Friday Fodder

This was sent to me by Randy's Aunt Karla and Uncle Steve who reside in Silverton, Colorado.

(Disclaimer: The materials and information you find on "FRIDAY FODDER" do not [always] represent the expressed opinion of the author. In addition, the materials found on Friday Fodder are oftentimes mass distributed, thus credit is not known.)

Once upon a time...

Or, "Once a Ponatime"

It's weird

It's weird being without kids. I've noticed a few things.

• I now notice other kids. I never paid any attention to other people's kids, but I have been noticing them the last two days and I think, 'Aw, look at that kid. Her mommy is still able to be at home with her!'
• I bought the big haul of groceries for the FIRST time in seven years without kids. I was there two hours. TWO HOURS. You know why? Because I was actually able to read labels, price compare and look around. I wasn't rushing in and out trying to get home. It was nice. But, I'll admit, I missed the kid chatter and company that my girls bring.
• People do not talk to you if you don't have kids. People would always say a friendly word (or even a polite nod) when I have the girls with me. Now? Nothing. Even in the check out lines at the store...nothing. These are the same people I see at the grocery store every week who are so friendly and nice (when I have kids with me.) But, now? I'm just a plain jane person.
• The house is quiet. Yesterday I wandered around the house wondering what I should do. Don't worry, I didn't do that for too long... but it was weird being home by my self.
• I've been opening the sliding van doors when I park. I've been opening the sliding van doors when I come back.
• I don't have empty candy wrappers in my purse now.

Okay, bye for now ! I have to go pick up my kids!

We have arrived!

Today marked the first day of second grade for Elisan and the first day of pre-kindergarten for Kyla! The girls had a great day and not a tear was shed... by any of us!


They are saying "First Day of School"

Showing off their matching backpacks.

In front of the school.

Elisan sitting at her desk!

Kyla Mae sitting at her desk. She wasted no time.

Resistance if Futile

Blogger introduced the new and improved blogging experience over a year ago. The improved templates, the easy "gadgets", the drag and drops... I've said it once, but it's worth saying again...those people at Google got it going on!

BUT! I was resistant to switching over to the new blogger because I had my blog the way I wanted it. Why change it? Why re-learn everything? So, I didn't.

And, because of it, I learned a smidgen of HTML, like being able to update my blog banner, add a cutesy button, etc., but that is about it. HTML is like reading a foreign language and I squeaked by foreign language in high school - just as I was squeaking by in HTML.

So, I sucked it up and upgraded my blogging experience to the new and improved blogger. I was able to add the cutesy little side graphics and I updated some of my icons. I finally got it the way I wanted it after much trial and error.

So, if you are reading this via BLOGLINES or GOOGLE READER you are missing out on my new look! So, pop on over and take a peek.

P.S. And now that I realize how much easier it is to use, I'll probably be futzing around with the graphics A LOT!

P.S. S. And, yes, "futzing" is a word:

futzing

Futzing or "futzing around" is unstructured, playful, often experimental interaction between a human being and a computer, product, or any technology, sometimes but not always with a productive purpose in mind. Futzing can be pure play, learning by trying, or an attempt to achieve breakthrough insights.

Futzing may also be an amateur attempt to fix something that is not quite broken yet. A reader defines it as "the last thing you do with something just before it stops working anymore.")

Paved with good intentions

Today was Pre-Kinder orientation at the girls' school! We've been talking up orientation all week to Kyla telling her how neat it will be to see her classroom and meet her new teacher. Kyla was so excited, it was cute. She was even agreeable enough to allow me to put a hair bow in her hair - which is major!

Orientation began at 10:00 a.m., and we all piled in the van at 9:30 a.m. to allow up plenty of time to arrive at the school and find a great seat. So, imagine my surprise when on mile 4 of my 12 mile commute to school this morning was met with wall-to-wall traffic. At 9:45 a.m. it became pretty clear that we would not be making it to orientation. And, because I was in the middle lane and we were pretty much sitting in a parking lot on Interstate Highway 35, we were not going anywhere.

To make a long, loooooong story short. We were finally able to dump off of the freeway at 12:00 p.m. It took us 2.5 hours to drive 3 miles. Yep... that's right... you heard me... 2.5 hours - 3 miles.

Apparently an 18-wheeler decided to run into the guardrail, go into a tail-spin and burst into flames about 4:30 a.m. The news was estimating it will be 3:00 p.m. before they can open all lanes of the interstate again. (No one was hurt!)

So, no meet the teacher... no new classrooms... nothing. Just 2.5 hours of anxiety-filled fun for mama! Thank goodness the girls were happily watching DVD's in the van. Oh, and thank goodness that all of my "go potty before we leave" reminding paid off this time!

Tonight: Elementary Orientation. I'll be taking an alternate route... just in case!

Friday Fodder

Today's Friday Fodder has been brought to you by Kristi,
of Richards Family Four. Thanks Kristi!

Imagine with me, if you will...

Bakery Department Employee: "How may I help you?"
Customer: "I would like to order a cake for a going away party"
Bakery Department Employee: "What would you like on the cake?"
Customer: "'Best Wishes Suzanne' and underneath that 'We will miss you'".

(Disclaimer: The materials and information you find on "FRIDAY FODDER" do not [always] represent the expressed opinion of the author. In addition, the materials found on Friday Fodder are oftentimes mass distributed, thus credit is not known.)

Shoot me now!

I was feeling nostalgic the other day and I TiVo'd "Can't Buy Me Love" with Patrick Dempsey. I finally got around to watching it last night. It's as cute as I remembered it. It's neat watching a movie made in smack in the middle of the 80's. This movie came out in 1987. I was 15 at the time. Ah, the good old days.

And I'm always amazed at the hair styles and clothes. What were we thinking? Really... I'll say it again... what were we thinking? Why did we think huge shoulder pads looked good? What about the spiraled-perm-big-hair-bangs? The variations of textures, plaids and prints? The tight rolled jeans? Yikes!

Okay, so imagine my surprise when I saw this picture of Katie Holmes sporting around town in what? Yes! Tight rolled jeans. I thought the tight roll was dead and buried to never return again. But, no... there they are... tight as ever.

My first thought was that perhaps Katie felt like she missed the tight roll boat back in 1987 since she was 9 at the time. But, then I thought... well, she could have been tight rollin' her jeans at nine. Who knows. I mean, she looks pretty efficient at it, wouldn't you say? I'm sure she doesn't say to her stylist, "Hey, and while your at it, do you think you can tight roll my jeans for me?"

All I know is that I sure hope big shoulder pads are not making a comeback as well. Big hair? Yes. I'm all for big hair! But, big shoulders? No.

Starbuck... it ain't just for teenagers anymore

I was at the local outdoor mall today and I noticed a mom with her two young daughters walking along the sidewalk. Each of them was carrying a cuppa from Starbucks.

The two young girls couldn't have been older than 11 years old and both of them were sucking down a Starbucks concoction with whipped cream billowing out through the hole in the top of the domed lid.

Am I being a little naive here to think that it is totally outrageous for a child to be drinking ANYTHING from Starbucks?

Hiking? On a Monday?

Randy called to tell me he was heading home yesterday and asked me if I was interested in going for an afternoon hike. To be honest... I wasn't. But, it's not often Randy comes up with great ideas on a whim... that's my department. So, once he arrived home, we all piled in the van and headed a few miles down the road to the local lake and hiking trails.

It was a cool 88 degrees out (yes, that IS cool, compared to the 100+ temps we've been having!) and it was nearly 5:00 p.m. when we set out. Randy took us to a hike and bike trail that he travels on each weekend when he goes mountain bike riding. Wow! It was very rocky. I guess that is why they call it MOUNTAIN bike riding.

Here are some photos from our adventure! We ended our hike at the lake shore. The girls threw some rocks in the water and we headed back down the trail. All in all, we hiked about 2 miles. On rocky terrain, it felt like 10!

Have I ever told you...

... how gorgeous my girls are?

It's that time again!

I think I have a "It's that time again!" post at least twice a year! Oh well, nonetheless... here is where I ask you, internet peeps, your opinion on paint color selections.

Here's what I did... I trolled the Pottery Barn websites (kids, teen, general) for paint colors. I then color-matched the paint colors and made my own paint chips. Eventually, once I decide on the colors, I'll have these samples printed out and the I'll head on over to Sherwin Williams and have them color match my final selections.

Here are all of the colors I loved! Aren't they gorgeous colors?

See how #4 paint sample matches this room?
The color on my sample is slightly darker, but you get the idea!

This is color sample #17

Okay, but wait! Elisan decided she wants a purple room, too! I don't know if you recall or not, but Kyla wants her room purple as well! ACK! I'm thinking I may be able to get away with painting Kyla's room yellow, but I may have to settle for a deep rosy pink.

And the bathroom... I love sample #17 for a bathroom. Very clean feeling, don't ya think?

So, here's what I've come up with. I need the colors to compliment and share the same hue. I can't have them clashing!

See how this pink look "on the wall"? Very nice.

So, any thoughts? Do you see a scheme I am missing out on? Am I totally wacked out in my color selections?

Another blog? Holy Cow!

Yes, it's true. I started another blog. I'm addicted, okay?

This new blog is totally related to fitness stuff. Kind of like an online fitness journal, weight and measurement tracker and of course, rant forum. Can't have a blog without a rant forum, right?

Click on the image to go to "Keeping Up With My Life"

The New Rules of Lifting for Women

Last week, I mentioned that I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the book, "The New Rules of Lifting for Women" and I was asked by a few of you to review the book once I finished reading it.

Here are my abbreviated thoughts... (yes, it is possible for me to be brief!)

It is a great read. It's interesting and entertaining. It is very informative and the author did a great job explaining the concepts of "breakthrough" fitness and the corresponding diet plan and workouts.

I love the workout section. The book sets up seven stages of workout programs - which build upon the next. Most of the stages are two weeks in length, but the first stage is 6 weeks long. The total workout plan (stages 1-7) is roughly 6 months long. That's nice for those people who go to the gym and don't really know what they should do next. Also, each workout is a total body workout, encompassing 4-5 different exercises. This is great since you are not spending hours in the gym doing 6-10 different exercises (with the accompanying sets/reps.)

The book thoroughly discusses calorie cutting and counting. And let me just say... the basic premise is "eat more, weigh less." If you can't wrap your mind around that idea, then this book may not be for you. HOWEVER, the "eat more, weigh less" concept only works if you are working out... That's logical, right?

The book also discusses a woman's physiological differences and why our work outs should be different (to some degree) from a man's workout. The is also good discussion about cardio workouts and how we may be over-doing in that area.

All in all, the book is a great read for those wishing to ramp it up in the weight room. But, be warned... you will find information in this book that goes against everything you have ever read or heard about fitness and weight loss.

Moral Question

Okay, moral question here:

The grocery store where I shop sells cut rosemary stems in the herb section for $2.19/package. The same grocery store grows rosemary bushes in the common median areas in the parking lot.

What would you do?

• Break off a branch of the "fresh" rosemary in the parking lot? or
  
• Purchase the rosemary in the store?

And, be honest...

Friday Fodder

Today's fodder is brought to you by Stormi,
of Hanging with the Boyd's!
Thanks Stormi!

Today, the girls and I were racing across the pool. And in the spirit of the Olympics, we were all issued "medals" on behalf of our performance.

They were the Gold, Silver and the Bras.

XOXO - revised!

Elisan and I had a riveting conversation tonight as I was putting her to bed. As we were giving each other hugs and kisses she said, "Mom, we're giving each other X-O's".

I said, "X is for kiss (giving kisses) and O is for hug (squeezing her a little harder)."

She said, "No Mom... (in that "DUH!" tone that all kids just magically adopt)... O is for kiss and X is for hug. See? (demonstrating for me) Your arms criss-cross when you hug someone."

I said, "No... I don't think so. See how your arms make a circle when you are hugging someone? That's why a hug is the O."

She says, "Mom, you are so wrong." (Okay, so she didn't say "so". I added that for emphasis!)

Okay, whatever...

So I begin to second guess myself. Have I had it wrong all of this time? Or am I smarter than a second-grader? Apparently, I am not smarter than a second grader because according to Wikipedia "It is debatable which letter represents which act."

Okay... so maybe we are both right.

So, what do you think? X or O? Hug or Kiss?

If you are interested, you can read the origins for "Hugs and Kisses" or "XOXO" here.

5S

I mentioned earlier that I did some cleaning up around here. Part of that included organizing our main "dump all" room in our home - the Laundry/Pantry/Catch-All Room. I've mentioned before how much I hate this set-up, but since I don't have much of a choice, I've learned to embrace this room in all of it's (un)glory.

Randy saw the improvements to our "where all the action" is peg-board and told me I had "5S'd it." Since I'm not an engineer, I ask (then subsequently look up) what 5S meant. It appears that I have indeed 5S'd our pegboard.


5S is a reference to a list of five Japanese words which, transliterated and translated into English, start with the letter S and are the name of a methodology.

The 5S's are:

Phase 1 - Seiri - Sorting: Keeping only essential items. Everything else is stored or discarded.

Phase 2 - Seiton - Straighten or Set in Order: Focuses on efficiency.

Phase 3 - Seiso - Sweeping: Systematic Cleaning or the need to keep the workplace clean as well as neat.

Phase 4 - Seiketsu - Standardizing: Everyone knows exactly what his or her responsibilities are.

Phase 5 - Shitsuke -Sustaining: Refers to maintaining.

Forget the Japanese, I think a housewife created this process!

Ramblin' Stuff

I don't really have much to say so I'll keep this brief, okie dokie? But, don't count on it.

Surely I'm not the only blogger out there who says to them self, "Ooooo, I need to blog about that." and then immediately forget what the revelation was that you wanted to impart to the world? I do... all the time. I need to carry around a notepad or something.

So, I spent most of the weekend cleaning and organizing. I'm not afraid to admit that I let things go to pot over the summer. And, yes... it was great! I loved it. There! Ahem... I am not the Martha Stewart you all think that I am. You know who you are...

Elisan's birthday is tomorrow. She is super excited! But, I'm not sure how super excited she'll be with the gifts we got her. See... the problem is... my kid has every toy imaginable. And, does she really need that 9th Barbi, or the 44th Littlest Pet Shop, or the Umpteenth-zillion Polly Pocket? The answer would be no. But, apparently, she thinks she does, as she has already purchased more Pet Shops and Barbi stuff with the early birthday money she has received. I, on the other hand, have bought her a "blingy" handbag in metallic silver (it's really cute and I wanted the adult version, but they didn't have one), two outfits, a Littlest Pet Shop digital thing-a-ma-bob, and a set of gold heart earrings. Sure, there is no "WOW" factor in that, but tough. I'm not buying another figurine, ever! Or, at least until Christmas.

So, with Elisan's birthday party coming up this weekend, she has selected "Word Girl" as her birthday party theme. Oh, you don't know "Word Girl?" Why, yes, you would be correct. Because it is a PBS show and unlike Disney or Nick Jr. they haven't marketed "Word Girl" to the masses... YET! So, I've been making Word Girl stuff. Cupcake decorations, goody bag decorations, etc., etc. It's turned out cute, but still... I'd rather just buy it and be done with it ya know? I DID have a gal that was going to make a Word Girl cake for me, but I gave her the wrong date for the party and when I finally cleared that debacle up, she had a conflict for the actual birthday party date. Had I given her the correct date, none of that mess would have happened. Thank goodness she is a friend and does cake decorating on the side, so she wasn't too upset with me.

So, I've mentioned here before that I have been enjoying weight lifting as part of my working out stuff. Well, Randy and I met this guy on the cruise while we were working out and he said that he read "The New Rules of Lifting" by Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove. He said it changed his complete outlook on lifting weights and that his results were phenomenal. So, I ordered "The New Rules of Lifting for Women" by the same two guy and Cassandra Forsythe and I'm anxiously awaiting it's arrival. I mean, I've done pretty good on my own (see photo!) but I don't want to waste my valuable time in the gym by doing stuff that doesn't really matter to a woman - like tons and tons of chest presses, because seriously, I don't really want my chest to be busting out of my clothes MORE so than it already is... can you say "D" cup?

And for all of you ladies out there that think that lifting weights will make you bulky... stop the nay saying! You are a woman and it is virtually IMPOSSIBLE to bulk up and look masculine. The beauty about building muscle is that muscle cells burn the most calories of the calories we burn every day. So, all of that time you are chugging away on the treadmill won't make as huge of an impact if you aren't strength training. Don't get me wrong, you can lose a ton of weight just doing plain old cardio, but try adding in some strength training and you'll be amazed at the difference!


And finally... My friend, Charlotte, in Denmark has awarded me with this cute blog award! I'll think I'll try to use it on my next Amazon purchase!

I leave you today with sounds of my two daughters playing "Wipe Out" upstairs with their Barbie's. They are on the big ball competition right now. I just heard Elisan tell Kyla, "Hey, you forgot the ball swing!" Ahhh, television... you gotta love it.

Happy 40th Birthday, Tim

Today, is my brother's 40th birthday. I always thought he had a neat birthday day - August 8th.

Tim and I are a little over four years apart in age. Which translated into a tortuous relationship between the two of us. I mean, seriously, how many 10 year old boys love to treat their pesky little six year old sister with love and respect? Not many... and Tim was no different! I'd say all and all, my childhood memories of my brother are composed of events that I'd rather not delve back in to.

But, that's not to say my brother is a bad person. On the contrary... My brother is fantastic husband (of 17 years to his highschool sweetheart, Christi) and he is an amazing father to his two sons, Brandon and Brady. He is also a leader within his church and a very successful businessman. He coaches little league baseball in his free time and is truly a family man to his family. He always has a smile on his face and a joke to tell.

I'm not going to lie and say that Tim and I have the perfect sibling relationship, because we don't. I think I'm still harboring feelings of resentment for all of those times that he held me down and farted on my head. I dunno...

But, nonetheless, today is a special day for my brother and I wanted to tell him that I love him and wish him a world-wide internet Happy Birthday!

Love, Sis

First Crush!

You know you are in for trouble when your six (soon to be seven) year old daughter says that she wants to marry "TITAN" from American Gladiators.

Too bad he wears more make-up than I do...

The Push Up Test and a Challenge!

No, I'm not referring to a new push up bra... I'm referring to an actual push-up. You know... the fitness kind?

Pushup chart (Women)

Push Up Test (Women)

Age	17-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60-65
Excellent	>35	>36	>37	>31	>25	>23
Good	27-35	30-36	30-37	25-31	21-25	19-23
Above Average	21-27	23-29	22-30	18-24	15-20	13-18
Average	11-20	12-22	10-21	8-17	7-14	5-12
Below average	6-10	7-11	5-9	4-7	3-6	2-4
Poor	2-5	2-6	1-4	1-3	1-2	1
Very Poor	0-1	0-1	0	0	0	0

Source: adapted from Golding, et al. (1986). The Y's way to physical fitness (3rd ed.)

Here's your challenge!

Women have the additional option of using the "bent knee" position. To do this, kneel on the floor, hands on either side of the chest and keep your back straight. Do as many push ups as possible until exhaustion. Count the total number of pushups performed. Use the chart above to find out how you rate.

Take the push up test and post your results! If you are doing "military style" (on your toes) push ups, remember to mention it in your comment!

My results? I thought I was in good shape, but apparently, I barely squeak by into the above-average category for my age group with 22 in the "bent knee" position. In the "military position" I can only squeak out 12.

Home Again!

We are back from our vacation and we had a great time! I'll summarize with photos!

This about sums it all up! Laying on the covered deck taking it all in.

The view we were taking in...

Our first formal night on the ship. There were two formal nights on board. The first formal night was the Captain's Welcome Cocktail Party.

Our first port of call was Jamaica. We did a river tubing tour on the Chukka River. It was a lot of fun and very informative!

Here is one of the tour guides. His nickname was "Junior".

Here's Junior and me!

Next stop, Grand Cayman Island. That is coral rock behind us. The island was previously covered entirely with water.


The water in Grand Cayman. I did not go much further in the water. I'm a land lover, not a sea lover!


Our ship is in the middle. The tour guide said that on a busy day, they have about 7 ships docked in the water.


Another formal night evening! Don't we look handsome?


Next stop, the Mayan Ruins of Tulum in Mexico. Oh, man, it was hot there.


Me!

This is Volha (Olga) from Belarus, Russia. She was one of the dinner servers. She was awesome and so very sweet. We really enjoyed meeting her.

This is our ship. Our room was on the bottom floor - that last line of windows at the bottom!

The deck where all of the action was during the day!


This was the main floor lobby.


Each night we were surprised with a little "towel creation" from our stateroom steward! Eskimo?

We are glad to be back! I missed the girls terribly! But, apparently they were soooo busy, they didn't have time to miss us. Now, if only I didn't have a mountain of laundry...

Oh, and I really need to hit the gym. I think I gained 4 pounds!