A Man Among Mommies

90 days to a new me, If I don't die first!

2012-01-19T10:07:00.000-06:00

Well blogging is back on the menu and I will be talking a heck of a lot about my two major time sucks. A friend of mine got me into P90X and I started Nursing School.

P90X
If you are not familiar with the workout system you can get more information at BeachBody. I started this past Monday and WOW it it a lot of work. I have made it through 3 days and I am really feeling the strain in my body. This is a good thing and soon enough everything will be cool. Today will be day 4 and YOGA... Will see how that goes.

Nursing School
Tuesday was my first nursing class in the nursing program at The College of Lake County. Lots of work and I am SO glad I took a part time position at the local hospital. Certain skills we need to review I have done a lot as well as witnessed procedures and tons of my questions have been answered by the nurses I work with.

I guess I really need to focus on my mantra...

"Take It One Day At A Time!"

iPhone blogging

2011-11-22T11:25:00.000-06:00

Well I finally jumped into the world of smart phones with the iPhone 4s. Blogging from the phone should be interesting to say the least. I have been way out of touch with my blog due to life. Now that the weather is turning I hope to be more active. Plus adding photos with the new phone should be fun.

Take it one day at a time.

The Puke Keeps a-flowin' all night long...

2011-09-23T11:47:00.000-05:00

I said, puke kept a-flowin' all night long
Puke kept a-flowin' all night long
Puke kept a-flowin' ' all night long
Puke kept a-flowin' all night long
With a "heave!", and a "blow!"
But I just couldn't make it slow, no, no, no...

Well last night was extremely difficult. 3yo woke up around 2:00 and was missing mom. I got him settled and just started to doze when I heard 7yo coughing and running to the bathroom for a wonderful PUKE! However he did not lift the lid! What a MESS! He spent all night hacking and puking so I had a wonderful night getting up at 2:00am!

I had planned to take the dogs to the groomer and go get a free body scan at the local nutrition place, but that has to wait now. Need to get some clear soda for him, but he get motion sickness so a ride to the store is not going to happen. When the oldest gets home I will have him go to 7-11 and get some ginger ale.

I am SOOOOOO Tired!

"Take it One Day At a Time!"

Lost the Most!

2011-09-22T16:02:00.000-05:00

My Weight Lose Adventures...

Well at weigh in for the biggest loser contest I joined I was tied for first with four pounds. Combine that with the weight I lost before the contest and I am down around 7. (Check the widget to the right for current weight loss) It is nice to get back in the weight loss mode.

I went to the gym again today and did 30 minutes on the elliptical, 45 minutes with weights and 20 minutes shooting basketball. After the weights it felt like a medicine ball more that a basketball. Then throw in cutting the grass this afternoon and it has been a exercise filled day.

Adjusting to the new schedule...

I have really begun to adjust to my new schedule. I really like not getting my days and nights confused. I have so much more energy and even if I get less sleep I don't really feel I am sleeping less. Will be a big adjustment once school starts in January.

Pre-School

The two day a week preschool for 2.5 hours each day is taking it's toll on the little guy. Today he is so tired! Did not help he was up multiple times last night. With mom being gone he was sad in the middle of the night and climbed into bed with me. After that he slept much better.

Balancing Act...

Dealing with working out more and trying to cut back on the food as become a real balancing act. It will be worth it, but some days are easy and others crazy difficult. I think getting over the caffeine and soda has made a major difference.

Skype Video Phone...

With the wife out East on business it is nice to have the video phone ability. I think we all love it!

"TAKE IT ONE DAY AT A TIME!!!!" (yes I yelled... LOL)

Moving on Down...

2011-09-21T13:26:00.000-05:00

It has been officially 6 days since I started the last stage of my weight lose process watching what I eat and I am losing. The current weight lose totals are located on the Livestrong widget to the right.

It has been a few weeks since I had soda and I am much better for it. That with the combination of my new work schedule at the hospital really has made a difference. Luckily I really enjoy sparkling water so part of that soda addiction can be taken care of.

I have always enjoyed veggies and this past weekend I dipped some carrots in my chili and it was AWESOME!

The wife is out of town on business for the next few days. I thought the two little guys would give more grief with her leaving, but they were strong little men. The 11yo on the other hand was very worried about her traveling.

Hoping to get back in the habit of blogging now that I am getting through some major projects that had to be done.

AMAM Apple Sauce and Apple Butter currently being produced. I can apple sauce and apple butter so this year I decided to make some branded labels for my wonderful home made products. A friend said I should sell some at the farmers market or somewhere, but not sure it is worth the effort. Quart and Pint apple sauce and 4-8oz apple butter.

Take it one day at a time!!!

Weight Loss Challenge

2011-09-16T08:44:00.000-05:00

Well this Big Dad is looking to become a smaller dad. I have made some major changes in my life in order to get to a healthier place, but it takes time.

First Change, No More Night Shifts!
I have been working part time at the local hospital for a year on the third shift. (11:00p-7:30a) Well the shift was really starting to take its toll on me. I gained 18 pounds on that shift as well as had way too many days I was up 24 hours straight. If I did not have to worry about the little guy things would have been easier. So I finally got the approval for all weekend shifts 7:00a-7:30p. Basically I work 12 on, 12 off, 12 on every weekend. After nearly 3 weeks I am very happy with the change!

Second Change, No More Soda!
I have been drinking way too much Coca Cola the last few years. With the night shifts it was more than a want, but a need in order to stay awake. I even resorted to some Mountain Dew a few times. It was a difficult road, but as of today I am finally over it after 13 days! I also stopped drinking Alcohol once I started the night shift a year ago and have only had a couple drinks in 1 full year.

Third Change, More Exercise!
I had major difficulties getting any exercise when I was tired all the time. With the new shift I have upped the exercise dramatically. I take the dogs for a walk at night now which gives me a couple miles of hoofing it. With my little guy starting Preschool again on Tues/Thur for 2.5 hours I decided to join the park district gym where my son goes to preschool. I drop him off and go work out!

Fourth Change! Diet!
The fourth change is my overall diet. Not "A DIET", but my overall diet. I joined a Weight loss challenge group at the park district to keep me focused. 10 weeks of weigh ins and scrutiny. I also just signed up at the LIVESTRONG website. There is a whole bunch of free applications including "My Plate" an awesome food tracker. It has so much already in the system it allows you to get a very detailed look at what you eat. Includes things like sodium, Carbs and Protein. Nice to see where your food comes from.

With just the stopping of soda I am dropping 2500-3500 calories a week!

"Take it one day at a time!"

A New Man Among Mommies

2011-09-06T16:21:00.000-05:00

The past year has seen a very difficult and extreme schedule for this at home parent. With school, part time work at the hospital to go with my desire to become an RN as well as the kids, house and every obligation that entails I have been pulled in too many directions. So in an effort to take back some type of control I have switched a few things up.

Work

I had been working 3rd shift at the hospital Wednesday, Thursday and every other weekend in order to pay for school as well as get some valuable experience. Well those three nights a week really took their toll on me mentally and physically. Three nights work basically meant 4-5 days messed up do to my sleep pattern. Well it has been a year at the hospital and now I am changing shifts. After some long discussions with my boss I have begun working Saturday and Sunday 7:00am-7:00pm. Yes they will be long weekends, but my work week will be two days. This will make the week better for my family as well as me. I will have a regular sleep pattern which will be a welcome change.

Weight

Working the 3rd shift I ended up getting some bad habits and ended up putting on nearly 18 pounds. OUCH! Not to mention every time I tried to do something I would end up having to rely on my Coca Cola habit to wake me up. Well as of September 4th I have had no soda in an attempt to kick that habit. With no more need to stay up 24 hours straight I think it will be a breeze to drop the dependency on caffeine. This alone should help me drop the weight.

Exercise

With a lack of sleep a lack of motivation to exercise soon followed. Now that I will have a normal sleep pattern I am picking up the exercise. Next week when my little guy starts preschool at the park district I will be joing the gym there. I will be able to get a really good workout Tuesdays and Thursdays while he is in class. This will help me as well as keep me busy while he is in class. I am also begining to take the dogs for walks at night getting all of us into a better habit.

Blogging

With my schedule over the summer extremely bad I got away from blogging. Honestly I think this has hurt me overall since I did not utilize the outlet I have come to enjoy so well. So hopefully I will be able to maintian my blog while I transition to my new schedule.

"Take It One Day At A Time"

Happy Birthday LIAM!

2011-08-16T13:25:00.002-05:00

Today Liam turns 7! He has a kids and family party set for the 27th so that he could get his friends from school to come to his party at a local skating rink.

I can't beleive he is getting so big.

On a side note he is only 6 pounds heavier than his 3yo brother. Both are skinny, but the 3yo is getting tall!

The humor I see when I am the one to remain calm...

2011-08-16T13:22:00.000-05:00

Through the years the running joke when I get angry or frustrated is "Todd Smash!" ala the Incredible Hulk. I typically have two moods happy and "Hulk Smash." I have worked hard to add a third more relaxed mood to my limited inventory of appropriate moods. My recent schedule has put the moods to a major test and I think I have done a much better job keeping the Smashing Mood in check. So this morning I get up at 6:15am which is EARLY and I don't do EARLY, but the kids need to get wresteled from bed and off to school. 11 yo Connor the 6th grader needs to be at the bus stop by 7:14 so his lunch needs packed and his limited chores need to be done and he needs breakfast. Well this morning I had to pull him from bed when he turned his alarm off. From that point on he was a whiney princess complaining he just wanted to sleep. He would not eat and fought just getting his shoes on. Well when the wife was out of the shower at 6:30 she was unable to maintain he composure for once. Typically I am the one yelling and grounding, but this morning she cornered the market on the groupyness. I amazingly remained calm and even was relaxed about the whole situation despite the shear whinyness of my oldest. 11yo left the house grounded from just about everything for the day and via his choice DID NOT EAT! He was nervous and I understand the not eating when nervous, but his attitude really needs to be corrected. He is 11 going on 70...

I did however get some major payback later in the morning after reveling in my relaxed mood. I had to take 7yo Liam to the Dr. for his anual "Well Check" and had 3yo Gavin and my 5yo Niece with me. We had a busy morning which included Dr, Liams School, and two stores and by the time we made it to the final store the 5yo and 3yo had created a behavior vaccuum that sucked the life out of me. We made it through the store, but I think I have a few more light colored hairs in my beard.

Times are a Changing...

2011-08-15T16:17:00.000-05:00

Times Are A Changing!

Well I finally made it through the summer semester and the crazy work schedule around it. I have officially had my schedule request accepted and changed. NO MORE OVERNIGHTS! I will not be working 12 hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday. 7:00am-7:30pm. I will finally be able to get back to a more manageable sleep schedule. September 3rd will be my first day shift at the hospital. This will work especially well when Nursing school starts in January. (assuming I am in. :-) )

Much Needed Vacation

We spent last week on vacation at a cabin in St. Germain Wisconsin on Pickeral Lake. The kids had a blast and we were able to R-E-L-A-X!

Fall Semester

This fall I am taking one 1 credit hour class so I maintain my priority enrollment at school. Introduction to Pharmacology. I ordered the book online MUCH cheaper than the school and I am now officially on some Gov't list. The package was inspected by the US Marshall service... No Meth Lab for me I guess.

First Day of School!

Today was the first day of school for my 11 and 7 year old boys. 6th and 2nd grade respectively. YEAH! I think we all needed them back in school.

Looks like I am finally in a position to get back to my Blog. It has been missed, but something had to give.

"Take It One Day At A Time!"

A Week from Thursday...

2011-07-19T19:29:00.000-05:00

I have a little over one more week of my crazy schedule. Next Wednesday is my Summer School Chemistry final. 8 weeks of a very crazy schedule coming to an end. I will then be able to focus on my blog a whole lot more. I have been sad not to be able to keep up, but something had to give...

See you soon!

Having a difficult time keeping up

2011-07-06T14:55:00.000-05:00

With my school schedule, the holiday and setting up my new laptop I have been extremely short on time. Since class as 3 days a week, I work 3 days a week and have picked up a very large contract my time has been really short.

Filming Delayed

With all the mess of my schedule the filming of the legos has been put on hold. a few more weeks and things lighten up dramatically. I plan on doing a whole series of shots with the help of the older boys. They have some great ideas for shots. I also plan to post pictures of the ORIGINAL sets we have after we build them. The first crummy day will be a lego build day.

New Laptop

Still making my way through all the features of Windows 7. A few of them are pretty cool, especially the ones that allow me to id my TV on the network. :-) HD laptop screen ROCKS!

3 Fish in a Pond...

The boys have their 14' x 42" pool up and are three little fish. Gavin likes his little tube and floats around splashing his brothers. The temp of the water is getting closer and closer to bath water.
I picked up a pool vaccuum as well which was made for the pool and works great. I wish we lived some where that was warmer more often and had an inground pool!

I am out of touch, but soon to be back amongst the living...

New Computer... Moving files

2011-06-25T09:26:00.000-05:00

Well I updated my laptop to a new one and have been spending a ton of time moving files between THREE computers. Still in the process of getting everything I want onto the new laptop. It is actually extremely time consuming since I am be selective...

Hopefully I will get everything taken care of soon so I can get back to my regular scheduled programing...

Now thats what I call busy...

2011-06-20T11:31:00.000-05:00

I am honestly disappointed in the fact that I have been unable to post much in a while. Between the kids, school, work and of course all the house and yard stuff I feel I have hardly had time to breathe. To be honest with how busy I have been I have had no desire to post, but need to figure out how to keep everything moving despite my crazy schedule.

The Children Scale

With the nice weather and all the kids running around plus all the equations I have been doing in Chemistry I felt a proper scale for children around should be created.

Base 0 = The number of children you have and this number changes based on the total number of kids around. I have a Base 0 of 3, so as long as there are 3 children here I am at 0 even if those 3 children are not mine. Yesterday I had my 3 kids plus 4 neighbor kids over at one point. So I was + 4 on the children scale. My 3 =0 + 4 other kids =+4 total. The total number of kids was 7 so if someone else had the same number of kids over and only had one kid of their own they would have been +6 on the children scale. Right now I am all of a sudden + 2.

Behind on Pictures.

We will be doing a major photo shoot this week to catch up all the days I have recently missed. Again the busy days are keeping me behind.

Chemistry

2 weeks down and 6 more to go. Tonight is my first Exam. JOY!

Text Blogging...

While I am so busy I will be blogging at times from my cell phone. Pretty simple way to catch up. Just not sure if there is a limit to the number of characters per post. Will be experimenting later.

"Take It One Day At A Time"

2011-06-19T17:44:00.001-05:00

I was plus 4 on the children scale at one point this afternoon.

Wow... No time to type with my crazy schedule

2011-06-14T18:19:00.000-05:00

I am very disappointed with how little time I can spend on my blog lately. School, work, contracting and of course family are keeping me really busy. Not to mention all the house and yard stuff to keep me busy.

I did get a new Lawnmower and used it for the first time today. YEAH it was awesome!

"Take it one day at a time!"

Look for the Lego Pictures in the next few days along with a couple cool stories...

Project Lego 365 Days 71, 72, 73

2011-06-11T13:21:00.000-05:00

This is what happens when you don't get enough sleep... You forget to post all the pictures you have taken.

Solid Snake from the
Metal Gear Video Game Series.

Cat Women... Meow!

"I thought they said Dress for HEAT, not HOTH!"

Project Lego 365 Day 70

2011-06-08T12:44:00.000-05:00

Day 70

Willow I think you are taking this
witch thing a little too far!

Quick Hello

2011-06-08T12:42:00.000-05:00

I have only really posted pictures the last few days. With school starting on Monday Night and a contract I was working on I got away from the laptop when I could. The next couple days look just as bad as I adjust to my new schedule. Hopefully by this weekend I will have something enlightening to say.

Look for...

Information about a Harry Potter Party a friend did for his son. REALLY cool including individual handcrafted wands for the guests.
My take on a few new games coming out this fall and how this relates to the kids.
A review of how I determine what games my kids can play and how the rating system works and fails.
Plus hopefully next week my Karate spectacular with pictures of the kids and the wife with their new ranks and belts.

Look for some more cool legos coming soon as well as the Lego Mini Horde...

"Take It One Day At A Time"

Project Lego 365 Day 69

2011-06-07T16:06:00.000-05:00

Day 69

I am Connor MacLeod of the clan MacLeod.
I've been alive for four and a half centuries, and I cannot die.
There can be only one!

Project Lego 365 Day 68

2011-06-06T16:15:00.000-05:00

Day 68

The Emperor has made a Critical Error
"MeSa a Dark Jedi Now I spek."

Summer is Truly Here

2011-06-06T16:13:00.000-05:00

Well the warm weather came in with all its heat and summer has truly arrived in these parts. I set up the NEW metal framed pop up pool on Friday and now the kids have someplace to swim. I have a few extra kids floating around "Literally." These are the days I really wish we were in a much warmer area with an IN GROUND pool!

Dinner

Well my my dad, younger brother and his girl friend came over for dinner last night. It was really nice to see them again. My brother lives in Chicago and is a bit of a hike away so we don't see each other as often as we could. The highlight of the evening was when my soon to be 7 year old Liam said..."Are Uncle Chad and his wife going home soon?" My wife almost lost it, but my brother and his girlfriend did not hear it the first time. When I repeated it my brother turned bright pink!

Lego Mini's

Brothers girlfriend Brittany brought eat of the three boys a Lego Mini Package. Of course they love them. The Painter, The Sailer and the Hasmat Suit...

School Starts for me tonight.

Chemistry for 8 weeks. MTW... Joy to the world the summer has come...

The 5

Red Dead Redemption - Brother brought it over for me to play. Really cool game and I am enjoying it. I just wish Rockstar would have a tamer version of it for the younger crowd. It could be a cool Teen Game with some simple modifications.
Too Tired - Little man is so tired he was trying to sleep sitting up straight. When he would dose he would wake and yell "I Awake...I not Sleeping!"
Animals in the back yard - Little Guy keeps playing with the plastic animals out in the yard. There are big cats in trees all over. Need to watch out so I don't get attacked.
Karate Results for Oldest - Well my oldest gets his results from his Karate test tonight. Hopefully he has his Yellow Belt!
Front Yard Park - I moved a wood bench from my porch to under a tree across the sidewalk. This way we can sit in the shade and watch the little guys play in the front yard. Oldest says it is like we have our own little park.

"Take It One Day At A Time"

Project Lego 365 Day 67

2011-06-06T15:46:00.003-05:00

Day 67

Custom Clone Office Orange

Project Lego 365 Day 65 & 66

2011-06-04T10:49:00.000-05:00

Day 65 & 66

Lack of sleep yesterday made me forget to post # 65... Whoops!

Before the Joker was the
"Clown Prince of Crime"
he was the
"Crown Prince of Mime."

Custom Clone Officer. "Green"

Project Lego 365 Day 64

2011-06-03T08:08:00.000-05:00

Day 64

Apparently the post I made last night did not actually post...

"We haven't been properly introduced.
I'm Buffy, and you're history!"
"Whoa, I am not a vampire... I'm Batman!"