Spring Break is here!

-Kiddos are gone for a week to Grandma Debbie's in Victoria. I'm so excited. I have lots of things planned this week. I am meeting Jen for lunch and pedicures on Tuesday. I have to teach 2 Flow classes on Wednesday. I'm finally getting a chance to go out and see Anna's little baby girl, Cora on Thursday. My birthday is on Friday. Yep, it's gonna be a great week!

-Maeve is potty training and she's doing a heck of a good job! I'm so darn proud of that kid. We had floors installed this week and Richard pulled up the carpet last weekend and said, "That's it, kid. Diapers are gone." She was reluctant at first, but on Sunday and Monday, she improved a lot. The only thing that we are working on is going #2. I know that will come though. It took Kyra a while to get the hang of it too. But I'm thrilled with how far she's come in just a week! She's so proud of herself too. She gets little pieces of candy for going and when the candy is gone, she gets the BIG prize, Dora bubbles! LMAO!

-With the floors getting done, tile is next. That will be installed after Spring Break. I'm so ready for all of this to be over with. My eyes have now been red for a week. There is dust galore in this house. I'm slowly piecing my house back together. I'm fixing to go to Home Depot to pick up some paint samples. Painting will be a process. I want to leave the samples hanging up on the walls for a while so that I can get used to them and have them "grow" on me. LOL!

-I plan on picking up Easter stuff this week while the kids ARE NOT HERE. They had enough fits in Target last night. Mommy likes to shop alone!

-Honestly, remodeling is kind of an addiction. I understand it now. Once you start, you can't stop! LOL!

-I plan to work out a lot this week. I'll be eating a lot, so I might as well counteract that! ;)

-This new time change SUCKS. I know I'll get used to it and I'll love it in a few weeks, but right now, it is HARD to get used to! Ugh. My kids will LOVE it this week at Grandma's though. And I'm sure I'll be hating it next week because it'll be SO HARD to get them to bed early again.

-I'm outta here! I gotta figure out how to upload DVDs to my new ipod this week! Choreography time is right around the corner again! Argh!

What's your Real Age?

http://www.embedtube.com/uploads/33101407Realage.swf

Take this test and find out. Be honest. I'm almost 31, but my real age is 11.3! LMAO! I'm expected to live till 92! *fingers crossed*

Leave your Real Age in a comment below!

Just another "doggone" day.........

This is how I found the dogs on my bed this afternoon. They still have a love/hate relationship. Zoe chases Mia around the house and annoys her many times during the day. Other times, I find them like this! LOL! Crazy dogs!

Hilarious!

Remember the Sarah Silverman video to Jimmy Kimmel? Well Jimmy made a response to her and got a SLEW of celebrities to participate. This is one of the funniest things I've ever seen!

I finally got my answer!

If you're zooming down 35 near where we live, you'll see this place off to your right if you're headed toward San Marcos. I've driven by it several times and always forgot to look it up and see what it was.

Today I didn't forget. Now I know! LMAO!

I thought that they made everything....

I had to bake cupcakes for Kyra's Valentine party tomorrow. I found two pans at Walmart with covers on them, so I picked them up. But I looked high and low for something disposable to bake/keep cupcakes in and I couldn't find anything! Yes, they have disposable, foil muffin pans, but I want something with a COVER! My pans will have to come home tomorrow and that will be a PITA (pain in the a$$) for Kyra since she rides the bus home. I'm going to the party, but will have to leave early because I have to go get Maeve from school. Parties galore! On top of that, Maeve has picture day at school and Kyra's class is having an author's museum before their party!

Needless to say, they are going to bed soon. Busy day tomorrow!

If anyone knows of any disposable cupcake pans WITH COVERS, then please point me in the right direction!

Just a typical Saturday afternoon......

Last night, we got a visit from two of my cousins and my sister. My sister ended up spending the night. The kids LOVED that. She even took them to San Marcos shopping!

Lisa left earlier and the girls had lunch and now I hear them singing some silly song that they made up. Kyra is being her usual bossy self to Maeve. And Maeve is listening and following instructions to a T! LMAO!

I just love the big sister/little sister relationship. It's like I'm taking a trip back in time when I see those two playing together. They can only be so quiet for so long though. Then the yelling begins! ;)

I'm sinking.....

There's one more new episode of "Friday Night Lights" left. It airs on Friday, February 9th. I seriously hope that this writer's strike ends soon because I am sitting on pins and needles over here. I've said it time and time again. This is the BEST SHOW on television. I usually watch it live on Friday nights or tape it and watch it after the kids are in bed. My dad is here this weekend, so I watched it this (Saturday) morning. Thank God I did.

I had to pause it several times and take a break. It's so compelling. The characters are real. There is at least one or more that you can totally relate to. The stories are wonderful. Today I noticed that there are a lot of mannerisms on the show. Sometimes a character will say something and the other character won't, but they'll pan to their face and you'll know exactly what they are thinking.

I cannot begin to express how much I love this show. I can't believe that it hasn't garnered more awards. I can't believe that NBC chooses NOT to promote the hell out of it. I can't believe that it's 2nd season is over at just 15 episodes. My heart is broken. There had better be a 3rd season in the works. What's good about the strike is that there aren't many pilots of new shows in the works, so the older shows have a chance of returning. That's what I hope happens. They have to keep this show around. I think it has good viewership on Friday nights and even if it doesn't, they need to consider how many people DVR it (me included....I have the entire season DVRed!).

Last night's episode had me laughing one minute and crying the next. I can't think of any other show that has had this impact on me. EVER. It really tears at my heart strings. I literally "zone out" for an hour while I'm watching it. I can't think of anything else except for what's happening. It's great.

I want to move to Dillon, Texas. I really do. Either that or Taylor Kitsch just has to come back to Austin so that I can see him again at the gym! ;)

Helicopter moms.....

A friend of mine on a message board once talked about "helicopter moms" at her child's school. I wondered myself what they were all about. She then explained that "they hover". Oh. I get it now.

There is a helicopter mom at Kyra's school. I see her all the time. I know her well. I chuckle when I see her because she's just setting herself up for heartbreak later on. Her girls will rebel. Badly.

She does EVERYTHING for them. EVERYTHING. She told me that she was upset at the fact that her 1st grader won't kiss her when she walks her to her classroom in the morning. WTF? Kyra doesn't even want me walking her to her classroom, so there's no freakin' way she'd let me kiss her or hug her.

She volunteers at the library twice a week.....on the days that her daughters' classes go to the library. I do too, but it was merely by coincidence that Kyra's class meets there on Fridays.

She eats lunch with them every day. She told me that she sits in their classrooms. WTF? Let the teachers do their jobs without interruptions! Geez!

I'm actually shocked that she doesn't homeschool these girls. She always bitches and moans about the school and the way things are run around there. And to top it all off, they don't even live in our school's zone....they got a transfer!

She needs to realize that her GIRLS are going to school. Not her. You can't live vicariously through them. You can't see what they are doing 24 hours a day. You can't keep them from getting in trouble. You can't pick their friends. You have no control over what they learn at school or what they are exposed to.

Let them be kids. This is the best time of their life. They need to enjoy it!

For more about "helicopter moms", go here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21146846

Thank you, Janet Jackson.....

The Superbowl halftime show used to be good....until her little nip slip a few years ago. Now the network plays it safe and hires a lesser known or just plain boring act to perform in front of millions of people.

This year's entertainment is Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. *yawn* Yeah, I can totally see a huge amount of people grabbing another beer or going for a smoke break during that performance. All of this Britney drama is more exciting. *sigh*

These idiot organizers must know their audience. They need to cater to everyone. How can they do this? Well, they need to unite the old and the new.

My suggestions:
-Mary J. Blige and Tina Turner
-Garth Brooks and Chris Daughtry
-Abba and The Spice Girls
-No Doubt and Aerosmith
-Bon Jovi and Carrie Underwood
-Journey and Foreigner (How awesome would this be?)
-Nickelback and Bruce Springsteen
-Britney Spears and Amy Winehouse (I bet neither of them would show up! LOL!)

Anybody else want to chime in?

Oh, and I loved this article!

I'm here....barely

I had a slew of things to do this week and I knew that something would put a bump in my plans. Sure enough, it happened. I got sick. Again. Since I've been around Kyra's school more this year working in the library on Fridays, I swear I've caught every germ imagineable. I used to think that I had a strong immune system. Now I think otherwise. :(

I have a sinus infection. Yuck. If people with the flu feel worse than this, then you all have my sympathy. This is bad enough. Yesterday was the worst. I ran fever all day and parked my butt on the sofa and stayed there. Maeve didn't go to school. Instead she stayed with my neighbor so I could get some rest. I got an email from her teacher last night saying that 4 kids were out in her class yesterday and various other kids in the school got sent home because they were either vomitting or had diarrhea. Lovely. I'm glad that we stayed away. I'm already sick of being sick.

I was also supposed to launch Body Step this weekend. Can't do that either. I worked hard on getting all of my bases covered with that. Thank goodness we have awesome instructors that always step up (no pun intended) and go above and beyond.

So, I'm going to lay low this weekend. My husband will leave his 60 hour work week behind and spend some time with his family. Fingers crossed that he stays healthy. There's nothing worse than a sick man! LOL! I actually despise how he just goes to bed to get well. Life doesn't stop for mommies. *sigh*

A day in the life.....

Jackpot!

Ever want to try a job just to see how you'd like it? Ever want to try a job that you would never, ever do otherwise? It doesn't have to be a high paying job. For example, a friend of mine once told me that she wanted to work at HEB for a day as a checker just to see what people come in and buy.

I know this sounds weird, but I've always wanted to work for a florist. I have no idea why. I just think it would be interesting. It's probably stressful, but I'd at least want to try it. And guess what? I DO NOT have a green thumb at all. I kill everything. But I guess it's the appeal of the flowers that has me sold.

There's a building behind our house. One side houses a bank. The other side is empty. Well, not anymore. There's a tax place that's going in there and a FLORIST! Woah! Maybe my dream will come true one day! I've always said that I want to work part-time when Maeve goes to school. OR I'll work full-time if I can get a job with the school district. Oh, and if I work there I WILL NOT be telling the people that I live right behind the shop! They'll work me to death!

Richard also has no excuse anymore. He will have to buy me flowers now! ALL.THE.TIME. Yeah, that's right. I expect them for my birthday, Valentine's Day, our Anniversary, and every other holiday! ;)

Tagged.....

Here’s how it works:
Link to the person that tagged you:
Post the rules on your blog.
Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself, tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1.) When falling asleep, I have to be laying on my left side, my arms are crossed and under the pillow, and I have an extra pillow between my legs because my knees CANNOT be touching each other!

2.) I hate watermelon.....the taste, sight, smell....everything about it disgusts me.

3.) Writing with blue or red ink makes me sick to my stomach. I like black ink and only black ink.

4.) When I was a kid, I was deathly afraid of dogs. My grandparents on my dad's side had dogs and I dreaded going to their house. They were outside dogs (and big too) and I would make a run for the door!

5.) I hated being tall when I was younger. Richard even gave me a hard time about it when we met. Now I love it. Being tall means that you look leaner and slimmer than most people. You can play with clothes and hide more of the flaws. ;)

6.) I cannot fall asleep till my bladder is completely empty. Therefore, I make several trips to the bathroom at night. Damn kids stretched out my bladder too much!

7.) I love rainy days. I love the sunshine too, but there's something about rainy days. Oh, and I used to be scared of thunderstorms and now I love them! (as long as they aren't too scary)

***Oh, and if read this and have a blog, then consider yourself TAGGED!

2007 Roundup....

WOW. It's here. It's the last day of the year. Honestly, I won't sit here and say, "Where did the year go?" Because it was the longest year of my life. I'm so glad to see it go. Today the girls and I had to run to the banks and pay taxes (yuck!). Then we went to the library and I grabbed Mc D's for them and Sonic for me and we went out to the local park and parked our booties on a picnic table and ate. We just enjoyed the sunshine and unseasonably warm weather. It's supposed to get nasty and cold later tonight. I couldn't think of a better way to end the year. It's been a year filled with so many lows that I wanted to celebrate today!

Where do I begin? Well, I might as well start out positive.

Maeve turned 2 this year and I absolutely cannot believe the changes that this child has endured. She went from babbling language that we didn't understand to talking in sentences! She even sounds like Kyra now with what she says! It's amazing! It almost happened overnight too. It's like something just "clicked" in her head. She started preschool and LOVES it. Her teachers are Mrs. Sharri and Mrs. Marcy. She calls Marcy, "My Marcy". Richard's new job will pay for 1/2 of her schooling per year, so we are STOKED about that. She's learning so much out there. There are a handful of kids in her class that are potty training. We are getting there. Today, I borrowed a potty training DVD from the library. We'll see how she reacts to it. She mentioned just washing her hands. Ugh. She's missing the point! LOL! But she's a cute kiddo and is so much fun these days.

Kyra turned 6 this year. She finished out Kindergarten on a great note. Her teacher was wonderful and she made so many friends! She went to art camp this summer in the town over and loved that. She's so full of excitement over arts and crafts. She loves to draw. She loves to create. I think her last year in preschool was when this started. She had an awesome teacher that came up with all sorts of fun crafts for the kids to do. It stayed with Kyra.

Kyra also had her dance recital last summer. She did so well! She was in tap and ballet. This fall, we've added jazz to the mix, so she'll have 3 different costumes for her next recital. She loves dancing. She's made friends there as well.

Then she started 1st grade! We read all summer long, but imagine my surprise when I have a conference with her teacher and learn that she's almost reading at a 2nd grade level at the beginning of school! She loves to read. She loves school. Her teacher this year in 1st grade is wonderful too. I secretly hoped last year that she would get her and she did! She has a slew of friends and knows what class all of the kids from last year's class are in! She's so bright and fun! She keeps her daddy in line too and I LOVE that. She helps her sister. She helps me. I couldn't ask for a greater kid.

Richard went through some big changes this year. Earlier this year, a maintenance position became available where he worked. He applied for it and got it. He got a wealth of experience from the job in just a few short months. But this left him aching for more. He now was where he wanted to be, but saw no growth company-wise at where he was. So in November, he went to a job fair at Samsung. He prepared himself and got an interview THAT SAME DAY. The day before Thanksgiving, he got a call that he was hired! He started on December 17th and is still in the training process. But he loves it. He said that so many things are different up there, but it's very positive. He's working in north Austin, but doesn't seem to mind the drive. We'll see if he still feels that way when he goes on shift and back to nights! I can't wait for that! I feel so out of it with him working during the day. I miss him. I know when he works nights, he'll be sleeping during the day, but it will feel like he's home more. Oh, and he can get all of the overtime he wants at this place, so hopefully we will work ourselves out of debt this year! YAY! Mamma wants some wood floors and wants to paint! ;)

As for me, I think I learned more about myself this year than ever before. I started the year in an ER with strep throat. For a few months, I fought a horrible battle with depression. In April, I found out why. My thyroid was out of whack. So on medication I went. I sought therapy and that helped tremendously. I also was introduced to some natural progesterone cream and I'm seeing great results with that. Slowly but surely, I was becoming "me" again. My hair stopped falling out. I stopped crying on a daily basis. I had an interest in more things. Then in November, things came to a screeching halt. I had Fifth Disease and had complications from that because I'm anemic. I gained 20 lbs. of fluid. My heart rate was low. Everything checked out fine though and the virus just had to run its course. I feel so much better now. But being so sick caused me to take a look at my life and realize that I needed a break. So, I took a month off of teaching. I worked out when I wanted to. I enjoyed the holidays and my kiddos more. It was so good for me.

I've learned to listen to what my body is telling me. If I can lay down, then I do. I don't force myself to take on things that I don't want to do. With my depression, I take it one day at a time. If I have a rough few days, then I always remind myself that this too shall pass and I'll feel better soon. And I do. I've learned to take signals from my body and go to the doctor instead of ignoring whatever is bothering me. I've learned to go and sit out in the sun for short periods and enjoy it. It really does wonders for your mood. I've learned that my house will be a mess. I have two small kids. It'll get cleaned up one day. But for now, I need to sit back and enjoy them! I'll get my house the way I want it one day!

The highlight of my year occurred on August 8th (yes, I remember the date because that's my niece's birthday). I saw Taylor Kitsch at the gym that I teach at and had my magazine with him on the cover with me. I actually got up the courage to go up to him and ask for an autograph. We chit-chatted for a bit. OMG! I have the BIGGEST (*coughobsessioncough*) crush on him. He's a gorgeous human being. I have the signed cover of the magazine framed and it's on my nightstand. LOL!

I've learned patience with a new puppy. I forgot about my sweet Zoe Lou! She came into our lives in February and has been going nonstop since. I pray that she calms down soon. Mia is adjusting and loves having a buddy.

I just want a healthier and happier year in 2008! I'll take it one day at a time!

Happy New Year everyone! Thanks for dropping in and reading my blog from time to time!

Now this saddens me.....

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5itableVuT2QIr2H6dF1FyV1gXZpQ

And it worries me too.

WWJD? Or more importantly, what would He think?

We're alive....barely

-We made it through Christmas. Now I have some sort of stomach bug and Maeve is having signs of having it too. Ugh. Can 2007 just go away already? I want to be WELL!

-Since I've been sleeping A LOT and am trying to get well, my house is pretty much trashed. I've been letting the girls play with all of their toys. They are everywhere. At least I can pretty much rest easy and not feel so guilty about having them couped up with me. At least they are having fun and enjoying themselves. Though I think if we have to stay indoors tomorrow, I will seriously harm myself. ;)

-I hope to get to the gym tomorrow. I seriously need to work out. NOW. It's been a month since I've seen a gym (though I've worked out here at home). Can you believe that?

-New music and choreography have arrived, so expect more "I'm so stressed out" posts from me in the upcoming weeks.

-I've watched more TV in the last 2 days than I have all year. I've decided that I miss watching the early morning talk shows. I'll have to tune in more often.

-On a TV note, I'm desperately missing FNL right now. I know that there are only 6 new episodes in the new year (damn writers' strike!), but I can't wait to see them. Oh, and I'm having some MAJOR Taylor withdrawals! I hope that he comes back to Austin and the gym SOON! ;)

-Richard is LOVING his new job. LOVING IT. I don't think he minds the drive at all. He's so damn hyped up every evening when he comes home. I get to hear all about it!

-Kyra is going to drive me insane during these 2 weeks that she's home. INSANE. She's so bored. I need to take her to a friend's or something. Thank God she has a sister. They've played really well together and have left me alone for the most part.

-I really want to take a vacation for Christmas one year. I want to leave all of the drama behind....for.just.one.year. How great would that be? I'd mail/give gifts a month early and say, "Here ya go! See ya!" :)

-All of these commercials/ads for New Year's Eve are making me tired. We stay HOME every year! It's no different from any other night for us. Oh, and again, is it 2008 yet?

-Expect a doozy of a recap of the year very soon. So much has happened this year. I won't elaborate now because my head is already spinning. It doesn't need to spin any more than it already is! ;)

I'm OUT!

Fur babies.....

Cutest thing ever.....

This is a magnet that Maeve made at school and gave us for Christmas. I love it. Her smile is perfect and she looks so darn festive! I really lucked out by dressing her in red that day! I had no idea!

Kiddos with Santa....