From Inmates to Playdates

Posts Tagged ‘Weightloss’

If you were my wedding ring…..

You’d smile knowing that you are my favorite material possession.

You’d be thinking to yourself… I can’t believe I made THE BLOG.

You would have been sad to be separated from me for 8 days when you had to be sized down due to my recent weight loss efforts.

You would wish that I’d be easier on you so that you wouldn’t have to have your prong fixed again.

You’d wonder why I didn’t clean you more often.

You would know that you are special to me because McDaddy presented you on my wedding day and I have hardly had you off of my hand except for cleaning and repairs.

You would frown when I talked of upgrading (upsizing) the engagement diamond [no real worries... I am really attached to you]

You would grin when people mentioned how much they loved you.

You would stick your tongue out at all of the other rings that must sit in the jewelry box and wait their turn to be worn on my right hand.

You’d hate getting caught on things now that you have new, sharp prongs.

You would know how excited I was the day that McDaddy placed you on my finger.

You would wonder why sometimes your metal and my skin caus a reaction.

You would know that I *triple heart* you very much.

Welcome to my humble abode. I’m so glad you are here. If you are one of my eight loyal blog fans, I appreciate you and hope you learn something about me you don’t already know. If you are new here, I sure welcome you to visit any ole’ time. I love company.

For starters, this is my blog. I started blogging in June, 2006 for myself and 200 of my closest friends on mySpace. Back in November, 2008 I decided to take the bloggy plunge and join the blogosphere. That whole Inmates to Playdates thing up there, that’s all true. Before hanging up my handcuffs to be a stay-at-home-mom, I was an inmate counselor at a Regional Jail.

I am 35 and I am married to McDaddy who happens to be the most patient man on the planet. He is a control systems genius engineer and also a member of the WV Air National Guard. He is currently deployed for six months where he is diligently protecting our butts, our freedoms and whatever else needs protecting at his current location. I talk about him often here at Inmates and I so proud to be his wife. I miss him terribly. Oh, and did I mention he is hot!

I have a six year old son named Stevie. He is a cool kid who loves Thomas, Lightning McQueen, Monster Trucks and his beloved DS. He is one of the sweetest kids I’ve ever known and I’m not at all just saying that because he is mine. He is thoughtful, polite and loving. (He’s also very smart but I don’t want to sound like one of those mothers).

I also have a three year old son named Alex. He has two speeds. Asleep. And wide open. It is comical to watch him in action. He loves to run, jump, climb and bulldoze. He also likes Thomas, Lightning McQueen, Monster Trucks and his Leapster. He is sweet, independent and cute as a button.

My boys are the joy of my life and I am thankful for the privilege of being a [stay-at-home] mother. Even though I always thought I would have a daughter, I am thrilled that the boys are the best of friends and wonderful playmates.

As my tagline says, I am a self proclaimed princess who gave up a career in corrections for stay-at-home-mom royalty. I have a truck-load of quirks and I am gifted in the art of conversation. Just ask anybody. I enjoyed my time in jail very much but I enjoy motherhood even more. I have recently began working out and lost 25 pounds in 30 weeks. I love the Saturn Skyand Reality TV. I am also a Longaberger consultant and scrapbooker.

This blog is like a bag of chex mix. Sometimes you get a boring ole raisin and sometimes you get the M&M. Either way, it is my life.

I have talked at length about my funeral, the fun I had while riding in a police car and even pap smears.

Some days I talk about my sweet boys, my hubby or my Jesus.

I do hope you’ll stick around for awhile. Feel free to look around and enjoy my daily dose of crazy. Believe me, there is plenty to go around.

Oh, and at the end of the awesome Ultimate Blog Party sponsored by the gals over at Five Minutes For Mom, I’ll be giving away a Longaberger purse, so be sure and leave a comment on this post.

Thanks for stopping by and do have yourselves a lovely day!

———–

And the winner is……..

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

16

Timestamp: 2009-03-29 00:47:14 UTC

Congratulations, Beth! I will be contacting you by e-mail!

————

My prize choices would be – #58 – Kitchen Aid Mixer sponsored by Mom’s Who Think, #123 – Kohl’s gift-card sponsored by The Grotto, #118 – Old Navy gift-card sponsored by Manic Mother, #103 – Surprise Box sponsored by Monkey’s Momma, #91 – Target Gift Card sponsored by Mummy Deals, #89 – Gift Card to Home Goods sponsored by HG Openhouse, #19 – Target gift card sponsored by Shoot Me Now.

———–

If you were my favorite shoes… You’d look like this.

And….

You would have been happy to by pulled off of a finish line shelf at the Mall Of America to be adopted by me.

You would have taken just about every step with me as part of the great weight loss effort of 2008 (and now 2009).

You would love being used every single day (except in Winter).

You would smile everytime I sang your praises to someone who asked about you.

You’d get a kick out of the fact that the kids call you my ‘workout shoes’, even though I wear you even when I’m not working out.

You’d love not ever having floppy shoe strings because of your new-fangled strings that can’t come untied.

You’d be sad to see the bad weather rolling in because you are just not equipped to handle snow and rain very well.

You’d be frowning at the new Nike Shox that I got for Christmas simply because you are not conducive to wintry weather even though your name is Nike Hot Shots.

*You’d love it when I showed off the housing unit in lefty that holds the chip that talks to my iPod about miles and calories that is sent to Nike.com.

You’d wish you were a different color than white because you get dirty so easily.

You’d be surprised that I have dedicated a whole blog post to you.

*By the way, here is the way the sensor and the receiver work. It is actually pretty amazing remarkable. The sensor transmits info such as calories burned, miles walked, total time, and best time to your iPod. You can then upload (or is it download) the info to nike.com.

This is the most comfortable shoe you will ever slip your foot into. I love these shoes because they are light and they are comfortable. They are a great weight-loss tool.

And that works for me!!!

Check out other tips that work for you over at We are THAT family.

It all started when I bought my mom a cute pair of capris for her birthday last year. They were the wrong size so I had been to five different stores looking for the right size.
 
That same week, three of my sisters-in-law and I went to the YMCA on guest membership passes so that our kids could play on the indoor play gym.
 
Because it was 47 degrees outside.
 
In May.
 
Anyhoo.
 
While we were there, I inquired about a gym membership and pondered it for a few days while clearing the cost and idea with McDaddy. .
 
So, while I was making one last futile attempt to find those capri pants for my mom, I got the sign I had been waiting for.
 
I was in JC Penney and I saw it.
 
The big “save an additional 50% off on all sportswear sign.”
 
My 50% radar went off and I knew this was it.

I bought this cute outfit in three colors because it was sportswear and because it was on sale. 
 
So, you can imagine how cute I looked when I mozied up to the counter to purchase a family membership.  All the while I’ve got a two-year old hanging off my leg hollerin’ he wants his juice.
 
And a snack.
 
And my keys.
 
I was a sight alright. And, I had a full workout standing right there at the help desk.
 
I signed the kids into the play room and made my way to the fitness center.
 
For starters, I had no idea where to start.
 
The gym attendant was a guy I graduated from high school with and I just couldn’t bring myself to ask him where to start because I was sure he’d inquire about why I didn’t start sooner.
 
Instead I sashayed to the elliptical machine as if I owned the place. That, and because I heard the elliptical burns more calories than the treadmill and it is much easier on your knees. I set the timer for ten minutes and opened the latest edition of US! magazine. I did awesome.
 
For the first two minutes.
 
Then the burning started.
 
I continued for about five more minutes and thought it best if I moved on.
 
The treadmill.
 
It felt really good and I stayed on it for twenty minutes.
 
Granted, I wasn’t running at light speed, but, I could feel my heart rate soar and noticed that beads of sweat had gathered on the back of my neck
 
I decided to try one more thing before leaving.
 
I made my way over to the stationary bikes, plopped down on one and wondered why my legs felt like they were still moving. The bike looked like it was designed by someone a lot smaller than me. It had a wee little seat.
 
I glanced at the two people who were riding to glory on the stationary bikes.
 
It was me.

And them.
 
The woman looked like she had just stepped off the cover of Cardio Magazine (is there such a thing?) and it was obvious she meant business. The guy was in his own little world and I didn’t see one drop of sweat. That should have been enough for me to shag out of there. 
 
Instead, I mounted that monster.
 
And, started off slowly.
 
The girls My thighs felt the pain within mere seconds, but, I stayed steady at level 3.
 
I looked down to make sure I didn’t see flames. After about three minutes, I remembered I left my bottle of water in the diaper bag that I left with the kids in the play gym. I decided it really didn’t matter because the 16 ounces in the bottle would not have been enough. 
 
I needed a keg.
 
Or a water-hose.
 
Kill me. Just kill me now.
 
I’ll cheat high blood pressure right out of it. And kill over right here.
 
Meanwhile, Barbie and Lance Armstrong upped their game.
 
My butt started burning.
 
Which made perfect sense, seeing that the seat was about 6 inches long and 4 inches wide! I wondered how much an ambulance would charge to drive my dead hind-end to the Ville.
 
I slowed the bike down. And tried to breathe.
 
I felt really good afterwards. I felt accomplished.
 
Maybe it was the new outfit.
 
Or knowing that I was doing something I should have started years ago. After my hour workout, I felt good. And free. And after I caught my breath, I made my way to the door without collapsing. (The thought did cross my mind.)
 
I wasn’t sure either of the sorry saps on those bikes would have stopped long enough to pick this ole’ girl up off the floor.
 
My new outfit was soaked. The girls were burning.
 
But ohmyword! I felt fabulous!
 
Which is Y I went back the next day and the next day and the next day.

9 months later I have lost 25 pounds.

And that works for me!!!

Visit Rocks In My Dryer to find other things that might work for you too!

It’s Thursday… Let’s go with 13 reasons why I love the gym.

1. It provides me with a blissful uninterrupted hour of peace and quiet with no one needing to potty, a phone answered or a nose wiped. Hallelujah and Amen.

2. It is a great place to people watch and I do more than my fair share of it. I love to watch me some people. There are all kinds of people. And, I do  mean all kinds.

3. The leg press. It is my favorite apparatus. (Don’t you love that word, apparatus? – It reminds me of the Olympic Games and my beloved US gymnists).

4. New workout clothes. One of the main motivators for joining the gym was the purchase of several new outfits to kick off my weight-loss effort. They are so very comfortable and I wear them pretty much everyday.

5. The stationary bike. I spend about 25 minutes on the bike and I spend that time reading the book (or rag-mag) of my choice. The main YMCA in our town replaced their old bikes with new, video-game type stationary bikes complete wth handles that actually steer and a choice of 40 different courses based on your level of difficulty. It was way cool.

6. The treadmill. I only spend 10 minutes on the treadmill, but, it’s a hard 10 minutes and it feels good to know that I have increased the slope and the speed over the course of 28 weeks. I actually run about half of the time.

7. Knowing that everyday I put in time at the Y, I am one day closer to my 50-pound weight-loss goal.

8. My iPod – I look forward to my vast musical selections when I work out. When the right song plays on the iPod, it gives me some pep in my step. I have everything from Natasha Bedingfiled, Selah, Whitesnake, Warren G, Elton John, TLC, Kenny Chesney to Kutless. I told you it was vast! My little iPod has been with me every step of the way.

9. The Scale – Although I really try to make this more about feeling better instead of losing weight, I would be lying if I said the weight-loss didn’t matter. It does. On the weeks where I don’t lose the pound (as suggested by my medical Doctor), it makes it difficult to keep on keeping on. Every tick of that scale means I’m one number closer to my goal.

10. The idea of it - Going to the gym was a long-shot for me. I had no experience and no knowledge of the equipment or apparatuses (is that even a word?). The fact that I have made it work on my own (without the help of a personal trainer) is a great feeling.

11. The Magazines. Now that I am working out, Lindsey Lohan, Britney Spears and Jennifer Aniston don’t make a move without my knowing about it thanks to US! Entertainment Weekly, People and OK!

12.  My sweet Alex loves playing in the play room and I don’t have to worry about his well-being while I’m there.

13. The way I feel when my workout is over. It is unexplainable, but it feels oh.so.good.

I am a dancing fool.
 
Or, maybe just a fool who likes to dance.
 
Either way, dancing is something that I have always enjoyed. I spoke about my love of dancing with the stars here. I might have even hinted about my desire to be on the show.
 
So, it should not surprise you to find out that I ordered this…

Oh yes I did.

My initial thought was that I would do this workout on my off days from the gym. (I’ll let you know how that works out when I actually start doing it regularly because oh. my. word. it is a workout!) When I ordered the DVD, I was excited about learning basic steps of the Cha-Cha (don’t you love that word), Samba, Paso Doble and Jive while at the same time gettin’ the ole ticker elevated. (Oh, little jive, please be easy on me.) I’m also seriously hoping my klutzy tendencies don’t get in the way of a fun time with Ashly, Kym and Maksim (who by the way abandoned any thought of stealing me away from McDaddy last month when he proposed to Karina Smirnoff.)
 
I am however, starting to rethink the whole dancing thing.
 
Because back in November, I started this too. 

Except I look nothing like her.
 
Or him for that matter.
 
I don’t think anyone has ever died while doing Zumba, but the first time I did it, I was quite sure I was going to make history. On top of that, I was wondering if I would even be able to stand upright after my first Zumba class.
 
We did some fabulous moves. Moves that required some serious hip shaking. Moves that required me to flex muscles that have probably not been flexed since my days as a majorette when I did toss illusions. Which was like 20 years ago. And, might I add that just because you have the hips, that doesn’t mean they will do what you tell them to do.
 
I’m just sayin’
 
Google had this to say about my Zumba….

Zumba is the new Latin dance fitness craze that is sweeping across North America. High energy and motivating, Zumba incorporates Latin dance moves into a sequence of workouts done to the beat of fun, hot, pulsating Latin music. Zumba utilizes the principles of fitness interval training and resistance training to maximize caloric output, fat burning and total body toning. It is a mixture of body sculpting movements with easy to follow dance steps. Workouts often incorporate merengue, samba, salsa, flamenco, calypso, bachata and the tango. You get a full workout, burning 500 to 800 calories during a one-hour class.

In other words, it will help you unleash your inner Latin freak.

Oh, and in between dancing and working out at the Y, I’ve lost 24 pounds in 28 weeks.

Between my new DWTS DVD and Zumba, don’t be surprised if you happen to be flipping through the channels and see me cuttin the proverbial rug on Dancing With The Stars some night. Until then, I’ll be off practicing my moves and flexing my muscles.

After all, a dancing fool and her hips are soon parted.

And losing these hips would totally work for me!!!

Find out other things that might work for you at Works For Me Wednesday over at Rocks In My Dryer.

If I were a writer, it would be safe to say that I am experiencing a case of writer’s block. But since I am nothing more than a Stay-at-home-mom who rarely stays at home with her own blog that typically includes a daily dose of crazy, it is safe to say that today’s post will be random.

At best.

I guess I could talk about the economy [boo, hiss!] or PMS [you can thank me later for passing that one up] or any number of off the cuff topics. Or, I could just empty my brain right here and call it a day.

I love to clean things out, so let’s get to it.

———-

We had a great weekend here in WV. Seriously, the  60 degree temperature was kind enough to melt almost all of the snow and I couldn’t be happier. It is so nice to see the ground again. It makes me happy. Just days before he left on his 6-month vacation, me and McDaddy had to deal with this.

I am totally playing fast and loose with the whole “me and McDaddy had to deal with this” thing. Because truthfully, I just stood there with a blank look on my face wondering what in the heck I would have done had the Great Snow Fall of 2009 happened after McDaddy had left the premises. Oh, and in case you can’t tell what that is. It is our carport on top of our cars. Apparently the carport got all bent out of shape (pun intended) and caved under pressure (ha!). The victims are my beloved 4-runner and McDaddy’s heap (ahem! I mean Jeep). Within an hour or so, McDaddy had the thing dismantled. Apparently a carport has a weight limit. Who knew?

———-

On Saturday, I took the boys to see this.

Yes indeed. The Princess took the boys to Monster Jam 2009. And in case you didn’t know it, Grave Digger is the “Saster of Disaster” according to my sweet Alex. It was totally worth it to watch the excitement on my boys’ face. Alex lasted 45 minutes before he fell asleep. Although honestly, I have no idea how he slept. Even with earplugs and ear phones, it was really, really loud.

———-

Last May, I joined the YMCA  and began a rigorous workout plan in an effort to lose 50 pounds. My medical Doctor suggested that I only lose 1 pound per week and to take it easy on my bum knee which I messed up while trying to prove that a 33-year-old-ex-majorette could still do a split.

Dumb.

But true.

In 28 weeks (and after breaking off a rocky relationship with Little Debbie) I was able to lose 24 pounds. (Which totally translates to 2 pant sizes). I took the holiday off. (And by holiday, I mean my birthday, Hanukkah, Christmas, Winter Solstice,  New Year’s Eve, Inauguration Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Groundhog Day). I started back on Thursday. I ran 1/2 mile on the treadmill and did 6.5 miles on the bike. I wrapped it all up with 50 leg presses. I felt good and hope to lose another 20 pounds over the next 25 weeks. I will keep you posted.

———-

And this will not matter to some most of you, but the writers at the Young and the Restless have lost their minds and killed off my beloved Brad. This is one time that I hope they bring him back as his evil twin. Or his nice twin. It really doesn’t matter. He is sexy and I will miss him.

———-

If you were here at this precise moment, at the McResidence, you would be treated to the delightful sounds of my 3 year old screaming at the top of his lungs because he does not want to poo-poo. He is doing a great job on the potty, but, he sometimes he just doesn’t want to sit there. Often, he is impatient (ahem!) Here he was earlier this month, unleashing his inner thug on the potty.

———-

We spent much of the weekend talking to McDaddy. Thankfully, he can call us frequently although the connection is rarely really good. On Friday night, the boys waited up to talk to daddy. After they said goodnight they moved to the couch to watch “more monster trucks.”  Exactly 3 minutes later, this is what I saw. 

If you look at Stevie’s right hand, you will probably notice that he was holding the remote. He dropped it while I was getting my camera. Alex plays with his belly button when he goes to sleep. I love this picture. I am truly blessed. 

———–

My sweet sister-in-law Angie who lives in NH is now selling Arbonne. Every product from Arbonne is pure. safe. and beneficial.  I ordered 2 products from her and have found a gold mine. I really had no idea what to order because I had never heard of Arbonne. At her suggestion, I ordered their virutal illusion make-up primer. It is fantastic. I would say it is amazing, but the arbitrary use of that word would no doubt make McDaddy cringe, so I’ll just use fantastic.

Imagine you are getting ready to paint a wall and the wall is filled with holes. Before painting the wall, you need to fill in the cracks and the holes. You purchase some putty to prep the wall before painting. The virtual illusion primer is the putty. Your face is the wall. Fantastic I. tell. you. Totally worth the $32.50 and a little bit of it goes a long way. So, thank you Angie for suggesting a great product. I’m off to putty my wall.

———-

That’s a wrap.

Have a great day ya’ll.

If you are one of my 8 loyal blog fans, you know that today is an important day here at Inmates. Can you believe this is my 100th post? And what better way to celebrate than to tell you 100 things about me. Because you know, you may want to buy me something sometime.

Here we go!

1. I was born on a Tuesday
2. In December
3. Back in 1973
4. I was the youngest
5. Of three kids that included twin brothers
6. I was a loud child who talked constantly
7. And am still loud to this day according to some  most
8. My favorite year in elementary school was 6th grade and my teacher’s name was Ms. Brick
9. My childhood room was purple with a big canopy bed
10. I met my husband in high school
11. We dated for 4 years
12. We were engaged for 2 years
13. And have been married for 10 years
14. Which means we’ve been together for 16 years
15. If my math is correct, which in unlikely
16. Because I suck at math
17. I rarely use racy words on my blog, but might throw friggin’ and suck around everynowandagain.
18. I probably use way too many commas… what can I say, I like to think before I speak (ahem!)
19. Both McDaddy and I played the saxophone in our high school marching band.
20. We also both play piano
21. I love to travel
22. And have been to 31 states
23. We also took an awesome tour of Europe
24. And have been to Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas
25. We honeymooned in Gatlinburg, Tennessee
26. I was a May Bride
27. And we each had 7 attendants
28. I get bored easily
29. But loved planning my wedding
30. I am a military wife
31. My hubby is currently deployed
32. My hubby is my best friend
33. I have been to the Price Is Right twice but never got to COME ON DOWN!
34. I have touches of ADD and OCD
35. I have hiked the Grand Canyon
36. I am very impatient
37. But am married to the most patient man on the planet.
38. I have very serious opinions about my funeral.
39. Which is proof that I am a control freak.
40. In May, 2008, I started going to the gym 4-5 days per week. I have lost 24 pounds.
41. But would like to lose 26 more.
42. Which is why I had to break off my relationship with Little Debbie.
43. TiVo is the greatest invention of my time.
44. I like fonts.
45. I am not crazy about birds.
46. I am addicted to Facebook and mySpace and check them both several times each day… those darn status things are so interesting.
47. I am the nosiest person I know (which probably explains why I love the status things on facebook and mySpace so much!)
48. I drink way to much Dr. Pepper
49. I love Michael Phelps. In fact, I refer to him often as my boyfriend.
50. I have watched The Young and The Restless for over 20 years.
51. I am a reality TV junkie.
52. I listen to KLOVE all the time. (KLOVE is a Contemporary Christian station)
53. My favorite movie of all time is Dirty Dancing
54. I love Mexican food and always order fajitas.
55. The sight of guacamole makes me gag.
56. The only thing I craved during both pregnancies was water.
57. And now I drink about 4 bottles daily.
58. Both of my babies were born via C-Section and were high risk pregnancies.
59. If I were to hit the lottery today, I would make my way to the Saturn dealership and buy a 2009 Saturn Sky Redline.
60. I eat blue cheese on my salad.
61. I enjoy scrapbooking and have scrapbooked about 84% of my boys’ lives. (I totally pulled the 84% out of the sky.)
62. I don’t like Kathy Griffin
63. Not sure where the random thought about Kathy Griffin came from, but it’s true.
64. I am afraid to drive in inclement weather.
65. I don’t like any kind of berry unless your talking about a strawberry poptart or blueberry muffin.
66. I don’t like vanilla scented candles or vanilla body wash stuff
67. I hate to dust
68. I don’t really like using the word hate unless I’m talking about dust.
69. I desire to be like Christ. However, I fail daily.
70. I have a Psychology Degree
71. I breastfed both of my boys for a year
72. McDaddy and I have lived in 4 homes in 11 years.
73. I would like to save a life one day. If all else fails, I am an organ donor.
74. I should floss more often.
75. I am a big-time klutz
76. I will never use “LOL” -  I think it is silly and unnecessary.
77. So I use these  =)   a lot
78. I have used an iron maybe 3 times in my life and never with much success
79. I have not had an uninterrupted night of sleep in probably three years.
80. I often forget to write transactions in the checkbook.
81. This fact drives McDaddy nuts.
82. I do not like coffee and it always puzzles me when people question my drinking Dr. Pepper or coke for breakfast. It is caffeinated after all.
83. While McDaddy is deployed I plan to strip wallpaper and have carpet installed in our basement.
84. If I spent less time on MySpace and Facebook, I could have it done by now.
85. I can drive a stick shift
86. When I was a senior in high school, I had extensive oral surgery that included breaking my jaws and being wired shut for 6 weeks.
87. On top of that, I had 8 teeth pulled and braces and retainers
88. Needless to say, I have pretty (expensive) teeth
89. I have a sign in my kitchen that says “I kiss better than I cook”
90. And it’s true.
91. But I can make a pretty mean pancake.
92. I don’t like snow
93. But I collect snowmen
94. I have always liked my name
95. I love my inlaws
96. I love the new year because it means I get a brand new calendar to fill in
97. I have had acrylic nails for 13 years but I hate getting them filled
98. I have perfect vision after lasek surgery in August, 2007.
99. I sell and collect Longaberger baskets.
100. And, I love getting a new purse.
101. Which is why I’m having a Longaberger purse give-away today!

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post telling me one random fact about you. A winner will be chosen by the accounting firm of random.org on Monday, February 9th at noon. The contest is only open to US Residents. (Sorry to my international loyal blog fans.)

EDITED TO INCLUDE THE WINNER

The Winner of the Longaberger purse is…..

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

10

Timestamp: 2009-02-09 20:09:53 UTC

 And the #10 Commenter is Darcie @ Such The Spot. 

Congrats! Darcie. Send me your mailing address and I’ll send some Longaberger Lovin’ your way.

It’s been an exciting couple of weeks in McVille.

With Christmas, the croup, a trip to Florida and our annual family trip to a ski resort, I’ve learned all kinds of great stuff.

And, what good would learning that stuff be if I didn’t share. I say it all the time people, this blog is about so much more than just entertainment.

Here’s the stuff… in no particular order…

• If you are packing for a trip to Florida and the question, ‘Should I pack the nebulizer?’ enters your mind, you should most definitely pack the nebulizer.
• Once your kids reach a certain age, it is never a good idea to leave ‘Santa presents’ in your closet. Especially if your kids love to hide in there.
• While 75 degrees is beautiful weather, it is not quite warm enough to enjoy the hotel pool unless of course you are a killer whale.
• Killer whales like their water temperature to be 52 degrees (you can thank the trainers at Sea World for that tidbit).
• Having a sick child makes you question every single decision you’ve made the past 24 hours.
• Meeting two boys at the hotel pool from Brazil can be very educational for your six year old (and his mother, too).
• When purchasing a frozen pizza for dinner back in your hotel room, it is generally wise to make sure you have an oven in said hotel room.
• If you purchase the pizza without prior knowledge about an oven, you can attempt to cook the frozen pizza in the microwave. You may be surprised to know that the pizza will cook, but the crust may have the same consistency of bubble gum.
• When driving home en-route from Orlando to Charleston, WV, it may be best that you stop somewhere other than the IHOP in Statesville, NC for your dining needs. (and your sanity).
• Wal-Mart will take back absolutely anything.
• When you pack your scrapbooking tote to take it on a trip, it is typically a good idea to actually get the stuff out or the pages will not get done.
• If you neglect the gym for an entire month, it is probable you will not continue to lose a pound a week.
• When losing 24 pounds, it is a good idea to try on your bathing suit before taking it on a trip if you have not had it on since before the weight loss.
• Even though Lightning McQueen is a creation of Disney Pixar, you will not find him in character form at the Magic Kingdom (what’s up with that?)

There you have it… stuff I’ve learned this week.

You can expect to hear more about some of these in upcoming weeks.

Lucky you!

1.   A brand spakin new bottle of my sweet smelling perfume – Romance – by Ralph Lauren
2.  Nike Shox – My favorite tennis shoes are open-mesh which is not real conducive to the harsh winter we experience here in the mountains of WV, so I needed a pair I could wear during the Winter months.
3.  BLING! -  No Christmas is complete without bling
4.  David Archuleta CD
5.  Blake Lewis CD  (Did I mentioned I love American Idol?)
6.  A new pack of Sharpies (Goofy, I know… but I use them daily for stuff).
7.  A iTunes Gift Card – yee-haw… new songs for my 2009 debut at the Y.
8.  New set of knives (You know you are getting old when you ask for knives for Christmas).
9.  A bigger and better crock pot ( See Number 8 )
10.  Some fabulous Tommy Hilfiger black boots
11.  A cute ‘MOM’ bracelet that my sweet boy picked out on his own at Santa’s workshop.
12.  A surprise visit from my sweet aunt, June from California and her new husband, Dave and his family. We had a marvelous time visiting with them.
13.  Fatter – I ate way more than I should and will be paying for it for months at the Y.