Tristan's growing even more

Not only has he lost a tooth, he's decided he can now ride a bike without training wheels! He wants to go to the skate park every day all day now so he can ride. Good thing for helmets and pads! Here's a little video of him doing his new trick riding in this little dip area at the skate park (and no he doesn't do the scary stuff... yet...) At the rate we're going he's going to be driving next month!

A toothless grin!

Tristan lost his first tooth while we were camping! He was SO excited!! He even has a 2nd loose tooth right next to it. The tooth fairy just visited him last night (I told him she can't fly in the mountains cause there were too many trees). He was so excited to wake up to find a dollar under his pillow this morning!

A much needed vacation

We went to Moon Lake up in the high Uintahs. Other than the rain storm on the way there it was perfect weather all week. The lake was SO high from the last time we were there. It was crazy how much overflow there was at the dam.

The view driving in, after the nasty hail storm. We saw a power line get hit by lightening and had ping pong ball sized hail.
A chipmunk in his home. There were like 4 in this tunnel and they were everywhere along with squirrels galore.

Brown Duck River. We walked to this around part of the lake.

Griffin fishing

Tristan fishing

View of the lake from the dam

Tristan on our hike. Once we got to the river we had to go up the side of the mountain farther just to check it out.

The otherside of the lake. If you can see the sandy beach on the other side of the lake that's where the campgrounds are and where we started. It's about 4 miles round trip (we walked it 2x)

Tristan at the top of the mountain sorta (with an owl feather in his hat that he found)

How Griffin spent most of our first hike.. carried by grandpa

Griffin after surviving the hike

The last night looking at a map with Grandpa about all the trails we took and could take. Me and Tristan started on one that would have taken us farther up the river we saw but far from the lake.

The boys around the campfire

The boys exploring by a little stream

A possible bear cave we found near the stream. Perfect size for hibernating

Tristan posing near the bear cave

Griffin was less than happy at this point cause we didn't go the way he wanted.

Tristan and a very grouchy Griffin

A very unhappy Griffin


All my boys

Tristan and dad

Playing by the stream, Tristan was teaching Griffin how to balance on the log.

Snail Love

Griffin cracks me up! I love that kid. He has a "pet" snail. He carries it all over and has tried to sleep with it. He keeps it in a basket. I told him he should take it outside so he can find food/water etc. He said "No, my wuv him. My bufer (brother) gave him to me." with the biggest pouty face and puppy dog eyes you've ever seen. I'll have to get a pic of his pet before it dies lol

First Loose Tooth!

My baby is growing up!!! Last night at dinner he said mom I think I hurt my tooth. I didn't think so since it was just grilled cheese sandwiches so I asked to look at it and sure enough he has his first loose tooth! It's on the bottom right. I almost cried right then and there! Loose teeth, Kindergarten and he's almost 6! Who said he could grow up???

In other news he had his Kindergarten Assesment the other day and he did great! He can write his name, knew 17 capital letters and 10 lower case letters, counted to 12, knew all his shapes and colors, some letter sounds and could show which pictures started with the sound given by the teacher. He just needs some practice on pencil holding, rhyming and phonics. But so far so good! I'm so proud of him!

They gave him a book before he left and I showed him how to read the first page (the horse is brown) and he "read" the entire book by himself. I think it was mostly picture reading but before that know one else had read that book to him! I can't get over that he'll be reading soon too!


In some Griffin news, he knows the letter T and the letter O. I had no idea lol! We were sitting waiting for tristan's testing to finish and they had magnetic letters out there to play with. he grabbed each t and brought it to me and said t mom. T. Then he found all the O's and said o, mom, o! So proud of him! His speech seems to be getting a tiny bit better too, but he has a long ways to go!

Her blog

So I'm slow and forgot to post Nicole's blog. She's the one that took my boys pics. Check her out she's great!

http://photographybynicoleroberts.blogspot.com/

My handsome little men

A friend of mine does photography (ok several of them do) but this one needed practice with older kids. So she practiced with my kids. They weren't totally cooperative but I think the pics really show their personalities lol Here's a few of the pics from the shoot.

8's meme

Here be Da Rules:1. Mention the person who tagged you.2. Complete the list of 8's.3. Tag 8 other bloggers.4. Tell them they have been tagged.

I was tagged by Jen, Abby and Tonya

Eight Things I Look Forward To:

1- having more money now that I work FT
2- vacation at the end of june
3- Tristan starting kindergarten in the fall
4- Tina's baby coming today :D
5- some sleep would be nice
6- going camping this summer
7- a clean house .. that stays relatively clean.
8- just life in general

Eight Things I Wish I Could Do

1- go to sleep right now
2- stay home with my kids and afford it
3- live in a larger house
4- have dogs that behave
5- visit some of my internet buddies I've known for almost 6 yrs and have never met
6- get all my sewing projects caught up
7- get my scrapbooks all caught up
8- take a nap

Eight Shows I Watch
1- house
2- bones
3- ellen
4- Road Rules/Real World challenge (the Duel) yes I'm a nerd
5- AI
6- So you Think you can Dance
7- Ghost hunters
8- Doll House

Restaurants:
1- McDonalds
2-Wendy's
3- Subway
4- Ixtapa
5- Crown Burger
6-Denny's
7- Dairy Delight
8- American Burger

8 of my Quirks:
1- I need lots of sleep to function properly
2- am addicted to working out but don't get to go as often anymore :(
3- not nearly as shy as I used to be
4- I snore.. really loud.. pretty sure it's sleep apnea but it's really embarrassing to sleep around anyone
5- I love my mommies group a ton!
6- Before my mommies group almost all of my friends existed in my computer
7- I met dh online, and have met some of my online buddies IRL
8- I have been married before... yes people are always shocked

Eight Friends I Am Tagging:

Let's see... my mommy friends who need tagging.

Michelle
Camille
Marcie

anyone else who may or may not read my blog lol

Eight Things I Did Yesterday

1- went on a tour of a small fire station
2- took Tristan to his kindergarten check up
3- ate at wendy's
4- Skipped soccer practice
5- stayed up way too late with a feverish and sick 5 yr old and a wired 3 yr old who took a power nap at 9pm
6- had pizza for dinner
7- read my book (Nineteen Minutes)
8- took a shower

That was fast...

As of next week I officially go Full time at the gas station. I was offered the position of 3rd assistant manager and I took it. We could really use the money and it's a good opportunity so I took it! I had no desire to go FT when I started but now it just makes sense since I work close enough to FT as it is. Might as well get paid more too LOL

End of a Journey

For the last 5 1/2 yrs I have had my own little crafty business making children's items. It started out making baby blankets and slowly grew and grew into making over 10 different items for kids! I have gotten to a point I don't have time to sew as often anymore and I'm shutting it down :(. No more craft shows, no more online sales (aside from an occasional order for friends). 5 1/2 yrs isn't too bad though!

I am clearing out my inventory as I still have quite a bit so anyone is interested please let me know :) The lists are in my myspace blog at http://www.myspace.com/shannonscreations2006

I will be listing fabric on there soon too so I can clear out my many many drawers and totes of it and make some room in my craft room!

Thank you all for your support over the last 5+ yrs I couldn't have done it with out you all!!

Griffin's Spring School Picture

I didn't even know they were taking pictures but he's super cute!

The first time in 5 1/2 yrs

I have an actual job with a schedule and a pay check outside of my house. It's only part time at a local gas station but money is money and a job is a job! I enjoy it so far but am still adjusting to working again and taking the boys to the sitter and of course the joy of being on my feet for 4 or more hours at a time :| This should help us out a ton money wise though!

First Camping Trip of the Season

Jason decided last minute to go camping with friends this weekend. We were just going to go visit but ended up camping instead. It was lots of fun and a beautiful day until about 1:30am when I thought for sure our trailer was going to take flight. Sunday morning we got up, hurried to eat and packed up and just barely left right as the snow started moving in!


Tristan with his new headlight


Setting up the camper


Griffin around the fire pit


Playing catch with Bruce's dogs


Griffin and his headlight


Griffin playing a bean bag toss type game. He was doing really well from this distance!

My Weight Loss Journey

I started working on losing weight Jan 1st. Late January I bought me some cute shorts and a tshirt a size smaller than what I normally wear. I tried them on then. The shorts fit pretty well (yay) but the shirt was very snug and I felt stuffed in it. As I was doing laundry today hanging up clothes I came across it again and pulled it out to try it on just for the heck of it. It fits! The only really snug part is in the arm but it FITS! I'm seriously beyond excited!!!

I am down about 12lbs.. not a huge loss yet but baby steps!

Another Griffin update

We had an ultrasound done on the lump on his leg today at Primary's Children hospital this morning. It's what is called a bakers cyst which is most likely from him getting hurt (doing what, I'm not sure) and caused the fluid to accumulate behind the knee. His reg pediatrician called and said that it should eventually heal on its own and that we can cancel our appointment with the orthopedic surgeon. I'm so relieved! I wish I knew what triggered it but at least we know now what it is!

Griffin's First day of Preschool

went really well.

He's been SO excited since we got his back pack. He carried it everywhere and even slept with it last night.


This morning he couldn't decide WHAT to wear... I finally steered him away from buzz light year jammies to regular pants and shirt lol.


Tristan was good til it really dawned on him that we were dropping Griffin off with out him. He cried and cried that he'd miss him and refused to walk up to the door to drop Griffin off.

Gman did SO good going with his teacher. He just gave me one look to make sure it was ok he left and off he went! We went to the gym while he was in and tristan wanted to go pick him up right after but we had another hour to wait. PIcked him up and he was excited to see me but more excited to see Tristan. They had a note in his bag that said he did participate in the calendar time. He picked sand table and painting during centers. Played with his friend Ashlynn (never met her lol and she's the only girl in his class). And he had oranges for a snack and that he was happy today. so over all it went really well! I didn't cry either just got a little misty when he left.

Kindergarten

Today was Kindergarten registration for the 09-10 School Year. I can't believe Tristan is going to be starting school in a short 6 mths. He'll be attending West Elem here in Tooele. I'm not sure I'm prepared for that just yet! He's very excited to go but a tiny bit nervous too. he will be one of the oldest in his class since he'll be nearly 6 by time school starts! I know he'll love it but he's my baby! Thankfully he has a few friends already that go to that school, just sucks they are at least 1 grade above him.

Is it spring yet?

Sorry I haven't update for a few weeks the last couple weeks have been crazy! Me and Jason were both sick with sore throats for the first 2 weeks of Feb. As soon as we got better we joined the new Gold's Gym out here and were excited to get going. That evening we went to dinner with my parents for Valentine's day and Griffin spiked a fever. He had it on Monday too so no Gym. Tues I had a fitness evaluation so I dropped the kids in the day care and left. Not even 15 mins later they come to get me to tell me he had thrown up. lovely. Thankfully my friend Sarah could come and get him and watch him at my house until Jason got home from work. He didn't throw up for 24 hrs so we tried to go back to the gym Weds for Jason's fitness evaluation. Went to pick him up and he suddenly had pink eye *sigh*. I whip out the drops I had from last time and start treatment. The next day as he's walking past (naked of course my kids never wear clothes at home) I notice a lump on his leg that's not baby fat. No it looks like someone took a bouncy ball and stuck it under his skin. Immediate call in to the dr. She runs a CBC test and an LDH test to see if it's more than a cyst. I stress all night, all day friday when they finally call to say the CBC is perfectly normal but the LDH isn't back yet. The LDH is the scary it could be cancer test. So I stress all weekend, I got sick, threw up, Tristan has had a fever all weekend and Jason's been sick too. I got the call this morning that his LDH came back NORMAL. I am so relieved that my baby doesn't have something scary. Now we'll just wait for the order for an ultrasound to be done and then meet with a general surgeon at primary children's hospital to decide what's next for the mystery lump. Needless to say it's been a very long and stressful week and half. I'm so done with it all and wish it was spring so we can be done with being sick and I can get in the gym! My body is just craving the work out and it sucks not being able to go! Funny to think that *MY* body craves the gym. I did get in there Friday thought and decompressed from the anxiety I was feeling because of "the lump". Amazing what 90 mins in a gym will do for your mental state.

Small weight loss update

I've been sick this last week and been a slacker on the work out dept because the one time I tried I ended up on the floor hacking LOL Anywho... aside from that I worked out over 22 HOURS in the month of January! This month I'm at a measly hour but all well. I stepped on the scale this morning and am down 10 lbs!!!!

Last night I got me a cute new summer outfit at walmart and bought a size smaller in pants and shirt than I would normally buy........... and they fit! Well the shirt is snug in the tummy but hey I at least was able to get it ON. And the pants fit perfectly!

Anywho just had to share cause I'm so excited!

Just for you!

Something just for you! Lucky you! The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year. (might be a little while)
4- You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or an article on properly cleaning your face before a masque. I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog.The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it! Good luck!

The results are in...

Head start called me back today and said that Griffin qualifies for speech services. He passed his cognitive test perfectly fine and his vision test. Setting up his retest on hearing this week. But on articulation she said he scored at 3% (which I'm not sure is 100% accurate because he was SO shy) which means 97% of kids his age score higher than him. So he definitely qualifies. He'll be going to class 2x a week for 2 1/2 hrs each day. he can ride the bus (which makes me cry to think of my baby riding a bus all alone!) I just have mixed emotions over the whole thing. Anywho.. that's all I know so far. We'll have his IEP meeting in the next week or so before he starts.

I'm somewhat relieved that I know the process fairly well... seeing as that's my partial minor from college. So I know the IEP process and what not... just never thought I'd be going through it for my own child.

Vote for Tiffany

I'm just passing this along for my friend. I know not many read my blog but for those that do... please vote!

Honestly I have never met Tiffany. I came across her blog through my friend Kim's blog. I have never cried so hard over a blog story my entire life! You can read it HERE (warning you will need a tissue!!!) It is the story of her pregnancy in which she learns that her daughter's chances are that she won't live beyond birth and her decision to carry her as close to full term as possible.

Anyway the voting part. Tiffany gave birth just over a week ago to her angel Emma. Emma died shortly into labor. Tiffany is a finalist for a makeover and I think that she so deserves it. You can vote HERE.

If nothing else do it for me!

Thanks!
Camille

Let's see how much I really read

I love reading although the last few years it's been nearly non existant til recently. These are the top 200 novels... not sure how many i've actually read. Bold are ones I've read. Italics are ones I'd like to read.

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
101. Three Men In A Boat, Jerome K. Jerome
102. Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
103. The Beach, Alex Garland
104. Dracula, Bram Stoker
105. Point Blanc, Anthony Horowitz
106. The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens
107. Stormbreaker, Anthony Horowitz
108. The Wasp Factory, Iain Banks
109. The Day Of The Jackal, Frederick Forsyth
110. The Illustrated Mum, Jacqueline Wilson
111. Jude The Obscure, Thomas Hardy
112. The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾, Sue Townsend
113. The Cruel Sea, Nicholas Monsarrat
114. Les Misérables, Victor Hugo
115. The Mayor Of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy
116. The Dare Game, Jacqueline Wilson
117. Bad Girls, Jacqueline Wilson
118. The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
119. Shogun, James Clavell
120. The Day Of The Triffids, John Wyndham
121. Lola Rose, Jacqueline Wilson
122. Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray
123. The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy
124. House Of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski
125. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
126. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett
127. Angus, Thongs And Full-Frontal Snogging, Louise Rennison
128. The Hound Of The Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle
129. Possession, A. S. Byatt
130. The Master And Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov
131. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
132. Danny The Champion Of The World, Roald Dahl
133. East Of Eden, John Steinbeck
134. George's Marvellous Medicine, Roald Dahl
135. Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett
136. The Color Purple, Alice Walker
137. Hogfather, Terry Pratchett
138. The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan
139. Girls In Tears, Jacqueline Wilson
140. Sleepovers, Jacqueline Wilson
141. All Quiet On The Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
142. Behind The Scenes At The Museum, Kate Atkinson
143. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby
144. It, Stephen King
145. James And The Giant Peach, Roald Dahl
146. The Green Mile, Stephen King
147. Papillon, Henri Charriere
148. Men At Arms, Terry Pratchett
149. Master And Commander, Patrick O'Brian
150. Skeleton Key, Anthony Horowitz
151. Soul Music, Terry Pratchett
152. Thief Of Time, Terry Pratchett
153. The Fifth Elephant, Terry Pratchett
154. Atonement, Ian McEwan
155. Secrets, Jacqueline Wilson
156. The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier
157. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey
158. Heart Of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
159. Kim, Rudyard Kipling
160. Cross Stitch, Diana Gabaldon
161. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
162. River God, Wilbur Smith
163. Sunset Song, Lewis Grassic Gibbon
164. The Shipping News, Annie Proulx
165. The World According To Garp, John Irving
166. Lorna Doone, R. D. Blackmore
167. Girls Out Late, Jacqueline Wilson
168. The Far Pavilions, M. M. Kaye
169. The Witches, Roald Dahl
170. Charlotte's Web, E. B. White
171. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
172. They Used To Play On Grass, Terry Venables and Gordon Williams
173. The Old Man And The Sea, Ernest Hemingway
174. The Name Of The Rose, Umberto Eco
175. Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder
176. Dustbin Baby, Jacqueline Wilson
177. Fantastic Mr Fox, Roald Dahl
178. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
179. Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, Richard Bach
180. The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
181. The Suitcase Kid, Jacqueline Wilson
182. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
183. The Power Of One, Bryce Courtenay
184. Silas Marner, George Eliot
185. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
186. The Diary Of A Nobody, George and Weedon Grossmith
187. Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh
188. Goosebumps, R. L. Stine
189. Heidi, Johanna Spyri
190. Sons And Lovers, D. H. Lawrence Life of Lawrence
191. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
192. Man And Boy, Tony Parsons
193. The Truth, Terry Pratchett
194. The War Of The Worlds, H. G. Wells
195. The Horse Whisperer, Nicholas Evans
196. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
197. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett
198. The Once And Future King, T. H. White
199. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
200. Flowers In The Attic, Virginia Andrews


Ummm apparently not enough. 10 of 200.. wow I better get reading!

The simple things

Ahhh to be a child again and take joy in the simplest things in life. Yesterday was our big grocery shopping day. I went with out Jason this time and just went with the boys which is always an adventure. While looking for the right razors for Jason, Tristan comes RUNNING back so excited "MOM! Come look at the new toothbrushes in town!!!" LOL It was a astronaut one and a soccer toothbrush and he was SO excited! Too bad they were $6, but ya know they ARE the new toothbrushes in town hehe.

Later on we make it to the fruit snack aisle. We can't ever pass that up. Tristan runs to go pick out his box and immediately yells "MOM!!! They got new fruit snacks!!!!" He was SO excited that they now had Operation (the game) fruit snacks. So of course they each had to have a box. There was another lady in the aisle just laughing and laughing but she reminded me to enjoy the excitement of fruit snacks while it lasts because they grow up, then pointed to her teenage daughter who was trying really hard NOT to laugh.

Putting it out there to the world

I figure if I post it to the world (or at the least the 5 people that read my blog) I will hold myself more accountable! I have always been the big girl since I was 13. I thought I was HUGE back then... I had no idea. I am to the point I have to do something so I can be around to see my grandkids. I'm not unhealthy. I have no immediate health concerns other than my weight! So I am putting it out there that I will lose weight and I will keep it off (unlike in the past).

I have been working for almost 2 weeks now doing exercise of some kind every.single.day. I lost a few lbs the first week but they have since come back but I will keep going. I have to. Tristan is so good about reminding me to work out and he will even do my obnoxious Denise Austin Cardio work out with me LOL I just wish I had his energy! After 30 mins he still wants to do more and more!

Now I'm not living like a rabbit. I love my food but I am watching what I eat and most importantly how much! That seems to be my biggest problem, not so much what I'm eating but I can't eat for 3 people. So if you happen to read this..help me stay accountable and on track. They say it takes 3 weeks to form a new habit. I'm about half way there. If I can make it a month I think I'll be good to go!

Griffin's 3 yr old Check up

He is almost 36 lbs and 38 inches tall. He's thinning out a lot and is a little on the tall side for his age. His ears are now dewaxified. NASTY NASTY NASTY. But he was such a trooper for it all. His left ear is slightly irritated... not sure if it's from the wax or if it's slightly infected. She said to wait til later this week or early next week before doing the hearing test to see if it goes back to normal and if he fails on that ear to call her for antibiotics. Otherwise he's healthy as a horse, got 5 shots and only cried for the Measles and Chk pox shot. Walked out spoiled with a new bob the builder book, a sucker, a sticker and starbursts.

Now we just wait to see if this fixes the speech or not. *crossing fingers*

Got tagged again

Similiar to the last one but not the same. Thanks Sarah :P

8 favorite TV shows
1~ Biggest Loser
2~ Bones
3~House
4~ American Idol
5~ Ellen
6~ What Not to Wear
7~ Drive Ins and Dives
8~ Jon and Kate plus 8

8 Favorite Restaurants

1~Red Robin
2~ Denny's (lame I know!)
3~ ummm Crown burger?
4~Ruby Tuesday
5~ Virgs
6~ Ixtapa (lame again but we don't have many places to eat around here!)
7~ Training Table
8~ Mimi's Cafe

8 things that happened yesterdy

1~ worked out
2~ deep cleaned my living room
3~ played Star Wars Monopoly
4~ ate LOL
5~ made jello
6~ watched tv
7~ laundry
8~ read more of my book (Angels & Demons)

8 things to look forward to

1~ Bonkos this weekend
2~ our refinance finishing up
3~ TooeleMommies bday party
4~ TooeleMommies bday party being OVER LOL
5~ Joining Gold's Gym
6~ working out more so I can be skinnier
7~ dinner tonight
8~ my electrical work being done in my house

8 things on my wishlist

1~ for my house to stay clean
2~ to lose weight
3~ for Jason to keep his job
4~ getting out of debt
5~ the economy to get better
6~ losing a bunch of weight
7~ keeping that bunch of weight OFF
8~ healthy family and friends

8 people I tag

I'm not sure 8 people read my blog... so again.. if you read, consider yourself tagged!

Griffin's Speech Evaluation

Today was Griffin's speech evaluation because he's still not speaking very clearly. We won't have the results for 3-4 wks but after he warmed up he did ok. Didn't get the hearing test done because his ears are packed in wax.. have to fix that and take him back. Passed his vision, barely got him to talk for the articulation which was the most important. All of them get tested on cognitive just because. He aced that. He was doing things that 5 yrs old should do and did decent for a 3 yr old on the 6 and 7 yr old stuff. So it just reaffirmed he's brilliant and just doesn't talk... although the wax may be the culprit!

National Bankruptcy Day!

I'm quoting my dear friend Melissa because she couldn't have said it any better. This Act will put my business out of business. It's really sad that it was even allowed to pass

Soon, a United States law will go into affect that will have a profound impact on small business, including many of my friends and loved ones. It is called the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. It is a law that in essence, prohibits anyone from selling products to children under twelve without rigorous lead testing. This includes ANY products intended for use by a child. Small businesses, Etsy, E-bay, Craigslist, Freecycle, thrift stores, garage sales, even hand-me-downs are included in this measure.

I am disgusted. PLEASE write to your congressmen!

All items that haven't been tested for lead by February 10th will be required to be thrown into a landfill. I am disgusted that the country I live in, who boasts of its many freedoms, would do something as heinous as this.

What makes me even sicker is that OUR house passed it with no nays and only a few in the Senate. I have a pit in my stomach. I can only imagine who is in the back pockets of these lawmakers.

For living in a country that boasts being a democracy, it sure feels a lot like communism.


To see more about National Bankruptcy Day SEE HERE

An article to see how this will effect thrift stores SEE HERE

How it will effect small business like Etsy SEE HERE

For a Facebook group that helps you to see how you may be able to change the law SEE HERE

In addition you can also vote against it here: http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia

Help the Mommies Network! We need a new server!

As most of you know I am the Site Admin of TooeleMommies.com. We are just one site of over 100 sites that make up The Mommies Network. We need help raising money to get us a bigger and better server. You do NOT need to be a member of TooeleMommies or any other mommies site (but if you want to be you can check out www.themommiesnetwork.org to see if there is a site in your area). It is at no cost to you to help us raise this money just some of your time :)

[Cough] [cough] The system health is strained due to overwork and lack of sleep.
Write reviews and help TMN raise money for a new server so we won't have to see this message any more!

Save the Server!

The Mommies Network needs your help. We are raising money to pay for a new server. In order to continue growing, we need to add a new server to our system. At this point, we are unable to add any more sites to our network because we are maxed out (have you seen the "[Cough] [cough] The system health is strained due to overwork and lack of sleep." message at the bottom of the screen?). The basic server we need is at least $5,000. The more money we raise, the better quality server we can purchase. Our goal is to raise $10,000 during this fundraiser. The fundraiser runs from Sunday, January 4 through Sunday, January 25.


How can you help?
Join Insider Pages http://www.insiderpages.com/fundraisers/The-Mommies-Network-0901 and write reviews for businesses that you have patronized in the last 24 months. Invite your friends and families to write reviews as well - they do NOT need to live in your area, this is a national fundraiser ;) The more people who are writing reviews, the more successful this fundraiser will be! Our goal is to have all of our members write at least 10 reviews over the three weeks of the fundraiser. Each review can earn up to $1.50 for The Mommies Network! Every little bit helps!


You win too!
Your members have four chances to raise money for your site too!

* When TMN raises $1000, we will pick one participating site to receive $50 for a site party/event, and that site will receive a special theme color.

* When TMN raises $2500, we will pick one participating site to receive $100 for a site party/event, and that site will receive a special theme color.

* When TMN raises $5000, we will pick 1 participating site to receive $125 for a site party/event, and that site will receive a special theme color.

* When TMN raises $10,000, we will pick 1 participating site to receive $150 for a site party/event, and that site will receive a special theme color.

*A participating site is any site that has 10% or more of their members register, join their site team and write at least one review. Based on membership numbers as of December 2008.


Join Your Site's Team!
Want to get that prize for your local site!? Join their team in helping TMN SAVE THE SERVER!
Here are step by step instructions on how to get into your team and how you can participate!
Go To: http://www.insiderpages.com/fundraisers/The-Mommies-Network-0901
Click on the Join This Fundraiser.
Choose 'Select a Team' (located under Your Contribution on the right hand side)
Select your site's name from the drop down menu and join!


Keep up to date on our progress! Visit http://themommiesnetwork.blogspot.com to view updated progress on the fundraiser, participating sites, and more.

The fine print from Insider Pages:
* You must be at least 18 years old to participate.
* Your experience with the business or service reviewed must be a first-hand experience. No hearsay please.
* Your experience with the business or service provider must have occurred within the last 24 months.
* The reviewed company must still be in business.
* Reviews of restaurant chains (McDonalds, Outback Steakhouse, KFC, etc.), gas station chains, movie theater chains and national or regional chain stores (Target, Dollar Tree, Home Depot etc.) DO NOT qualify. You are welcome to write reviews for these businesses but they will not earn your organization money for the fundraiser. Most people are pretty familiar with these businesses and there tends to be little differentiation city to city and state to state. In other words, these are businesses that do not require a word-of-mouth referral so reviews of these businesses are of little value to people like you – and to our community of users.
* Copied reviews in whole or in part from any other sources do not qualify.
* Profanity, abusive or offensive language in reviews, reviews alleging illegal activity or malpractice, and reviews deemed inappropriate by Insider Pages editors do not qualify.
* Proper grammar, punctuation and spelling must be used. No "text speak" or ALL CAPS.
* Business owners and employees/associates are not allowed to review themselves. Instead, business owners should claim their business profile page and customize it by adding information, photos, special offers, their story, and more – all for FREE.
* If you are adding a new business to the Insider Pages database, please make sure to the best of your ability that the listing is not a duplicate and that the company's current contact information is provided. Information provided must be able to be verified by a third party source including another website, a business card, receipt, directory listing or other reliable source.
* Personal information or messages including email addresses, URLs, phone numbers and postal addresses (or both first and last name of an individual unless their name is also part of the business name) that are not already publicly available.
* Review submissions must be entered directly on the Insider Pages website.
* Reviews not meeting our terms and conditions or deemed inappropriate by Insider Pages editors do not qualify.

Thank you for supporting The Mommies Network!