What happens when kids are sick?

The house smells of Lysol and Clorox. Trust me, it's better than the alternative.

The clean laundry doesn't get folded. It takes up residence on the couch (as long as a sick child is not inhabiting it). I consider it an accomplishment that it is even clean!

Dishes pile in the sink.

Mom gulps coffee like it's going out of style.

Mom can't remember what day it is and when she last had a shower or a good night of sleep.

Kind of on the same subject - why do kids always vomit at ungodly hours?

Coming Soon....

The week of Valentine's Day I will have some great book giveaways! Make sure you come by and see the reviews and enter to win that week!!!

Cravings galore....

I am having cravings like nothing else.

I think it is because I am being tempted.

For example, several months ago I started taking cholesterol meds and was told I should not have grapefruit or grapefruit juice because it could have a potentially serious reaction. So of course I immediately crave a big, juicy grapefruit, even though I probably had not had one in say, 5 plus years!

Now, this week, hubby and I started the South Beach Diet. For those of you who don't know, that means low, low carbs and sugars for two weeks. No bread, no pasta, no fruit. So I have been eating lots of chicken, turkey, veggies, salads, nuts, and cheese. I also have worked out 3 of the last 4 days. So I have lost 7 lbs in 5 days! Definitely something to be happy about.

But all I can think about it potato chips, ice cream, chocolate, etc.

Let me tell you, my trip to Sam's and the grocery store today were nothing but a test of willpower.

I am blogging to avoid my kitchen and the wealth of temptation there!

Persuasion, thy name is ELMO!

For Christmas Gigi received a Potty with Elmo book and a Potty time Elmo DVD. In case you haven't guessed, she had an ELMO fetish. We are very hopeful that she will be interested and sit still long enough very soon. Wouldn't it be glorious to use the money spent on diapers on something else?!!

So, on Sunday we sat down to watch the DVD and my other children (10,8, and 6) gravitate into the room. We watch Elmo and his friends sing about potties, sing about washing their hands, etc. for 40 minutes or so.

About 10 minutes in, hubby had to use the "potty".
At minute 15 or so, the boy and NiNi have to go!
At minute 25, Sha Sha makes a trip to the facilities and finally, I succumb and make my trip to the restroom.

The only one to not use the potty was Gigi.

I am hoping the "suggestions" in the video rub off on her too, but just in case I think I'll stay near the restroom too.

Doting?

Our single middle aged female neighbor has a new boyfriend. He comes over to take out her trash, he plants new bushes and flowers, he came over last week and cut up the huge branch that fell out of her tree, he washes her car, etc.

My hubby and I were watching him take out her trash earlier today. (We are really not voyeurs or overly nosy, I promise!) Anyway, hubby commented that our neighbor had better not ever marry him because it would all stop posthaste! Hubby and I have always joked that he didn't try nearly as hard to impress me and do things for me after we were married.

Disclaimer - This by no means is a complaint against my hard-working hubby who does his best to keep up with his work, the kids, the house, and his ever-demanding wife!

Resolutions - No! um er call em goals

I tend to have a hard time keeping "resolutions". So I like to call them goals! Difference only in terminology, maybe, but the connotation of the word "resolution" makes my stomach roll.

My goals for the year -

Limit spending.
Reach out to more people around me and really get to know them.
Eat only when hungry.
Exercise more (even if it's only Wii Fit!) BTW - I really love the yoga poses, who knew?
More QUALITY alone time with hubs (maybe not out somewhere as sitters can be expensive - but also not parked in front of the tv all the time).

Hopefully putting them here will help me revisit and re-evaluate. Maybe you all can help keep me accountable too?

Happy 2009! Here we goooooooo!!!!!

Changing Habits

So many people make resolutions that they abandon because of sheer discouragement by March 1. What we have to realize is that changing habits takes time and incremental steps are often more effective than cold turkey methods.

Every woman longs for change in some area of her life. Unfortunately, fear, fatigue, adversity, heartbreak, past failures, and even the choices of other people get in the way and make lasting change seem out of reach. Having been there herself, Karen Linamen knows exactly how to take readers from where they are to where they want to be.

In Only Nuns Change Habits Overnight, she examines 52 powerful actions readers can apply to any change they long to embrace. Her insights apply to career, finances, personal health and fitness, relationships, faith—in fact, every facet of a woman’s life.

Blending laugh-out-loud humor and sage advice, Linamen shows readers the link between dissatisfaction and transformation, how to remodel habits, the little-known truth about procrastination, how to generate the energy they need to pursue the life they desire, how to benefit from options and resources they never dreamed they had, and much, much more!


Karen Linamen is a popular speaker and the celebrated author of ten books for women, including Due to Rising Energy Costs the Light at the End of the Tunnel Has Been Turned Off and Just Hand Over the Chocolate and No One Will Get Hurt. She has been featured on more than one hundred radio programs, including FamilyLife Today. Publishers Weekly describes her as “funny, forthright and unforgettable.” Linamen lives with her family in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Visit her website at www.karenlinamen.com.