it's hard to do one-handed.

6:15 Change her diaper and put on her pajamas. Have some quiet playtime in her room.

6:30 Read some stories (good night moon, the very hungry caterpillar, on the night you were born), nurse a little then put A in her crib with a couple kisses on the cheek.

6:45 Back to the studio to track down the purchased art.

6:55 Found it. Phew! Work on wrapping up a couple pieces, so I can mail everything tomorrow.

7:30 Talk to Hubster. He's still working. I'm starving, so I use leftover chicken breast to make a sandwich.

8:00 Check some things online, then put together a greeting card set order and the mailing label for the new order.

8:30 Respond to a few emails, relax

9 Hubster is home and exhausted. We should go to bed, but he wants to hang out and unwind, so we put on the Next Iron Chef competition from the dvr.

10:30 in bed.

Leah Piken Kolidas is an artist living near Boston with her husband, their 7 month old daughter and their four crazy cats. She blogs at CreativeEveryDay.com and sells her art at BlueTreeArtGallery.com

I told you her daughter was gorgeous!!! ;) Thanks again Leah. You should check out Leah's blog and her art, it's as fabulous as she is. What do you grab for a quick meal on the go?

The Magic Room

2012-01-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

Jeffrey Zaslow has written a book capturing women and their families as they embark on buying a wedding dress / marriage at a small town shop, Beckers Bridal, in Fowler, MI.

As soon as I saw this, I had to read it. I went to Becker's to try on dresses for MY wedding. While, I did not end up getting a dress there, I will say the shop is super cute and completely overwhelming with the amount of gowns! I think I tried on 3 or 4 there and wasn't impressed and so we continued on to a couple other shops before I found my dress.

The book talks a lot about 'the one.' I just never got that feeling, yet I completely adored my wedding dress. I just never got the tears or breathlessness that others talk about. I just though, hey it's what I was looking for, I look good in it. Hmm, works for me! But, I'm not a romantic. I'm a realist.

"Couples are more successful in marriageif they see themselves as helpmates rather than soulmates. " pg. 20

I really agree with the above. So many people stay single because they are searching for a 'soulmate' or someone who will knock them off their feet. But marriage isn't always rosy and romantic. It's work. It's sharing the same ideals and goals. It's supporting each other. It's teamwork.

The book jumped back and forth with telling the history behind Beckers, statistics about marriage / women/families, and individual brides. The beginning started out kind of slow but by the middle I was engrossed.

An Excerpt from the book's website

One hundred miles northwest of my home, in a tiny, rural town with one stoplight, I found a place where 100,000 daughters, along with their mothers and fathers, have found themselves reflecting on the word “love.”

It’s a place where, every day, parents can’t help but be enveloped by a swell of emotion as they think back to the love they felt when their daughters were little girls. They think ahead, too, contemplating the love needed to carry their daughters onward from here. These parents know the disappointments and betrayals associated with the word “love,” especially these days. They know the losses that define life. Still, most make their pilgrimage here with a sense of hope and optimism.

My favorite sections where when he talked about the individual brides and their journey to Beckers.

It was a quick read and I would recommend it to those who've made the search for a wedding gown, those who've dreamed of it and those who like the history of a place and a thriving family business.

I was given this book through Crazy Book Tours and all opinions are my own.

State of Wonder - Last Discussion

2012-01-27T06:00:00.001-05:00

Well, I can certainly say I did not see this book ending the way it did. I didn't even think anything of how it was going to end or suspect even when I soo close to finishing. Of course, I have to nitpick, the how does the Amazon trial end?? The second whole purpose of the book (the first being to find Anders) was to finish that damn trial and then there was no closure. No, just no. I did not read that lovely written book to not have closure. Though, it did sum up my initial thought that Dr. Swenson was an ass. And poor poor Easter. Oh my heart. And I want more details from Anders please and thank you.

"She was unnerved by Dr. Swenson's repeated references to "our delivery" date and the letters from her dead friend that she found waiting in her bed at night." pg. 293

1. What do you think of the ethics of infecting the men of the tribe with malaria for a coke?

I personally disagree with the practice. If the Lakashi could communicate with the doctors and if they understood malaria and what could happen, then by all means if they volunteer, sure, but in the situation where they cannot effectively communicate all of this then I do not support it.

2. Speaking of ethics, what do you think of how Dr. Swenson ran things in the Amazon? Was it like the Wild West every man/woman for themselves or was she really reckless?

I think she was very reckless and that someone needed to pull in her reins. I understand her viewpoint that nothing would get done and people would get in her way, but she was very unconventional and I think she needed someone to tell her no.

3. Barbara Bovender, one of Annik’s caretakers/gatekeepers tells Marina, “She’s such a force of nature. . . . a woman completely fearless, someone who sees the world without limitations.” Is this a fair assessment of Annik? How would you describe her? How has the elderly doctor’s past shaped the person she is and the choices she has made?

I think she was stubborn, smart, full of herself and very narrow minded on her project.

4. Should women of any age be able to have children? What are the benefits and the downsides? Why does this ability seem to work in the Lakashi culture? What impact does this research ultimately have on Marina? Whether you are a man or woman, would you want to have a child in your fifties or sixties? How far should modern science go to “improve” on nature?

I do NOT think a woman of any age should have a child. It is not fair to the child when their 80 year old parent dies when they are 2. In the Lakashi culture it worked because everyone took care of everyone and they were in the middle of the Amazon with NOTHING else to do. I would not want a small child in my 50s or 60s. I do not want one in my 40s. They are a lot of work and tiring. It wouldn't be fair to the child.

5. Would you travel into the unknown of the Amazon?

That is one place I have no desire to visit.

6. What is your opinion of the choices Marina made regarding Easter? What role did the boy play in the story? Do you think Marina will ever have the child—one like Easter—that she wants?

I think she was very limited in her situation seeing as how she had no way to communicate but I really don't see how she was going to get out of that situation any other way. I feel bad for Easter. Everyone he cared about him, abandoned him. I thought it was hysterical she was trying to remember what he was wearing for a 'wanted poster.' Delusional.

7. How do you think the story ends for the main players? Marina? Dr. Swenson? Anders? Mr. Fox? Easter? The Lakashi?

I would like to think that Easter made his way back to Dr. Swenson and somehow made it to Minnesota to be with Dr. Eckman. Marina, I picture her quitting Vogel and Mr. Fox and moving to a small town alone and taking up surgery/ob again. Dr. Swenson, living until she was 90 and being a beeeyotch the whole time and getting the malaria vaccine marketed. Anders adopting children from impoverish nations trying to make up for losing Easter. Mr. Fox being old and stupid. The Lakashi, I see them not even batting an eye when Dr. Swenson and her team leave and continuing to eat their tree bark.

8. What did you think of the night Marina and Anders spent together?

I think in those situations you need someone to be close and comforted with and you aren't even thinking about who it is with.

What did you think? I was pleasantly surprised!

From Pin to Plate

2012-01-25T09:48:00.000-05:00

I have an out of control food board on Pinterest and now that we have finally tried a few recipes I thought I would pass along some of my expert food opinions.

This past weekend I made these Baked Oatmeal Bars that I found on Kath Eats Real Food.

( Source )

So, mine did not look this good ha. I used chocolate chips, a bit of brown sugar, flaxseed, chopped and chopped almonds for my concoction. It is definitely very moist and muffin like, as the comments mention. They were pretty darn good. I even ate it in my mix of yogurt and fruit the other morning.

Sunday, I made Oven Baked Frito Pie for our football watching company. This recipe came from Sweet Treats and More.

{ Source }

Well, this was just okay. I think I was expecting more creaminess or something. I like stuff with a kick and while I did use diced tomatoes with green chilies, it just wasn't AMAAAZING to me. It did reheat nicely for lunch the other day.

At the beginning of football season, so waaaaay back in September I made a Baked Panzanella Caprese Salad from Iowa Girl Eats.

{ Source }

OMG. This was amazinggggg. I cannot believe I haven't made it again since. The mozzarella was soo good and the balsamic vinegar made it sooo sooo good. I would eat it again for lunch any day.

Also in September, my husband and I tried Pull Apart Cheesy Herb Bread. We were a big fail at it. I don't know if it was us or the recipe, but it wasn't good and did not look good. Big fail.

One random Saturday night we also tried Easy Mozzarella Sticks. Yum We used random old cheese sticks (god knows how long they'd been in the fridge!) and it was fantastic. We even ended up doing fried pickles.

{ Source }

On Friday night, we made Taco Pizza. It looked delicious, sounded delicious, and somehow, it didn't look as pretty or taste as scrumptious as I was expecting. I think I would add jalapenos, more cheese, more tomatoes and maybe a little less beans.

{ Source }

I'm pretty sure that is all I've tried. There are a few others that I can't wait to try.

Have you found any good recipes from Pinterest? Any fails?

A day in the life of LGLDVM

2012-01-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Tuesday! Today we have LGLDVM, a friend I met through TheBump, who is currently pregnant with twin girls!

I’m a veterinarian currently doing a residency and PhD in veterinary pathology. My days are highly variable and usually a lot longer than I would like them to be. I am also anxiously awaiting the birth of our twin girls and on the day that I wrote this, I was 27 weeks pregnant. I hope you enjoy a glimpse into my crazy life. J

5:00 am: This Christmas, I gave you my heart, the very next day, you gave it awa…

snooze, Snooze, SNOOZE!

5:30 am: Let your heart be liiiiight, from now on our troubles will be out of sight…

(Somehow setting my alarm clock to the Christmas station doesn’t make waking up any easier)

Yaaaaawwwn, time to get moving. Today is the first day of painting. Tim and I (mostly Tim) have been working really hard over the past couple of weeks to prepare the house for a major makeover. Over the next week, almost every room will get a fresh coat of paint and the crappy plastic-wood trim and doors will also get coated in pretty white. I am so excited! The painters will be here at 8 am and we have a bit of cleanup and last minute things to do before they arrive. I start stripping the bed and throwing laundry down the stairs while Tim packs up the dog kennels in our bedroom and moves them down into the family room.

7:30 am: After taking care of the puppies, I get myself showered, dressed and off to work.

7:45 am: Starbucks MUST happen today. I have a full day and I need fuel. I order a tall Peppermint Mocha and a piece of gingerbread. Yum!

8:00 am: At work, coffee in hand, ready to go! First stop of the day is an hour-long session of ophthopathology rounds. We get together with clinicians from the hospital and go through a few recent cases. They give us a clinical perspective; we give them a pathology perspective and answer any questions that may still linger. On the docket today: Eyeballs from 1 Chinese water dragon, 2 horses and a cat. Very informative.

9:00 am: Surgical trimming. I am on biopsy service this week. The first part of biopsies is trimming. I go to the cutting room to get a peek at my caseload. …Fingers crossed for a light day… Only one case today! Woot!! I take the biopsy specimen and trim it with a razor, then submit it to the histology department for processing. I won’t get the slide back until tomorrow. Today, I’ll read the cases I trimmed in yesterday. Slides are ready by 10 am.

9:15 am: Since trimming was so quick, I have some time to kill before my biopsies are ready for the day. I get my computer set up and read through my e-mails. I met with the medial illustrator yesterday about a few manuscripts I am working on. He sent me some information about my image quality and I need to get a layout for the color plate that is going in the first manuscript. I play around in PowerPoint for about an hour and I’m feeling good about what I have so far, so I send it off to him. It’s a hit! Now I need to get the actual images together so he can crop them in and actually make the figure. First things first though, my slides are ready and I need to get through biopsies.

10:30 am: Reading biopsies. Just 3 cases to read, 7 slides total. Since it’s the holiday, most clinicians aren’t seeing many patients this week. It’s a nice bonus for me since my research really needs most of my time right now. I crank up the Christmas tunes and get to work. First case is a small mass on an American bulldog. It looked like it might be melanoma when I trimmed it in, so I am happy when I see on the slide that it is a benign vascular tumor (hemangioma). Looks like they got it all, too. Score 1 for the patients! Case 2 is equally positive. Breast cancer in a mixed breed dog. It looks benign and completely excised. Score 2 for the patients! Let’s see if we can go 3 for 3 today.

Case 3 is a bit more complicated, a 14 year old Beagle with a rapidly growing mass that was diagnosed as cancer by another vet. I don’t see cancer on my slides, just inflammation. I’m always reluctant to make a call when there’s a disparity so I’ll reserve final judgment until I meet with the senior pathologist for the day.

11:45 am: Lunch time! I brought a lean cuisine, but I really want Panera. Looks like I’ll be making a sandwich run. J I got the asiago roast beef (with the meat cooked) and a mango smoothie. Yummy! I brought it back to the office so I could play on the computer for a bit while I eat. I spend my lunch break surfing the interwebs and checking in on my favorite websites.

1:00 pm: Met with the senior pathologist to review our cases. He agreed with all of my diagnoses. It’s a good biopsy day. No bad news today. When I first started reading biopsies, I had a really difficult time with it. I felt like I was GIVING patients diseases. I would look at a slide and think ‘damn, I really don’t want to give this cat squamous cell carcinoma’. After awhile, I have come to accept that I’m not giving patients anything. I am simply diagnosing what they have. My job is not always a happy job, but I feel like it is so important to do the best job I can in order to ensure that patients are treated appropriately. Whether the news is good or bad isn’t up to me, whether the diagnosis is right or wrong is the only thing I can control, and that in itself is a challenge. (ok, off soapbox)

At this point, my back is killing me. Up and down in my office, sitting up looking through microscopes for several hours and 2 babies pushing my belly out way further than it was ever supposed to be have all taken their toll. My pace is slowing down. Fortunately, I can hang out in my office for a bit.

2:00 pm: I am back to work on one of my manuscripts. The images are all digital slides and radiographs. I need to hunt through and see if I have everything I need to make these figures great. Time to crank up iTunes again and get busy. These images are huge files (2-4 GB) so it’s going to take awhile for my ancient computer to process them.

3:15 pm: After an hour of fighting with my computer to acquire images, I’m not feeling so hot. I need to walk away from this for a bit, so I go to the lab to do some cell culture. I have 4 cell lines that need to be taken care of pretty regularly. They are all cancer cell lines that I use to study a virally induced cancer that happens in people.

4:15 pm: My back pain has now turned into front pain too. I decided to call my OB to see if I should be concerned. The verdict: come in and see someone. I have an appointment for 5:30 pm.

5:30 pm: At the OB’s office. I ran home and met up with my husband so he could come with me. After some poking and prodding, it is decided that I am not in pre-term labor, so we head home, stopping briefly to get me some Ben and Jerry’s that will likely be my dinner.

7:00 pm: The painters did all the trim and doors upstairs and it looks amazing! The before and after pics are of the future nursery. I am so stoked! We opted for neutral walls and we’ll eventually put pink and brown polka dot decals up to give it some color. I can’t believe how different the room looks with fresh paint!

Hubby is having pizza tonight since my back hurts too much to venture into the kitchen and I’m snacking on a little bit of ice cream hoping that my stomach settles and I can eat some real food. I can’t remember the last time I had B&Js though so I can’t complain too much. We finish out the day all in the family room watching TV and relaxing. We’ll be sleeping down here since the upstairs is still wet paint.

In true pregnant lady style, I put on my PJs and curl up in my recliner around 8:30. Night all!

Thanks LGL! That was really interesting to read about the different parts of your job and I love the paint before and afters!

Does your job require you to make hard decisions?

7 Pretty Things On Sunday

2012-01-22T11:35:00.000-05:00

I am linking up today with Gussy, for her 7 Pretty Things Sunday Blog Hop.

1. This cute elephant from TheWoodenQuail.

2. This adorable bag from Peggy Ann Designs via pinterest.

3. Gorgeous Shappy Apple Dress.

4. Ahh, I don't know what is cuter. The headband, the baby or the bodysuit!

5. OMG. I love 1 Cup Awesome and they have the best food recipes! I cannot wait to try this one!

6.She is gorgeous!

7. Love this girl! ;)

What are you finding pretty this week?

A Lovely Saturday Morning...

2012-01-21T11:43:00.000-05:00

On this bright freezing cold Saturday morning, we woke up to giggles and yelps coming from the little lady's room.. My husband went to retrieve her as I tried to wake my arm up that I feel asleep on after our 5:30 nurse and cuddle time, ouch..

I fed her and we snuggled for a few before we made the motions of getting up. I made coffee, they settled in to toys and books and then we traded. I sipped coffee, and played with the zookeeper as my husband whipped up some tasty pancakes, little lady's first time trying them.

We sat down to breakfast as a family, the little lady, devouring mushed up blueberries, some puffs, and bits of pancakes. She was nothing like a lady, shoveling the food in my the handful. Sometimes, I wonder if she thinks we will take the food away. Then I get sad and think of other little kids who don't have food. Not fair. In between handfuls, I spoon fed her a pear& raspberry combo which she adored.

After eating, she dressed and I did dishes and folded laundry while she babbled and yelped in the living room at her dad.

Then another nursing and cuddle session and I headed down to the treadmill. I did 1.8 miles in about 30 minutes by doing the weightloss plan 1 on a whim. There were a lot of inclines!

Afterwards, I headed upstairs and the lady was sleeping so I hurried to shower and throw on lazy clothes. Then I guzzled water, took some fenugreek and here I sit pumping and typing up the busy and fun Saturday morning we had together.

What did you do this morning?

Only 22 hours left to vote on February's Group Read on the sidebar!

CD 2

2012-01-19T08:00:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I started my first period since August 2010.

Yuck.

No me gusta.

It can go away any time now.

What Makes Me Smile...

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

A Day in the life of Heather...

2012-01-17T06:00:00.001-05:00

Today, we have Heather from Learning to Laugh. She has an adorable son, Drew and a smiley little girl Alynn who is a week older than Miss I. She's far more productive and busy on a daily basis than me and I really have no idea how she does it!

Emily has asked me to describe a normal day in my life as a stay at home mom. Honestly, I feel like I am incredibly boring but hopefully someone will find my life to be slightly entertaining. I choose to share a Tuesday with you guys since that is our most eventful day.

5am: My husbands alarm goes off, quickly followed by my 2 year old Drew creeping into our room asking for milk. He would happily be up for the day, but goes back down when I ask him too. Alynn, our 7 month old hears us and wakes up for her first bottle. I feed her while Naythan showers.

6am: Alynn is back in bed, so I eat breakfast with Naythan and see him off to work. I than shower and get dressed.

6:45am: I sit down with a cup of coffee to do school work. (Oh on top of being a stay at home mom, I am also a full time student.)

8:15am: Both kids wake up for the day so there is a rush to change diapers and get food into little bellies. I put on Dinosaur Train for Drew while I make him food, then we all sit down at the table and I try to feed Alynn her bananas which is no easy task while trying to keep Drew from feeding is syrup covered waffles to the dog.

9am: Everyone gets a bath and dressed than Drew gets to watch a short show of his choosing while I check out facebook and message boards. He normally chooses Thomas the Train and I can only take so much shunting, buffing and bunting before I feel like shooting anything that even thinks about huffing or puffing,

9:20am: I turn off the show, set Drew up with a craft and run around the house like a crazy person trying to clean up. Drew will come behind me and undo most of the cleaning I just did until I give in and let him play in the sink which results in the kitchen looking like Niagara falls just had a baby. At least now I don’t have to mop. Alynn is crawling around and playing until I start the vacuum then she screams in terror until I pick her up and put her in the Moby.

10:35 am: the house is clean. I put Alynn down for a nap, set Drew on the potty, and we sit down to read a book.

10:55 am: Our speech therapist shows up and we spend the next hour on the floor trying hard to coax words out of Drew.

12pm: Alynn wakes up so I let her bang a spoon on her high chair while I make a salad for Naythan and I, mac and cheese for Drew. While I am busy in the kitchen, Drew is stripping off all his clothes and before I catch him he is peeing on the dog. I wrestle clothes back on him. Naythan comes home and we all eat together.

1pm: The kids and I sit down to read books or color since it is to cold to go outside these days. If it is nice we will head to the park to run off some energy for a while. Or we will go out the store. Something to get out of the house before I lose my mind!

3:30pm: Naptime. Thank God. Both kids go down and I sit in a quiet house. Or I will catch up on my shows. Play around online, do homework, talk on the phone and unwind.

4:30pm: I start prepping dinner. Skype with my baby sister or Talk to my best friend.

4:50pm: Alynn wakes up and we play together. We love this time because I can focus on just her and she can roam the house without worrying about being ran over by her big brother.

5:00pm: Drew is up and I start working on dinner while he plays with his sister and watches Dinosaur Train on Netflix. I love watching them play together. At least until he pushes her over which results in both kids crying.

6:30pm: Naythan is home from the gym so we all eat together. Once again begging and pleading with Drew to eat something other than hotdogs and cheese.

7:30pm: Start bedtime routines. Bath, books, bottle, bed. Alynn crawls around while Drew wrestles with his daddy. This is seriously my favorite time of the day. My heart melts every time I see them play together. All this time I am doing dishes and getting drawn into their games.

8:15pm: Both kids are in bed. I head to the gym.

9:35pm: Home from the gym to a quiet house. Naythan and I snuggle on the couch watching a NCIS.

10:30pm: Do more homework, play online, or fall asleep on the couch.

11 pm: I fall into bed, only to start it all over again in the morning.

I seriously love being able to stay home with my kiddos. They crack me up and I laugh all day long. I feel incredibly blessed.

Thanks, Heather! Have you gone back to school while working?