Challenging myself in 'The Hood.

Through the last few years I've hosted this weight loss challenge, and had lots of luck getting about a dozen people involved and signing myself up for a 60-90 day diet at the beginning of each year and you know what?   I'm sick and tired of it.  I'm sick and tired of doing it every fricken year! I need to buckle up buttercup and just get a handle on making myself healthy.  No more crash diets, and I worked out for 2 weeks straight now I'm going to be a couch potato for 3 months.  Every year I try try again with losing those 20 whatever pounds only to gain it back again as soon as it ends. Thats it!!! It will happen no more!  I drew the line see  --->

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 I will (as I cross my heart) carry a better lifestyle!   I will give myself the standard 30-60 minutes of yoga and/or exercise a day no matter what.  This is my body and my life and I want to see a change.   I care about what I put in my body and that my favorite drink at Starbucks is a Toffee Mocha an it has an outstanding 450 calories in it and that's just for the Grande size not the Venti size!  Egads!  I will be cautious of how much I consume, and just be more wise about my choices.  I'm not going all South Beach on you, but I am making an honest effort, and by putting it on my blog, what better way for you to check on me!I will make myself a better person because I found some great friends so far in 'The Hood with the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. 
  I figured out how to Tworkout:

and if you are curious....and you know you are...click on the Sisterhood Website to find out how to Workout and Tweet at the same time.   The hood is filled with fabulous people that are just like me and are in it to shrink their jeans.   So I just wanted to share the news, spread the word, and start logging my triumphs because starting today, I will make a difference, I will see a difference, and I will shrink my jeans!   Goodbye my BMI of today.... I'll post often and let you know how I'm doing!

Easy...

With money misfortunes and career challenges life has it's ups and downs. I would definately call dibs on one of those "easy" buttons.

Back off...this one is mine!   Hey... mine's not working.... life's not "EASY" yet!

Dear Santa...

Here is the current 'Letter to Santa' from the girls for Christmas...

The funny thing is...I can almost make out everything on the list. Tell me if you can make these things out?

Now remember these were written from a 6 year old's perspective just learning how to spell...

From Autumn:
#1 apatsnackwetisinabox
#2 fetharod
#3 asbox360
#4 iwotaspekr
#5 notv
#6 arobotcar
#7 iwatatothowt
#8 aflathlit
#9 altlfarmos
#10 apol
#11 dsi
#12 zoozoopeswethamohak
#13 abik
#14 oliwotforcesmsisaubreytofoteth
#15 olokejeepwotislotl
#16 a dog
#17 a hapstr
Love Autumn


From Aubrey:
#1 Oliwotforcesmsismytofoteeth
(continuation from #1:) sreiredelostmyfoteth ha ha
#2 I wot a Brbe
#3 I wot a scodr
#4 I love zoo zo
#5 I wot cande
#6 I LOVE DSI (now add cute little hearts and a big drawing of a DSI).

I love Santa not you.
Signed, Aubrey


I have not received Aaron's wish list as of yet, but I had to laugh my way through reading the girls'.

Tomorrow I will go ahead and post the answers... can you guess any of them?

I think YOU'RE Amazing! :)

If you are feeling down, don't. I think you're amazing. Cheer up and listen.




Just The Way You Are lyrics

My writing blog: WriteThisPatiBartlett

I am going to take November seriously.  It's National Novel Writing Month and I will begin 30 days and nights of literary abandon. 

I will be posting my stats of my writing goal over the next 30 days on my other blog, so please feel free to follow along:
http://www.writethispatibartlett.blogspot.com/.

If you have a minute check it out, and follow along as I pursue my task of writing...yet another novel in just 30 days.

Let the writing begin, in about 24 hours!

Cider and donuts...a few days later

So we went to the cider mill on Sunday and now it's Thursday.  We stopped by http://www.franklincidermill.com/ for a quick taste.  Back on Sunday a beautiful crisp fall day with the sun shining and the bees swarming and the smell of fresh apples filled the air.   Ah yes, it was the perfect day.  My family found a parking spot in the tiny lot, eventually; and waited in line patiently for the goodies.  Making a $14 purchase of just 1/2 gallon of cider and a dozen donuts we cursed at the prices but nonetheless were happy.  Through the heavy crowds of other cider buying flocks, we found a small place to sit at the mill while we brushed the bees away and watched the mill spin as the sounds of lapping water rolled over and over and over. 

My family of 5 each had one or two donuts and we headed home with minimal leftovers.  I set the 4 or 5 donuts that were leftover under the glass dome to help preserve the goodness of the donuts and waited.

Today being Thursday, I saw two donuts sat staring at me from inside their fish bowl glass dome.  They were still soft, but a little bit too soft.  The condensation of the warm donuts under the glass dome made it a little sweaty in there and now it was already several days later.  I was disappointed, these were some seriously tastey donuts and they were now a smidge soggy and on the verge of going stale.  A thought hit me, I wonder how these would taste if I put one in the toaster.

Now, I was a little scared, but what harm would it cause?   The worst case scenario would be that it gets stuck in the toaster, flames ignite the entire box and sets fire to the kitchen and I would promptly find a fire extinguisher and put it out.   So... eh, I'll take the risk.

I slide it in, on the lowest setting wait and watch the hot wires sizzle.   Don't worry, there was no worst case scenario burning away.  No smoke, just a quiet toasting of donut.

The toaster pops and with a little help I free the donut from the iron claw of the toaster and must say...

I HIGHLY recommend this.  It made it taste like I just bought it at the cider mill.  Warm, a little crunchy on the outside soft on the inside and oh so yummy.

p.s.  Don't use the sugar/cinnamon ones because I can for-see worst case scenario coming for you.

Now you can enjoy warm donuts from the cider mill again at home!

Falling apart, on the floor, kicking and crying.

Yes we've all had those days, but we've seen it more and more in our kids.  The "falling apart, on the floor, kicking, screaming, and crying because I don't know why..." is happening time and time again.   I understand, kids are kids and some are a little more cranky than others.

Let's recall a recent "fall apart day" one of my daughters had.

I'm standing in the kitchen in the early wee hours of morning.  The sky is still dark, the alarms have gone off and the sleepy bed-heads and getting ready to start the day.  As I read over the choices of lunch menu items to the children they cringe in disgust as I mention some sort of misshapen tater tots were on the menu.  Alrighty, bag lunches it is.   I begin the task of making up the three lunches as breakfast is consumed at the table. 

With a minimal, yet obviously devastating conversation; I started said conversation like this:
Me:  "Can you go please get a sweatshirt.  It's chilly out today"
Autumn:  "I don't want to".
Me:  "No, I'm sorry it is chilly out, you need a sweatshirt, or a jacket.  Please go get one."
(daughter drops into a heap of instantaneous cries and uncontrollable conversation rise from the floor)
Me:  "Please go get one or the other.  You choose."
Autumn:   cry whimper...unintelligible jargon continue
Me:  Please move you are laying in front of the refrigerator I need to make your lunches.
Autumn:  cry continues, "Please I want to wear this"
Me:  Please move you are laying in front of the refrigerator.
Autumn:  cry continues.

So you can see where this conversation is going right....yes this goes on for a few minutes.

I know I am a mean mom, making my daughter wear a sweatshirt, in 40-low 50 degree weather.

With one hand on the refrigerator door I threaten a pull of the door. 
"Please move".
The last straw has been used, I open the door to gently push her out of the way.  As she lays flat on the ground below me looking straight up to my eyes I pull on the door.  As the door begins to open the cold air rushes out.  The refrigerator door opens right over her.   That skinny <  40 lbs 6-year old body is laying at my feet and she is so skinny the fridge door brushes right over her.

With a puzzled look on my face I open and shut the door continuously and the house erupts in giggles.  Autumn's cries turn to giggles, my scowled face of a mean mom wanting her child to be warm has welcomed a smile.  The break in the conversation is enjoyed as we laugh out loud.

Who would have thought that you could fit a child under there?