TOOTH!!!

Well, I have been wondering if my little man may be teething for about a month now and was wondering when the teeth were actually going to make and appearance. Well, this morning when I woke up he was chewing on my hand. As he aggresively bit down on my finger I realized that coming up from those precious gums was a little tooth. I can't believe it!! It has broke the surface and he seems pretty proud of himself. I have been lucky with Addison and it looks like with Rhett as well that they both tend to take cutting teeth with little or no drama. No fevers, no fussiness, nothing but an endless desire to chew and constant drool - things that I can totally handle. Yeah for Rhett and his first tooth!!

Big Boy!

It's hard to see but it's there!

SparkRecipes

O.K. - diets are extremely intimidating to me - simply because I have never succeeded in them - Well, I may have lost 5 pounds here and there but soon became unmotivated and frustrated. So, is this time any different? I don't know!! I certainly hope so but only time will tell. I have a difficult time with laziness - be it cooking something different for me then my family or having the energy to count calories, points, whatever!! Anyways, I have decided that there is no way around it - it just has to be done since I refuse to resort to liposuction (can't afford it) or "magic" pills.

Unfortunately, I do not have the funds to buy a pass to any local athletic club and I don't have the motivation to just head out the door on a run. That part can also be frustrating since growing up I was always an athlete and being active was just a part of what I did - every day. Growing up we didn't have reality TV, cell phones, internet, the Redbox or anything like that. My sister and I had to be creative with our "free" time and as a result we spent many summer evenings in the park bumping the volleyball around, or shooting hoops down at the gradeschool, or going for walks or bike rides in the country. I miss it - I really do!! I yearn for the brisk fresh air and the beautiful view of the mountains out my window. Needless to say I think I would be all for "working out" if it just didn't feel like "working out" - if you know what I mean. I remember my mom walking with her "friends" every morning up around the base of "our" mountain and she tells of the most wonderful, intimate conversations during those mornings with friends as well as a few pounds dropped along the way. I envy her "walking" buddy relationships. I think in the small town that I grew up in people just made time for people because we actually had "time". I can't believe how quickly and forcefully technology has taken over our lives. I hope someday to live in the country again and have close friends to "walk and talk" with. I look forward to "that" kind of exercise.

Anyways, I'm rambling on and on and not even really getting to the point of this blog which is a website I found (yeah for internet???) called sparkrecipes.com. On this site they have a recipe calculator which has been wonderful as I seek to discover the muscle under this flab. One frustration of mine when I used to diet was that I could never eat my homemade "comfort" foods that I loved so much. One, because I figured they were too high in calories, fat, sugar, etc . . . and two, because I had NO idea how many calories, fat, sugar I was consuming and when you're on a diet eating something that is in the "unknown" category is a no-no. Anyways, this new website has become my best friend because I am able to calculate my much-loved recipes and the final result will be a complete break-down of all of the nutrional information for that meal. Whahooo!! It's been great - however I did discover a few recipes that I probably should only intake once every 5 years (yikes!) On this website you will also find fun new low-cal recipes that others have created and you can even share your own. It's fun!! Well, I know this blog is random and it was not meant to be this long at all - but it is what it is. Hope you enjoy the website, especially for all you calorie counting, weight-watching, woman of the dieting realm of life. I think I may just go outside now and see if I can't catch a glimpse of . . . . . . . well, a cloud or two I guess. City life is not for me!

Clean Room?

O.K. so Addison is in the stage of her life where she has to transition from mom and dad picking up after her to picking up after herself. Once we began this dreaded fiasco about 1 and a half years ago she has been a beast when it comes to cleaning up her stuff. We would literally have to shut the door to her room and make her stay in there until it was picked up. Granted, I'm not an unrealistic person and I don't expect her to have the books nicely stacked on her shelf or the boxes organized or anything I just want her to take a little pride and responsibility for her stuff. So, the last time we asked her to clean her room she threw a little fit (not a huge one which is progress) and soon realized that she would be in her room the entire evening if she didn't actually DO something. So, much to Jeremy and I's surprise she began scouring the house for her "stuff" and diligently cleaning her room. I was SO impressed and sighed a big sigh of relief when I saw her working so hard. When the job was complete she excitedly ran to get Jeremy and I and proudly show us her "clean" room. Much to our surprise it was a lot better than I thought it would be, that is until she said, "You just can't look in the closet!" I would love to have a picture of my face at that very moment because I'm sure it was a mixture of a laugh and frustration. Apparently we still have a ways to go in the "how-tos" of cleaning a room. So, as any mother would I very carefully opened her closet doors to discover toys, clothes, books, games, shoes, etc . . . piled up higher than I think she could reach. Jeremy had to leave due to the huge smile he had on his face and I had to hold in the giggles. I calmly explained to Addison that I was proud of her for cleaning her room but stuffing everything in the closet is not what mommy and daddy meant by a clean room. Not only had she just stuffed her entire room in a small space but now she has created more work for mommy in sorting all of it out. However, punishment was not given due to her diligent efforts. So, today when I asked her to clean her room she explained that she really didn't want to but I assured her that it was necessary if she wanted her aunt and uncle to come over this evening. So, she set to work after I had explained that she was NOT to throw everything in the closet. Again, after a span of about 20 minutes she excitedly ran to get me and explain that her room was clean and it wasn't all in the closet. I hesitantly walked toward her room with the hope that she did not have piles in the closet. However, she was correct - ALL of it wasn't in the closet but stuffed in other fun little corners of her room. She had a pile behind her table, in the closet and by her bed but the floor was clean and she was happy. I decided to put my happy mommy face on, tell her what a good girl she was and decide that it was progress and that I would let her "claim" her clean room and take ownership of it without mommy coming in and telling her everything that she did wrong. I think I'm finally beginning to understand my daughter and am so thrilled that I've learned if I keep my emotions toward certain situations in check she will react in a much better way. Yeah - it's taken me 4 years.

Stuff on her desk and by her bed

Things stacked on the "right" side of her closet

The last time it was the left side
Stuffed animals piled up behind her table

My little man!!

Gosh I sure love him!! That's all!

Since I am having difficulty thinking of something to blog about I thought I would steal an idea. Not that I have very many blog readers or that I'm trying to inform the world about me but I thought it would be fun to go back from time to time and see if I have accomplished any of the italics. Besides that - I'm bored!!

Things you've already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven't done and don't want to - leave in plain font

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Changed a baby's diaper - just a few min. ago
4. Watched a meteor shower
5. Given more than you can afford to charity
6. Swam with wild dolphins
7. Climbed a mountain - lived in gville
8. Said "I love you" and meant it - everyday
9. Bungee jumped - not a fan of dying just yet
10. Visited Paris
11. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
12. Seen the Northern Lights
13. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
14. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
15. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
16. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
17. Had a pillow fight
18. Bet on a winning horse
19. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
20. Built a snow fort
21. Held a lamb
22. Gone skinny dipping
23. Taken an ice cold bath
24. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
25. Seen a total eclipse
26. Ridden a roller coaster
27. Hit a home run
28. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
29. Adopted an accent for fun
30. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
31. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
32. Loved your job 90% of the time
33. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
34. Watched wild whales
35. Gone rock climbing - no gear though - risky
36. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach - more like 10pm
37. Gone sky diving - only if I was pushed out
38. Visited Ireland
39. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
40. Visited India
41. Bench-pressed your own weight
42. Milked a cow
43. Alphabetized your personal files
44. Ever worn a superhero costume
45. Sung karaoke
46. Lounged around in bed all day
47. Gone snorkeling
48. Kissed in the rain
49. Played in the mud
50. Gone to a drive-in theater
51. Done something you should regret, but don't
52. Visited the Great Wall of China - the only reason for visiting China
53. Started a business
54. Taken a martial arts class - made it for 2 days
55. Been in a movie
56. Gone without food for 3 days
57. Made cookies from scratch
58. Won first prize in a costume contest
59. Got flowers for no reason
60. Been in a combat zone - does babysitting count?
61. Spoken more than one language fluently
62. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
63. Bounced a check - oops
64. Read - and understood - your credit report
65. Found out something significant that your ancestors did - English royalty
66. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
67. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
69. Helped an animal give birth
70. Been fired or laid off from a job
71. Won money
72. Broken a bone
73. Ridden a motorcycle
74. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
75. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
76. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
77. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
78. Eaten sushi
79. Had your picture in the newspaper
80. Read The Bible cover to cover
81. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
82. Gotten someone fired for their actions
83. Gone back to school
84. Changed your name - from Wilson to Franklin
85. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
86. Eaten fried green tomatoes
87. Read The Iliad
88. Taught yourself an art from scratch
89. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
91. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
92. Been elected to public office
93. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
94. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
95. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
96. Had a booth at a street fair
97. Dyed your hair
98. Been a DJ
99. Rocked a baby to sleep
100. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four - friends did
101. Raked your carpet
102. Worn a mood ring
103. Ridden a horse
104. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
105. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe.
106. Buried a child
107. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
108. Been inside the pyramids
109. Shot a basketball into a basket
110. Danced at a disco
111. Shot a bird
112. Gone to an arboretum
113. Tutored someone
114. Ridden a train
115. Brought an old fad back into style
116. Eaten caviar
117. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
118. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
119. Published a book
120. Pieced a quilt
121. Lived in a historic place
122. Acted in a play or performed on a stage - Fiddler on the Roof and My Fair Lady in college
123. Asked for a raise
124. Made a hole-in-one - in mini-golf
125. Gone deep sea fishing
126. Gone roller skating
127. Ran a marathon
128. Learned to surf
129. Invented something
130. Flown first class
131. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
132. Flown in a helicopter
133. Visited Africa
134. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
135. Gone spelunking
136. Learned how to take a compliment
137. Written a love-story
138. Seen Michelangelo’s David
139. Had your portrait painted -Jeremy and I in Disneyland - Character portraits
140. Written a fan letter
141. Spent the night in something haunted
142. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane - I WISH!!
143. Ran away - only made it 1 block before I hightailed it for home
144. Learned to juggle
145. Been a boss - sort of at a day camp
146. Sat on a jury
147. Lied about your weight
148. Gone on a diet
149. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
150. Written a poem
151. Carried your lunch in a lunch box - still do
152. Gotten food poisoning
153. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
154. Hiked the Grand Canyon
155. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
156. Gone to the opera
157. Gotten a letter from someone famous
158. Worn knickers
159. Ridden in a limousine
160. Attended the Olympics
161. Can hula or waltz
162. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
163. Been stuck in an elevator
164. Had a revelatory dream
165. Thought you might crash in an airplane
166. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
167. Saved someone’s life
168. Eaten raw whale
169. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
170. Laughed till your side hurt
171. Straddled the equator - my dad did!
172. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
173. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
174. Sent a message in a bottle
175. Spent the night in a hostel
176. Been a cashier
177. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
178. Joined a union
179. Donated blood or plasma
180. Built a camp fire - just last summer at the cabin while pregnant - anyone impressed
181. Kept a blog
182. Had hives
183. Worn custom made shoes or boots
184. Made a PowerPoint presentation
185. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
186. Served at a soup kitchen
187. Conquered the Rubik’s cube - no patience!
188. Know CPR
189. Ridden in or owned a convertible
190. Found a long lost friend
191. Helped solve a crime
192. Played in a band- don't know what I'd play but it would be fun
193. Visited hawaii
194. Been to disneyland/world
196. Held a praying mantis
196. Sang a solo - in my younger years
198. Adopted a child - hopefully someday
199. Seen the mona lisa in france
200. Hitch hiked
201. Ridden a gondola in venice
203. Been on a cruise
204. Seen niagara falls in person
205. Seen an amish community
206. Seen the alamo in person
210. Saved a favorite childhood toy
211. Visited the lincoln memorial
212. Stood in times square
213. Seen the changing of the guard in london
214. Visited the white house
215. Had chickenpox
218. Joined a book club
219. Lost a loved one
220. Had a baby x2