Day 31

I made it an entire month with some sort of picture from each day this month. There were times it wasn't as easy and it was probably a little boring but I have been told it was kinda fun to keep up with too. Today was a pretty drab day. I was up at 4am to make it to bootcamp and I really gave it my all today and it felt great. I left there totally sweaty and tired out.

By time I got home the kids were in the process of getting ready for school. 

It was raining and cooler today so it wasn't hard at all to climb back into bed after my shower.  I really had no energy today, maybe it was the weather or just being a Monday after a busy weekend. I did manage to get some laundry and dishes done but other than that the boys and I just hung out around here. 

Brian made a really good dinner tonight. The kids had hamburgers and baked chips and I had a lettuce wrapped turkey cheese burger, sauteed asparagus, and some low fat cottage cheese. It was so yummy and hit the spot with me. This is a meal that I have learned to love in the last 2 years but it is a favorite for me now. I actually prefer a lettuce wrapped burger over a bun. I will eat the asparagus  anytime it is made , I love the crispness of it. And cottage cheese is something I try to have more of because of the high amount of protein it contains.

 

Logan told us tonight he landed a lead role in the High School Spring Play. It is based on the 80's and he will have a solo. He will begin practice for that soon. Macy's play schedule is M-T-TH-F nights and some Saturdays till mid March. Parker and Molly are all pumped about starting school choir  practice on Tuesdays after school. So we will be getting into a new schedule soon at least wrestling is winding down for the year. I am longing for warmer days and sunshine already! My very first 5k is Saturday and  I am excited yet nervous because I have never run with a group. But I am sure it will be alot of fun too.

Day 29 & 30

On Saturday Parker attended a skate party for his friend Madison. Parker got the hang of skating after awhile there was plenty of falling down at first. He had a great time even though the place was an absolute ZOO! I left with the biggest headache but it was worth it for him to have so much fun.

 Tonight Hudson really enjoyed his roasted marshmallow at Maw and Das's house. He doesn't normally go around shirtless but he spilled his brothers soda all down his shirt.

Tonight we celebrated and belated Christmas and birthday with Grandmother Jane. She spent her whole Christmas sick with a stomach bug followed by a flu type virus. This was a sad thing for not just her but the whole family. Grandmother absolutely loves the holidays. She is a treat to watch as she admires the decorations, the wrapping paper, she takes interest in everyone's gifts and she gets giddy over the holiday spread of food. 

We had also missed grandmother 80th birthday in December . It dawned on me today that we needed to get Grandmother a birthday cake. The kids love for people to have birthday cake and they love to sing Happy Birthday to them . Grandmother deserves to be celebrated she is a very special woman to all of us. The whole gang gathered around her with 8 lit candles on her cake and we sang to her. I wish we could do more but I hope she felt loved and appreciated tonight because that is really what is in our hearts.

The weekend flew by so fast I just hope the work week does too! I have a date with the laundry tomorrow, Lucky me!

Day 28

 Can you believe these two kids went to school looking like this today? Oh they were excited to go show off their 80's look for Decade Day. Parker and his sisters decided on his outfit last night and I think they hit the nail on the head. Molly looks like she is right out of a 80's rock video for sure. It's always nice to see the kids excited about going to school. Their Principal came up with all these fun themed days for Fridays when they do review and studying for the annual standardized testing that is coming up in the Spring. I told him last year that it was a brilliant idea because it really helps the kids not dread the review days but look forward to them.

Here is Logan after last night wrestling match. He was not happy I was wanting his picture but I told I really needed one and this is the best I got. He was worn out,  hungry and lets not forget grouchy. The season is winding down and Logan has made some great improvements over the year. He has won some matches recently too. Several people have commented to Brian how much Logan has improved his skill. He is very dedicated and gives it his all. Good Luck Logan on your last few matches of the season!

Day 27

 These are a few of my favorite things.

If you have a iphone you must go to the app store and download Words with Friends game. It's scrabble that you can play people you know or a random person. You play at your own leisure which is so nice. I find myself playing while waiting for appointments and waiting on kids at practice . I love it so if you have it please challenge me to a game my user name is Moonmamma. This screen shot was take of my 83 point word, don't let that scare you it was pure luck.

I tried a new pizza and man was it good. Kashi Trio with Spinach and Mushrooms. This pizza has a thin crispy crust which I liked alot. I found it in the freezer section at Publix near the other large frozen pizzas. The price was $5.99 and the calories pretty reasonable at 250 for 1/3 the pizza. I was low on my calories and really hungry so I ate half of it. I enjoyed every single crispy bite. I liked the spinach and mushroom but plan to try the other varieties too. 

Day 26

Look who was awake when i came in from boot camp early this morning. He was so jazzed knowing I bought cereal the day before he was begging for a bowl. He cried when the kids boarded the bus and insisted he needed on the bus too! Luckily he took a nap soon after the bus pulled away. Collin and Hudson had a playdate with Mimi today. That had a blast! Thanks Mimi.

Parker had to finish his Alabama History map tonight. Of course he forgot his book so his friend Erin saved the day by loaning her's to him overnight. Let's hope this last minute stuff isn't a trend with him.

Day 24 and 25

M I C K E Y  M O U S E ! He loves wearing these around the house.

This is the BEST soup and so easy!

Tara's Corn AND  Shrimp  Chowder ( I can't take credit for it)

1lb Shrimp (1 bag of the small frozen with no tails in freezer section)

2 cans Cream of Potato Soup

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 can whole kernel corn with juice

1 can mild Rotel tomatoes

1 pkg cream cheese

1 pint half and half

1 bunch green onions chopped

Saute shrimp until pink, then add all cans into the pot.  Mix well, and add cream cheese and half

and half.  Make sure all the cream cheese is melted and add the onions. Simmer for 10 minutes and

enjoy! Calories are 270 a bowl. It's so yummy!

Day 23

I am still learning how to style my new hair style but I still love it. I have found some easy ways to fix it for workouts.  Change is good!

Day 21

Here is the wreath I made to hang on my front door for Valentine's Day.  I think it turned out pretty cute.

Day 20

Here are my hair before and after pictures of my new hair do. I had it in a clip in the before because I was in a rush. I love the new cut. It's short but very girly and sassy. It will take a little getting used to styling but it should save me a ton of time.  I was so unhappy with how it was getting so thin before so I am so happy I took the plunge to try something totally different. These were just pictures from my phone I will get some better ones over the weekend. 

Collin and Hudson were thrilled to get to Das's (Brian's Dads) house today while I got my hair done. They were woke up excited to go. They had some fun with lunch Subway and a trip to the Dollar Store. They brought home a bag full of goodies from Dollar Tree. I am thankful they get to hang out with Das so much because they really enjoy it!

Day 19

 What 34 looks like!


On January 8th I turned 34 years old. I noticed today last year I did a post similar to this and I really liked looking back at it. This year my birthday kind of threw me for a loop. There were several life circumstances that made me wish I could just postpone my birthday all together.

But of course people who love you would not hear of such a pity party and they did everything they could to brighten my day. I am not usually one to get the blahs and let it get me down but they had a hold of me and I was giving in to the idea to just skip the whole celebrating thing. I guess this could be a post hysterectomy roller coaster ride that I need to watch out for.

The year has been a good year for me and I have worked on so many goals. I am stronger than I have been in my life. I am healthier than I have ever been too. I am a whole year into boot camp and  I love it. Life has been good to me and I am thankful for another year of it!


I am continuing on with my goals and setting new ones. I am opening my mind up to some changes in the coming year also. I am going to put my new love for running to the test and start running 5k races starting in February. I am going to chop off my hair tomorrow because I am unhappy with it and ready for a change there too. My drastic diet change over the last 2 years has left my hair thin and brittle. I take a handful of vitamins everyday but I think my hair must have thrived on potato chips and french fries.  I am accepting that having luscious long locks is not in the cards for me so short & sassy here I come!

Day 18

 I spent the day stalking Macy's email. I kept her laptop close by and waited and hoped for her email with the cast list. It's after 11:30 pm and it's still not sent out but she did get an email saying it would be later tonight. I'm on pins and needles to say the least!!!

*Update* at 12:30 she got the email that she landed the role as Ernestine the 2nd oldest sister and a main character. I am dying to call everybody and tell them but I don't think ya'll would like me waking you right now to fill you in. See how nice I am? Haha. I am so excited for Macy but Gee whiz this stage mom stuff is STRESSFUL! Now I have to try to sleep for 3 little hours before I get up for bootcamp. The fun never ends!  :)

 Parker seems to have some sort of virus. The school nurse called to say he had a rash on his face. He's had a upset stomach and low grade fever too. He slept all afternoon but was acting normal tonight. Let's hope it's not something he will share with the rest of us.

Hudson said the funniest thing today. He was watching me put on my makeup and he came up and stood next to me and asked if I would paint him too. Notice his Buzz Lightyear shirt he had a cow wanting it at Walmart yesterday. I referred to him as my Space Ranger all day. He is getting so big but he still has us all wrapped around his little finger. He will always be our baby.

 Major Congrats to Logan for winning his wrestling match tonight against Clay-Chalkville. Logan won by pinning the boy in the first round. Way to go Son!!!Awesome job and let's repeat it again on Saturday for the big tournament!

Day 17

Tonight Macy and I returned to the Leeds Arts Council for her call back for the part in Cheaper By The Dozen. Macy seemed less nervous and better prepared this go around. She was called up to read about 5 different times and she did awesome! There are 3 spots and it is narrowed down to 8 girls. I think she has a good chance of landing a role but we will know for sure tomorrow. I will tell you, I was a nervous wreck the whole time she was reading. I am so proud of her regardless.  Cross your fingers that she made the cut!

Day 16

 Brian made us a steak tonight before he heads to California for a few days. Here is a picture of my plate and it was so good. I also had a toss salad with Light Italian dressing. I am making a conscious effort to cut back on my carb in take.  It is a little blurry but here is a shot of the crew about to chow down.

 My dessert and a precious memory of my Ninny Ann (grandmother on my Mom's side). My Ninny would eat cottage cheese and fruit as a dessert or snack. I never took her up on her offer to make me some because I knew my Papaw would be having his nightly ice cream and I was sure to get some.  My Ninny was always a very healthy eater and a thin woman. But she was the only female I knew who wore a girdle all the time. My grandmother was sporting Spanx before Spanx were cool!

 I have some many good memories of her and staying with them at their house. Memories of her reading me the comics or making shadow puppets on her bedroom wall as we went to sleep at night. She would often talk to herself while she cleaned around the house or cooked dinner and I would constantly be thinking she was talking to me.
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She read the newspaper everyday and we always watched the nightly news. My Ninny liked television gameshows like The Price is Right, $10,000 Pyramid and Wheel of Fortune. She was fun loving and kind. She would do anything for us grandkids .

I can close my eyes and remember all the details of spending the night with them. I can hear their voices and their laughter . Around the time I got married Alzheimer's had begin to slowly change my Ninny. It may have changed her personality but I remember how she really was and I love that I was able to spend so much time with her then. It was a slow sad process but Ninny passed away after a couple of years of being in a nursing home. I couldn't help but to feel relieved that she was out of pain and reunited with my Papaw in heaven.  It's funny how a simple bowl of cottage cheese and fruit can remind me of so much. 

Day 15

Yesterday I got the pleasure of taking this little cutie with me to Aldi to buy some groceries. It was a first for me to have Hudson with me alone in this sort of situation. I had to get him out of the cart and let him stand along side while I bagged my own groceries. He did excellent and people kept commenting on how well he listened and stood there like I asked. It took me a bit to sack the whole cart and he was a angel the whole time. It's nice he is at the age I am able to depend on him more to act so well in public because next year he will be flying solo with Collin going to school. Collin is normally my right hand man when it comes to entertaining Hudson or holding his hand while I am unable to like in the sacking groceries situation.

Speaking of Aldi for groceries you can save some money shopping there. It's not brand name stuff but we have found we like alot of what they offer. The eggs,milk,cheeses are always the lowest price around. You take you own bags and sack it yourself. A shopping cart is a quarter deposit that you get back when you return the cart to the front of the store. The produce can be hit or miss but the prices make it worth seeing whats available that day.It is not your one stop grocery store but you can get good prices on some of the stuff on your shopping list.

Day 14

"I have wanted to quit but never more than I wanted to succeed." - Unknown

I am still on my journey to health and fitness. It's a every single day commitment for me for the rest of my life. When one goals is reach you set another. The goals change from numbers on the scale to building endurance. I haven't done anything at all remarkable. I see it as I am just now finding importance in something  I should have found more important a long time ago.  I am learning about myself, my strength, and how to fuel my body, and how to push myself.

Day 13

Brothers for life!

Day Twelve

Tonight was a big night for Macy. Her heart and soul is in acting and considering she landed the lead role in her first grade production way back when I shouldn't be too surprised. Tonight she auditioned for a role in Cheaper by the Dozen for the Leeds Arts Council . We have never experience this sort of audition. Macy and I looked up how to prepare a theatrical resume and over the weekend we took her head shot.

Everyone went into a small theater and the director called up people by random to read certain roles. Macy was called up twice and she did pretty good. I was happy I got to watch she was a bit nervous but never really stumbled. There were more girls Macy's age group than any other age so we will just cross our fingers for now. I think Macy's strong points were her voice projection , how clearly she spoke and her appearance.The play is based off the novel not the movie but it was still pretty funny no matter if she gets a part we will go see it in March.

I am proud of her for taking a risk and doing something she's never done before. I know this is her dream and I will support her all the way. Good Luck to you Macy!

Day Eleven

 I couldn't take cabin fever any longer and I had to get out of the house. The roads were clear but the grassy areas still covered . I headed to Walmart to get more groceries. We got the call this afternoon school will be closed yet again tomorrow. :(

 Hudson was being a monkey tonight and crawling around the house with my tennis shoes on his hands. Silly boy!

My yummy dinner: Grilled Hamburger steak with swiss, grilled portabello mushrooms, cottage cheese, 1 red potato , and cucumber slices. It was Awesome and I got full before I ate all the potatoes so I left some behind.

I tell you this picture every single day thing isn't as easy as you think but I am enjoying doing something different.

Day ten

 

The sleet came down most of the night and left most of Alabama covered. The sleet is awesome for sledding but it's not good for snowmen and snowballs. But the kids have been having a ball anyways. School was closed today and I am betting on tomorrow too. It has melted some but with the temp dropping it will all turn back into ice overnight. Brian decided to shovel the driveway and move our cars across the street after Hudson was sledding down the hill alone and almost went up under neath the car! That was enough excitement for me I decided to come in and get warm.  As you can see below here we had some fun taking pictures in the white stuff.

Macy's head shot for her theater audition.

Three years ago today we were spending the night in the ICU waiting room waiting for my Mother to wake up from brain surgery. The fears of how this would change our lives forever. Wondering if my Mom would be severely handicapped or survive was on our minds . We were lucky to have the best possible out come and we are reminded that everyday is a precious gift. I will never forget that time in my life and the feelings that I felt. It made me see what real fear was and that I needed to get control over my own health. Mom, you might forget where you put things and  you get things confused sometimes but I am just glad your still here with us to laugh about it. We love you!

Day Nine

What a perfect meal for a overcast cold day. This is Brian's Grandmother Jane's vegetable beef soup. Man, was it good. It's so easy and so delicious. We are expecting snow and ice tonight. School is already canceled for tomorrow. The sleet started coming down around 4 o'clock. Fingers crossed we keep our power. 

Recipe for Grandmother Jane's Soup

1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion chopped
handful of baby carrots sliced
5 small potatoes quartered and sliced
1/2 celery stalk sliced thin
1 can of corn and juice
1 can green beans and juice
2 cans pinto beans
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans Campbell's Tomato soup
Black pepper to taste
4 cups Vegetable or Beef stock

Brown ground beef in the bottom of your soup pot. Push meat aside and saute onions . Add the stock, carrots,potatoes and celery. Add water to cover if the stock doesn't cover it all. Cook on high till vegetables are tender. Add in the green beans, pintos, corn, diced tomatoes, pepper and turn down heat to low and let it cook for 10 minutes. Add tomato soup at the end and stir well to blend. Let it cook for a few minutes then serve. Enjoy it's awesome!

Oh and this recipe is for the soup we made today thats is in the picture above. Grandmother would have used some other ingredients like frozen lima beans and canned english peas but we used the things listed above because that is what was in the pantry.

Day Eight

Day seven

 

This is new. The reactions have been mixed. I didn't do it for reactions and opinions . I did it for the meaning to me.  I'm happy with how it turned out. Six jewels for my 6 amazing children.

Day six

Collin played like he was running a store today. Of course he needed a sign to say that he was Open so he made one. The store game lasted long enough for him to make a huge mess but he got it put away after some reminding. Excuse the hair do we were just bumming around the house today.

Another awesome Amazon shipment arrived today. I am loving this buying in bulk at a really good price stuff. Now we have 300 something trash bags and 40 rolls of toilet paper. We are going to need to add some more shelving in the basement but it is so nice to have a good supply on hand of the things we go through so quickly.  We are still looking for good prices on other necessities as well. Wish we had done this sooner!

Here is Macy tonight after cheering for a basketball game. Isn't she lovely?