The Journey to Eden

Safety first.

2011-12-08T09:14:00.000-08:00

Have you had "the talk" with your children? No, not *that* talk. I'm talking about the everyone-in-the-world-isn't-quite-as-good-as-we-are talk. Its a tricky subject to bring up because usually we are trying to do the exact opposite! We shield our children from bad language, mature subjects and all things scary. But folks, you gotta get over it and have this talk with your children. It could save their lives.

The abduction and murder of 7 year old Jorelys Rivera from Canton, Georgia is a horrific reminder of this. Jorelys was simply playing outside with her friends. She left them for a minute and told them she was going in to get some drinks, and was never seen again. I read an article today that a friend shared on Facebook and I thought it was important that I share.

The article is found here, but I wanted to highlight some important facts and suggestions from the article.
***These are taken verbatim.

Some statistics:

The typical (important to remember, not all) abductor is a 27.7 year old, unemployed, white male who moves around a lot and typically has a prior criminal history.

The typical victim is a 11.4-year-old, female (74% of those kidnapped are females), who is friendly, outgoing and is from a stable family relationship.

Most of these abductions are crimes of opportunity. 66% of these people are in the area for legitimate reasons, and most abductions happen by someone the kid knows, within a quarter mile of the home.

Scary.

I have talked to my children about strangers, etc., but honestly I haven't really sat down with them and played out scenarios. What would you do if this? What you do if that? They know never to leave school or anywhere else with a stranger. I have talked to them about people touching them inappropriately. But, because I do not have the mind of a monster, I cannot know the crazy things that they come up with to lure children to them.

Another piece of the article is suggestions on how to approach this with your children and some things to talk about with them. Here are some of those ideas:

One idea is to play a “scenario” game: ask your child “What would you do if someone came up and asked you to help them find a puppy?” A good answer to tell them would be: ”Grown-ups don’t ask kids for help, they ask other grown-ups.” That way they always come find you, first.

You’re not allowed to hurt anyone, unless they hurt you. If they grab you, bite, fight, and scream “you’re not my mom, you’re not my dad.”

radKIDS (Resist Aggression Defensively) has some sound advice: 1) No one has a right to hurt me because I’m special. 2) I don’t have the right to hurt anyone else, unless they’re hurting me and 3) If they do, it’s OK to tell. So tell your kids if anything happens that “It’s OK, and it’s not your fault.” Kids don’t want to get in trouble, and often take the blame and keep quiet.

Adults don’t have secrets with kids, and you don’t have secrets from mom and dad. If someone has a ‘secret’ with you, you tell mom and dad.

Tell your kids that if they get lost somewhere – a mall, zoo, park, wherever – a clear, safe, solution is to run to a mommy with kids.

Code words are good (only people who know this ‘special’ word are allowed to pick you up), but people are even better. Only mom, dad, aunt, grandma, grandpa, etc. are allowed to pick you up and take you somewhere.

It is a tough subject to talk about because we really don't want to scare our children...but honestly? I vividly remember watching the movie 'Adam' on TV when I was probably about Jacobs age (8). It terrified me. I even remember laying in my bed and not being able to sleep! TO.THIS.DAY I remember it. It obviously had a lasting impact on me and I never, ever, ever would have so much as taken one step with a stranger.

It's an important conversation, guys. I suggest having it with every single one of your children no matter the age. It could save their life.

Rest in Peace Jorelys. Many prayers for your familys healing.

Why every distance runner should CrossFit and why every CrossFitter should distance run.

2011-12-01T06:05:00.001-08:00

I'll start by asking, am I an expert on either of these topics? Absolutely NOT. All I know is what I experience...and I do realize my experiences aren't that of anyone else's. We all have a mind of our own and get through things the way we know how. That said:

EVERY DISTANCE RUNNER SHOULD CROSSFIT!

Why?

Mostly because YOU ALREADY HAVE IT IN YOU. But I'll get back to that later.

Distance running is tough. It wears down your muscles. It requires a ton of training. It is a big commitment; a lifestyle almost.

The first few years I was "distance running" (training for half-marathons and full marathons), basically all I did was run. I definitely had the mental toughness for it but I only got better (read: faster) veeeery slowly. When I first started, I was about a 10 minute/mile pace. After a few years of training, I had only dropped that pace down to about 9:30/mile. Maybe on a really good day 9:15/mile...but that was me really pushing it.

At some point I decided to switch up my training and start some personal training at my gym. I started working with a really awesome trainer. I didn't do this for the sake of my running, I simply did it because I was getting bored and needed a change. Little did I know how much strength training would improve my running! Very quickly my pace started getting faster....and faster....and faster. I went from a 2:04 (9:28 pace) half marathon to a 1:49 half (8:19 pace). For all you math whizzes out there, that's more than a minute per mile drop! That is huge in a considerably short period of time. I also went from a 27:30 5K (8:51 pace - and that was bookin' it for me) to a 22:10 5K (7:08 pace!) That is HUGE!

Of course I am not sharing all this information to gloat...only pointing out that improvement was solely adding strength training to my regimen. Getting stronger so my legs could carry me faster and my endurance could improve.

My trainer did mostly CrossFit (*CF) style workouts. Since that time, I have left that gym and joined a CrossFit gym. CF is UNBELIEVABLE for your strength and endurance. CrossFit, according to Wikipedia, is:

a strength and conditioning brand that combines weightlifting, sprinting, gymnastics, powerlifting, kettlebell training, plyometrics, rowing, and medicine ball training.[1] CrossFit contends that a healthy, fit person requires proficiency in each of ten general physical skills: cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination, and accuracy.[2] It defines fitness as increased work capacity across all these domains and says its program achieves this by provoking neurologic and hormonal adaptations across all metabolic pathways.

After taking more than a year break from running and very recently starting again, not only have I have not lost any speed, but running has come very easy. The speed, the strength and stamina to climb hills; this is all part of a CF workout on an everyday basis.

Now let's get back to the statement above; "YOU ALREADY HAVE IT IN YOU". Any distance runner knows that AT LEAST 50% of it is mental (probably even more than this). Your body is capable of so much more than you realize. In my opinion, what separates a good runner from a great runner is simply belief in oneself; an inner strength inside the soul. It is mental strength, determination, will, perseverance and simply just the belief of "DON'T GIVE UP!". There is a word for all of these traits that someone shared with me long ago and I recite it in my head every time I need an extra push (which is practically every day. CrossFit ain't easy y'all).

If you have this mental capacity (and you know deep down whether you do or you don't) it makes you a better runner. And an awesome CrossFitter, because you have the ability to push yourself beyond what others will do. CrossFit is such an AMAZING cross training, but not everyone has it in them. It is very competitive and very tough. But if you have this "push" within you for running, you are already ahead of the CrossFit 'game' even if you haven't started.

CrossFit will be so good for your running and will help coordinate your body in ways that you can't believe. You will be a SO MUCH BETTER runner for it.

Now, let's talk about the flip side:

WHY EVERY CROSSFITTER SHOULD DISTANCE RUN!

I know every person who is really into CF is either a)seriously rolling their eyes right now OR b)thinking, "this chic has no clue what she is talking about!" People who CF think "CROSSFIT IS THE ONLY WAY!" "Every other workout is a total waste of time!".

While I do agree that CF is the best thing I have ever done (body wise), you really can't compare it at all to running. They are two totally different animals. I run to hear the gravel crunch under my shoes; to feel the wind on my face. I run for the birds, the trees, the smell of nature. I run to give myself a quiet minute to think about things that have been on my mind. Running is for the soul! Before I loved running I thought the idea of running for enjoyment was crazy! It was clearly only for people who were deranged enough to have convinced themselves that they actually enjoyed running. Sort of a coping mechanism for exercise, if you will. Now I know this isn't true at all. There is more joy to find in running than you could ever imagine. The peace and tranquility; never mind the incredible sense of accomplishment that comes from completing a long run.

CrossFitters are now thinking..."OK, but I can find peace and tranquility at the spa, so why 'damage' my body with a long run?"

That's easy.

First of all, it wont damage your body. If you hydrate, fuel and listen to your body, you are golden. Especially if you have built up the muscles to support your body during a run. This is hogwash.

But mostly because, YOU ALREADY HAVE IT IN YOU! You have no idea how many times I have been in the middle of a WOD (WOD = Workout Of the Day) and felt like I didn't have anything left. Then I would think to myself "OK, remember such-and-such race at mile 10 how terrible I felt....but I finished. If I finished then I can finish now!" Or I'll think..."I only have one round left. That's about 5 minutes. If I can run for 5 hours I can do ANYTHING for 5 minutes!" I pull mental strength from my running experiences AT LEAST once a day while I am working out. Running has benefited me so immensely at CF that I honestly can't imagine what it would be like without having experienced pushing through MAJOR body fatigue.

Although I am no CF superstar (yet :) ), I have found that having been a runner puts me a step ahead of the game.

So the point of all of this? Nothing really, just to share. Having been on both sides I can appreciate both of them and how they can help you become a really, really great athlete. Facing adversity during long runs will make you a MUCH better CrossFitter and CrossFit strength and endurance training will make you a WAYY better runner. Try and and see for yourself. I dare you. :)

Pay it forward

2011-11-28T11:49:00.000-08:00

So now's the time of the year that we all feel like cooking, right? RIGHT!?? Well I do anyway. It's also the time of the year that we bring meals to friends. Of course we all do this year round, but bringing a meal to someone unexpectedly during the busiest time of the year is a really awesome gesture. Do something for somebody else....pay it forward people. So here's a perfect, heart warming meal to bring to someone special....just because!

Lasagna Soup & Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread. I found the lasagna soup on Pinterest (follow me!). I have actually made lots of Pinterest recipes lately and have not been disappointed yet! I made a few changes to the original recipe which was found here. Here's what I did:

Lasagna Soup

for the soup:
2 tsp. olive oil
1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 lbs. Italian sausage
3 chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
3/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 1/2 T. tomato paste
1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes + 1/2 15-oz. can.
2 bay leaves
8 c. chicken stock
12 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta
1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the cheesy yum:
8 oz. ricotta
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese (I put this for the kids but not me. You definitely don't need it with all the other flavors).

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add ground turkey & sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and onions and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy. Stir in basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.

Servings: 8

**grabbed this picture from the original recipe. Hers was prettier than mine. ;)

SUPER YUMMY! My family loves this and it is VERY easy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
3/4 cup vegetable oil, plus
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon clove
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Spray two 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pans. Mix dry ingredients together (flour, soda, salt, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon.) Stir chocolate chips into dry mixture.

In separate bowl, stir eggs, oil, sugar and pumpkin together. Add pumpkin mixture to dry mixture and stir until well combined. Scrape batter into loaf pans and smooth top.

Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely and top with powdered sugar. (This isn't a must...just makes it look pretty).

Then if you wanna get really creative, you can wrap it up really nice like this:

(not my pic either) :)

So there you have it! Serve the soup with a warm loaf of ciabatta and a nice bottle of Pinot Noir and you have an excellent meal to bring to someone.....just because! :)

2 months!??

2011-11-10T07:39:00.000-08:00

WOW, has it really been 2 months since I updated this blog? How in the world do I catch anyone up on the last 2 months? Well I'll try....

After early September when I last updated is when the company started. My cousin Kaley came to visit, followed by a visit from one of my oldest and dearest, Stacie. We had a BLAST when she was here...just hanging out and catching up. It's been a long time! The last night she was here we went down to Dallas to see Boyce Avenue play at the Grenada Theater. it was an awesome show!

After Stacie flew back home, Kaley came back to visit. That Friday night happened to be the Maroon 5 and Train concert. Can you say AMAZING??? Kaley even got to meet the band with us even though she did not have a meet-and-greet ticket. Pays to be young and hot I guess?

Meeting them is pretty stupid actually, but it comes with our tickets so of course we don't pass it up! But the concert was AMAZE and Ana and I even got pulled on stage for one of the Train songs. So FUN!!

Kaley left a few days later and my in-laws came in for my surgery. I was a little nervous about it but everything turned out just perfectly and what i thought was going to be a very long 6 week recovery actually flew by. I am 6 weeks as of today. HALLELUJAH!! I really REALLY missed Crossfit, but I went back Monday and I don't feel like I lost that much 'skill'. At least it gave my hands a chance to heal up!

Pretty Gross huh? I guess that's what a million thousand pull ups get you. But now they are back to being nice and soft....but probably not for long. ;)

And Eden is glad to be back at Crossfit with me too. This little monkey loves it almost as much as she loves Gymnastics!

I had my surgery on a Wednesday and the following Monday my mom came in to help take care of me. Fortunately, I did not need to be taken care of so we shopped and lunched most every day...our favorite things to do! ;) That weekend, my aunt (her sister) and I had planned a surprise 60th Girls night Out. I rented us a room at the Westin in Frisco and I left earlier in the day to decorate the room all up and put out some hors devours, champagne, etc. When I got home I told her to pack an overnight bag and she was so baffled! We took her to the room, started on the Champagne at about 4 pm and partied into the night. Wine at Cru, dinner at Jaspers....it was perfect! We had SO MUCH FUN and decided it was going to be a bi-yearly event. Happy 60th Bebe! We love you!

She left after the weekend and then it was back to life as normal. I had company for well over a month so things seemed awwwwwfully quiet when she left. :( But hey, at least we had the World Series right? This series was the best EVER and although the Rangers didn't win (again)...it was truly exciting to watch. Jacob and I shared some really good bonding since Mike has been out of town a lot. He would look so forward to sleeping in the bed with me and getting to stay up late on a school night to watch the games. We would scream and hoot and holler....even hide our faces under the covers during those games that went into extra innings and were really tight. So nerve racking!! Win or not, we still love our Rangers!

After all that excitement, there was Halloween. This year Jacob decided to be Eminem, Parker a 'robber', and Eden a lady bug (again). They all looked so cute and had a great night trick or treating with all their friends!

And what fun is Halloween without an adult costume party? This year some of our friends threw a costume party and everyone had to come as a cartoon character. Mike and I decided to go as Malibu Barbie and Ken.

The next week (just last week!) football came to a close.

Go Eagles! it was a really great season and Jacob did extremely well for his first season of tackle. We all enjoyed watching....especially his best cheerleader! (sporting a Cowboys hat, but rooting for the Eagles. ;))

Thursday at Jacob's award ceremony, he was given the 'Principal's Award'. It is an award given to only one child per grade. It is given for being an all around great student.....eager learner, helpful and nice to others, respectful of teachers, etc. I am so proud of him.

The weekend came and we had a wedding to attend in Dallas. It was one of Mike's co-workers, so the McCools went also. We stayed in Dallas overnight and it was so fun!

So there you have it!! the last 2 months of the Devenny's life. BUSY BUSY BUSY is the only word to describe it but I wouldn't have it any other way. I will use the surgery as an excuse to why I haven't updated in so long. I promise to be better!

Funniest Video I Have Ever Seen

2011-09-09T06:23:00.001-07:00

FOOTBALL!

2011-08-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for some fooooootbaaaaaaaaalllll? Yep, football season is here. Jacob made the move this year from flag to tackle, and Parker is old enough to play flag this year. Already, even practice has been so much fun to watch! Jacob and Parker were both supposed to have opening weekend this weekend, but because of the terrible heat, they pushed back tackle opening weekend 2 weeks. Parker still had his opening ceremonies though and 4 scrimmages yesterday. Even though it was a breezy 106 degrees, it was still really fun to watch.

Eden and her boyfriend NoNo before the game ready to cheer. Go Longhorns! (Parker's team...)

Big brothers!

Running through the tunnel at opening ceremonies. SERIOUSLY CUTE!!

Parker and his best buds, Cole and Preston. (think his jersey is big enough??)

Making a great block (on the left). Go P-Diddy!

I'm after you #7!

Got his flag! WHOOP!

Cutie

Parker, Preston and Cole on the line

His adorable 3 point stance!

Thanks to Ashley for these awesome pictures!! Maybe one of these days I will bring MY camera to a game...but then again....my pictures aren't nearly as good as Ashley's...so maybe not! ;)

First day of school!

2011-08-23T15:11:00.000-07:00

So, here's the obligatory 'first day of school' blog! :) Having a Kindergartener always makes for a fun first day. The nerves, excitement and anticipation make the experience even more fun! Jacob going to 2nd grade was exciting too, but there is nothing like having a Kindergartener.

First day of school pancakes!

Where the backpacks will live for the next 9 months..

Sleepy head could not get out of bed to take her brothers to school! Love my lil summer baby.

Welcome back!

Parker at his desk

Jacob the big bad 2nd grader! :)

Eden's ears!

2011-08-15T09:24:00.001-07:00

Alllllll Eden wanted for her birthday was to get her ears pierced. It was a little earlier than I had imagined, but that's what she wanted and honestly I didn't really care that much! So on her birthday off we went to get them done. She didn't even know to be nervous, which was great. She did cry a little right when they did it, but recovered quickly. She LOVES them! Some friends came to watch....it was fun!

Once she got in the chair she was a little curious as to what was about to happen...

Holding her still...

OUCHIE! :(

About 2 minutes later. It's done and she's all happy!

The spectators!

And afterward it was off to the cupcake shop for a birthday cupcake! Happy Birthday you gorgeous thing!

World Series Champs

2011-08-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

This summer has seemed like a dream. You would think that after all this crazy baseball that we would be so relieved that its over! Not the case at all. It was so fun.....so, so, so fun. The boys did incredibly well and brought home the title. For 8U baseball, this is the farthest you can go. There is no "little league world series on TV" for 8 year olds....this is it. They beat so many great teams to get the win and I could not be more proud of them. It is very bittersweet that it is over!

GO PROSPER!!!

After the World Series was over, several of our friends from the team were going to Florida for a vacay....and so were we! We stayed with Ty and Laura and had so much fun!

After those few days, we headed over to stay with my parents and Mikes parent for a few days. Some of our other friends were staying out in Grayton Beach so we got to see them too. Fun, fun!!

Prosper Crew!

**thanks for the awesome pics Ashley!

Now? Back to reality and more importantly BACK TO SCHOOL! Cant wait!

Happy Birthday Eden!

2011-07-28T05:41:00.001-07:00

Hard to believe it's been 3 years. It seems like yesterday that I wrote this. Or this. Or this. I just love her so much...she brings me so much joy!

Here are some pictures from her gymnastics party on Sunday. Considering this was thrown together in a DAY (not kidding...invites and all), it was a total success...she loved it!

I'm "3"!

Happy Birthday baby! We love you SO MUCH!!

Our 8 year old State champ!!

2011-07-24T15:01:00.000-07:00

Well, tomorrow at exactly 8:08 pm, Jacob turns 8. WOW, all the 8's. My favorite number...must be his year to shine. ;)

Anywho...our Prosper U8 All stars clenched the State title on Thursday night. We spent a week in Center, Texas and walked away with a State Championship. To think of all the teams that those boys had to beat to get there is amazing. Every team there obviously had to win their district. (There were 12 teams I think? And they each had to beat about that many to get there? Do the math...)

For the championship game we had to beat the same team twice. We had a loss under our belt (not to make excuses, but our team had the stomach bug all week...yes, you read that right...at least half the team!)...and the team we were playing had not lost yet. Since it was a double elimination tournament, we had to beat them twice the night of the championship to win it. And that we did.

The boys played great, Jacob was a monster at the bat and caught every ball hit to him, and it was an all around AWESOME night. The nerves, emotion and excitement of it all were almost too much to handle. When they introduced the players? I cried. When the national anthem played? Yep, cried then too. When the last out was made in the final game? You guessed it, I also cried then. It was amazing! Saturday the World Series starts. Our first 3 games are Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi. I will keep everyone updated through Facebook. CRAZY!

Go PROSPER! (remember you can click picture to make bigger..)

And here's for my favorite 8 year old. You are so amazingly talented and I couldnt love you more or be more proud. You are so friggin cute, amazingly smart and so althletic. You work hard at everything you do and it shows. I love you Jake D!

GO EAGLES!

2011-07-17T07:49:00.000-07:00

State tournament week is here! We have one win under our belt....4 more to go till we are state champs. *fingers crossed* Go Prosper!

Girls Weekend!

2011-07-12T07:37:00.000-07:00

Girls weekend is one of my favorite weekends of the year. It is not only fun but refreshing. I laugh so hard that it is just a huge release for me. SO NEEDED! A bunch of girls (and a few guys too) from high school...getting together for nothing but fun. Honestly cant beat it. Only bad part? I suffer mild depression when I get home. :( Booo.

*One more picture...I took this from the airplane as I was leaving. I had my face pressed up against the window with tears in my eyes. Hate leaving this gorgeous place. :( Salt life is the life for me! :(

The gorgeous Destin pass.

**Thanks to Stacie, Laura and Heather for the pics. In typical me fashion, I didn't bring my camera!

Next stop....STATE!

2011-06-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

GO EAGLES! (Jake D.'s best cheerleader!)

Our Prosper U8 All Star boys won the regional tournament this weekend in Little Elm. Now we are on our way to the STATE championships in a few weeks. GO PROSPER!

**Jacob bottom row, farthest on the right**
We celebrated the win and the break from a week of baseball (HALLELUJAH) with a trip to Hawaiian Falls today. I let Jacob have a friend spend the night (of course he chose Colin), and we met up with another mom and some boys from his team. They had a blast!

Congrats boys!

Of course Eden and Parker were up on that action

Annnnd, Eden snuggling with her boyfriend NoNo

Jacob and Colin

What an exciting weekend we had!!

Go The F**K To Sleep!

2011-06-17T11:49:00.001-07:00

I wonder how much he charges to come read your child a story at night. Cuz I could really use this book for Eden.

The "more water"...the twenty thousand "hugs and kisses".....the potty trips....the toes sticking out of the covers...the.......etc, etc, etc.....

The Beach

2011-06-16T06:24:00.000-07:00

Every year we go to the beach. Every year is more fun than the last. We drink bloody marys, we swim in the pool, we sit on the beach, we laugh, we talk, we enjoy each other. It's awesome. See?

Jacob learned to surf.....he LOVED it!

Even Mommy rode a tiny wave!

We went on a dolphin cruise...

And we did a million other things and made a million other memories that i couldn't possibly capture on camera. Love the beach trip!!

Birthday recap!

2011-06-03T15:03:00.000-07:00

Well the 5 year old had quite the birthday. Wednesday started out with presents (an itouch like his big bro!)

Then it was off to Jacobs award ceremony. He got the math award. Go Jacob!

Next up was a trip to the Nike store to pick out something. I had some time to kill and thought it would be fun. I assumed he'd pick out a t-shirt or something but I was wrong. He wanted wristbands and a flat brim hat! I tried and tried to talk him into something else but the dude knows what he likes. Thuggin!

After that we met up with his birthday buddy, Cole for some sand and splash park. The new Allen 'beach' is an awesome place for kids......and mom's! (Michelle and I found a great spot on the Gloria's patio overlooking the spray park. Corona Lights anyone?)
Cheers!

Birthday cake! It was like a caramel flan....(we were at a Mexican place)...Parker took one bite and said, ewww, gross! lol

After the spray park was straight to the pool to swim with his friends. We stayed there for about an hour and came home to get ready for dinner. Parker "wanted to eat with chopsticks" so we went to PFChangs. Yum!! We wandered around the Villages at Watters Creek before we ate for a minute and then it was off to eat with chopsticks.

We brought him a cake so his friends could sing again. Happy Birthday Parker!

We got home at about 930, showered and threw everyone into the bed. The next day was field day for Jacob and Parker's birthday party so we had a big day!

We celebrated Parker and Cole's birthday together and Cole's family's neighborhood pool. We have a lot of the same friends, and since they have the same birthday we thought it would be fun....and we were right! Parker requested a DJ and I was very happy to oblige. A boy after my own heart! The guy that cuts my hair is not only super awesome, but is a DJ in a Beastie Boys tribute band. I called him and he said that he usually doesn't do stuff like this but that he wanted to do it. Love him! He made the party so fun and cool. Parker was mesmerized and said "I cant wait to be a DJ when I get big!".

We think there were about 75 people there. 20 pizzas disappeared in minutes and the cake that was supposed to serve 75-100 people didn't have a crumb left. It was a great time. We have the greatest friends! Happy Birthday again P Diddy and CoCo!!

We came home and opened presents (OMG was bigger than Christmas!), and finally got the kids down at about 11 pm. We were all exhausted! Today was Jacobs last day of school, so after Parker, Eden and I attended his end of year party we came home so he could skateboard!! A few of our best friends went in together to get him all the skateboarding necessities 9a skateboard was what he wanted the most). He got a skateboard, a ramp, helmet and some cool pads (and they threw some DJ headphones in there as well! ;)) He is in heaven!

Thank you to everyone who made Parker's birthday so special. I think in my next life I want to come back as Parker!

Happy Birthday Parker!

2011-06-01T14:56:00.000-07:00

Many things are given to you in your life. Some are opportunities, some are decisions, some are a test. Others make life difficult but make you stronger. This one? Pure joy. Honestly he is a ray of sunshine.

Parker you have made my life 1000x times more awesome. I love you so much and you are a joy 100% of the time!! Not sure many people can say that about their kids. But you are one in a million and bring sunshine not only to my life, and everyone else's life that you are around. Love my little Gemini! Happy Birthday Pooh Bear. I love you so much!!

When do Parents become stupid?

2011-05-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

So true! And not at all my blog. I copied it exactly from here. But it was worth sharing!

Dear Mom and Dad,
Don’t Read This.
Love,
Your (Once-Teenage) Daughter

Am I the only adult who, as a teenager, snuck out of the house, made out with boys and worked on getting high as hard as I worked on Advanced Placement Calculus?

I read post after post of parents who are so shocked that their (or other people’s) teens would take a naked picture of themselves or drink a beer.

Am I the ONLY ONE who remembers what it was like to be stupid and impulsive and determined to be in love?

As a teenager, I saw things and did things that were disrespectful and dumb. BECAUSE I WAS DISRESPECTFUL AND DUMB HANGING OUT WITH A BUNCH OF DISRESPECTFUL AND DUMB FRIENDS (no offense high school buds).

I’m pretty sure that’s the definition of teenager.

I don’t understand this forgetting. I mean do only well-behaved teenagers become parents? Parenting is left to the 15-year-old hall monitors… and me?

Of course, in ten years when my son tells me he’s sleeping over a friend’s house, I hope that he’s ACTUALLY SLEEPING AT HIS FRIEND’S HOUSE. But will I cry and moan if he’s not? Will I say: I brought you up better than this? Will I judge the parents of other teens who are getting caught and point to them as bad influences?

No. No. No.

My kid will get in trouble for lying to me, but I’m not going to lament my parenting. This is what teenagers do. It’s not okay, but it’s not some sort of flaw either.

Teenagers are impulsive and emotional. Which is exactly like they should be with too much hormone and only a teeny tiny touch of perspective floating their brains. They are toddlers with sex drives.

(Although I will be THAT MOM who calls the parents beforehand to check that a sleepover is a sleepover. My kids are going to have to be way sneakier than I was…. SUCKAHS!)

I thought that I was invincible as a teenager. And all the crap I put my body and my mind though? I just may have been.

So wake up. Get over it. Oh, and check your liquor stash. Because vodka doesn’t freeze, but the water us teenage idiots use to replace it? Does.

Good luck!

Blog

2011-05-20T07:23:00.000-07:00

Not sure why, but I randomly googled my name this morning. I came across my training blog from my first marathon back in 2005. It was so fun to read!

My Training Diary

Parkers graduation!

2011-05-19T05:55:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my Parker is going to Kindergarten next year. I am so excited for him, he is going to do so great! Today is their last day of school and they had their Pre-K graduation last night.

Parker and Preston with their big boy Prosper Eagle shirts!

My big boy!

His awesome teacher that I just love so much! (and so does he!)

Pre-K graduate!

Parker and his BFF Preston

I love him!

Us and our little P's!

Congrats Pooh Bear!!

How sweep it is!

2011-05-09T13:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday rocked. Not only did the Mavs sweep the Lakers...but our Crush boys swept the tournament! The tournament this weekend was at Craig Ranch and we won it. GO CRUSH!

And just for sitting out there all weekend long...look who got the team's extra trophy!

Happy Mothers Day to me!

Mothers Day

2011-05-07T12:32:00.000-07:00

This Mother's Day I will be celebrating from the ball fields. So fitting and I wouldn't have it any other way. Thanks to my kids who made me a mom. It is fun, hard, wonderful, trying, amazing, and many, many other things. I am honored to be one.

I was thinking the other day when I randomly heard a song on the radio, that there are a few songs that will always belong to my kids. When I had my babies, I didn't know any lullabies. I even sang Rock-a-bye Baby wrong and would forget what would happen when the cradle would fall. So, when I rocked my kids to sleep, I would just sing them songs that I knew. And then one would "stick". For Jacob, it was 'Return to Pooh Corner' by Kenny Loggins. I LOVE Kenny Loggins and I really love this song. It reminds me so much of when we moved to Texas when Jacob was 2 weeks old. I didn't know a soul in town. I would just drive around town and 'get to know' my new city all day long...and play this CD. Then at night I would rock him to sleep and sing it to him. To this day I cry when I hear it. Love you Jake D!

And to think he is almost 8. Insane!!

For Parker, it was 'Maybe I'm Amazed' by Paul McCartney. When I was close to delivering Parker, my sister in law Laura was in the hospital with Pre-eclampsia. I would drive over to Ft. Worth to keep her company as often as my schedule would allow. Jem had just come out with a new version of this song and I listened to it on repeat. After Parker was born, it was my song choice to sing. Rock and sing...rock and sing. But this song will never belong to Jem...only Paul! This ones for you Pooh Bear!

My little easygoing almost 5 year old party animal!

And now my baby girl.....my little darling! There is no significance here....it was just the song that would come to mind in the wee hours of the morning. So here's to you Eden. I love you!

You are so cute baby girl. The fact that you are almost 3 is mind boggling.

But Mother's Day will never belong to me...it is still my Mom's day! I cannot believe you did all these things for me, felt this way about me and sacrificed so much for me....until I did with my own children. We love you so much Bebe. Happy Mother's Day!

My budding artist

2011-05-03T06:36:00.001-07:00

I'm gonna brag for a moment. One of Jacob's pieces of art that he created at school was selected to be displayed in a local business. We have a reception Thursday evening to go see it. Very proud of him! I dont have a picture of it yet, because I haven't even seen it, but here is one that he did recently at school. I framed it and hung it on the wall...it is so good. Looks like something you would buy! Very proud of you Jake D!

A Cinderella Story

2011-04-30T11:38:00.001-07:00

At school Jacob had to write a "Fairy Tale". I thought this was so cute since most all of his stories are about baseball and football! And pretty good spelling for a First grader if I do say so myself! :)

Easter and stuff

2011-04-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

Pretty creative blog title huh? That's about as creative as it's gonna get today, folks. I'll just post a few pics, and be on my way.

Baseball Opening weekend! (mind you, this was weeks ago when Bebe was here...I've just gotten around to downloading them off my camera...)

Then there was the teacher luncheon that I help with every year. This year I was in charge of hors devours, and dessert. I made stuffed mushrooms, bruschetta, and apple dumplings. Then for 'thank you' take home gifts, I made little 4 inch Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecakes that looked like this.

YUM. I made 12 of them! ***See below for recipes...

Then there was the pink eye epidemic that lasted weeks. In case you are wondering, yes, I still have it. Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me? Don't cha? I know you do. Sorry, you don't get a picture of me, although this is exactly how I have been looking and feeling! (complete with the Shakeology stache..)

Next up was the whole Easter celebration at school. Parker didn't have to get so dressed up did he? Also, I'm not sure the smiles could have been faker. But OF COURSE they had so much fun..

Finally was Easter weekend. We had a fabulous day, really. We started with The Easter Bunny

Then moved on to 'Cinnabunny's' for breakfast

After Cinnabunny's came an awesome church service and an Easter Brunch and Egg Hunt at Gentle Creek Golf Club, but unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of us all pretty. After that wrapped up, I came home and GOT IN BED! One of my favorite things to do on the weekend is nap and we have been so incredibly busy with baseball that I haven't done that in so long. Mike woke me up just in time for dinner. It was awesome and much needed.

I hope everyone had a fabulous Easter filled with love!

------------------------------------------
**recipes

Stuffed Mushrooms

24 ounces, weight White Button Mushrooms
⅓ pounds Hot Pork Sausage
½ whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
⅓ cups Dry White Wine
8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese (I use light)
1 whole Egg Yolk
¾ cups Parmesan Cheese, Grated
Salt And Pepper, to taste

Wipe off or wash mushrooms in cold water. Pop out stems, reserving both parts.
Chop mushroom stems finely and set aside. Brown and crumble sausage. Set aside on a plate to cool. Add onions and garlic to the same skillet; cook for 2 minutes over medium low heat. Pour in wine to deglaze pan, allow liquid to evaporate.
Add in chopped mushroom stems, stir to cook for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set mixture aside on a plate to cool. In a bowl, combine cream cheese and egg yolk. Stir together with Parmesan cheese.Add cooled sausage and cooled mushroom stems. Stir mixture together and refrigerate for a short time to firm up. Smear mixture into the cavity of each mushroom, creating a sizable mound over the top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool at least ten minutes before serving; the stuffed mushrooms taste better when not piping hot.
---------------------------------------
Pomodoro Fresco Sourdough Bruschetta

1 (12 to 16-inch) sourdough baguette
2 garlic cloves, halved plus 1 tablespoon minced garlic
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for garnish
2 cups diced Roma tomatoes
1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the baguette in half lengthwise, place on a sheet tray and bake in the oven until lightly brown. Rub with the garlic cloves. Drizzle with 2 ounces of the olive oil and sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Return to oven to melt cheese.
In a medium mixing bowl, add the tomatoes, minced garlic, basil, vinegar, remaining olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and let sit for 5 minutes at room temperature.
Remove baguette from oven and top with the tomato mixture. Garnish with basil and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

---------------------------------------
Apple Dumplings (Pioneer Woman's!)

2 whole Granny Smith Apples
2 cans (8 Oz. Cans) Crescent Rolls
2 sticks Butter
1-½ cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Cinnamon, To Taste
1 can (12 Oz.) Mountain Dew Soda

Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.
Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

---------------------------------------
Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake
1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup crushed cream filled chocolate sandwich cookies
1/4 cup sugar (scant)
6 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
FILLING:
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup hot fudge ice cream topping. divided
1 small bag peanut butter cups, cut into small wedges. Put them in the freezer as well to assure them being hard and not melting.

In a bowl, combine cracker crumbs, cookie crumbs, sugar and butter. Press onto the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a greased 9-in springform pan. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack. In a microwave safe bowl, heat peanut butter on high for 30 seconds or until softened. Spread over crust to within 1 inch of edges.
In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and sour cream until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in vanilla. Pour 1 cup mixture into a bowl; set aside. Pour remaining filling over peanut butter layer.
In microwave safe bowl, heat 1/4 cup fudge topping on high 30 seconds or until thin; fold into reserved cream cheese mixture. Carefully spoon over filling, cut through filling with a knife to swirl.
Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen. Cool in the fridge overnight.
In the morning take the remaining fudge topping and microwave 30 seconds or until warmed. Pour over top of cheesecake til top is covered. Garnish the top of chocolate topping with chopped up peanut butter cups. I used enough to lighty accent the top.

Update

2011-04-18T05:26:00.000-07:00

My poor, neglected blog! I have been showing it no love lately. Honestly? Not a lot of new happenings. LOTS of baseball. More tournament wins (these boys are incredible)! Last weekend we played in an 8U 15 team tourney in Grand Prairie. We were 5-1 in the tournament with FOUR wins on Sunday to take home the first place trophy. It was a 12+ hour day in the 90 degree heat, but it was so fun! Notice how big the trophy is compared to Jacob's body! Go CRUSH!

We have also been doing stuff every single weekend....both nights! PHEW! My camera has been dead for weeks but I do have this crappy phone pic taken from last weekend. It was our personal trainers birthday so we took him out to celebrate. Look at his entourage! Lucky dude...

But what have I been doing the MOST of? Well, this!!

I have really been trying to dedicate a lot of time and energy to get my business off the ground. I have A LOT of very happy customers, so please let me know of any health and fitness needs you may have. I have helped a lot of people get set up with workout programs to suit their needs, such as p90x, TurboFire, ChaLEAN Extreme, and the new INSANITY! In fact, I just started to p90x program today, which I intend on completing in its entirety! I'll keep you posted on how that goes. And of course I am still drinking my shake every day. Dessert for breakfast (not to mention your entire day's worth of vitamins!)....can't beat it!

A month!

2011-04-04T10:11:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh! It has almost been a month since I posted a blog. I don't think I have ever gone that long! OK, maybe I have...but not in a while anyway. Things have been crazy around here as usual! In the past month we have had about 20 baseball games (not exaggerating), more practices than I can count, I hosted a little soiree at my house, I catered a friends 40th birthday party, Laura and the kids came for a week, followed by my mom here for a week....and so on and so on. We have had a lot of fun stuff going on, as we always do in the spring. I guess everyone wakes up from their winter's naps....and wants to party...because socially there has been a lot going on too.

Catering the party last weekend really enforced for me again how badly I want to go to culinary school! And everybody knows I am selling Beachbody now....and making some money! I have not had a paycheck in 10 years, so finally earning a little money to put towards my school has been rewarding. I have shared these products with a lot of people who have been very pleased with the nutritional and fitness results they have seen. So if you or anyone you know needs help in these areas, please direct them to me! I feel like I have successfully been able to live a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise, and through Beachbody I get the opportunity to 'coach' others in these areas. I love it!

I hope everyone has a great week!

XO

Fundraising

2011-03-08T12:18:00.001-08:00

So for once....I am NOT fundraising! Fundraising is so hard, especially in this economy. But there are so many wonderful causes out there. If you cannot donate your time to the various organizations out there, I'd encourage you to donate monetarily to someones cause. Not only will it make you feel good, but it will effect so many people in the long run. There are so many children and families effected by these diseases....and I TRULY believe one cure will lead to a cure for all. I truly do!

Here are a couple friends that are fundraising right now. Please take a minute to check them out. Choose one that is near and dear to you or someone that you love, and contribute your weekly coffee, lunch or wine allowance toward them. It is such a wonderful thing to do!

My friend Monica is fundraising for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in honor of a little girl named Ayla. Here is an excerpt from the email she sent out.

I wanted to share a story with you about a little girl by the name of Ayla Tucker. Ayla’s mother Krista is a dear friend of mine that I have known for just a few years but she and her daughter have made a BIG impact on me. When Krista was pregnant with Ayla, I found out that I was expecting Owen. We would often talk about how close in age our kids would be (just 6 months apart), and how great it would be watching them grow up together. I have always joked that one day Ayla would be my daughter-in-law. During Krista’s pregnancy in a routine ultrasound they suspected that little Ayla may have Cystic Fibrosis because they spotted intestinal blockage. After months of speculation, tests, and many tears their fears were confirmed and the diagnosis became official, Ayla had CF.

The email says a lot more, but I just wanted to give a little info. If you know and love anyone with CF, please consider a donation!

Click here to donate:
Great Strides

Another friend that is fundraising is my friend Tabitha. 10 years ago she found out that she had a rare form of cancer called Liposarcoma. She has put together a Relay for Life team and is currently fundraising. I know we ALL know and love someone with cancer, so if this is something you would be interested in donating to, please consider her cause.

Click here to donate:
Relay for Life

Fundraising is near and dear to my heart for many reasons...and we all know that I suffer from a chronic disease myself. It is very frustrating to live a healthy lifestyle and still have issues that cannot be fixed.

So please consider one of these two causes. Remember, charitable donations are tax deductible and lots of companies do a matching program where they will match any donation you give.

Thanks for reading! XO

Soccer and Baseball and Basketball, oh my!

2011-03-08T07:33:00.000-08:00

The past couple weeks have been CRAZY busy with sports. This past week Jacob had 5 baseball practices and 5 baseball games. Yep, that's right! FIVE EACH! He filled in for a team tournament this weekend and it was SO MUCH FUN. He did great at 3rd base...especially considering he was playing with second and third graders! He went 14 for 16 (we think) and had some awesome plays in the field. They ended up winning the whole tournament...it was awesome!

Jacob and Coach T Wade after the big win!

The awesome Crush team. Side note - Jacob was given jersey #44 which was Mike's number in high school. We thought that was pretty cool!

This was taken about 5 minutes after we pulled out of the parking lot. A 3 game, 8 hour baseball day is a whipping!

It was such a fun weekend though...we lived, ate and breathed baseball. And we loved every minute of it. Can't wait for the next one!

The weekend before was awfully exciting as well. We had our soccer playoffs and our last basketball game. I didn't get any pictures from basketball, but we won our last game and the boys had a really awesome season!!

Our soccer playoff was AMAZING. We played a team that we were in no way supposed to beat. Supposedly the coach owns a major league soccer team in California and is very serious about soccer. They draft the best kids from all over Frisco and it is a supposed "select team".....and guess what? We beat them 4-3!! Jacob scored that 4th goal which ensured us the win and it was so exciting. Indoor soccer is different than outdoor because they can use the walls and there is no out of bounds...kind of like hockey. It is more aggressive than outdoor soccer and Jacob likes it much more (and so do we).

Here he is with his Championship trophy! GO FC Prosper!

With his buddies!

Now, I'm off to the doctor. I have had this awful "cold" (more like flu) since Friday. I sucked it up in the 30 degree weather this weekend at baseball, but its only getting worse. I stayed in bed ALL DAY yesterday and I planned on doing the same today, but I can't be away from the gym all week, I will just die! So its off to the doc I go to get some antibiotics and nip this little bug.

Oh, and here are a couple pics taken at my cousins rehearsal dinner. Fun, Fun!

Happy 35!

2011-02-22T08:11:00.000-08:00

Well happy 35th to me!! I had a WONDERFUL birthday. We celebrated by taking a trip to Savannah for my cousin Lauren's wedding. I had not seen that side of the family in ENTIRELY too long so we were so excited. And we had a fabulous time. The wedding was so perfect, the city is GORGEOUS and we had a ball. Here are the few pics that were on my camera.....will post more pics when I get them from other people.

Those precious bestie cousins!

And the boys....they couldn't have been more well behaved!!

The fam...

This is how the Diva spent most of the weekend. Don't let her good looks fool you.

And this little easygoing dude was just perfect! CHEERS!

Now up this weekend is a big Girls Night Out to celebrate my birthday and then a couples night on Saturday to celebrate another friends birthday. Fun, fun fun!!

Delicious Brussels Sprouts recipe!

2011-02-09T17:17:00.000-08:00

I made these for dinner tonight and they were sooo delicious! I had 4ths. Yes, FOURTHS! *oink* It was an experiment and was great. Even the kids loved it. Enjoy!

Brussels Sprouts Hash

I large yellow onion
A few T. Yogurt butter (of course you could use regular butter)
2 1/2 T. Apple cider vinegar
5 T. Xylitol* (you could use regular sugar if you want)
2 T. Olive oil
2 lbs. Fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved and sliced
1 C. Low sodium chicken broth
3 T. Craisins
2 T. Pine nuts
1 1/2 t. Molasses
Kosher salt and pepper

Heat butter over medium heat. Cut onion in 4ths and then slice very thin. Add to butter along with salt and pepper to taste and cook over medium until soft, about 10 minutes. Add vinegar and sugar and cook about 3 more minutes, until brown. Put in bowl and keep warm. In same pan, heat olive oil over medium hig heat and add sliced Brussels sprouts. Sauté until brown on the edges, about 6 minutes. Add chicken broth, craisins, pine nuts, molasses and salt and pepper and cook another 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add onions back and combine until heated. Serve and enjoy!

Bon Appetit!

*xylitol is a natural, not chemical, sugar-free sweetener. It is found naturally in berries, fruit and vegetables. It is not artificial as chemical sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose and Splenda are. It also measures cup for cup with sugar and is a great sugar substitute in cooking and baking.

One more good resource for healthy eating can be found here. I love this chart!

Snow day...part deux!

2011-02-09T14:19:00.000-08:00

Last week I slothed around. I watched TV. I ate. I watched more TV. I played word games on my phone and iPad. I slept. I drank wine (who knew you could get sick of wine?). I was so ready for school to be back in and the sun to come out.

Then Monday came and guess what? The sun was out and the kids were back at school! I was elated! I drove around with my sun roof cracked and my music blaring. I was on a high and thinking that I had unknowingly been suffering from SAD. Then Tuesday came and same deal! My workout was AMAZING, I had a fun lunch with awesome friends and I was in an all around grand mood. I vowed to myself, 'next time bad weather comes, I will just turn on all the lights and listen to the music really loud and pretend that it is a nice day outside'!

And then.

Dum Dum duuuummmmmm....

The call came. 6:11 am and my phone rings. It is Drew Watkins, Superintendent of Prosper schools, saying school was once again cancelled because of ice and freezing conditions.

So here I sit. I have not had a proper meal all day, unless you could 5 cups of coffee, tuna out of the can, crackers and chocolate chips a meal. I took a bath only to warm myself up and then I put my pajamas back on. My children still look like this:

I NEED SUMMERTIME!!! I hoped if I closed my eyes real tight and thought about it real hard, I'd be able to bring myself back here

...but so far that hasn't worked.

Any ideas? Until you think of any, I'll be in my bed watching Oprah....

Little Lovies!

2011-02-03T13:17:00.000-08:00

Since we are on day 3 of being COMPLETELY ICED IN, I am desperately looking for things to do around here. Today I decided to watch some old videos. Sooo cute! Listen to Jacob voice....it is crazy how much they have changed in such a 'short' time!

**sorry for the sideways view...annoying, I know!

Super Bowl Sunday!

2011-02-01T14:37:00.000-08:00

So, the Super Bowl is this weekend of course....and banking on the fact that we can get out of our driveway (Holy Ice, Batman), we will definitely be going to a Super Bowl party! I wanted to post my favorite healthy eating website in case you were looking for delish recipes for a Super Bowl party of your own. She has some really great recipes on here and this Super Bowl Roundup just could not be missed! Enjoy!

Top 20 Skinny Superbowl Roundup

Bon Appetit and Go Steelers!

Middle Aged Gymnastics!

2011-01-31T15:33:00.000-08:00

LOL!

**thanks so much for this Ashley! Hilarious!

Why you aren't seeing fitness results

2011-01-30T06:25:00.000-08:00

Here's a great article I found at CNN.com

Remember those resolutions in the beginning of the year -- you were going to get in shape, exercise regularly and take fitness classes?

It's now the end of January. Are you still doing it?

It's cold -- there's snow outside. Work and family demands are too much. There's no time to squeeze in a workout.

January is the busiest month of the year for Mike Littrel, president and CEO of X3 Sports gyms in Atlanta.

"January is the natural reset point for people -- it's the beginning of the year. The holidays are over. It's a natural time for people to make a change and a shift in their life," he said.

The yearly ritual begins with newbies flooding the gym.

"Within the first three weeks, they fade away from the goal or the intensity of what they're committing to," Littrel said. "From what I see, it takes 28 days to create a habit. They're quitting before the 21st day."

Their biggest complaint: They don't see any results.

CNN.com asked fitness experts why we don't see changes despite best efforts at the gym, and how to reboot our fitness routine.

1) You're not changing what you eat.

A lot of people hit the gym, but don't watch what they eat, said Jordan Yuam, who trains "Twilight" actor Taylor Lautner. They get impatient because they don't see dramatic changes in the first few weeks of working out.

"When starting out an exercise program, if you want to see a successful outcome, you work on food first," Yuam said.

This means fewer calories, or at least better-quality nutrition. Eat foods like an apple or cottage cheese that take more energy for your body to digest, he suggested. There are too many junk foods packaged and marketed as health foods, Yuam said, so he recommends cutting back on processed foods.

The bottom-line diet: Eat less

Fad diets don't work, especially the ones that require cutting out an entire food group like carbs or fats, Yuam said. Those don't work in the long run, because they're unsustainable.

"You want long term," he said, stressing a well-balanced diet.

It doesn't have to be deprivation. If you really need that pizza slice or Chinese food, pick one meal in a week where you can have that guilty pleasure, and put it down on your calendar.

2) You're not having fun during your workout.

"It has to be fun," said Tracie Rogers, a spokeswoman for the American Council on Exercise. "If you're absolutely miserable and you dread going, you can find another option. There are too many options where you can find one to be fun and happy with."

Rogers suggests asking friends and trying fitness options like Zumba, spin, kickboxing and sports leagues until you find what you like.

"A lot of people think their only option is going to a giant gym," Rogers said. "Some people are extremely overwhelmed and intimidated, so they never go. That's not the only option. There are boutiques doing all sorts of things. Shop around and see what feels right."

Watching the clock during a fitness routine is a bad sign. It means your motivation isn't there.

How one man's shame sparked a 300-pound weight loss

"It's about doing something for yourself," said Rogers, a sports and exercise psychologist in Phoenix, Arizona. "A lot of us are busy with family, work and so many commitments. The workout time can be viewed as the one hour of the day you dedicate to yourself."

Make exercise a social outing by participating in fitness classes and meeting with friends and trainers.

The 51 fastest fat burners

"If you take manageable steps and put the right people around you, you set yourself to be successful," Littrel said. "You have a better chance rather than going about it alone without guidance and support. There's much psychological support."

3) You're only doing cardio.

Yuam said he hears complaints from people who say they don't see any changes after spending hours on the treadmill or elliptical machine.

"For people who are sitting on exercise machines, they're not getting their heart rate up. They just are doing the motions. They're going to fail or leave the gym because why do something when you don't see results? They're not motivated anymore," said Yuam, a fitness trainer and owner of Jordan's Virtual Fit Club in Valencia, California.

"In the years of doing this, the most common error is, 'I have to do cardio. I have to do an hour of cardio,' " he said.

Women tend to focus on cardio and neglect strength training, Yuam said.

He suggests resistance training at least three times a week to his clients.

The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommended muscle-strengthening physical activity on at least three days of the week for kids and two or more for adults.

Strength training helps decrease body fat, increase lean muscle mass and more efficiently burn calories.

4) Your goal is unrealistic.

Changing your fitness doesn't mean you have to vigorously work out seven days a week.

"People don't have to conquer crazy goals all at one time," Littrel said.

Trying to go from a coach potato to an exercise warrior on a Spartan diet is unsustainable for most people. Once life gets busy or stressful, people drop all of these efforts and go back to unhealthy habits.

Take the first step of working out even two days a week, and scale upward from there, Littrel said. Doing some physical exercise is better than nothing, with so many people battling obesity, he said.

Set realistic goals and monitor your progress.

Take a picture of yourself the first week, and then take another in the following weeks to track how you're doing, Yuam said.

More Accountability

2011-01-28T13:50:00.000-08:00

So class, for today's lesson (lol)...heehee....

But really, today is Accountability idea #2.

2. Log your Time

This may seem strange, especially to those who stay extremely busy, but you have no idea of the wasted time in the day! I decided at the beginning of the year that this was something I was going to do. I do not have the most picked up house on the block, and I always blame it on that I'm too busy. "Something has got to go if I am going to start keeping the house perfectly picked up, and I can't let anything go", I'd say. Then again, I find plenty of time for Facebook, plenty of time for blogging, recipe searching, etc, etc. I realized that what it boiled down to was that I was making a priority for the things I enjoyed doing, but not for those in which I didn't enjoy. (Human nature!) But the fact is, I *could* find at least 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon to pick up the house, I just *wasn't*.

Time logging can be fabulous for your mental health because once you realize exactly what you are doing, only then can you 'find the time' to add in those things in that you *wish* you were doing. Whether it be working out, cleaning house, keeping on top of your laundry, bills, etc, etc.

So the challenge for today is this: Pick a time of the day when you are home for a few hours. Log what you do during those hours and then analyze how you can better spend your time so that you can fit in those undesirables! Because let's face it...life is full of undesirables, and it will always be that way. But you gotta do what you gotta do, so let's find a way to do it! (Only then will you realize, "Holy Crap! I spent 2.5 hours sitting on my computer today getting NOTHING done!")

Good luck! :)

Accountability

2011-01-27T13:06:00.000-08:00

Holding ourselves accountable is very important in achieving our goals. Unfortunately, I think for most people, being accountable to ourselves is a struggle. This is why people do better with a partner; a workout buddy; a friend that is on the same diet program that we are. But let's face it, this is not always going to be the case. I think this is why so many people yo-yo back and forth. There is not always going to be someone holding you accountable. You must do this for yourself. Do yourself this favor!

Ways to be accountable:

1. Food log.

We have all heard that keeping a food log is helpful in achieving weight loss goals. I think it is IMPERATIVE! So many people are resistant against keeping track of eating because it seems like such a chore. And honestly, at first it is. It is annoying to write down every cheerio you put in your mouth! But tough cookies...to re-learn something, you must be accountable. (and trust me...after a while you know exactly what you are eating and writing down every morsel might not be necessary!) I use www.livestrong.com/myplate and I LOVE it! I have been using it for years and it is awesome. It is super user-friendly and a great overall resource. Create an account and it will walk you through the steps of figuring out how many calories you need per day.

For me, it says I need 1,712 calories to lose one lb. per week. So far my day looks like this:

Coffee 5
International Delight Sugar Free French Vanilla 60
Thomas' 100 Calorie Light English Muffin, Multi grain 100
2 Egg White 32
Honey Crisp Apple 80
Tuna, Canned 100
Sam's Club Blackened Seasoned Salmon Fillets 6 oz. 260
Earthbound Farm Mixed Baby Greens 15
Kraft Light Balsamic Vinaigrette Reduced Fat Salad Dressing 19
Beachbody Shakeology 140

Totals: 811

Read more:

interesting, eh?

I HIGHLY recommend it!

Tomorrow I will be posting my 2nd accountability suggestion. All of these tools help my family and I stay on a healthy track. Tomorrow = managing my time.... Stay Tuned!

Have a great rest of the day and make healthy choices!!

What is this?

2011-01-26T05:39:00.001-08:00

Looks a little different in here huh? Well that's because I am going to be doing a wellness portion of this blog for a little while. Many people have expressed interest in this department so I thought I could help out (and of course the accountability will help me out also!) So here is my Wellness Rx.**

People frequently ask me what I do:

How do I work out?
How long do I work out/how many days a week?
What do I eat?
How do I cook healthy for my family and make it tasty so my kids will eat it?
How do I not yo-yo? (at one point in my life I was >25 lbs heavier and no - that wasn't when I was pregnant)
How have I made health and fitness a lifestyle for myself?

THIS is what this blog is about. I do A LOT of reading on health and fitness. From articles, to theories on your metabolism and how to change it, to healthy recipes, to newer, better workout ideas. Healthy living is something that I am very passionate about. I owe it to my kids to not only keep myself and my husband healthy, but to teach them how to live a health-minded lifestyle. Because as we all know, health is a journey not a destination; a lifestyle; something that always must be strived toward. Once you find your secret, you must change your life. For those of us who enjoy our lifestyle this is very scary! But trust me, this is a gift. I love my life; I have a great family, awesome friends and I have A LOT of fun! Just because I make healthy choices every day and am conscious of how I treat my body doesnt mean I am missing out on anything. Quite the contrary!

Join me in this journey. I will help you get to where you want to be. I will give you the tools necessary to jump on the health bandwagon regardless of your starting point. And my bandwagon has thick bars....there is no jumping off! Once you get your mind right, have the resources necessary to make better choices and want to live for your body, you will see the results that you want. They ARE acheiveable. They are NOT out of reach. They are RIGHT IN FRONT of you. Let's go get them. Let's find them and reign them in. Let today be the day that you change....for your sake and your families sake.

Let's go, let's work!!

**Remember...I am absolutely NOT an expert! I just do what I do and it works for me...

Cleanse....DONE! 60 day fitness challenge....ITS ON!

2011-01-13T05:30:00.000-08:00

Well, as many people are doing....I have started a challenge for myself for 2011. There are a bunch of girls from my gym doing it, but I am truly doing this for myself. I am not 'dieting'....I am simply trying to eat for my body this year. I have been thinking a lot lately about disease, the foods we consume, etc....and am going to try to eliminate some of the bad. Of course I will still partake in *some* fun..I do love to cook and eat after all (and some things cannot permanently be avoided), but I am going to try and eat consciously and wisely for my body (NOT for weight!). I am also doing other things like compost for our garden (after the snow melts!)...but that's for another post. Stay tuned.

2011....the year to be conscious!

So what am I doing? Well, I'll start with the basics. I have started drinking an EXTREMELY healthy shake for breakfast every morning that has really made a difference. It has over 70 vitamins and minerals and it is so flippin good!

I figure if I start my day healthy, I am off to a great start! Then the rest of the day I try to eat out of the fridge. Fresh fruits, vegetables, grilled chicken..and if I need a salty snack, roasted, salted almonds hit the spot!

If I read the box of something and there are tons of 'ingredients' I have never heard of....I don't need to eat it! (again....of course I WILL eat these things sometimes....and thats ok! Just not at home sitting in front of the computer!)

I will also try and work out at LEAST 5 times a week (try for 6).

I want to be putting healthy things in my body and working my body not only for myself, but as an example to my children. It's so important!!

So how did I start?

For me, getting off the ground is the hardest part. Habits are hard to change but those first couple days are the hardest! Re-training your body is hard after years and years!

I started with a Shakeology cleanse.

It goes a little something like this...

SHAKEOLOGY 3-DAY CLEANSE

The basics are as follows:

3 SHAKEOLOGY Shakes a day

2 Cups of Green Tea a Day (I did not do this. MUST.HAVE.COFFEE.)

1 or 2 pieces of fruit a day (optional) (I did one)

1 Salad for dinner, as many veggies as you would like - Only WHITE GRILLED PROTEIN in salad (fish or poultry)

Drink 2-4 liters of water everyday.

Only use low fat dressings (I used red wine vinegar or balsamic and lemon juice), and go easy on the salt and/or petter to taste.

You can put your 2 snacks before/after any of the MAJOR MEALS-Breakfast Lunch & Dinner

NO: DAIRY, or EXTRA SUGARS (my morning coffee was without creamers!)

*** For maximum results NO additives.

NO DIARY products at all for maximum results, no almond soy or rice milk

DAILY REGIMEN: REPEAT all 3 Days

I will not lie. This is hard. HARD. But do-able and you feel SOOOO good when you are done! Good, small and ready for your fresh eating start! The normal woman will lose between 4-11 pounds!!! ***If you want to know details of the cleanse....read below. It is amazing.

So now my 60 day begins! Actually it is 56 days because i started monday and the first 3 days were cleaning. LETS GO!!!

So who is doing it with me...??? Come on, we'll be in it together!

***The Science Behind the Shakeology 3-Day-Cleanse

I like to call the Shakeology 3-Day Cleanse a “performance cleanse.” This is because it was designed to be done with a workout program. Let’s take a look at how this differs from other cleanses, how to tailor it to your needs, and what to expect if you or your customers decide to try it.

First of all, it’s not a true cleanse. It’s a calorie-restricted and nutrient-dense diet plan. Traditional cleanses contain very few calories and nutrients. Compared to the much more popular Master Cleanse, it’s like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Traditional cleansing diets are done to rid your system of toxins and bring it into homeostasis. They also contain a spiritual aspect. This process can take a long time, which is why you may have seen coworkers walking around the office in a zombie-like state for weeks on end—swilling a strange concoction of lemons and maple syrup.

The Shakeology cleanse is nothing like that. Depending on how you decide to do it, you’ll be eating frequently and consuming between 800 and 1,200 calories per day, and it could be even more should you feel the need. The point of this cleanse is not calorie restriction, per se—it’s nutrient efficiency. The aim is to get the most nutrients possible into the fewest number of calories. The goal is to put all of these calories to use as a part of your exercise program, to rid your body of undigested foods and toxins, and to bring your hydration levels into homeostasis. The result you’re after is not weight loss—though it will likely occur —but for your body to be running more efficiently. This should make you feel lighter and more energetic, even though you’re doing an exercise program.

How It Works

Your eating structure doesn’t change. You still eat every few hours while you’re awake. Each meal should have a balance of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and fiber. And while you’re not eating as much food as you’d normally eat, your calorie-to-nutrient ratio is extremely high. This means that you shouldn’t restrict the actual nutrients you’re getting by too much, so activity can continue as normal.

Ditto for your one solid meal—a salad. As we all know from any salad bar, the definition of salad can be varied. The goal of the salad in the plan is to keep your calories coming from natural sources (no artificial ingredients should be added, including artificial salad dressing). Aside from that, you can add ingredients as necessary. Keep your meat intake to four ounces or less, but add veggies, seeds, nuts, fruits, and legumes in quantities to satiate you.

The goal of the Shakeology 3-Day Cleanse is to optimize your performance. You want to eat enough to fuel your day AND your workout. The foods you’re eating are so high in fiber and nutrients that it’s virtually impossible to overeat. You’ll be consuming so much fiber, along with enzymes and digestive aids, that your body’s ability to flush excess foods quickly will be at its peak.

What to Drink

Water, of course, is recommended in quantity. This is vital to any cleanse, because one of your goals is to bring your hydration into homeostasis. When your electrolytes are out of balance—the main problem we have is salt—you often retain water outside of your cells. This situation, which we refer to as retaining water, is cured by drinking more water. As the excess salts are diffused, your body begins to hydrate your cells (using sodium as it should be used) and flush the water held outside the cells. So, oddly enough, you drink water to eliminate water retention.

Sodas, alcohols, juices, etc., should be eliminated entirely during a cleanse. Coffee and tea, which are diuretics, should be minimized at the very least and eliminated if possible. Again, performance is the key, so if you need a cup of Joe as a pick-me-up, go ahead. Just use only as needed, and don’t use additives. Eliminating sugar and chemicals is vital. However, do not use energy drinks or soda for this purpose, including the ones with artificial sweeteners. Coffee drinkers may find that switching to black tea during a cleanse will give you the energy you’re looking for with less upset. Coffee’s acidic nature can heighten the effects in a negative way during your cleanse.

Why You Won’t Lose Weight

I should say why you might not lose weight, but I wanted to get your attention. Most people will lose some weight during a cleanse, but that is not the goal. Those with a lot of undigested gunk in their systems will lose weight as it’s flushed out. Those of you who are properly hydrated and already eat well are less likely to lose. For those of you who need to lose weight, take heart: you are setting up your system to use nutrients more efficiently and improving your ability to lose weight through structured diet and exercise. So while you may not lose much on the cleanse, you’ll be more prepared to lose weight later.

Another reason why we don’t always lose weight on cleanses is due to a stress hormone called cortisol. Restricting calories is stressful to the body, and it reacts by releasing cortisol. Cortisol is performance-enhancing in the short term, but if you somehow keep your body stressed for long periods, it creates havoc in your system and can cause you to doggedly hang onto weight in a type of survival mode. We don’t want this to occur, which is one reason the Shakeology 3-Day Cleanse is short. It’s important not to remain in a highly calorie-deficient state for long periods of time, especially when you are trying to exercise hard.

Sample day:

BREAKFAST:
Shakeology - 1 scoop (140 calories)
½ cup of fruit (60-90 calories)-optional - I did not do fruit in mine**
add ice to taste
8-10 oz of water

SNACK (85 calories)
1 piece of fruit
- Apple, pear, orange, banana mango, etc

LUNCH:
Shakeology- 1 scoop (140 calories)
Add ice
10 oz of water

1 cup of green tea or a Detox Tea

SNACK 2:
(either snack here or after dinner -one or the other. Personally I like it here, if I wait till after dinner I found I got headaches. But, I also tend to eat diner later in the evening.)
Shakeology – 1 scoop (140 calories)
Add ice
8-10 oz of water

DINNER:
Salad Grilled white fish or poultry (roughly 340 calories)

- Greens, 3 servings of vegetables

- 4 oz of grilled white meat (fish or poultry)

- 2 tablespoons of dressing, NO MORE!

NOTE: you can eat your salad for lunch instead of dinner if you prefer
DRINK LOTS OF WATER
NO DAIRY!!!

So, there it is. If you want to learn more about Shakeology or to order yours today, please stop by my website:

Just a few Shakeology Cleanse, FAQ

Here are the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions.

1. How many calories per day?

* 800-1,100 calories per day.

2. How often can I do the Shakeology 3 day cleanse?

* Ideally, you should do it once per quarter (every 3 months)

* As seasons change

* Before starting a new workout program

* When you feel you need help breaking through a plateau

3. Should/Can I still do my workouts during the Cleanse?

* Depends on the individual

* You’ll have less energy then normal, so consider doing it during a recovery week. (I did not have less energy!)

4. Can I do a 1-day or a 2 day cleanse instead of a 3 day?

* Yes! Some people will see results with one or two days!

* We recommend against continuing the cleanse more then three days!

If you want to find out how to get Shakeology for 25% off, please let me know!!

I laughed out loud...

2011-01-13T05:23:00.000-08:00

Damn crazy runners!! HAHAH!

**Found at http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7985459/

Deck the Halls

2011-01-06T13:33:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful Christmas we had!

Its been a while since I posted...because we were gone for 2 whole weeks! Before we left, we gave the kids our presents. (Mostly because all but Jacob's were huge and we didn't feel like schlepping them to Florida). Jacob loved his iTouch, Parker screamed when he saw his Razor 360, and contrary to how it appears in this picture, the Diva was in love with her kitchen!...(she was having a moment)...

We left for Florida the day after that. The first half of our Christmas break was spent in Florida with my family. *That* is always a HUGE party and of course this year was no different. The typical day goes something like this:

Wake up
Breakfast/run
Shop
Shop
Shop
Lunch
Shop
Shop
Shop
Champagne
Dinner
Sleep

Sounds fun huh? Well it IS!! It is awesome and it just gets better and better each year!

Eden showing off her pretty dress for Christmas eve Church

Cookies for Santa!

Bebe and Jacob

Poppy and the kiddos!

Time for Bebe's annual 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' reading..

The kids were enthralled..

Even Sixer was paying close attention. Or maybe it was the Santa cookies he was after..

Christmas morning was a blast! Eden was super into it this year and actually realized what was going to happen! I think the boys at 2 were completely oblivious, but not her. She was very excited!

Up at 6:30 and ready to see what Santa brought!

Present time!

Ive really got to get a new "I like your new present" face. I have this very same picture of myself from the last 7 years and it's hideous.

I don't think the teenager in the family was quite as excited to be up at 6:30 as the children were....

WOW, we are getting some major skunk eye from Laura. And I think Jacob smelled a fart. But don't worry, Iron Man is there to save the day. *click picture to see it in all it's glory..*

Lovin' on my girl. :)

After the shredding ended....we were off to Orlando to go to Disney World with Mike's family! If I told you that Mike and I *both* had the flu while we were there, it was 20 something degrees everyday, and we were also dealing with a freshly potty trained Diva, it wouldn't seem like any fun at all. But it was. It was a blast! Here are some pictures to prove it...

I think Belle was cold..

After 2 days of parks, we decided to take the kids to Downtown Disney. There are lots of restaurants, shopping and other things to do. We had lunch at Planet Hollywood and then headed over to the huge Disney Store.

This picture is courtesy of Parker..

And speaking of our budding photographer....I think he may be onto something. I dont mean to brag, but he has some mad picture taking skills.

This family is wondering who the weird kid taking their picture is.
I also might add that he had his Heely's on, so he was skating/weaving in and out of everyone in sight. It was ~~so annoying~~ awesome.

EYE EYE EYE. I had about 200 pictures to delete after I downloaded these.

Bygones.

So in a nutshell, we did Animal Kingdom one day, Epcot the next...then Downtown Disney on our day "off" and ended with Magic Kingdom...and it was great. Thank you so much Mimi and PopPop for a fantastic trip!

On the way home from Orlando we decided to take the kids through Tallahassee and show them our old stomping grounds. Jacob wanted a picture in front of the Baseball Stadium "so when he plays baseball there he can have the picture from when he was only 7."

Of course after seeing his big brother doing it, he wanted a picture also. I told him to stand still but he said "Hold on! I am slicing Pirates!" Oooooh Kayyyy.

And finally, Jacob sitting on the famous fountain by the football stadium. Its blurry but I had to include it.

Annnnnnd that wraps up our Christmas vacay. There were lots of other good times to talk about like sitting in E Care for hours on New Years Eve, Mike getting a speeding ticket for a Christmas present, or how much fun it was to try to shush Eden during Christmas Eve service while she was loudly doing cheers (bang bang choo choo train; come on Eagles do your fing!!).....but I wont bore you with those details.

I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday season and really enjoyed their family and friends. That's what its all about.

Merry, merry!

Holiday cheer!

2010-12-16T05:15:00.000-08:00

As promised, this week has proved to be EXTREMELY BUSY! I haven't had a moment to breathe and I love every minute of it. Gym and parties and shopping and school stuff...such happy times! I spent a HUGE part of the week baking for the teachers. I always give them a gift card, but also like to include something homemade. This year I decided on cupcakes. I made 4 different kinds; Italian Cream Cake, Red Velvet, Chocolate Espresso and Lemon. I put them in darling little boxes and they look so cute! My neighbor paid me an awesome compliment when he asked his wife where I had gotten them!

After that huge project was complete, we were off to Eden and Parker's Christmas program at school. Of course I cried...I just cannot get through a performance of children singing no matter what....and especially when it involves some of my own children!

Parker and Eden pre-performance. The little ones were supposed to wear their jammies because they had them on stage sitting down listening to a story.

Parker was very first to come in!

Oops, Eden spotted us and was very excited to see us!

So Parker looks unhappy in this picture but he sang his little heart out and had a great time doing it. He knew all the words to every song. When Away in a Manger came? Oh gosh, the tears!!

Away in a Manger and O Holy Night are the 2 songs that get me EVERY TIME!!

And last, our annual Santa picture. The quality is bad since our scanner isn't working and I had to take a picture of the picture. Jacob told Santa he forgot what was on his list, Parker asked for the North Pole (seriously what is he smoking) and Eden just screamed "MOMMY!" What a cheery bunch!

Holiday Cheer for all!!

Vegas and Dallas and running, oh my!

2010-12-13T11:19:00.001-08:00

Well I haven't blogged since Thanksgiving, and we have been so busy! Jacob had Grandparents/Special Friends Day. Since we don't have any Grandparents in town, I was his special friend!

The weekend after Thanksgiving was my race in Vegas.I did it with my friend Erin who fund raised with me

and we had a BLAST!! And and Ashley came to cheer us on and we had waaaaaay to much fun.

This weekend was awesome! Saturday morning Jacob and I ran the Frosty 5K in Frisco with Ashley, Kat and our neighbors. Jacob did AWESOME! Placed 3rd in his age group with a time of 25:28 which is an 8:11 pace. I am so proud of him! To see his results click here. And the 2 boys that beat him were both 10! Here's a pic of our team!

and Ash and I and the kids...

That night was the company Christmas party down in Dallas at Hotel ZaZa. Swank City! We stayed downtown at the W for the night. We had a GREAT time and the party was just as chic as can be!

So now for a CRAZY week ahead with school Christmas parties, Christmas prgrams, baking for the teachers, etc, etc. Loving the holidays!

Happy Friendsgiving!

2010-11-28T08:18:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful Thanksgiving we had! We celebrated with friends since we couldn't make the trip back to Florida and we had a great one. We love Friendsgiving!

To know me is to know that the day before Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year. I stay in my jammies and apron ALL DAY LONG and cook, cook, cook! It is heaven for me. This year I decided to stray from the usual and try some new recipes. It was a daring move, because Thanksgiving to me has a very specific flavor! I didn't want to go messing up a good thing, but at the last minute I figured it wouldn't be the end of the world if I wasn't 100% happy. I would at least know better for next year, right? Well, my gamble paid off and I was very happy with my dishes! Recipes can be found on K is for Kitchen.

Of COURSE I didn't get any pictures of all the delicious food and Ashley's beautiful table, because we all know how hectic the last 10 minutes before you sit down to eat are. BUT, I did get a few various pictures of our day.

Eden and I...

Peek-a-boo!

Kat, Ashley and I....the cooks! Cheers!

Hors devours. Delish!

We had 2 turkeys, a ham, pumpkin soup, 2 different kinds of dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, jalapeno corn casserole, fresh cranberry sauce, gravy, rolls and pumpkin bread pudding. And all I got were these two pictures! Booo.

Sixer wants in on the turkey action. And he did get his own plate for dinner!

Ashley made these adorable cupcakes for the kids.....

I think Eden was pleased with the way they turned out!

So pleased in fact, that she pooped out on Ashley's lap. Clenched fists and all. Love it!

It was a wonderful day and the people that weren't present were missed. I hope everyone counted their blessings. We don't do this near enough. We concentrate on the bad parts of our lives and we forget all the wonderful things. Let's not do this anymore, ok? ;)

The rest of the weekend included a marathon shopping day on Black Friday (OMG...10.5 hours of pure bliss for me!), a 5K with Jacob Saturday, and then the FSU/FL game last night. It was AWESOME!! And 7 years in the making! Its been way too long and it was our turn. Finally! Go Noles!! Florida State, Florida State, Florida State...WOOO!!!

Here's a picture of Jacob at the 5K yesterday. It was a Holiday Themed race and Santa and some Snowmen were there. We stuck around for awards and Jacob got 3rd place in his age group with a time of 29:30. I am so proud of him!

GO JACOB!!

San Antonio Rock and Roll Half Marathon

2010-11-20T05:56:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday morning while all of you were warmly tucked in your bed, I was lined up to run the San Antonio half marathon. It was great! My race wasn't that enjoyable but I pushed through, which made the finish line just that much sweeter! I set a new PR for myself at 1:49:40, which put me

72 in my age group out of 2,298 = 3.1%
390 in my gender group out of 12,917 = 3.0%
1613 overall out of 20,432 = 7.8%

So in 2 categories I was in the top 3% and in the 3rd I was in the top 8%! I am so proud!!

I don't mean to brag but....

2010-11-18T06:56:00.001-08:00

My children are so cute!!!

Here are some pics of Parker and Eden before their Thanksgiving performance at school. They are such BFF's! Don't they look like a little old married couple?

Halloween

2010-11-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

Well, we had another successful Halloween at the Devenny house! We had people over for Turkey Chili, the kids got lots and lots of candy and had a fabulous time running around with their friends. Besides the Rangers loss, it was a GREAT day!!

Vladimir Guerrero, THE Dallas Cowboy and the "wady bug"!

Vladi

Helmet Head

Looking "wike a Wady Bug"! (I couldn't get a smile out of her for the life of me)

Now...the test of the willpower....I need to stay out of this candy!

RANGERS!

2010-10-27T10:57:00.000-07:00

Well, its a BIG day in Texas! The Texas Rangers are in their VERY FIRST world series and today is game one! We are all so excited around here and everywhere is buzzing with Rangers stuff! The stores are insane, the kids are all decked out in their Rangers gear (bad pic, but Jacob before school this morning...notice the Blue and Red faux hawk!)

and the game can't start soon enough. Rangers, Rangers, Rangers....WOOOO!!!

Mike gets to go to the game Saturday and Jacob and I are super jealous. We plan on snuggling up and watching it though. Exciting stuff!

In other news, Halloween is this weekend and the kids are excited about that as well. Eden is going to be "wike a wady bug", Parker is a Dallas Cowboys football player and Jacob is Vladimir Guerrero. The boys are going to look very cute but I was all excited to do scary makeup! Maybe next year....

Many of you also know that I started WORKING last week! I am doing a little bit of gymnastics coaching once or twice a week for a few hours. It is very fun! It also gets me very excited for when Eden is on team. (which hopefully she will want to be!)

Running is going well and my first half marathon of the season is 2 weeks from now. I am running slower than I did last season, but enjoying it A LOT more so that's good! It had been feeling so great that I thought I was running faster, but I wore my watch yesterday and learned I was slower than my usual pace! So I wont be breaking any records this fall, but looking forward to my races very much.

But what I CANT believe I forgot to update you on, was our MAROON 5 concert last week!! You all know Maroon 5 is my favorite band, and this time Ana and I got front row, meet the band tickets!! We had such a blast! Ashley, Jen K and Juice went with us (the San Diego crew) and we had so much fun.

The crappy, camera phone pic of the 5 of us

*drools*

Yes, we really were *this close*!!

Not great, but the best pic I have of us.

Aaaaaaand, the obligatory "lets take our own picture" FAIL.

Which looks eerily similar to this "lets take our own picture" FAIL that we took at a Maroon 5 concert in '07. (it was actually 3 years ago today!)

Better luck next time..????

When we got to meet the band, they took our picture so when I get it, I will scan it in and share. Can't wait till the next concert!

Lots of pics from Halloween to come later. Love this time of year!

Arboretum Monday

2010-10-18T17:20:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to the Arboretum today since it was a teacher workday. It was GORGEOUS and the kids had a blast! We had last Monday off as well and since Bebe was here, we decided to take the kids to the zoo. In typical Jessica fashion....my camera battery died moments after we walked in! So unforch, I have no pics. We had a blast though.....that day and every day she was here. It was so wonderful and I hated to see her go this time more than ever! (each time it is harder and harder!) We love you Bebe!!

Anyway, here are some pics of the kiddos from today...

I suck.

2010-10-08T06:12:00.000-07:00

So sorry blog readers....I have really failed you lately! I have just not sat down at my computer long enough to do it! So what have we been up to?

Well last I blogged it was homecoming weekend. That was great fun. The days before Ebby and Mama Lou were here and they got a glimpse of "a day in the life". Poor Mama Lou was probably so ready to leave. BUSY BUSY!! We had an awesome time with them and it was yet another reminder of how hard it is to live so far away.

Last weekend was a great weekend, let me tell ya! I ran 9 miles and hurt my calf (boo hiss), my car battery died and I got hit with a foul ball at the game. Fun times!

On a more positive note, BEBE IS COMING TODAY!!! YAY! We are so excited and I am super stoked to have her for a whole week. The kids could not be more excited.

We will be doing lots of this

and this

and baseball and gymnastics and practices every moment in between. But I know we'll make some time for lunch and shopping and trying new recipes. :)

10 miles on the calendar for tomorrow morning. Lets hope the weather is cool and my calf doesn't give me trouble.

And here....for anyone that needs a new song for their ipod...this is my new fave. I listen to it no less than 20 times a day! (Laura, you will love this one!)

Prosper Homecoming!

2010-09-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

This is only my FAVORITE day of the whole year in Prosper! School lets out early, all little football players and cheerleaders pile on their floats that the parents have spent countless hours decorating, and we have a parade that goes through town. It is soooo cute!! I absolutely love this little town!

The kiddos waiting for the floats to arrive

Eden!!

Prosper love

The dudes

Me and the kiddos waiting for Jacobs float to come by!

P

The 2 P's

There's Jacobs float!! (The theme of this Homecoming was 'Wild About our Eagles'...which is why they are in a cage!)

Holla!!

**Thanks Ashley for sharing some of these cute pics!

First day of school!

2010-09-07T06:23:00.001-07:00

So, for the first time in 4 years, I will have a few days per week to myself. Can you hear the wine glasses clinking over here?

I have been prepping Eden for school for the last week or so. I tell her the story of what it will be like. I start with "One day, Eden woke up and said, 'Mommy, can I go to school today?'"......and on and on with the story throughout the day until I pick her up. For the first couple days, when I got to the part where..."and then Mommy said, 'goodbye Eden, I love you!' and then give her a big kiss and hug and say 'Mommy will be back soon, OK?"....her chin would start trembling and her eyes would fill with tears. It was so sad!! But the last couple days, she has made it through the story excited, happy and "ready for Ms. Tracy's class!!"

So, crossing my fingers all goes well. She is very well adjusted, so even if there are tears, I am confident she will have a great time and love school!

SURPRISE!

2010-08-27T05:57:00.000-07:00

My blog looks different. I know no one likes change, and BELIEVE me, I don't either, but it was looking a little dreary over here. The black was wearing on me so I thought I would lighten things up a bit.

Hope you can stand it!

Mercury in Retrograde

2010-08-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

Sooooo, usually I am so happy go lucky right!?? Well not this week. This has not been my week. If you follow astrology, you know that Mercury is in Retrograde, which means bad things are happening! I know you all think this is total mumbo jumbo, but I don't and I believe it. Just ask last Friday to now. The Aquarians are getting royally screwed. As are the Geminis. Any Aquarians and Geminis and Sagittarius out there....I feel for ya! (I am an Aquarius with a Sag rising. YIKES! No wonder every day has been terrible!!) It lasts until the 12th of September too. O....M....G!!

Anywho, enough of that nonsense, lets start with weeks ago where I left off. We went to Vegas. It was fun. I gambled a little, layed at the pool a little more, and partied A LOT. It was so fun. Love the couples we went with and everything was just perfect. I put $100 on the roulette wheel on black 10 times and a row and won every time. That's $1000! Too bad Mike LOST $1000 and had to snatch my money (I was so not amused). Anyway, it was a blast.

All of us!

Katie, Ana and I at "the club".

All of us the last night. Are my eyes even open? I think not.

Mike and I

Ana and I

After that, I recovered for about a week until last weekend where I was feeling better but everything started going wrong. That is not fun. No major details over it, but some minor ones.... Eden got stitches, our refinance didn't happen and my school doesn't look like its gonna happen. Blah.

In OTHER news...the first day of school went fabulous (as you read below). Baseball practice started this week and football is really gearing up. Plus Parker starts soccer on Sunday. This is the time of the year when I don't talk to anyone and my head spins round and round all day long. So to all of my lovies out there....I love you and I miss you and I wish I could talk to you but I am a terrible friend and I just cant find the time. There. Crucify me. Mercury is still in Retrograde so I am expecting more nonsense. ACK!!

Someone send me flowers? I need them. ;)

First Grade

2010-08-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

Well here you have it, the obligatory first day of school post. It totally snuck up on us and I think only yesterday I realized what was going on! :) He has a really nice teacher, a lot of the same friends in his class and is excited not to be in "Kinder" anymore. Happy First Day of first grade little dude!

Old blog

2010-07-30T06:41:00.001-07:00

I was looking over my blogging from Eden's first year....because you know, it's like a diary of sorts....and I came across this video. So funny!

If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it

Love

2010-07-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

I just love the way Eden and Jacob are looking at each other in this pic. If you could just hear the "baby voice" that he uses to talk to her...it's just too cute.

7 - 2

2010-07-29T05:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my loves!

7 year old Jacob

2 year old Eden

Laura's trip

2010-07-18T14:11:00.000-07:00

So what have we been doing since Laura has been here? PARTYING!!! And its been awesome....

HOLLA!

More Sixer...

2010-07-12T17:11:00.000-07:00

He is SO SMALL!!

Sixer

2010-07-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

Well, on a bit of a whim we decided to get Jacob a puppy for his birthday. He reeeeeeally wanted one, and we found a precious Chihuahua/Pekingese mix that we fell in love with. We knew if we got a dog, we wanted a small one.....and a small one we got. He is SO TEENY!!

We went and let Jacob pick him out Saturday. He was one of six, but one had already been adopted. Jacob picked this one and he could not be cuter. We were/are having a terrible time naming him! No name seems to fit no matter how much we like the name. Eden keeps insisting that his name is "Six". We have no idea why but we giggle when she says it. After all, he is the "Sixth" member of our family! After hearing her call him Six, it has grown on us a bit. Jacob and Parker are now calling him "Sixer"! So Sixer it just may be......

Welcome to the family little dude!

Parker and Preston

2010-07-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

OK, little Mike (Parker) and little Chris (Preston) are a little bit scary. They are FOUR YEARS OLD!!! What are we gonna do when they are teens? *faints*

EAT MOR CHIKIN!!

2010-07-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

Well, today was National Cow Appreciation day, which for us translates to...FREE CHICK FIL A! All you gotta do is dress up as a cow, and you get free chick fil a. That's easy enough with some black construction paper and a little scotch tape, so off we went.

We do this every year...so fun!

Happy July 4th!

2010-07-05T18:21:00.000-07:00

Trophy Party

2010-06-28T07:01:00.001-07:00

Well, this weekend was pretty quiet, but good! Friday night Mike and I got a last minute sitter and went to happy hour with the McCools and some of our neighbors. It was really fun! I haven't been out at happy hour time in a while, and we had a great time.

Here are come crappy pictures we took with my phone. Ash and I obviously had similar ideas on what to wear!

Ash, neighbor Courtney and I. Fun, fun!

Then Saturday was Parker's end of season T-Ball party. We had it at one of the neighborhood pools. We loved his team and coaches so of course the party was fun for all.

Parker getting his first trophy!

All worn out after 3 hours of swimming.

The week ahead seems fairly uneventful which is GREAT. Of course July 4th festivities this weekend should keep us busy. Fun summer days!

Words

2010-06-21T14:04:00.001-07:00

So, the last 20 or so times I have blogged (just a guess, I didn't count) have just been picture posts. I will say a few words, post a few darling pictures of my kids, and there you have it...a blog post.

What have we really been doing? A whole lot of EVERYTHING. The school year came to an end (which is always crazy for everyone), the marathon came and went (yes I am still bitter), our Florida trip came and went (nothing to be bitter about there, except for that I left one of my prized possessions in the room that has not been recovered...boohoo), All Star baseball season came and went (very quickly I might add...poor boys....although Jacob was a TOTAL rockstar, so proud of my little stud) and now June is almost over.

Whew, I am tired just writing it.

Sometimes I feel like a duck...cool and calm on the surface but paddling like mad underneath. So much to do with 3 kiddos! But of course I wouldn't have it any other way and I love being crazy busy. It definitely beats being crazy bored. :) Plus, the crazy schedule brings with it no less than 2375926475 glasses of wine, which always helps in maintaining my sanity.

I am on Doctors orders to rest a bit to allow my knee to heal, which anyone who knows me knows that this is VERY hard for me to do. I could be at the gym from 9-5 every single day if I didn't have any other responsibilities! I absolutely love it and it is hard for me to take a break. But I know its necessary so I am trying to do so. For anyone who didn't know, I hurt my knee in the marathon, Doctor thought for sure it was a torn Meniscus but after a clean MRI, he now things maybe not. He said it could have just been "hiding" and not shown up on the MRI, but put me on Steroids and rest to see if it will go away. I'm not in pain at all anymore, but I know when I try to run I probably will have a little pain....so we'll see.

Nothing else to share I suppose, just swimming every day, enjoying no alarm clock over the summer and looking forward to a second trip to Florida in July. Remember this? Well, its happening again!! And I cant wait...

The Beach

2010-06-16T07:50:00.000-07:00

OK since my last post was a total Debbie Downer, now you are in for a treat. BEACH PICS!

My moms side of the family has been going on an annual beach family reunion every year since I was little. Our family used to be so small that we could fit in one condo. Some of my very fondest memories growing up are from our beach trips.

Like the time I got to shave my legs for the first time. My mom, aunt and grandma all went into the jacuzzi tub with me, filled it up with bubbles, ate cucumber sandwiches and drank Bloody Marys (obvs virgin for me...I was 10!), and they taught me how to shave.

Or the time in high school when a friend would come to spend the night out in the condo and my cool as hell uncle would give us alcohol. And then we'd sneak downstairs at night with our boyfriends and kiss in the pool. That was so cool.

Or the time in college when I invited Mike out to the condo and he totally blew me off. My mom, aunts and grandma sat on the back porch with me while I cried and smoked cigarettes and they consoled me. (funny huh?)

Well now that I am a 'grown up' and have kids of my own, the tradition continues. It is so fun to watch the second generation of kids playing in the sand, swimming in the ocean (my heart BREAKS that that may be the last time.....) and cannonballing into the pool. Super fun times.

Jacob and my cousin, Alex

The boys!

Laura and the kids

The girls!

Beautiful, gorgeous Leah - my niece

My super cool nephew (and Parker's nemesis and BFF) Nate

Now my kiddos of course

The kids "driving the boat" on the dolphin cruise!

And now here are some family pics I took also.

The Devenny fam

Me and my baby girl

Beautiful boys

The Hanson fam

My beautiful grandmother, Mama Lou and her grandkids and great grandkids!

Bebe with her 5 grandkids

My mom and the girls!

The kids playin

The whole crew!

SO FUN!! And I am already counting the days until next year....

The Marathon

2010-06-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

So, 4 months, 17 Saturdays up at 5:30 am, approximately 420 training miles all culminated into one day. Marathon day!!

So how did it turn out? Terrible.

I hurt my knee and finished an hour over my goal time. That wasn't the terrible part though. The pain. Ohhhhhh the pain. And wow, its like childbirth...you forget how mental the whole thing is. And did I mention I was in pain? ;)

My MRI was this morning and Friday is my appointment. It is feeling fabulous at the moment, but it hurt SO BAD during and after the race that I am worried something is wrong. A wise person told me not to worry, so I'm trying not to. ;) Worrying is my nature though...how do I not worry?

I could go one and on about the experience, how disappointing it was, alllllll that training just to get injured....but instead of hearing me moan and groan I will leave you with some cute pics from the weekend, how bout that? ;)

Here are are holding up our "in honor of hank" signs. Hanks Homies!!

Pre-race pasta dinner

Post pasta party

Our AWESOME North Cities team!

Post race Nobu dinner. YUMMY! (And I'm not talkin about the food......you girls know what I'm sayin...;) )

According to this last pic, we won the marathon with a super duper time of 2:03. GO HANKS HOMIES!! It was an awesome training season with all of you and we had a great time. I love you all!!

(thanks for the cute pic ash!)

Parker's 4th Birthday Party

2010-05-30T06:04:00.000-07:00

Well Parker's Superhero birthday party was a success and it was so much fun! We wanted to have the party at home, so he only invited a few kids. It made it very fun and extremely stress free!

I had a coloring table set up with lots of superhero coloring pages...

Also a 'Pin the Tail on Batman' game. Kinda like Pin the Tail on the Donkey! I had a picture of Parker in his costume blown up and made each kid a mask to pin on. It was so cute!

I also bought each of the kids silly string and they put the 'evil villain' (Mike) in a web!!

(Ashley and I getting in on the fun! ;))

The kids ate and ate and ate (and ate some more). I had all Parker's favorite foods: Uncrustables (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches), Nutella and banana sandwiches, string cheese and apples!

And of course CAKE!! (the making of this cake will appear on K is for Kitchen)

So all in all the party was totally fun, Parker and friends had a great time, and he got some really cool presents. Here are some more candid shots from the party.

Happy Birthday Party Day Parker. We love you buddy!

Baseball boys

2010-05-19T14:27:00.001-07:00

Mike told the boys they would get their allowance if they would each go out and swing the bat 100 times a day each. Caught them in action today! :)

Must be a girl thing.....

2010-05-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

Eden must do EVERYTHING herself! And I mean everything! Caught her in her typical Diva form this morning so I thought I'd share....

Mom

2010-05-07T08:02:00.001-07:00

Sunday is Mothers Day. Although I am now a mother of 3, I still don't feel like it's my day. It's a day reserved for my mom.

My mom, who I can tell everything to. Who gives me advice, but only when asked. Who has been there for the birth of all 3 of my babies. Who has taken care of me when I was sick...as a child and as an adult. Who was there when I crossed the finish line at my first marathon, and shared my tears. Who has supported me when I KNOW she didn't agree and didn't want to. Who has seen the wonder in my children's eyes at their first Disney World trip. Who has taught me so many things about being a daughter, a sister, a friend and most importantly, a mother.

Mom, you are everything to me and I cherish you more than you can imagine. If my children feel about me the way that I feel about you when they are all grown up; I have done my job...and more. You are sweet, funny, patient, kind, beautiful and loved by everyone you meet. I love you and appreciate you so much.

*click to view larger*

Baby girl

2010-05-06T06:26:00.001-07:00

Monkey!

2010-05-04T06:39:00.001-07:00

This monkey spends half her day climbing over, on top of, jumping off of, hiding under, etc, this weight bench. She's obsessed! Half the time if I can't find her....here she is!

Oh what a difference a year makes!

2010-05-03T12:12:00.001-07:00

I was uploading some videos today and looked back at some from May of last year. Amazing!

9 months

Today: 21 months

Birthday sneak peek!!

2010-04-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a little sneak peek.....stay tuned!

3 months

2010-04-27T16:37:00.001-07:00

3 months from tomorrow my baby girl will be 2. How can this be??

Cookbooks!!!

2010-04-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

Ok yes I know I am WAYYYYY behind the times.....not sure why I didnt realize that I could do this previously. Sorry! But here are links to my cookbooks and you can purchase them yourselves. But wait till they go on sale (I think they are 30% off right now with free shipping so that is pretty good...)!! :)

Cookbook #1

Click here to view this photo book larger

Cookbook #2

Click here to view this photo book larger

Gotta be like big brother....

2010-04-10T08:36:00.001-07:00

So Parker has been begging for a 'big boy haircut'.....and we finally gave in. Have to admit, although his blonde hair is so cute....he looks adorable with the buzz!

T Ball!!

2010-04-08T06:40:00.001-07:00

Well Parker had his first T ball game Monday night and it was super cute! The kids ran around like wild banshees and didn't know what the heck they were doing....but it was still so cute! After Parker got his first hit and got on first, the next ball that was hit he tried to field. It was so adorable! Here are some pics of him in action! :) (yes his name is spelled wrong on his uni) :)

And here is little Miss enjoying the game! (NOT!)

Pot of Gold!!

2010-03-23T05:11:00.001-07:00

Sooo....our Team is doing a group fundraiser called the 'Pot of Gold'. Basically, you buy raffle tickets and if your ticket is drawn, you win the ENTIRE pot. Yes, you heard me right, ALL OF THESE THINGS. Incredible, huh? The tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20. I have sold a LOT of them so far, people really want in on this! For you out-of-towners...there are a few things on the list that you can't use, but a ton of them are nationwide. Here's a list of the amazing things to be won!

The Home Depot $25.00 Gift Card
The Home Depot $25.00 Gift Card
Run On! $25.00 Gift Card
CK Sports $50 Gift Card
Target $25.00 Gift Card
Starbucks $25.00 Gift Card
On the Border $60.00 Gift Card
Red Lobster $25.00 Gift Card
Olive Garden $50.00 Gift Card
Chili’s $25.00 Gift Card
Tom Thumb $25.00 Gift Card
Cindi’s NY Deli $30.00 Gift Card
Blue Jean Bar $30.00 Gift Card
Panera $25.00 Gift Card
Best Buy $25.00 Gift Card
BeautiControl Gift - $30.00 Value
1 Bottle Tommy Bahama Rum
1 Bottle Michael Collins Irish Whiskey
2 UV-Free Tanning Sessions at Palm Beach Tan
Bushnell Binocular with Built-in Digital Camera
Free Appetizer Outback Steakhouse - 21 Passes
Chemical Peel at Laser Solutions - $200.00 Value
2 - 1 Month Passes to LA Fitness (Frisco Location)
Center for Musical Minds 1 Hour Piano, Guitar, Violin or Voice Lesson
Pole Party for 6 at The Girls Room (ladies fitness studio) - $250.00 Value
Dr. Alex Temple, chiropractor for an Initial Neurological/Orthopedic Exam, Consultation and Chiropractic Treatment - $140.00 Value

If your name gets drawn this Saturday March 27th (at our Saturday morning training), you win!! Please let me know if and how many you are interested in buying. Your money is tax deductible since 100% of proceeds will be going directly into my fundraising account. If you click on the Team in Training logo on the side bar on my blog, you can do it that way and I will print out and fill out the raffle tickets for you. If you are local and would rather give cash and fill out tickets yourself, you can do that too!!

Let me know and good luck!! Oh and feel free to forward to anyone who you think might want to play!

Tidy Tuesday

2010-03-16T12:06:00.000-07:00

For those who think I "do everything"....obviously I don't! When you are a busy, busy girl, some things have to go...unless you are superwoman, which I am not. And unless you don't sleep, which I do.

Anyway, in last weeks case....it was laundry. Sad thing is 1) this isnt even near all of it 2) I did a few loads last week!

Sooo....if anyone is curious what I am doing today....

Pics

2010-03-15T06:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent pics of Eden that I took yesterday at Parker's T-ball practice. Its been a while and she is getting to be such a big girl. The last pic you can see her "smile". LOL!

And here's one of Parker and Daddy at practice. Dude is a serious baller for a 3 year old. We love it and we're so proud of him!

22:28

2010-03-14T07:06:00.000-07:00

I ran a 5K yesterday. I ran it in 22 minutes and 28 seconds, which breaks down to a 7:18 mile. To the majority of people who don't run? This means nothing. To me? It is a busting my butt in the gym 6 days a week payoff. And it feels really good. :)

Friday Funny

2010-03-12T09:26:00.001-08:00

Lets do this.

2010-03-11T10:50:00.000-08:00

Here is a copy of the letter that is going out to all of our mutual friends in Prosper. I didn't send this out to friends and family this time so I wanted to put a copy on my blog so that you could read it. Thank you so much for all who have supported me/us. It is amazing the support we get from everyone!

Training has been going well and so far we are up to 6 miles in our mileage. This next month will bring on some serious miles and we will be in the teens by the end of the month. Exciting!! I am feeling great, albeit tired, but knowing I am doing something so wonderful makes it all worth it.

So, here's the letter in case you are interested! :)

Charity –
1: benevolent goodwill toward or love of humanity
2: generosity and helpfulness especially toward the needy or suffering; also: aid given to those in need.

Dear Friends,

On June 6, 2010 at approximately 6:30 am in San Diego, California, we will be taking the first steps in a venture that some of us never thought possible; running a marathon. Yes, that is 26.2 miles of pavement each; a collective One Hundred and Thirty-One miles in the California sun. We will be racing in the Rock and Roll Marathon as a part of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training Program. Why, you ask? Well, because we can.

Team in Training is an organization that provides mentors and coaches to help everyday people like ourselves become a member of the exclusive club of marathon runners. They say that only 1% of the population will complete a marathon in their lifetime, and we are all about to be a part of that statistic (some of us already are!). In return, we each raise a minimum of $2,900 that goes toward helping cure Leukemia, Lymphoma, Hodgkin’s Disease and Myeloma; the dreaded blood cancers that take the lives of our friends, family and children every single day. In total, we will raise $14,500 between the 5 of us, and we won’t stop until that number has been met and exceeded. Yes, we could pay to go to San Diego on our own and run the marathon. Better yet, we could choose a local race which didn't cost anything and didn't require fundraising, because fundraising in this economy? Not easy and not fun. But now is when they need it the most. The patients are suffering through this economy also and health care costs are staying the same, if not rising! Families need our help more than ever.

Many people have asked us why we want to do this and the answer is simple; to be a part of something much bigger than ourselves and to rest well at night knowing we have helped seek a cure in any way we can. Did you know that every ten minutes, someone dies from a blood cancer? This statistic represents nearly 146 people each day, or more than six people every hour. Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20. These are awful statistics! Cancer is such a terrible disease and every step taken towards a cure is one step closer to eliminating ALL cancers.

Although our Team has an ‘Honored Hero’ (a patient or survivor whom our Team has chosen to represent) the five of us have chosen to dedicate our race and our training to Hank Kieffer. Many of you know Hank; he is the father of Kevin and Matt Kieffer, and the Father-in-Law of Jennifer and Jessica. He is a Leukemia survivor and if not for the efforts of many past Team in Training participants like ourselves, Hank may not be with us today. We will proudly wear Hank’s name on our jersey and think of all the harrowing treatments Hank had to endure whenever the running gets tough; which it most certainly will! If he could deal with chemotherapy and countless other needles and treatments; we can do this. Yes, we can.

Where do you fit in?
We can’t do this on our own. We CAN train every Saturday morning at 6:30 am for the next 5 months. We CAN run in the sleet, snow, wind and rain 4 days a week. We CAN take time away from our precious families to make this goal happen. But we cannot meet these numbers on our own. Please consider making a donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. No donation is too small, every penny helps in finding a cure. Checks can be made out to ‘The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’ and your donation helps all 5 of us. Of course, your donation is 100% tax deductible. Some of you might work for an employer who has a matching program. Therefore, whichever amount you choose to give, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society will receive double that amount! And as always, your good wishes and positive vibes to sustain us in our training will also be graciously accepted. We truly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on our progress.

Sincerely,

Jessica Devenny, Ana Jordan, Jennifer Kieffer, Jessica Kieffer and Ashley McCool

Its been a while...

2010-03-10T05:41:00.000-08:00

Ok people, I sincerely apologize for not blogging for so long! Time gets away from me and I will realize that I haven't even sat down at my computer for a few days! Now that phones are little itty bitty laptops, who needs a big ol computer? ;) BUT, I'm gonna make an effort to blog more (and K is for Kitchen, too)....so be prepared!.

So lets see whats been happening over the last week or two.

Me: Lots of working out, lots of running, lots of laundry, lunching with friends, a night or two out on the town, shuffling kids back and forth, etc. OK, nothing more in my world. Moving on...

Mike: Work, Work, More work. Went gambling one night and to a Mav's game another night. Helping coach Jacobs baseball team. That's pretty much it

Jacob: One basketball team. One soccer team. TWO baseball teams. Kindergarten. 4 practices a week, one private lesson and a couple games. Busy, busy 6 year old! (yes I know it's too much, no stones please :))

Parker: Started T Ball Sunday. Talk about cuteness. Dude's a baller! Oh, and he punched Jacobs front tooth out. Fun times.

Eden: Crazy, funny, smart, cute as hell and divalicious to the max. All the things a 19 month old girl should be. ;) Here she is in my lip gloss!

Ty, Laura and the kiddos came 2 weeks ago and it was a BLAST. Unfortunately I am a lazy sack and didn't get ANY photos! Not even one! I am ashamed of myself. The kids had a blast though and Nate and Parker created some SERIOUS trouble. More Parker than Nate, but those two together are trouble.....and oh so cute. The girls even played some this time. Took turns swatting and pushing each other, just as little ~~dainty~~ girls with older brothers should do. ;)

Life right now is fun and crazy and I'd like to apologize for not keeping up with everyone as I should. When nighttime comes and I finally have a second, I am so spent that I just want to lay here in silence. The rest of the day is LOUD AS HECK and you'd be hard pressed to hear anything other than screaming and fighting in the background if I called you.

Which raises another point. WOW, the fighting!!! The boys are 6 and 3 and steal, harass, heckle and make fun of each other like I cannot believe. And from what I understand from my wiser, more experienced mommy friends....this only gets worse. Anyone know a good Prozac dealer?

So whats on the agenda for the Devennys today? Lets see...

7 am - Jacob off to the bus
8:45 am - leave to take Parker to school and head to the gym
9:30 am - arrive at gym, work out for an hour and a half and then shower
12:00 - lunch with my Wednesday lunch buddy Erin. Love Wednesdays!
2:30 - pick up Parker at school, come home and start chores
3:30 - Jacob gets off bus. Homework and reading time! And wow, at level 20, the books take soooooo long to read. I am sick of hearing about the square in Moscow and the churches in Mexico City. Wait, did I just say that out loud?
5:00 - Jacob has baseball private lesson
6:00 - arrive home and throw dinner together, finish tidying house, laundry, etc.
7:00 to 8:00 - famous yoga guru, Julio Papi, at our gym and I can't pass this class up!
8:30 - arrive home, exhausted. Shower, watch Tivoed American Idol, and predict the winner.
10:00 - SLEEP!!!

This is a very typical day for me. Yep, we're busy and it's great. It's also no different than anyone with 3 kids of my kids age is experiencing. What the heck will I do when Parker is playing more than one port and Eden is also involved??? We already have 5 practices a week and many, many games between the two of them! YIKES!

OK, this is the longest, most nonsensical blog to date, but I was trying to throw all my thoughts into it. And while we're at random...if this chic doesn't win American Idol, America is stoned. BEST voice since Kelly Clarkson, no contest.

I've thought this since Hollywood week, but have forgottten to make my prediction. SO there you have it!

I'm sure I could think of other things to blab about, but I will spare you until next time. Until then, Happy hump day!

Happy Birthday to me!

2010-02-19T05:06:00.000-08:00

See my beautiful cake that the kids decorated? I had a great birthday and thanks for all the wishes. :)

YAY for Parker!!

2010-02-17T14:02:00.000-08:00

So I saw someone posted a chart like this on their facebook that her daughter had done. I decided to make one for Parker and was so proud of how he did. Gooooo, Parker! He even took it in to his teacher and told her he "did his homework". She gave him stickers (just like Jacob gets on his homework) and he loved that!

Videos

2010-02-16T13:10:00.000-08:00

Here are a few random videos of the kids!

Seriously?

2010-02-15T13:56:00.000-08:00

Snow Day!

2010-02-12T06:02:00.000-08:00

Well today will make the second snow day this week. We had record setting snowfall yesterday, 11 inches I heard. That's just crazy for Texas! It was so much fun to build snowmen, have snowball fights, etc. The kids had a blast!!

They absolutely wore themselves out and were red for HOURS after being out in it. We even let them stay up late to watch Survivor sincve we knew school would be cancelled!

One more funny...after dinner last night when I was helping Mike clean up the dishes, I looked over and found my little wild woman doing this!! She poured Parkers glass of milk into my empty wine glass and decided to have herself a little cocktail! LOL. Think she's seen me do this a few times? Future wine-o in training!

Friday Fun Part Deux

2010-02-06T08:36:00.000-08:00

Well the day started off...$hitty (pun intended)....and didn't look up much from there.

8:30 - Loaded up Parker and Eden to go to the gym. Somehow after our craptastic start to the day, I got myself together and got all 3 of us fed, dressed and ready. I got on the treadmill for about 20 minutes and then did a KILLER spin class that lasted 1 hour and 15 minutes. I hobbled out of there and came home to get Eden down for a nap. The day was looking up!!

1:30 - Got kids fed, Eden down, grabbed a shower and decided to lay down until Jacob got home. By Friday afternoon I am pretty pooped! I laid down, turned on an old episode of Housewives of OC and thought, "WOW, I deserve this."

2:30 - Just as I get settled in, I hear Eden on the monitor. Seriously?? She just went down for Gods sake. As I start saying my Hail Mary's that she will fall back asleep, her fussing gets louder and more "awake" sounding. Shit.

2:45 - Get Eden out of bed and change a poop diaper. I know that she's not going to go back down but I still make the decision to get back in bed. The house was pretty picked up, I didn't have much else to do and I was REALLY tired. I mean, my house is pretty kid proofed, what could they get into that would be so bad? Plus, Jacob will be getting off the bus soon. Parker was watching Dora, so I decided to leave them be and go crawl back in bed. (You know where this is going, right?...)

4:00 - Yep, still in bed. It has been over an hour but I haven't hear any crashing sounds and no crying so I assume all is OK. Jacob has returned from school, made popcorn for them all as a snack and everything seems to be pretty hunky dory.

4:15 - enjoying watching Oprah interview Pink when Eden toddles in. I asked her if she got any popcorn and she says "Uh-oh." I knew that response couldn't be good. She is very smart and that was a purposeful answer.

4:30 - I drag my lazy sack of bones out of bed to check on everything. Mind you, the kids have been in several (read: hundreds of) times so I know they are OK.

DUM DUM DUUUUUMMMMMMMMMM

Much to my horror, the house is a freakin WRECK.

The first sight I see when I come out of my room is the office. Seems someone(s) (whose name does not start with a J, I am certain) has taken all the Solo Cups out of the pantry and done a dance on them. "Oh well, my fault", I think to myself. There was only a handful left anyway so no biggie.

I turn the corner and see that there is popcorn covering EVERY INCH of the floor from the play room all the way to the fireplace and in every groove in between. (I took a pic by it didn't do it justice). I see an abandoned broom and dustpan to which Jacob alerts me "I swept up as much as I could but Parker and Eden made a big mess." I mean really, at 6 to get out the broom and sweep up their mess? Pretty awesome, except for that I was still in such such disbelief that I was mad. I happened to be on the phone with Ana, who heard what Jacob said, and thankfully reminded me "Tell him thank you."

I walk further to see that my plant in my living room is unpotted. Luckily it is fake, so there was no soil, but all of that annoying moss that comes in fake plants was dug out, the styrofoam was showing and moss and styrofoam were ALL OVER THE CARPET in bitty pieces. Again, took a pic but it blended with the carpet so nothing exciting to show you.

I am now starting my labor breathing when I see that this little darling

decided to use the wall as an easel.

Seriously!?? Is this a movie? Or a ~~nightmare~~ dream or something?

I turn around to gather myself when I spot another art project that this little ~~devil~~ angel decided to partake in.

"Whew" I think to myself. Unsupervised children + a bottle of glue = not good....but it seems it was contained to the random piece of cardboard.

That is, until I tried to lift up the scattered papers. Seems Parker was trying to make us a new tablecloth and glued all the papers to the kitchen table.

I mean, really. I can't make this stuff up. Mike wasn't even coming home last night since he had a company ~~Happy Hour~~ meeting, so I was left with this mess. By this time, it was almost wine time so I poured myself a big one and got to cleanin. That's what I get for thinking I "deserved" some rest. Heathen kids.

Friday F&@% Ups Fun

2010-02-05T10:36:00.000-08:00

Well this has been quite the day so far.

6:10 - Jacob enters room where Mike and I are warm, tucked under the covers and sound asleep. "MOMMY, DADDY!" he says, "Parker just pooped his pants and now its all over the floor and his hands!" Per usual, I play possum until Mike says, "Jess get up! I'm gonna need your help with this."

We walk into the boys bathroom and Parker has his pants half way pulled down. There are several turds laying on the floor and a few more floating in the toilet. Oh, and his hand is brown. And by brown I mean....BROWN. The whole thing is covered in crap. Trying to ~~buy time so we can figure out where the heck to begin~~ understand, we say, "Parker, what in the world happened?" Side note: even when he was potty training, he never once pooped his pants. And he potty trained well over a year ago!!

We get his undies off, throw them away and stick Parker in the bathtub. He is crying, I am gagging, Jacob is laughing/heckling and Mike is yelling. I pretend to be taking out the undies to the trash so I don't have to deal with it and Mike got him cleaned up. Now I need to go disinfect the bathtub before Eden gets in tonight and in her usual fashion, drinks all the dirty water.....now with poop remains.

7:00 - Trying to get Jacob out the door to catch the bus and Parker 'accidentally' spills his bowl of oatmeal all over the rug. Then in an attempt to clean it, he smears it in - in a circular motion. Wonderful.

7:15 - Parker has pencil that Eden wants. Parker runs away and she chases him. Parker stabs Eden in the head to get her to stop chasing him. Eden cries and Parker gets sent to his room.

So what happened before 7:30 in your house this morning? I bet it wasn't as eventful as mine. ;)

Pictures like these.....

2010-02-03T05:20:00.000-08:00

make you wonder.....HOW DID I THINK MY BABY WAS CUTE!? LOL

Run, run, run....

2010-02-01T06:03:00.000-08:00

Please check me out! ;)

AT IT AGAIN!!

Back in the days....

2010-01-30T08:50:00.000-08:00

Check out this olllllld pic from gymnastics. (someone added this to my facebook so I thought I'd share) Not sure how old I was here, but I definitely see my kids in this picture!

WOW

2010-01-29T17:50:00.000-08:00

That is the only word I can formulate right now....

Remember baby Allie? 5 years ago last September she passed away from Leukemia at only 9 months old. I followed her mom, Jenny's ,blog and became obsessed with finding a cure for Leukemia and Lymphoma......and so started my journey with Team in Training. I didn't even care about the running at first, I just wanted to raise money to find a cure for this dreaded disease that takes the lives of our families, friends and children.

I have done a few events with Team in Training since then, my first event (and marathon) in San Fransisco, and most recently in Rome, Italy. I decided to do another one this coming June; The Rock and Roll marathon in San Diego.

But this is not the purpose behind the post. Back to Jenny and baby Allie.

After Allie passed, Jenny and her husband had another baby girl who they named Maggie. Now she is 3 (or 4?). Last week she had another baby girl, Katie. I still follow her blog to this day, as she was such an inspiration to me. One of her friends is a photographer and took pictures of her new baby girl today. Please check this link and scroll down to the 5th picture where baby Katie is holding a locket with Allie's picture in it....and try not to cry.

Betcha cant.