Wanna see some cuties?

We had trick or treat last week but I never got around to showing off my girls in their costumes. So.... here they are!

Here, kitty, kitty

And don't BUG me

We actually ended up going trick or treating twice. Once in our own neighborhood then two days later we went to my mom and dad's so they could see the girls' costumes. And they went beggin' again... but just around one block! They really have that begging for candy thing all figured out! Too bad we left C's bag of candy at Grandma's! No problemo though... J has plenty to share!

~~
I still haven't made it over to the church bookstore to pay for my fitness membership yet! This weekend was crazy busy and then today they were closed. SOOOO, I'm heading over tomorrow and hopefully by the end of the week, I'll be on my way to a fitter trimmer me! My tentative plan is to start a separate blog to keep track of my progress. I'll post the link when I get around to starting it!

Getting in Shape

I've never been one to exercise regularly. In fact, it's a rarity that I do it. I know I need to and I know that I need to stay healthy for my girls but it's just never been part of my daily routine. In college, we had a beautiful state of the art rec center on campus. I think I went there two or three times. Since I've been with my husband, we've belonged to Bally's and the Y but only for a year or so each place. I'd get into a work out habit then something would happen that would cause me to stop going.

This past couple weeks, I've really had an itch to start working out and getting on a healthy lifestyle kick. So, earlier this week, I told hubby that for Christmas I either wanted to A)rejoin the Y or B)join Curves. I am tired of not being in shape and having to buy my clothes bigger. Thankfully, hubby agreed that it was a great idea for a Christmas present. So I started calling around and was all set to start going to Curves. I wasn't crazy about paying the $39 a month it would cost but you gotta do what you gotta do, right?

This past Thursday, I was at my moms' group at a local church. Afterwards, I was standing around talking to some friends when another friend comes walking out of a room labeled, "fitness center!" HUH?? Fitness center?? I never knew there was a fitness center there!

Turns out that not only is there a fitness center, it is a ministry of the church and priced VERY inexpensively so that people can afford it. Ready for the cost?!!? $25. A. YEAR!!!!! And that's just for the first year. After that, it is only $15!!!!! The hours are great (6a to 10p) and if I go in the evenings, there is even childcare over at the main church building!

I called that same afternoon to set up an orientation meeting and the following night, went and met with the coordinator. He explained the rules and went over the different machines they have. All I have to do now is go over to the church bookstore and pay the $25 to receive my key card (to get into the room). Then I can get started on my healthy lifestyle walk!!

The church even offers fitness classes and set you up with workout groups/buddies to help with accountability! The new sessions start up in January.

I'm psyched. I'll try to remember to update on my progress but if you are a regular reader (and heck, even if you aren't!), do me a favor and check in with me occasionally to see how I'm doing. I might need a little kick in the pants every once in a while!

Deal?!?!

Why Halloween is Better Than Sex

Got this from a friend... and couldn't resist sharing it here!

10. You're guaranteed to get a little something in the sack.

9. The uglier you are, the easier it is to get some.

8. It doesn't matter if the kids hear you moaning and groaning.

7. Less guilt the morning after.

6. It doesn't matter if they fantasize you're somebody else, because you are.

5. Forty years from now, you'll still enjoy candy.

4. If you don't get what you want, you can always go next door.

3. If you get tired, you can wait 10 minutes and go again.

2. You don't have to compliment the person who gives you some.

1. You can do the whole neighborhood in an hour!

Post of Halloween Past

Sorta like the Ghost of Christmas Past, yeah?


It's always fun to look back, right?!!?

Jenna at 6 months...

Quack Quack!!

Jenna at 18 months...

Cheese Please!!

Jenna at 2 1/2...

Don't Bug me!

Jenna at 3 1/2...

My little princess

Cassidy at 10 months

Buzz!! Buzz!!!

I'll do a Post of Halloween Present (what they're wearing this year!) soon. I have to find something for Cass since the costume I had won't work. :(

Trick or Treat

Ok, so the other day I was asking a few of my online friends when trick or treat was in their city. They acted like I was asking a weird question. Their reply: "Isn't trick or treat on Halloween, the 31st!?!"

Well, not where I live! Or where my parents live a half hour away. For us, trick or treat is this coming Thursday, Oct. 27. Then my parents' trick or treat is Saturday, the 29th. Growing up, I remember it was always on a weird date. So I just assumed a lot of other places did it on a different date too. On the board I post on, out of around 20 people, there were only two or three of us who had t or t on a day other than Halloween.

So, it got me to wondering.... how unusual it is not to trick or treat ON Halloween?? When is trick or treat where you live?

The Purple Dinosaur Has Invaded Our House...

Quick!! Someone call the big purple dinosaur exterminator!!

My almost two year old is obsessed with Barney.

When my first kiddo was little, we watched Nick Jr. You know... Dora, Blues Clues. Barney was never an issue. She saw him a couple times but never formed an attachment. And I was happy. :) When C came along, Nick Jr continued to be the main channel we watched and Blue and Dora became C's friends too.

This summer, on a whim, I bought a couple Barney videos at garage sales for around $1. I figured what was one more movie added to the gazillions we already had. J watched them a couple times... and C (my two year old) quickly became entranced. She will sit on the couch, totally mesmerized when one of the videos is in. It's actually a great way to get some housework done if I'm being really honest! If there's dancing in the video, C always joins in jumping around in circles. She even knows who Barney's friends are! Whenever she sees a TV, it doesn't matter where we are, she starts asking for Barney. That's a lot of fun when were out and about! LOL She's got a stuffed animal she carries around with her and even a Barney that goes in the bathtub. I am even considering having her birthday party with a Barney theme. Just considering it at the moment.

I have to admit, the videos are kinda cute and I can see why kids like him. But oh my, if I have to sing the I Love You song one more time, I'm going to scream!!

Here's a version I think I like better:

I love you, you love me,
Let's go out and shoot Barney.
With a shot to the head and a fall to the floor,
No more purple dinosaur.

Something tells me C won't like those words though...

She's (not) a Drama Queen

My four year old is a drama queen. According to me.

According to her, she is not.

Case in point. The other day, we were at the JCPenney's shopping. Now I should preface by saying that whenever we go shopping, she expects me to buy her everything in sight. Or at least something at every store. Of course, I don't do this but she continues to expect it and whines about it incessantly. I do the yadda yadda yadda, money doesn't grow on trees speech a lot.

So that day, we're at Penney's looking at clothes in her size (and she's wanting EVERYTHING she sees) and I found a tee shirt that said, "Drama Queen" on it.

ME: "Here, I'll buy you this one. It's perfect."

HER: (**getting very excited at the prospect of getting something**) OK!!!

ME: "It says 'Drama Queen' on it!

HER: "I am NOT a drama queen. I don't want that shirt!!!

ME: "Yes, you are, blah, blah, blah (can't remember exactly what I said).

She then begins crying, saying she is not a drama queen. SO I tell her I'm sorry for saying that and that I won't buy it. And she starts begging me to buy it.... EVEN THOUGH it says she is a drama queen (which she insists she isn't!!) and she doesn't want to wear it. All she's thinking is that she wants something new.

She continues bellowing and we start to leave the store, without the shirt. I'm trying hard not to laugh at her antics. All the while, I'm telling her that with her behavior, she is proving my point that she is a drama queen.

We're in the aisle leaving the kids' department when she throws herself on the floor crying because we're walking out without a shirt she didn't even want in the first place.

And, the funniest thing is, she's STILL insisting that she's NOT a drama queen.

Hmmmm..... is my case proven?!?! If not, I'm sure I can come up with more drama examples...

;)

Back From "Missing in Action" Land

Ok... it's official. I suck as a blogger.

It's been close to a month since I last wrote. And I have no excuse. Well, maybe a realllllllly weak one. See, my computer is broken. And has been since right around the time I did my last entry. So, I've been using my hubby's computer.

Now on my computer, I've got my favorites folders all organized by subject with an entire folder devoted to blogs. On my husband's computer, my favorites are in one folder and most of the sites I visit frequently are not bookmarked. Including all the blogging sites. And I've been too lazy to log into blogger.com and write anything.

Told ya it was a weak excuse.

Tonight I was checking my email and found a link to my friend Mimi's blog. I clicked on it and then clicked on my own blog and seeing it looking so deserted, decided to do a post. I can't let this blog disappear into oblivion when I'm only 4 posts away from my 50th post, right?!?!

So here I am. Ready to update. I've bookmarked my dashboard page AND my blog so hopefully I can get my rear back in writing gear.

This weekend, I went away for the night for a scrapbooking retreat. It was an all day/all the next day event with plenty of uninterrupted time to work on my girls' albums. Between all the snacking, daydreaming, socializing, and few hours of sleep I got, I managed to get 24 pages done!! Not too shabby, huh?!!? I am now caught up to this past Easter in J's book (and now plan to just combine her and C into one family album). C's own book is up to Easter too and I'll continue doing her a separate one until I get to her second birthday (which is in December).

I've been "scrappin" since shortly after I got married, eight years ago. Finished our wedding album then waited patiently (or not so patiently) until we finally had a child so I could do a baby book. It took us awhile to conceive so I even managed to take apart my college (magnetic) album and do a scrapbook of those pictures.

When I was finally able to do a baby album, I went a tiny bit overboard. J's first year ended up being 2 big volumes!! I tell ya... I took pictures of EVERYTHING. I even went as far as to lay on the floor when she first started rolling and I took pics of each move she made until she was on her belly. Then I made it into a scrapbook page. Roll over, Roll over! Yeah, you can call me obsessive. Especially when I mention that I also have the actual bandaids from J's first immunization shots in her album!!

C's first year album wasn't quite as long but she'll never be able to say I didn't take enough pictures!! I'm a picture fanatic. I'd venture to guess I've got at least 3000 pictures on our computer harddrive. And a lot of them are printed and put into scrapbooks!

Scrapbooking is definitely one of my favorite hobbies! I've got a lot of time and lots and lots of money invested in my albums. But it's all worth it when I look through them with the girls and tell them all about the pictures!

How about you?! Any scrappers reading out there?!?! Or any fun, expensive hobbies?!?!