My Life In 3D

Catch Up Post!

2012-01-10T18:01:00.000-06:00

Last post was in August? Where did the time go?! Let's get up to speed real quick...

Deagen started Pre-K!

Deagen played his first season of soccer last fall! He loved it! We're starting that again here soon!

Not much new with my girly girl. Just lovvves to wear dress up clothes all the time and boy can that girl chat it up! Oh and she's obsessed with anything that's pink!

Batgirl and Batman for Halloween!

Devin and I had our 7 year anniversary! We had dinner at Skies one last time before it closed. Such a shame, such an incredible view! Very romantic! :)

We went to the Chiefs vs. Packers game on Dec. 18th. We sat front row in our family's season ticket seats, on the 30 yd line, right behind the Chiefs. After the game, D. Bowe came over and handed his gloves to us! NBD

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas! Here's a pic of the kids seeing all the presents for the first time Christmas morning. It was so fun seeing their eyes light up, we're truly blessed!

Devin and I had an awesome New Year's Eve with some best friends!

My baby boy turned 5 on New Year's Day!!! This pic cracks me up! Haha!

Fitness wise, I had taken a month off working out. Then I did a couple rounds of Brazil Butt Lift. After that I just did a mix of all of our programs.

Yesterday I started P90X2, that was just released in December! So far I love it! I'll keep ya posted on how it goes!!

Deactivating Facebook

2011-08-17T08:53:00.001-05:00

This last Sunday morning was one like most of my mornings. Wake up, brew coffee, make breakfast, turn on laptop, and log in to Facebook. I get sucked into that world for about an hour before I get up and do something else.

A little later that morning I was messing around with Dailyn. Tickling, giggling, and snuggling. I had a moment of I don't ever want her to grow up, I wish I could pause life. I was just staring at her, taking in her beauty and sweet character. I realized then that I need more of these moments. They happen often, but not often enough.

Then I kicked myself. I have all the time in the world to spend with my kids since I'm a stay at home mom. What holds me back from having more of those moments?

Facebook.

Any free moment I had, I was clicking refresh on the News Feed. I didn't want to miss anything. I was addicted to keeping up with everyone else's drama filled lives instead of living my own to the fullest.

I knew what I should do and I needed to do it then while my mind was thinking clearly.

I told Dailyn I'd be right back and then I ran to my computer. I read through the Help section on deleting and deactivating my account. I didn't want to delete it because I didn't want to lose my pictures and everything. It said if you deactivate, then you can get back on at anytime and everything will be right where you left it. Exactly what I was looking for. I need a break, a vacation, from Facebook for awhile. At least until I learned that I don't need to know what everyone is doing at every moment...

A little bit of anxiety rushed through me. Don't take that wrong... I get anxiety all the time. I'll admit that I'm addicted to Facebook, but not like one is with crack or something. I'll be fine, but doubt came over me if I could really do it. If I really wanted to disconnect from everyone. Dailyn and Deagen came to mind and I thought, Yes, I really need to do this.

I clicked on Deactivate Account. 20 seconds later, I was logged out and blacked out from all my Facebook friends. I sat back in my chair and took a deep breath. My first thought was, I'm free.

I went back to Dailyn and just snuggled. Deagen took a break from playing a game with his daddy for a minute and snuggled too. Reassuring that I did do the right thing. I felt so happy and really good.

The rest of the day went by sooooo slow. I realized how much being on Facebook had made the time just fly by. I felt so relaxed and less tense. I was barely on the computer for the whole day... there's not much to do on it without Facebook. Ha!

At one point of the day I had left the house. As I was driving through the neighborhood I thought, no one knows where I am or where I'm going. I feel like a rebel almost. I feel so free! There was another time during the day where I took a pic Deagen using the camera on my phone (out of habit) with the idea in mind that I'll upload it to Facebook. Well, can't do that! It was very bizarre being disconnected!

Overall, Day 1 was a success. I felt so free and less stressed. Why didn't I do this a long time ago??

Monday morning, Day 2, was much more leisurely than my normal mornings. I didn't feel rushed to make my coffee and breakfast so I could get on Facebook sooner.

I'm definitely less distracted. I get things done all at once with no Facebook interruptions. Usually I'd get a Facebook notification on my phone or I'd just have that urge to check the News Feed just one more time while I was in the middle of doing something else around the house. Getting things done faster is giving me so much more free time! Ha! Duh Shan! SMH

So far the rest of the week is going by pretty well. I'm not missing Facebook as much as I thought I would! I think by the end of my break I'll be less of an addict... Haha!! ;)

This Pour Your Heart Out post is linked up at Things I Can't Say.

Who Could It Be Now?

2011-08-05T09:19:00.000-05:00

Noooo, not the song, silly!

MEEEEE!

HELLO!!!

I'm here! After a 4 month hiatus!

I have no legit excuses for my absence. Just the lame truth... which ~~was~~ is that I'm the biggest procrastinator and commitment phobe there is. Besides when it comes to working out, oddly enough. Ha!

Countless times I was all like, "Ohhhh I need to blog again.... eh, maybe tomorrow..."

Which brings us to today... 4th months later. See? WINNER!

What did you miss? Well, let's photo re-cap!

After my second round of P90X I did a new 30 day program called Asylum. Since then, just random workouts from all the programs I have.

Deagen finished his first preschool year. This photo was taken at his school after his graduation ceremony.

Deagen's already committed to the "girl he's going to marry." Yes, he's only 4.

My big 2 year old girl switched from crib to "big girl bed!" She did it with ease, I might add. No having to fight with her to stay in her bed at night time. Just goes right to sleep!

Deagen went tubing for the first time. Don't let the kung fu death grip fool you, he had a blast!

Lots of time was spent at the lake!

Lots of pool time as well. Towards the end of this summer Deagen was swimming without any floaties. Swimming under water even! Then Dailyn got brave and narrowed down her life jacket to just a noodle. The little dare devil will even try to swim without anything, but she goes right under! Haha!

She's my eater, she will eat ANYTHING, anytime.

Devin and I went on our first float trip. Which was our first time camping as well. There were 30 of us in our group. It was definitely a good time!!! (No one got hurt)

Lots of time was spent with my friend, Wine.

I painted Dailyn's toes like Skittles. So pretty! She lovvved that!

Bought this recently and listened to it countless times. <3 it!

The most serious "highlight" of our summer was Deagen getting his first stitches about 2 weeks ago. Poor guy fell into a fireplace and split his forehead right open! He hardly cried at all through the ordeal. However, Mama was a mess. I'll be more than happy if I don't have to ever go through that type of scary situation ever again. Hopefully he's not following his Daddy's footsteps because he's been to the ER countless times!

He had to get 7 stitches, poor guy! He didn't even move when they put the stitches in though! He just kept saying, "Man, I wish I wouldn't have hit my head." Haha!

Lots of partying with friends this summer too...

Devin might've taken the partying a little too far... but still, GOOD TIMES!!!

That about covers everything...

Hope everyone is having a fun summer!!!

Fitness Update - Round 2 P90X Final Results

2011-04-04T11:28:00.000-05:00

Hi kids! It's been a bit and I owe you a fitness update!

After TurboFire I did a 30 day program, Brazil Butt Lift. AWESOME program I must say! My bum bum is shaped up and all nice and tight. With summer right around the corner, this program will whip your booty into shape just in time to be swimsuit ready this summer! ;)

Then, on January 3, D Hubs and I started our 2nd round of P90X. Which we just finished! Instead of a monthly break down, I'll just show the final before and after results.

My stats:

	Day 0	Day 90	Loss/Gain
Weight	122lbs.	118lbs.	-4lbs.
Body Fat	14%	13%	-1%
Chest	34”	34”	0
Waist	28”	26 ½”	-1 ½”
Hips	33”	33”	0
Right Thigh	18”	17”	-1”
Left Thigh	17 ½”	17”	- ½”
Right Arm	11 ½”	11”	- ½”
Left Arm	11 ½”	11”	- ½”

DH's stats:

	Day 0	Day 90	Loss/Gain
Weight	172lbs.	173lbs.	+1lbs.
Body Fat	12%	9%	-3%
Chest	41 ½”	40 ½”	-1”
Waist	31 ½”	30 ½”	-1”
Hips	36 ½”	36”	- ½”
Right Thigh	21 ¾”	22”	+ ¼”
Left Thigh	21 ¾”	22”	+ ¼”
Right Arm	15 ¾”	15 ½”	- ¼”
Left Arm	15 ½”	15 ½”	0

Before and Afters (Click for larger image)

Next up is INSANITY: THE ASYLUM... Man it looks tough! It won't be released for another couple weeks or so. So until then, we're just going to do our own mix of all the Beachbody programs we already have.

Keep pressing play people!

I have good news and bad news...

2010-12-08T00:21:00.000-06:00

The good news is... D Girl is potty trained!!!!! The first week she was only having 0-2 accidents a day. The second week she was down to 0-1 accidents a day. Since Saturday she's only had 1 accident. The accidents she does have aren't even her fault. She usually can't get to the potty chair on time. But hey, she was in transit to the potty! She's able to get her pants on and off all by herself now too! AND she's been wanting to use the toilet instead of her potty chair this week! DG is potty trained at 20 months old! Hallelujah!

The bad news is... DG started asking "Why?" about everything I tell her this week. Bah! I'd say things like, "Don't touch, it's hot!", "Dailyn, you need to share!", or "Let's go bye bye to pick up Deagen from school." Only to hear her reply "Why?"

What a fun stage!

Big Girl Pants

2010-11-27T00:36:00.000-06:00

D Girl is 20 months old now and she has been giving us signs that she's ready to get potty trained lately. For the last couple months she almost always told me when she had a dirty diaper. She couldn't even stand to be the slightest bit wet.

So, on Monday I finally made the commitment to give it a go. To my surprise she's been doing great with it. She's had 0-2 accidents everyday this week so far. On the second day of training she was already going to the chair all by herself even.

On Tuesday DG and I went to the store and got her some new big girl underwear.

She picked out Tinkerbell underwear. She had to hold them in the store, hand them to the cashier, and take them right back. The whole ride home, about 10 minutes or so, she kept checking them out.

The first time she wore them she ooohed and aaahed at them. She just loves them so much that they are actually an issue. She puts up a fight to pull them down so she can go potty. I think she's afraid that I'm going to make her take them off and keep them off. So for now, she getting trained without any pants on until she gets the hang of it really good. I think next week I will gradually try and get her to wear the underwear.

All I have to say is, potty training a girl is sooo much easier than training a boy. I didn't start training D Boy until he was almost 3 years old; A whole year older than DG is right now. Boys are just so much more lazier about it... and messy. Oy. I had kept putting off potty training DG because it was just a year ago that I trained DB. The messy madness is still fresh on my mind and I really didn't want to go through it again. So far though, DG has made it seem pretty easy. I haven't even had to use stickers or candy or any kind of reward to get her to go. She's just willing to do it all on her own. I'm pretty sure that I'd be willing to train a girl over a boy any day!

Happy 6 Year Anniversary

2010-11-20T07:46:00.000-06:00

To the love of my life, Devin.

I'm amazed at how strong our marriage still is after six years.

I'm amazed that we are still best friends and are very much in love.

I love that we still...

Make each other laugh all the time.

Support one another everyday.

Enjoy each other's company.

Make a great team at raising our children.

Are looking forward to spending the rest of our life journey together.

I'm so thankful and happy to have married a man that far exceeds any expectations I had of a wonderful husband.

Love you with all my heart Dev!

TurboFire 20 week results - Final Results!

2010-11-19T00:24:00.000-06:00

One hundred and forty days commmpleeete!

I finished yet another Beachbody program called TurboFire by Chalene Johnson. I finished the regular program eight weeks ago, at twelve weeks. I did a little extra credit and finished the twenty week schedule with the TurboFire Advanced DVD set just yesterday. One hundred and forty days is a long hall, but I loved every day of it. You can check out my progress at 30 days here, 60 days here, and 12 weeks here.

Now for my final results at 20 weeks...

	Day 1	Day 140	Loss/Gain
Weight	120lbs.	118lbs.	-2lbs.
Body Fat	14%	13%	-1%
Chest	34”	34”	0
Waist	27”	26 ½”	-½”
Hips	33”	33”	0
Right Thigh	17”	17”	0
Left Thigh	17”	17”	0
Right Arm	11”	10 ¾”	-¼”
Left Arm	11”	10 ¾”	-¼”

My numbers didn't really budge at all from the 12 week mark. I just lost a pound and I lost half an inch off my waist. I'm completely fine with that!

Before and After (Click pics for larger image)

Biggest change? My tan is diminishing.. haha! I didn't realize until now how much having a tan brings out your muscle definition in the lighting. ;) I can still see changes in my arms, stomach, and legs though.

I wouldn't change a thing. I would/will do this program again in the future! I had a good time working out and if it meant keeping me entertained while keeping me fit, so be it! :)

Questions/Comments, leave a comment on this post, send a direct email to FitMamaShan (at) hotmail (dot) com, or visit my Team Beachbody Coach site and leave me a message there.

Tis the Season, No?

2010-11-13T19:45:00.000-06:00

While some of you are miffed just about hearing Christmas music on the radio, I just might be able to make you throw up in your mouth a little.

I might've done this today...

And...

Let the snarky comments commence....

Halloween

2010-11-01T22:32:00.000-05:00

My little Bumblebee and Cinderella...

Had a wonderful time Trick or Treating together.

Another Year

2010-10-21T01:04:00.000-05:00

Nineteen years ago today, my uncle left us.

It's hard to believe another year has gone by.

Last year I wrote this post about him and his death.

Not much has changed in this last year.

Still have the same memories and feelings.

Still wish he was here.

Still love him to pieces.

Still missed and never forgotten.

RIP

Todd

Hello, Goodbye

2010-10-15T00:41:00.000-05:00

Recently I did something big. HUGE. Something that took me months to get the courage to do. I knew that once it was done, that was it. There would be no going back.

It was time to clean house, my friends.

You see, I am was a clothes hoarder.

I had shirts in every size, S-XL.

I had jeans that ranged in SEVEN different sizes.

I just never knew if I would need that one shirt from back in the 90s. Maybe I could use some of the clothes as a Halloween costume or a maternity shirt or something.

I felt that I needed those jeans that were too big just in case I was having a "fat" day. I had to keep the jeans that were too small because "one day" I'll fit into those.

Well, that "one day" has come and gone. The jeans that were too small before, are now too big. Which is a little bittersweet.

Mostly sweet because it feels good that all of my hard work that I've put in the last 10 months has payed off. A little bitter because I had 15 pairs of jeans that didn't fit me anymore.

That is when I realized that basically my closet was loaded with clothes that I never wear. At first I was torn. I felt that I should keep them all just in case...

Just in case, what? In case I fall off the horse and fit in them again. I don't want that at all. So why make an excuse, why make it sound like a possibility?

I don't need those clothes. Keeping them would almost be a temptation. Like it's okay if I did fall off the horse because at least I wouldn't have to buy new clothes. All of them would be there waiting for me.

NO.NO.NO.

That is SUCH the wrong attitude to have. How could I possibly continue my life living healthy if I thought like that?

I needed a change. Something that symbolized that I'm not that person anymore.

So I got some trash bags out and cleaned out my closet. I filled two trash bags full of clothes. All of those jeans and all of the shirts that did not fit me or if I even had to think if I'd ever wear it again, are all gone.

My closet looks so bare now! I only have 2 new pairs of jeans and about half of the shirts.

There's no going back now. I figure it would take much more ~~money~~ effort to go back to my old ways. If I did, I'd have to go out and buy new clothes in a bigger size... who wants to have to go out and buy bigger sized clothes? To me, that's never a good feeling. So there's a new motivation for me too. I can't get off track of my healthy routine because I don't have any "fat" day clothes anymore.

I feel great about it, much lighter even.

So, hello to the new healthy me and goodbye to the old weak Shan.

REALLY!?! - A Taste Test

2010-10-12T00:03:00.000-05:00

Before any food goes into D Boy's mouth, he has to smell it first. He will only eat it if it passes his smell test.

Just yesterday I offered him a carrot.

He smelled it.

He scrunched up his nose in disgust and exclaimed, "Ew, my nose says it taste bad."

Later that night he takes a shower. Yes, sometimes he takes showers because he's a self proclaimed "big boy" now, you know.

After about 5 min we don't hear him singing anymore, so D Hubs goes in there to get him out.

DH comes out of the bathroom and hollers at me, "Shan, you're not going to believe what's in the shower!"

My first guess was, "Poop?!?!" as I'm quickly running back to the bathroom.

DH was just laughing hysterically.

I poke my head through the shower door and my eyes immediately dart to the bottom of the shower floor, scanning for poop.

Instead, to my surprise I see this.

A big ol bite out of a bar of soap!

So carrots don't smell appetizing to him, but a bar of soap smells absolutely delicious to him.

REALLY!?!

Deagen's Recent Ramblings

2010-10-06T00:05:00.000-05:00

D Boy finishes his 2nd piece of toast and asks me for another one.

Me: "Are you sure you want another one?"

DB: "YES MOOOOMMMMM!"

I took his plate and headed to the kitchen.

DB: "UH OHHH!"

I whip around and look at him and see that he's looking down at his stomach.

Me: "What? What is it?"

DB: Still looking down at his stomach. "I'M GETTING BIG!"

Me: Laughing. "You sure are!"

DB: Stands up in his chair and pushes out his stomach. "Look at my tummy, it's bigger!"

D Hubs was about to walk out the door to head to work.

DB: "Bye dad, don't get in a car crash." (!! Mmmkay...)

DB was sitting at the kitchen table and he dropped food on the floor. So he got down from the chair and was about to bend down to get it, but he paused.

DB: "Mom, I'll be right back."

Then he took in a huge breath of air and held it in like he was going to go under water as his head disappeared under the table.

DB: "Mom, I need to tell you something in your ear."

I lean down so he can reach my ear.

DB: As loud as he could, "ROOOOAAAARRRR!"

In the car after I picked him up from school.

Me: "So how was school today?"

DB: "A bad boy bit my friend's nose! He's mean! I want to beat him up!"

OCTOBER

2010-10-01T11:04:00.000-05:00

When you think of the month October, what comes to mind?

My thoughts:

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup PUMPKINS!

Nom. Nom. Nom.

Eh hem, moving on...

Halloween,

Pumpkins,

Awesome weather,

Leaves changing to beautiful colors,

Hoodies,

All of the Halloween movies (speshly Rob Zombie's Halloween),

And now, Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

(I just had a PSL for the 1st time this year, I'll be looking forward to it every fall going forward!)

Most of all, what comes to mind is that it's D Hub's birth month.

You see, his birthday is a pretty big deal to him and he doesn't hide it either.

He has officially started a countdown for his birthday.

Last night at 12:01am he announced, "25 more days!" (Which he does every year on October 1st)

I can count on him giving me daily reminders until his birthday gets here.

This is the BEST month of the year, lemme tell you!

TurboFire 12 Week Results

2010-09-27T00:38:00.000-05:00

I reached the end of the 12 week TurboFire schedule! The fire ends here for anyone who has the basic TurboFire program. However, if you bought the TurboFire deluxe package that has 5 more workout DVDs, like yours truly, then the fire continues on for a total of 20 weeks.

So today I'm sharing my final results for the 84 day basic schedule. Then in 2 months I will post my final results for the full 20 week schedule.

	Day 1	Day 84	Loss/Gain
Weight	120lbs.	119lbs.	-1lbs.
Body Fat	14%	13%	-1%
Chest	34”	34”	0
Waist	27”	27”	0
Hips	33”	33”	0
Right Thigh	17”	17”	0
Left Thigh	17”	17”	0
Right Arm	11”	10 ¾”	- ¼”
Left Arm	11”	10 ¾”	- ¼”

Not that much difference in the numbers, but when my numbers are already at the low end I can't really expect too much anyway. According to the P90X nutrition guide, I'm in the Elite Athlete Range (12-15%) for my body fat. So I can't really complain! :)

Before and After (Click pics for larger image)

I definitely think my arms look more tone and leaner. I also see more definition in my stomach. Overall I'm really happy about my results so far. I'm really looking forward to the 5 new advanced DVDs I get to do for the remaining 8 weeks of the program!

Why do I always have to make the first move?

2010-09-23T00:09:00.000-05:00

So now that I'm past all the hype about D Boy starting his first year of preschool, my focus has somewhat transitioned to how I can make some new friends out of the deal. You see, I don't really have any friends that live nearby that I could hangout with while D Boy is in school or anything.

All along in the back of my mind I had ~~figured~~ hoped that during drop-offs and pick-ups I would chat with some of the other moms and make some friends.

Ya, that's not happening as easily as I had hoped it would.

It's been 3 weeks since he started school. So about 6 drop-off/pick-up opportunities have come and gone. There's been eye contact and friendly smiles, but that's as far as the communication level has gone so far.

This always happens to me. This is why I have such bad anxiety. I over analyze things. Do I look like a mean person? Is it something that I'm wearing? Is it my age? Did D Boy do something to their kid in class?

Then again, at the same time, I'm not approaching them either... maybe they're thinking the same things that I am.

BUT

Why do I always have to be the one to make the first move?

I feel like I'm always the one who ends up initiating conversation. I'm always the one with a big friendly smile planted on my face trying to make people feel comfortable talking to me. I always end up over complimenting and praising people to try and get people to like me and talk to me.

Don't get me wrong, I mean the nice things that I say, but sometimes it just comes out of my mouth before I even know what I'm saying. So even if the person I'm talking to may not be the nicest person in the world or doesn't even know how to give out compliments themselves, I still end up blowing up their ego tank even more by my complimentary word diarrhea.

Growing up my grandma had told me, "Treat others as you want to be treated." I think the older I get, the more I follow that rule.

The point is, is that it'd be nice to be approached for once when meeting new people. It'd make me feel really good to have someone show interest and say something nice to me just out of the blue and not as a response to my first approach.

Maybe I'm just too nice of a person. Maybe I need to realize that not everyone feels that they have to show and say their feelings towards other people all the time like I do.

I might've digressed a little there. Oops!

Anyways, it looks like I'll have to make a move here soon!

Wish me luck!

Team Mac

2010-09-20T00:15:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago my HP laptop was finally showing signs of death. I knew it was only a matter of time, but shoot, we've only had it for 3 years! The darn thing was freezing frequently throughout the day and then it eventually froze when I attempted to restart it.

I went through a little panic attack because ALL of my 3,807 pictures are on that laptop, not backed up. I've been meaning to do it for years, but the procrastinator that I am, didn't ever get around to doing it.

I finally got the laptop to restart, but it felt like a ticking time bomb. I had NO idea how much time I had left before it would crap out on me again. We've been having issues with our laptop for a while now. So we decided that it was time to invest in a new computer and get our pictures transferred over as soon as possible.

I knew that I was beyond tired of messing with Windows. Tired of worrying about getting a virus. Tired of Windows randomly shutting down. Tired of it running slow. Blah Blah Blah.

I also knew that I wanted a Mac, but the price, OH the price. We had to mull it over and try to justify going through with that kind of swanky purchase. At the end of the day though, we figured the luxury of having an efficient Mac would be worth it. The thought of not having to worry about viruses and having to buy a new computer for a very long time was very compelling.

So we bought a MacBook Pro and I am just blown away by the technology behind it. Everything is just so smooth and fancy. It only took me about 4 hours to learn the basics of a Mac and to feel comfortable navigating through the system. I was able to get all of our pictures safely transferred over so I can sleep at night. Plus, I got a purrrdy purple case for it!

I.am.in.love. I will NEVER go back to Windows!

My Baby is a Preschooler!

2010-09-08T00:22:00.000-05:00

D Boy had his first day of school yesterday! He's been anxiously waiting to start since we got him enrolled this last Spring. Even more since we went to the Meet the Teacher night last week.

Here he is on the way to Meet the Teacher night.

He was beyond excited to go up to the school. He loved it and didn't even want to leave. We really liked his teacher too. Which made me feel a lot better.

I've been pretty nervous about him starting school. It really took me back to feeling the "first day nerves" from when I was a kid.. I was never a fan of going to school.

Shoot, I had completely lost it when we got his first school supplies list in the mail over the summer. I'm a tad on the emotional/sensitive side. Throw in a "first time" for one of my kids and there's no hope. Momma is most likely going to cry!

Usually D Boy wakes up between 7-7:30a, so I was surprised that I actually had to wake him up yesterday morning.

I took advantage of the situation and thought it'd be a great photo op...

Here he is still sound asleep...

Me: Wake Up!

Me: Deag, WAKE UP!

Me: Guess what today is?
D Boy: I just had a dream about lions... (!!!)

Me: Let's try this again, guess what today is?
D Boy: *dead silence*

Me: IT'S YOUR FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!
D Boy: YAYYY!

So he jumped out of bed and got dressed, ate breakfast, and brushed his teeth. And then we waited anxiously until it was time to go...

Since we had some time to kill I wanted to get a picture of us before we left to take him to school...

On the way to school I'm pretty sure he asked, "Are we there yet?" like five times during the 7 minute drive.

Finally at school...

Here he is ready to get the show on the road!

When it was time for me to go we both got a little teary eyed, but we kept our cool.

When I picked him up I was happy to hear his teacher report that he was great. Although, "He didn't like to be the caboose... you know, no kid wants to be at the end of the line." True. Especially D Boy! He went to a Spanish and Music class. He even brought home his first artwork.

As soon as we got in the car D Boy dug in his pocket and pulled out a Hot Wheels car...

That he must've "borrowed" from school... OOPS!

I asked him how he liked his first day and he said he had fun, but he didn't like singing in Music class. Even with that said though, he's ready to go back tomorrow! I'm so relieved that it went well and that he likes it.

I have to say that I'm already adjusted to the idea of him being in school too. D Girl and I went to the grocery store while he was at school and I have to say it was quite pleasant only having one kid in tow. Of course we missed him and thought about him the whole time though. Still it was nice to just get the shopping done without the stress of D Boy running around and putting things in the cart when I wasn't looking. :)

TurboFire 60 Day Results

2010-08-31T00:24:00.001-05:00

Holy smokes day 60 snuck up on me! I have to say that this fitness program, TurboFire by Chalene Johnson, is definitely my favorite Beachbody program so far. I’m still enjoying every single “workout”, if that’s what you want to call it. Doing kickboxing moves to the beat of hit radio music isn’t exactly a torture session to me. Ha!

I’m happy to report that I did eat better this last month. I might’ve had one cheat “day” during the month, otherwise I did have one cheat “meal” every week.

Numbers..

Weight	0
Body Fat	-1%
Chest	0
Waist	0
Hips	0
Rt. Thigh	0
Lt. Thigh	0
Rt. Arm	-1/2in.
Lt. Arm	-1/2in.

Last month I had gained a half inch on both of my arms. Which, I wasn’t exactly excited about. I’m not really trying to go for the buff bodybuilder frame. I would really like lean, tight arms. My triceps have always been on the fatty side and I really want to get rid of that. So I was excited to see that I lost that half inch that I gained last month. Also according to our body fat caliper I had lost fat in my triceps too. So big YAY!

Before and After (Click pics for larger image)

I’m glad that I started posting my result pics/stats as I go through the programs. It really helps me stay motivated and on track of my fitness journey. It’d be really hard for me to stop now and face everyone that’s just waiting for me to fail and gain my old body back. Which, by the way, isn’t going to happen. ;) For me, accountability brings success, and that’s exactly what I intend to do. So I want to thank whoever is taking the time to read these boring results posts. YOU are helping me move forward and you probably didn’t even know it. So, thank you!

Please feel free to contact me if you’re interested in TurboFire or any other Beachbody fitness programs. I’d be more than happy to help you be held accountable for your success as your free a Team Beachbody Coach. So please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

TurboFire 30 Day Results

2010-08-02T08:09:00.001-05:00

I’ve reached yet another milestone in my fitness journey. A month ago I started a brand new Beachbody program called TurboFire by Chalene Johnson. The workouts are 30-60 minutes long, 6 days a week. It’s mostly kickboxing moves for cardio and several resistance training workouts too. Chalene choreographed all the moves to go with the beat of awesome music. There’s “Push It”, “Rapper’s Delight”, “Le Freak”, “In the Ayer”, and “Wiggle It” to name a few of the songs. It took me a couple of times doing the workouts to get used to the moves and the lingo. Once I learned the lingo though, it was all downhill from there. This program is just flat out fun! I really look forward to jammin’ to the music everyday.

My numbers… well, they hardly changed at all. Which was my fault. I slipped and had a couple cheat days instead of cheat meals. Had I ate cleaner, I know that my numbers would’ve looked better. Believe me, I’m kicking myself right now. We all make mistakes though. There’s nothing I can do about the past. I will clean up my act in the future though.

I suppose I’ll show my numbers anyway…

Weight	-1lbs.
Body Fat	0
Chest	0
Waist	0
Hips	0
Rt. Thigh	0
Lt. Thigh	0
Rt. Arm	+1/2in.
Lt. Arm	+1/2in.

Told ya, pretty weak numbers. My biceps are getting a little bigger from all the punches, so that’s cool. I don’t think my inches will move much more anyway. I just would’ve liked to see the body fat go down a percent or two.

Before and After (Click pics for larger image)

Minor improvements are better than none! I see some sculpting happening in some areas. Moving forward I must stick with the TurboFire diet, and I will do just that!

If you’re interested in TurboFire or any other Beachbody programs, check out my Team Beachbody Coach website here. My contact info is on there or you can simply leave me a comment on here. I’d love to help anyone out, anyway that I can!

D Boy Shenanigans and Ramblings

2010-07-27T10:09:00.001-05:00

We’ve hit the “There’s a monster in my room” stage. Every night this last week he has been coming into our room at least twice complaining of a monster. I insist that there isn’t one and tuck him back in his bed. Without fail, that is the point that he says, “I HATE my room! There’s monsters in here!”

Driving through our neighborhood

D: “Look a 3 car garage!”

Me: “Umm, ya that sure was a 3 car garage.”

D: “We only have 2, we need to buy another one.”

Me: “Well, you’ll have to ask Dad about that.”

D’s Daily Random: “SMELL MY BUTT!!!”

D: “Take my picture!”

D Boy is starting preschool in September. Which he is more than excited about. It’s kind of bittersweet for me on the other hand. We already picked up his new backpack and school supplies. He’s been carrying his backpack all around the house.

This year was the first 4th of July that he got to light fire crackers with his Daddy. He LOVED it! Every Mom’s nightmare. At least for me anyway!

He had the same “WHOA!” reaction to the blow up every time. Followed by, “Lets do that again!!!”

He definitely got the hang of swimming all by himself this summer. No more fear in this boy.

Time flies when you’re having fun! We’re having a great summer!

INSANITY – Final Results!

2010-06-30T08:41:00.001-05:00

I did it!!! I finished INSANITY last week and I couldn’t be any prouder of myself! That last month is tough. Like really tough, but I did every single workout! I don’t think I knew what cardio was until I did this program. It was definitely a love/hate relationship with the creator Shaun Thompson. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat though!

Let’s move on to the stats, shall we? You can find my 30 day results here. The following will be my stats for the entire 63 days.

	Day 1	Day 63	Loss/Gain
Weight	118lbs.	120lbs.	+2lbs.
Body Fat	18%	14%	-4%
Chest	34in.	34in.	0
Waist	28in.	27in.	-1in.
Hips	33in.	33in.	0
Rt. Thigh	17in.	17in.	0
Lt. Thigh	16 1/2in.	17in.	+1/2in.
Rt. Arm	11in.	11in.	0
Lt. Arm	11in.	11in.	0

My numbers didn’t really move. In the past I would’ve freaked out about my weight gain. I’ve learned that my weight doesn’t make a difference. It’s the body fat that means more. I lost 4% and I couldn’t be happier about that! My clothes are pretty much fitting the same because my inches haven’t changed. What I can see though is that my body is getting harder. I’m not as mushy in my legs, arms, and stomach. So even in my pictures you might not see much of a difference. But I can tell by the way that I feel. Which makes me happy that all that hard work was indeed worth it!

Before and After (Click pics for larger image)

There was a fit test that I had to do every two weeks. The fit test is 8 different moves. You have to do as many reps as you can in one minute for each move. I felt like I was going to pass out when I did the fit test for the first time on Day 1. It was so hard and I thought there was no way that I would be able to get anymore reps than I did that day. It was my personal goal to be able to do more reps than the girl in the fit test video by the end of the program. Sure enough by the last day I smoked her totals on 7 out of the 8 moves!

	Day 1	Day 63	Rep Gains
1.Switch Kicks	60	135	+75
2.Power Jacks	40	68	+28
3.Power Knees	70	115	+45
4.Power Jumps	30	65	+35
5.Globe Jumps	6	15	+9
6.Suicide Jumps	13	25	+12
7.Push-up Jacks	15	38	+23
8.Low Plank Oblique	40	80	+40

I’m blown away by how much strength I’ve gained. Every time I did the fit test I was able to pass my previous rep total. It is just such a good feeling to reach my goals every time and even exceed my expectations.

Overall I’m really happy with my results and enjoyed every minute of torture that Shaun T put me through. Like I said, I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat!

For now though, I’ve moved on to yet ANOTHER Beachbody program called TurboFire. It’s a brand spankin’ new program by Chalene Johnson that was just released a couple weeks ago. My official start date will be on Friday!

If you’re interested in INSANITY, P90X, TurboFire or any other Beachbody program let me know! I’d be happy to help you find a program that’s right for you!

Found

2010-06-23T08:53:00.001-05:00

D Girl’s Tinkerbell doll wearing nothing but her shoes. Not once, but several times. I keep putting her clothes back on and then sure enough I’ll find her again with her clothes off. It’s the only “Barbie” like doll that we have in the house, so poor Tink keeps getting harassed. The perp? Well it’s not my little angel D Girl. That leaves Curious George, Mr. D Boy. A three and a half year old that prefers dolls to be nude seems a little young to me. But what do I know…

In other recent news, I finished INSANITY today!!! I’ll have the results up next week, so stay tuned!

Vlog Fail and Confession

2010-06-15T00:55:00.001-05:00

So last week I watched a video of Chalene Johnson, (creator of ChaLEAN Extreme, TurboJam, and TurboFire to name a few), talking about social media and how influential it can be towards your business. As a Beachbody Coach, connecting with people and making new friends plays a big part in having a successful business. She said that video recording yourself and posting it on YouTube is the best way to show people who you really are. It’s a great way to connect with people and to build a relationship. Which makes sense… I want people to know me and trust that I am who I say I am. They always say that actions speak more than words…

After I watched that video I decided that I’d try it out and record myself making dinner just to see what I looked like. Well, I recorded about 15 seconds worth, then watched it and about died. I’m so fidgety and I can’t even make eye contact with the camera when I’m talking! Now after thinking about it, I don’t think that I ever make eye contact with people when I’m speaking. I’m pretty sure that I look away at something behind them or look down.

The honest truth is that my anxiety is to blame for that. For some reason whenever I talk to people I worry about what I look like when I’m talking. I feel so awkward and constantly wonder what the person I’m talking to is thinking about. Do they think what I’m saying is totally lame? Does my voice annoy them? Are they critiquing my features? Do they wish I would just shut up? All the while I can just feel all of those emotions just flooding my face with redness.

I’m the same way on the phone too. I hate talking on the phone for the fear of awkward silence. So I try and make phone conversations as short as possible. I’m usually all sweaty after phone calls from being so tense. I obviously would prefer to text message. That way I have time to think before replying and saying something stupid.

So apparently I’m afraid to talk to the camera too. Obviously the camera can’t critique me, so what’s the big deal?? I guess the playback is the big deal. It’s recorded… so it can be played back over and over. That’s a lot of pressure to have a perfect conversation with a camera! Ha!

Anyway… so these are my thoughts on the first video taping of myself. I think that I should just keep doing it and somehow try and kick all of those insecurities and just be myself. Unfortunately my anti-anxiety medication only helps tame my anxiety attacks, but it doesn’t cure my insecurities. Hopefully one day I will feel confident in posting them though!

I’ve been.. Busy Busy Busy Can’t You See

2010-06-08T14:58:00.001-05:00

Summertime with the kids just hypnotize me…

I haven’t been around in the blogisphere for awhile. I apologize for that. But you know, I’ve been enjoying spending time with my kids outside in this beautiful summer weather. Surely y’all can understand!

Let’s do another recap of where I’ve been the last couple weeks via pictures!

D Hubs and I went to Ernie Biggs, a dueling piano bar, with my best friend Amy and her husband.

D Boy has been monkeying around…

I got a pedi.

The kids have been playing outside and nicely with each other.

Or not…

D Hubs has been working a lot, so we miss him bunches.

Playing in our new kiddie pool.

We went to Deanna Rose, a children’s farmstead.

We have even made a couple trips to the lake.

See? I told ya we’ve been busy!

This weekend I’m going to the lake again, but just me with some girlfriends! I’m really looking forward to relaxin’ with some girls and partyin’ it up!

I’ll try my best to check in more often!

INSANITY- 30 Day Results

2010-05-20T08:33:00.001-05:00

A month ago I started a 60 day Beachbody program called INSANITY. The first month consists of four different boot camp style cardio workouts; each one is about 35-40 minutes long. I’m not going to lie, before I started INSANITY, I made myself announce to everyone that I was going to do it. That way I’d be held accountable for completing the program. I’m glad I did because on Day 1 I had to do a fit test as the first workout. I was drenched with sweat and all I could think of was, “What in the world did I just get myself into?!”.

I was a little anxious for what I was in for on Day 2. It turned out that it did kick my butt, but at the same time I loved it, go figure! I couldn’t wait to get through the week to see what all the workouts were going to be like for the rest of the first month. Then the first 30 days was all over before I knew it!

On with the stats!

Weight	0
Body Fat	-2%
Chest	0
Waist	-1in.
Hips	0
Rt. Thigh	+1/4in.
Lt. Thigh	+1/2in.
Rt. Arm	+1/4in.
Lt. Arm	+1/4in.

Before and After (Click pics for larger image)

Not much change in my numbers, but there’s not too much room for them to move anyway. I’m good with my weight and measurements really. My goal is to shred the body fat and replace it with lean muscle. I’m getting there for sure! I also wouldn’t mind getting a 6 pack too. It takes some time to dig through that deep tissue that was left from my two pregnancies. Hopefully after I’ve tackled the last 30 days of the program I will start to see some abs shining through. Here’s to hoping!

Hit me up if you have any questions about the program. As an Independent Team Beachbody Coach, P90X grad (results here), and having experience with INSANITY under my belt, I’m definitely willing and able to Coach anyone who needs some help or support with the programs.

I Jumped On The Green Train… and A Green Giveaway

2010-05-12T00:08:00.001-05:00

I’m not exactly a trend setter by any means. I’m more of a trend follower. In this case and just like I was with wearing black nail polish, I’m a delayed trend follower.

You could say it was peer pressure that finally pushed me over the edge. I read a couple posts of Erin’s at The Mother Load in April that just left me feeling like a complete jack wad.

The first one was titled Going Green For Spring. She offered some green tips for us to use. There were some really simple tips on there that I could and should totally be doing. However I don’t because I’m exactly what she said, lazy. I can turn off the water when I’m brushing my teeth. I can turn off the lights when I’m not in a room. I can unplug appliances when they’re not in use… I just didn’t think about what I was doing and what kind of effect it has on wasting energy. Thanks to Erin, I have been making an effort to do those things now. The one that really stood out though was that I need to stop using plastic bags. Mainly because she emphasized how moronic it is to use them. Again… laziness on my part and I didn’t want to pay for the reusable bags that I probably would forget to use anyway. There’s many more tips on there, so you should definitely check out that post.

Then on Earth Day she wrote a post titled Happy Earth Day! What kind of bagger are you?. She had staked out in her minivan at a few different local grocery store parking lots and went all paparazzi on complete strangers who were guilty of having plastic bags in their possession. Then she posted those photos that she took and poked fun at them. It was really quite a funny and entertaining post, but I learned a couple things about myself. First, we don’t live that far from each other. So it could have been me that she snapped a shot of if I had ventured over to her neck of the woods to do my grocery shopping. Embarrassing! Thank goodness that I don’t ever visit her area! Second, it turns out that I’m a “I Don’t Even Try To Hide It, I Even Enter The Store Without Reusable Bags Bagger”. Shame shame shame on me.

So that was that. The next time that I went to the grocery store after reading that last post, I bought some reusable bags for the first time. My proof..

I’m happy to report that I’ve used them every time I’ve been to the store since. Which happens to only be twice. But I promise I will make it a lifelong habit.

Thank you Erin for schooling me and making me feel like a bad citizen. I already feel better about myself for doing my part in saving the planet. ;)

So as I’m writing this post and linking up to Erin’s blog, I found out that she just so happens to be hosting a giveaway with her friend Lara. Their giveaway is a personalized reusable bag and a set of three reusable produce bags. She even gave a code to use to buy one at 10% off if you don’t feel like waiting until the end of the giveaway on Tuesday May 18th. So head on over to Erin’s if you want to enter.

Thanks again Erin for bringing the green out of me!

Latest 3D Happenings

2010-04-29T11:08:00.001-05:00

Momma got a new Kathy Van Zeeland bag!

You can see little D Girl down there begging for it. So she got one too.

D Boy has been sportin’ his cowboy gear, as usual…

Just a normal evening with Daddy… Wrestling around, which turns into bounding him up with a blanket…

D Boy couldn’t break out of this one…

Lots of time has been spent swinging on our new swing set.

And sliding.

And swinging some more.

Which leads to exhaustion…

And of course Momma has been workin’ on her fitness! I LOVE INSANITY!

Oh ya, and D Boy and I have watched Avatar about 5 times since we bought it this last weekend…

Yes, it’s that good!

I think that sums up our last week or so!

Random Tuesday – 420, Insane, M.I.A., Hills, Swinging

2010-04-20T15:29:00.001-05:00

Today is my Dad’s 47th Birthday! At least he is according to his birth certificate anyway. To those of us that actually know him, he has the young mentality and energy of a 21 year old. He’s got a contagious youthful spirit that you can’t help but love. Happy Birthday Dad!

I started another Beachbody fitness program yesterday. It’s a 60 day program called Insanity. That is such a perfect name for it. Today’s workout was called Plyometrics Cardio Circuit. I burned 817 calories in 41 minutes! Like whoa!

I haven’t been around these parts too much lately. Kind of hit or miss on catching everyone's posts. The kids and I have all had cold like symptoms. It could be allergies, who knows. D Girl has had it the worst though. She’s going on 2 weeks of having an awful runny nose. Anyway, the point is that it’s hard to commit to something that’s going to take my full undivided attention. For instance, I got interrupted 347,823 times while writing this post.

I like how on Twitter Spencer Pratt started talking crap about everyone on the show again on the same day that MTV started to advertise The Hills season premiere. I know he’s just trying to get more viewers. Ha, like I wasn’t already going to watch anyway! It’s the last season for those train wrecks. Must see!

D Hubs and a couple buddies put up a swing set for the kids on Sunday. It took 30 beers and 7 hours. Thank goodness D Hub’s sister came over. She literally saved the day by dictating exactly what the directions said for them. It turned out great though! The kids love it of course. On Monday morning D Boy woke up and went straight to the back door to look out and check that it was still there. Ha, silly guy!

That’s all I got! For some more randomness go on over to Keely’s!

P90x Phase 3 and Final Results!

2010-04-12T17:49:00.002-05:00

We did it! We completed the 90 days of P90x! I've never been so proud of myself for following through with it. I'm really proud of D Hubs too. I'm just speechless about his 90 day results. In case you missed it, you can see our phase 1 results here and our phase 2 results here.

Here's our phase 3 results.

My numbers

Weight: 0
Body fat: -1%
Chest: 0
Waist: 0
Hips: 0
Rt thigh: -1/2in.
Lt thigh: -1in.
Rt arm: 0
Lt arm: 0

D Hub's numbers

Weight: -5lbs.
Body fat: -3%
Chest: +3/4in.
Waist: -1in.
Hips: -1/4in.
Rt thigh: +1/4
Lt thigh: 0
Rt arm: +1/4in.
Lt arm: +1/4in.

Series of P90x pictures

(click on pics for larger image)

Final Before and After Results

My Stats: Day 0 / Day 91

Height: 5'4"
Weight: 123lbs. / 118lbs. -5lbs.
Body fat: 26% / 17% -9%
Chest: 36 1/4in. / 34in. -2 1/4in.
Waist: 33 1/2in. / 28in. -5 1/2in.
Hips: 35in. / 33in. -2in.
Rt thigh: 17 1/2in. / 17in. -1/2in.
Lt thigh: 17in. / 16 1/2in. -1/2in.
Rt arm: 11 1/2in. / 11 1/2 -0
Lt arm: 11in. / 11 1/2in. +1/2in.

D Hub's Stats: Day 0 / Day 91

Height: 6'
Weight: 181lbs. / 161lbs. -20lbs.
Body fat: 19% / 8% -11%
Chest: 39 3/4in. / 38 3/4in. -1in.
Waist: 36in. / 29in. -7in.
Hips: 37in. / 35 1/4in. - 1 3/4in.
Rt thigh: 22 3/4in. / 21 1/4in. -1 1/2in.
Lt thigh: 22in. / 21 1/4in. -3/4in.
Rt arm: 14 3/4in. / 15 1/4in. +1/2in.
Lt arm: 14 1/4in. / 14 3/4in. +1/2in.

Fit test Before and After: The P90x program suggests that you take this fit test to see where you stand and to see if your current fitness level is adequate to do the program. Then when the program is over, you can retake the test and see all of the improvements you've made.

Day 0 / Day 91

Pull-ups (Wide grip, over hand)
Me: 0 /3
D: 4 / 11

Vertical Leap
Me: 12in. / 14in.
D: 17in. / 21in.

Push-ups (Standard)
Me: 8 / 20
D: 35 / 45

Toe Touch
Me: +1in. / +6 1/2in.
D: Barely touch / +1in.

Wall Squat
Me: 1min. 4sec. / 2min. 18sec.
D: 1min. 14sec. / 3min. 4sec.

Bicep Curls
Me: 50+ with 5lbs. / 12 with 15lbs.
D: 15 with 30lbs. / 25 with 30lbs.

In & Outs (Ab test)
Me: 36 / 80
D: 17 / 60
Both of us could've kept on going... too easy.

Before and After pictures
(Click on pics for larger image)

Overall I think the program is great. We both have really good final results. I'm a little disappointed with my last 30 days. My numbers didn't really change and my pics pretty much look the same as the 60 day results. I'm not sure why the "magic" didn't happen for me. I did cheat a little on the weekends the last month. Maybe that had everything to do with it. Or maybe it's because I'm a woman and it's just simply harder for us to shed body fat than it is for a man. I'll never know, but I know for a fact that I will do P90x again in the future. I know it works.

D Hub's definitely had some magic happen for him in that last phase. He's very happy with the results and I don't blame him at all. I'm a tad envious that he ended up having better results than me. That's okay though because next week I'm starting another Beachbody program called Insanity. Looks pretty tough, but it's only 60 days. I think KNOW I can handle it!

In case you're not aware, I'm an Independent Team Beachbody Coach. So, if you're interested in trying out P90x or any of the other Beachbody fitness programs let me know!

Confession

2010-04-08T10:36:00.001-05:00

Does your husband always wear his wedding ring? Mine doesn’t. Find out why over at Our Mommyhood.

Random Tuesday - 5 Days Left, RT Snooki Fact, Bottle Free, Movie Review, Spiffy

2010-04-06T00:18:00.000-05:00

This is my last week of P90x!

RT @swanksta i'm loving the fact that snooki from the jersey shore gets paid more for appearances than lindsey lohan. >> Bah hahaha!!!

It only took 3 days to get D Girl off of the bottle. It was really easy to wean D Boy off of it too. However, unlike her brother, D Girl LOVES whole milk! Yay!

The Blind Side, 5 Stars. Awesome flick. Sandra is such a good actress. Jesse James is a douche. That's all I have to say about that. The movie was excellent, must see!

Spiffy. Did any of you use that word when you younger? It just popped into my head last night. I used to say it back when I was in 7th-8th grade, I think. Circa 1996 maybe. I would say "spiffy" instead of "cool." Man I was spiffy back then. *cough* DORK *clear throat*

Go over to Keely's for some more Random Thoughts!

Mr. Easter Bunny Is The Devil

2010-04-04T08:32:00.001-05:00

He got me these...

Must.Wait.7.More.Days.To.Eat.Them.

Happy Easter!

It's Official

2010-04-01T09:01:00.000-05:00

Our trees are budding...

Spring is here.

Sayonara snow!

Top 2 Tuesday

2010-03-30T00:49:00.000-05:00

I'm throwing a curve ball at you guys today. I decided that I wanted to try a new meme out today. I found a meme from the Social Calendar over at Our Mommyhood that looked like fun.

It's called Top 2 Tuesday by The Undomestic Momma.

This week she wants us to share the "Top 2 Random Facts About Yourself."

1. I don't like chocolate covered anything. No fruits, pretzels, nuts, you name it! Peanut butter would be the only exception. I love my Reese's!

2. I've never been to Disney World or Disneyland. I know, I'm deprived.

Overdue Explanation?

2010-03-25T00:20:00.000-05:00

A few of you have recently said that you just now figured out what the name of my blog means. Here I thought I was so clever thinking of a name that includes me and my little family. As it turns out, it's actually more of a brain teaser. Shoot.

So when I was thinking of a name for my blog, I had considered what I wanted my blog to be about. I figured it'd be about who I am and what my day to day life is all about. Well I wouldn't be who I am today though if it weren't for my husband and kids. Plus it's a great way to post updates of my kids for our family.

So my blog is about my life as it is with my 3 D's in it. My husband, Devin; son, Deagen; and daughter, Dailyn. Which is why I emphasized the D's in their nicknames; D Hubs, D Boy, and D Girl.

Clear as mud? Hope not!

Have I told you guys what's up with all of the D names anyway? I believe I have, but that was my very first post. You know, back when the only audience I had was my family and a couple of real life friends. So in case you don't want to check out my first post, I'll tell ya again what the scoop is with the D names.

D Hubs and I thought it'd be cool to continue his family tradition of exclusive D names. His family has used up pretty much all of the traditional D names. So we went with untraditional. Which is what I'd prefer anyway. I have to say it was much easier picking out names when I was limited to a certain letter it had to start with. I'm not sure I would've been able to pick a name by the time they were born otherwise! Anyway, so our kids make the 4th generation of the D name tradition.

I hope that answers some questions!

Random Tuesday - P97x, Uh Oh, HP Fail, Party Bus, Psychics Are Legit

2010-03-23T00:06:00.000-05:00

D Hubs decided that this week he is redoing last weeks P90x workouts. He had missed a few days last week. Plus he wants to finish the same time as me. So both of us will actually be done on Day 97. Today is Day 72 for us. We are almost done!

Last week D Girl started to say "Uh oh" when she drops something.

The SECOND replacement power cord for my laptop is shorting out now. I have to rig this one so that it applies pressure inside the jack a certain way for it to work. The exact same thing that I had to do with my first replacement cord before it just quit connecting all together. I hear a MacBook calling my name.

On Friday night D Hubs and I went on a party bus for a surprise birthday party for one of his friends. We had so much fun! Then we got off the bus just in time to have to drive home through a freaking blizzard. We could only see about 10 ft ahead of us all the way home. It was pretty scary! I was so glad we stopped drinking early.

The psychic at GNO was freaking awesome. It was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. Not only did she know that I have 4 siblings; she knew that 1 is a brother and the other 3 are sisters. She said that my Uncle that passed 18 years ago was there. She knew that he committed suicide and how he did it. She said that he watches over my brother a lot and he kept relaying the #7 to her. When I told my Mom about that, she said just that morning she came across a numerology site and had figured out that my brother's number is 7. There's more things, but those were the big ones that made me a believer. For the most part, she got everyones readings correct. She knew very personal things that there is just no way that she could just walk in there and guess correctly. I want to do it again sometime for sure!

Go on over to Keely's for more random thoughts!

Random Tuesday - Party, Movie Review, Back Update, Dentist, GNO

2010-03-16T01:40:00.001-05:00

D Girl's Birthday party was a success! We held it at a pizza restaurant by our house. Totally stress-free and everyone had a good time. Except a few people who had to wait an hour on their pizzas. There was a total of 3 parties going on there that day. So it was a little busy. Luckily the place is huge, so space wasn't an issue at all. The kids had fun though!

D Hubs and I watched the movie Taken this last weekend. I was on the edge of my couch throughout the entire movie. It was so good! I have to give it 4.5 stars out of 5 though. I was a little disappointed at the end of the movie. I didn't feel that there was enough closure. D Hubs said he'd give it 5 stars though. The action and suspense is phenomenal. It kind of made me think of the movie The Punisher. Another excellent movie!

My back was feeling better over the weekend. Yesterday it felt totally fine, so I went ahead and started P90x again. As long as I'm still feeling good today, I'm back in the game! So in that case I'll be redoing last week since I missed it all. Which means today is Day 65. It's a bummer that D Hubs and I won't be on the same schedule though. We had planned a special graduation day breakfast; of none other than his famous spicy biscuits and gravy. I guess after he is done he will just have to wait another week for our celebration breakfast. Haha!

D Boy had his first dentist appointment yesterday. The Dental Hygienist was very sweet and just wonderful with him. She showed him all of the "tools" and how the chair worked right away. He can be kind of shy when meeting people at first. The way she interacted with him really put him at ease, so he was totally cool with everything. She went through the entire cleaning as he just sat there and let her do her thing. The Dr. said that his teeth look great and he doesn't have any cavities. So he got a squirt gun for doing so well.

My friend Courtney is having a GNO party over at her house. A few of the girls are really into astrology and that kind of stuff. So one of them arranged to have a psychic come to the house to give us all readings. I'm really anxious to see how that goes! We are also planning on watching New Moon and maybe playing some Just Dance. Should be a great time!

As always, if you're looking for some more random thoughts, then go on over to Keely's!

It's Dailyn's 1st Birthday!

2010-03-14T17:10:00.000-05:00

A year ago yesterday, our baby girl decided that it was time to make her debut. Even though it was 2 weeks before her expected due date.

It was a Friday; my last scheduled day to work. I had planned for the next couple weeks to be special alone time with D Boy before it was "all about" the baby. D Girl had other plans for us.

I had worked 9am-6pm that day. After work I went and picked up D Boy from the sitter one last time. We got home at 7pm and we ate some tacos for dinner at 7:30pm. D Hubs and I were still sitting at the kitchen table talking when my water broke at 8:05pm. That was an interesting experience. It felt like a water balloon popped in my stomach. Which was quickly followed by a big gush of fluids into my pants. It had never broke with D Boy, so it was quite a surprise for me.

I was in total shock and totally in auto-drive. Before I could do anything to prepare ourselves to leave, I had to clean up that mess. There was no way I could go have a baby knowing that my fluids were all over our kitchen chair and floor. So after 10 minutes of cleaning I started running around trying to get things together for the hospital while I was on the phone with my Mom. Thank goodness I was already packed. I just had to get together some last minute things.

Right when we got in the car to go to the hospital I felt my first contraction. Not too bad, but then they just kept getting worse. The car ride was very uncomfortable.

We arrived at the hospital at 8:45pm. At that time I was dilated at 3-4 cm and 50% effaced. Momma doesn't mess around with pain, so at 10:30pm I got an epidural. At 2am I was dilated at 10 cm, so we called my Doctor. During the contractions they noticed that her heart rate was slowing down.

On the third contraction after I started pushing, D Girl was born at 2:33am. There was a really tight knot in the umbilical cord. I looked at D Hubs after I saw it and his face was white as a ghost. He looked like he was going to faint at any moment, so he went and sat down for a few minutes.

The nurses took D Girl away to check her out. Amazingly she was just fine. No effects what so ever from the knot in the cord. She was a healthy, 6lbs. 12oz. and 19 1/4in. long, beautiful baby girl.

Finally, after 30 minutes I was able to hold her for the first time. I started bawling of course. Then we saw her first facial expression right away. She stuck out her bottom lip as far as she could. It was the biggest pouty face I had ever seen. I laughed a little, but then cried even more because I just knew that was a sign that she was going to keep us on our toes.

Boy was I right. She had colic from 3 weeks old to 3 months old. Every single night she wailed from 10pm-1am. Then it wasn't until she was 10 months old that she slept through the night. She hates not getting her way and she'll let you know by giving you that infamous pouty lip.

She has kept us on our toes, but at the same time, she has melted our hearts. I'm pretty sure she had her Daddy wrapped around her little finger the second she was born. Her big, protective brother absolutely adores her. Since the first time he met her, he has kept tabs on where she is and what she is doing. I can't get enough of her. I find myself just staring at her, in complete awe at how perfect our sweet little baby girl is.

So a year ago today, my little baby girl blessed us with her presence. It's been such a quick year. I can't even get it processed in my mind that she turned 1 today. I feel so blessed that I've been able to stay home with her and D Boy. I've been able to witness the first time she rolled over, sat up, crawled, stood up, and walked. At times I wish I could press pause on life so I can really take it all in. But at the same time, we are really looking forward to watch her grow and reach all of her special milestones this coming year.

Happy 1st Birthday my little Monster Piggy!

Momma

I'm Back!

2010-03-12T15:21:00.000-06:00

Back to the normal, not so strange Shandal that y'all know better. Sorry that yesterday's post was very odd. Sometimes I get that wild hair that takes over me. I hope I didn't scare any of you away! Haha!

So this week has been a bad one for me. Tuesday morning I woke up to having pains in my back. Kind of like a pinched nerve right between my shoulder blades. Yesterday it was finally feeling better. But today it feels like someone beat the crap out of my back with a bat.

Needless to say, I haven't worked out since Monday. I'm seriously going through withdrawals! I know it's all in my head, but I just feel frumpy already. Major sads. I don't want my back to be out of commission forever though. So I'm going to take care of my back, and rest. I'm hoping that I can start again on Monday and I'll just make up this week then. So it'll be P97x for me. Ha! However, at this rate, I'm not sure I'll be ready to start by Monday. *Tears*

On a happy note, my first post is up over at Our Mommyhood. It's about how I relate to a TV character. Go check it out and tell me if there's a fictional character that you can relate to as well.

Vote For Me!

2010-03-11T12:28:00.000-06:00

Here's the deal. MODG had her readers send her pics of their toilet with random stuff sitting on it. Now she's been posting 5 of those pics at a time and having her readers vote on their favorite one.

My toilet art that I sent her is very dear to me. It's very personal and says a lot about me. It's kind of a sad story, but with a happy ending. After you read my comment I left over there and you'll understand.

Today, my friends, is MY lucky day. My toilet pic is one of the 5 to be voted on. So I need you guys to get over there and vote on my "Smooth Moves Toilet." I can assure you that I'm well deserving of the win and will be eternally grateful for your vote.

P.S. I totally just wrote half of this post on the toilet. See, happy ending!

Now please go vote for me over at MODG!

Hearts and farts,

Random Tuesday - Shopping Fail, NOT Eating Ice Cream, Quasi Killer Cat, Flip Flops, Mom Fail

2010-03-09T01:44:00.000-06:00

This last weekend we went shopping for a new kitchen table and chairs. Instead I came home with a new pair of Fergalicious heels, jeans, and a swim suit from Target. What is that, 0-2? We suck at shopping.

Ahem, I might have cheated a little on my diet this weekend. I had a "double tall white russian," because that's what D Hubs ordered when we were out for dinner. After that, I most certainly did NOT go to Sheridan's and have a Reese's concrete. Then I also didn't just dump out most of the ice cream to only eat the Reese's cups because in my head that would be "less calories" than eating the entire thing. So it was all justified. I mean, what?! That didn't happen.

I'm pretty sure that my cat is trying to kill me. She has made many attempts to trip me by weaving in and out through my legs while I'm walking. She also makes sure she's one step ahead of me when I'm going down the stairs. If that's not enough, she also kneads my stomach so hard that I really think she's trying to afflict pain on me. Baaad kitty.

It got up in the 60s this weekend! I wore my flippy floppies when we went out shopping... Oh the little things in life. It was also very nice seeing all of the neighbor kids outside playing again. Of course D Boy was out there soaking up that vitamin D too. As soon as he came in he crashed. I see a nice and quiet summer for Mommy in the future. *wink wink*

I finally scheduled a dreaded dentist appointment for us. It will be Deagen's first time to go. Only a year later than when he was supposed to go for his first visit. I haven't been to the dentist myself in like 2 years. Whoops!

Go on over to Keely's if you're looking for some more Random Thoughts!

The Big Reveal

2010-03-07T09:59:00.000-06:00

Ahh, this secret has been killing me! I hope you guys understand that my hands were tied. I would have been on a hit list in hot mess of trouble if I had blown our huge secret.

Well it's launch time now, so here's the low down.

About a month or so ago, myself and nine other lucky bloggers were approached by Elizabeth @ Confessions From A Working Mom and Tamara @ The (Un)Experienced Mom. They asked us if we would like to be part of creating the ultimate Mommy Blog by writing a couple posts for them every month. I don't think I could have replied any quicker than I did to say that I was on board. I'm so honored and excited to have a role in this masterpiece.

The twelve of us will be contributing our own original posts about a specific topic that is set to each day of the week. You will also find a "Social Calendar" on our blog. It will show you a list of memes and special events that are happening everyday. Which is another reason to head over there; to make sure YOUR memes, blog carnivals, blog hops, blog parties, fundraisers, and giveaways are posted on our calendar!

I could go on, but I think it'd be better if you just find out all the details by seeing it for yourself. So without further ado, I'd like to introduce the new go-to place for all bloggers.

Now please go over THERE now and check it out!!!

While you're there, please "Join" and don't forget to grab our button too!

P90x Phase 2 Results

2010-03-04T11:24:00.001-06:00

D Hub's and I have reached Day 60 of our P90x journey. Which means we've completed the 2nd phase and have moved on to the 3rd and final phase. We can't believe how fast it's going by. I've already shared our phase 1 results with you here. Now here's our phase 2 results.

My numbers: Phase 2 results / Total results

Weight: -1lbs. / -5lbs.
Body fat: -4% / -9%
Chest: -1in. / -2 1/4in.
Waist: -2in. / -5 1/2in.
Hips: -1in. / -2in.
Rt Thigh: +1/2in. / 0
Lt Thigh: +1/2in. / +1/2in.
Rt Arm: -1/4in. / 0
Lt Arm: 0 / +1/2in.

D Hub's numbers: Phase 2 results / Total results

Weight: -6lbs. / -15lbs.
Body fat: -4% / -8%
Chest: -1/4in. / -1 3/4in.
Waist: -2in. / -6in.
Hips: -3/4in. / -1 1/2in.
Rt Thigh: -1/4in. / -1 3/4in.
Lt Thigh: +1/4in. / -3/4in.
Rt Arm: 0 / -1/4in.
Lt Arm: -1/4in. / +1/4in.

Before and Afters
(Click on pictures to see better)

I have to say that the pictures of D Hubs just don't do him justice. His abs and back muscles are deeper than what the picture seems to display. His arms though, WOW, is he really MY husband? I'm so proud of him. He's really rockin' it! I see some differences in myself. I'm happy with the progress and seeing that my body fat is decreasing. We are both still doing very well with the program. We haven't missed a workout and we've only cheated on the diet a few times. A lot of P90x grads have told me that the real "magic" happens in the last phase. So, we'll see!

I've been a Beachbody Coach for about a month now. So if you're interested in trying the program or have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Random Tuesday - Wii, Bday Cake, Croup, Bachelor, Party Help

2010-03-02T01:37:00.002-06:00

We went to Best Buy this weekend to get a new TV for our bedroom. We ended up walking out with a Wii and some games instead. Oops!

We also celebrated D Girl's 1st birthday a little early this weekend with my Mom's side of the family. Of course my piggy just loved her yummy cake.

Mommy had some cake too. By "some" I mean I finished the rest of her little personal one and another piece too. It was just too good... yes even I screw up my diet. Day 60 of P90x is coming up. I'll have another results post up later this week. Eek!

Both of our kids ended up getting croup last week. We caught D Boy's immediately so he didn't have it bad at all. D Girl however sounded pretty awful and was miserable. Obviously by the pic of my darling little monster you can see that she is feeling better though.

The Bachelor Jake is an idiot. I'm actually glad that he picked Vienna. Tenley can do better than him anyway. I felt so bad for her. She sure did take it well though. She managed to thank him for giving her a chance through her tears. She's almost too nice. Miss Ali is the next Bachelorette. You betcha I'll be watching! I liked her from the beginning, but her Vienna bashing was a little turn off for me. I think she's pretty genuine though.

I've got to figure out what we are going to do for D Girl's birthday party. We had D Boy's party here at our house this year. It went fine, but I just hate hosting at my house. It's just so stressful for me. Doesn't matter if I double up on my anxiety drugs or not. I have such a hard time relaxing with all those people in our house. So I need some suggestions... I was just thinking about having it at a pizza place, but it can be pricy paying for everyone. Has anyone ever had a party somewhere and had everyone just pay for themselves? Is that rude? Help!

Want some more randomness? Head on over to Keely's for some more!

Mini Mommy or Mini Daddy?

2010-02-26T12:18:00.000-06:00

Lets settle this once and for all, shall we?

It has clearly been unknown to everyone as to which one of us our kids resemble more. If you ask my family, they will say our kids look like me. If you ask D Hub's family, they say our kids look like him. Sometimes they flat out say that they just have no clue who they look more like.

I came across a Look-alike Meter application at MyHeritage.com. You just upload a picture of the Mom, Dad, and the Child and it will tell you who the child resembles more. I tried out several different pictures and came up with the same results over and over.

Exhibit A: D Boy's Results

"Child looks equally like mom and dad"

Nooooo! I want an answer! I really want to settle this look-alike war between our families once and for all!

Exhibit B: D Girl's Results

"Child looks more like mom, by 6%"

Whoopdeedoo! Basically the same! Are you kidding me? That was the most it ever swayed towards a result.

I am just a little disappointed. I really wanted to settle this once and for all. I suppose it did get settled though...

Our kids are a perfect morph of both of us. So I guess now when someone says that they look a little more like one of us I can correct them. "Sorry to bust your buns, but I have scientific proof that they resemble both of us equally." We all know that this application is totally bogus legit.

Let's just see how bogus legit this meter is.

"Child looks more like mom, by 7%"

Hmm, that's odd. How can a child picture of ME look anything like D Hubs at all?

Now that obviously proves how legit my scientific proof is.

I suppose we will never know exactly who our kids really resemble more.

Random Tuesday - 1st Steps, Sickies, How To Lose A Guy In 10 Seconds, Hangovers, Couples Retreat

2010-02-23T00:37:00.000-06:00

D Girl took her first steps last week! We happened to get it on video too. We actually got D Boy's first steps on video as well! Which by the way, they both started walking at the exact same age. Too bad my video camera won't let me upload the videos to the computer though. It says I need some software installed on my computer to do it. I've Googled it, but I haven't had any luck finding a solution.

D Girl also has had a fever since Friday. Nothing over 101 though. It was just weird because she didn't have any other symptoms with it until yesterday. She had woke up with a hoarse sounding cry. So I'm pretty sure that her throat must hurt. By the end of the day yesterday she finally didn't have a fever anymore. Hopefully it won't be back this morning.

So Saturday night I went to a piano bar with a couple friends for a birthday celebration. While we were there the funniest thing happened to me. This guy comes over and sits by me at the bar and offers to buy me a shot. I politely decline because I was only sticking to beer that night. So he turns to my friends and offers to buy them a shot. Of course those lushes say yes. So while we are waiting for the shots to be made, he asks us what we do for a living. It gets to my turn and I say that I'm a stay at home mom... ... crickets ... ... My friend then said, "...annnd END SCENE." We all just die laughing. He was NOT expecting to hear that at all. His face was just priceless. He had NO idea what to say. It was like I had just told him "Surprise! You're going to be my baby's daddy!"

Before I went out on Saturday night I Googled some hangover remedies. I tried some of the tips they said to do. Drink a glass of milk before drinking. No problem, I love milk. Have a full stomach before drinking. Check. Stick with the same kind of drink (preferably, light colored alcohol). I stuck with beer all night. Take a couple aspirin before going to bed. Check. Drink juice when you wake up. Check. I have to say it helped, but it didn't totally prevent a hangover. I'm notorious for getting a hangover VERY easily, especially the older I get. Usually I'm throwing up all morning and I don't fully recover until 8pm (ALWAYS, weird huh?) the next night. This time I didn't throw up at all. I just had a headache until 4pm. Not too bad. I'd call it a success for me!

During my recovery on Sunday morning, D Hubs and I watched Couples Retreat while D Boy was still at his Grammy's. D Hubs loved it and thought it was hilarious. I'd give it 3 1/2 out of 5 stars. There were definitely some really funny parts, but there were ~~some~~ a lot of scenes that were just too long. There was a lot of nonsense talk during some of the conversations. To the point where the original topic of their conversation just wasn't funny anymore. So I'd rent it, not buy it!

As always, for some more random thoughts go on over to Keely's!

Random Tuesday - Free V-Day, Pro Micro, Dream Car, Piano Bar, Beachbody Coach

2010-02-16T01:53:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day. We didn't exactly celebrate it this year. We stayed home on Valentine's Eve while everyone else went out on their hot dates. On Valentine's Day we went to the grocery store. While we were there we did our card exchange like we always do for the holidays. We just pick out a card that we would buy each other, share it with one another, give hugs and thank yous and put it back on the shelf. Why waste like $8 on cards for each other when they're just going to be tossed in the trash?

I ended up buying some mircrofiber cloths to use instead of our bacteria infested sponges. So far I like them a lot! I bought 6 of them so I can change them out everyday and wash them every few days or whatever.

Our Service Engine light has been on in our car for a week or so now. So tomorrow I have to take it in to see what's wrong with it. Hopefully it's nothing big. We've had our Trailblazer for 5 years now and so far we haven't had any issues. We're crossing our fingers that it lasts us until this fall though. That's when the new 2011 Acadia Denali comes out. As of right now that's what we want. I've always wanted a Denali, so it'd be a dream come true for me. We'll see.

Saturday night I have plans to go out to a piano bar to celebrate a friend's birthday. Piano bars are so much fun, but I can already feel my hangover just thinking about it. Boo to getting old.

Tomorrow is Day 45 of P90x for D Hubs and I. We are half way done! I'm pretty sure when we are done that I'm going to take a break for a couple weeks and jump back in with another round of it. Or I might even try out Insanity. There's no going back now. This healthy lifestyle fits me. I love it. Which is exactly why I became a Beachbody Coach. I truly want to help others get to that point where they want to change their lifestyle too. I love how friendly the fitness world is. It's like one big happy family encouraging each other to do their best everyday. I know I appreciate the support I get from my workout buddies. I hope to spread that same kind of energy out there to someone else who needs to hear it too.

That's all of my randomness for today. If you want some more go over to Keely's!

D Girl Turns 11 Months Old

2010-02-15T00:14:00.000-06:00

Miss Dailyn hits another milestone. Here's a little update on my 22 pounder.

She likes to eat...

She loves to snuggle with Daddy.

She likes to eat...

Look at that lip on the poor wittle gurl pouty face when she's upset. So sads.

This is her scrunchy face while she blows air out her nose. It's usually followed by a growl. Yes she growls. Thanks to D Boy.

Have I mentioned that she likes to eat? Perhaps that's why her belly fits in size 18-24mo clothes.

She's standing alone, but still doesn't have the guts to take off walking yet.

Crawling and walking around furniture is still her main mode of transportation.

Yesterday she said "Bye" with a wave for the first time. Which happens to be her 1st word, besides Dada and Mama.

At about 10 1/2 months she finally started sleeping through the night. Momma finally got the nerve to let her cry it out a few nights in a row on her own. She now sleeps from 11pm to 9-10am every night. Hallelujah!

Love you Monster Piggy!

Momma

Mr. Hanky Has a Pet Rat

2010-02-12T14:05:00.000-06:00

So when I was little I had this fear that a snake was going to come up out of the toilet hole and bite my butt. Then I saw this video and realized that I was afraid of the wrong species to come up out of the toilet.

A freaking RAT! Are you kidding me? Plus lets just solve our little RAT problem by flushing it back down the toilet. That sounds like a promising way to get rid of that rodent for sure. ((Shivers))

Moral of the story is to check the toilet before you sit down and get your tush bit by a rat. You're welcome for the warning.

Hope everyone has a fabulous rat-free Valentine's Weekend!

Random Tuesday - Haircut, Glasses, Mom Fail, Blog Fail, Poop

2010-02-09T01:11:00.000-06:00

I finally got my haircut this weekend. Normally I've always had my Step-mom cut it at her house. This time I had my sister in-law Danielle cut my hair. She works at Beauty Brands, so it was nice to actually get a full service cut. An amazing head massage during my hair wash, then a haircut, and style. She did an excellent job and didn't go all Edward Scissorhands on me. I think it's safe to say that Danielle has another loyal customer.

I also finally got some new reading glasses. I've needed a new pair since D Boy got a hold of mine over a year ago. Here's a pic of my current glasses in this post. I've been wearing my contacts for like 16-18 hours a day. My eyes are really drying out and they just flat out hurt. So, I'm really looking forward to picking up my new glasses in about 2 weeks!

A friend of mine sent out an email to all of us girls to try and get our next GNO planned. She asked if we had any plans that we knew of during the weekends in March. I quickly responded that my calendar is clear so whenever works for me. Um, DOH! I totally forgot about D Girl's FIRST BIRTHDAY on March 14th. How in the heck did I not think about that? I guess because she seems like she should only be six months old still. I can not believe that she's almost one. Time needs to slow down just a tad. For reals.

So every time I go to someone's blog, I'll be right in the middle of reading a post and sure enough I get interrupted. My kids are constantly wanting/needing something. The nerve right?! JK But seriously, they are constantly needing something. Like they will want to eat AGAIN right after they just got done eating something. Or they need a water/juice refill. Or a diaper change/butt wiped. (More on that in next paragraph) I digress. Point is, is that I'm ending up spending like 30min to an hour on your blogs just trying to read one GD post! So I'm way behind. Sorrys. I'm trying to get around, but I guess what I'm trying to say is, my kids need me and I'm doing my best! Ha!

The other day D Boy hollered at me from the bathroom saying, "Mooom, I went poop!" So I walk into the bathroom and he says, "I got poop on my finger!" I said, "You got poop on your finger?!" He said, "No, I'm just kidding Mommy." Thank goodness he was kidding!

Want some more Randomness? Head on over to Keely's!

D Boy Update

2010-02-05T00:42:00.000-06:00

So I wanted to thank everyone for their concern and helpful suggestions about D Boy's milk dilemma. I figured I should give a little update about it.

So I tried to call a couple different doctors to get a second opinion, but they wouldn't give me any advice over the phone unless he was one of their patients. After those phone calls and reading some responses I had gotten so far that morning on that post, I decided to go ahead and let him drink some juice. So he did go all day on Monday and then until about noon on Tuesday with no fluids. I feel like such a jack butt for doing that to him.

So after doing a little research, talking to other Moms, and an informal conversation with a nutritionist, we decided that its really not necessary to push the milk on him. He can get his calcium from Minute Maid's Kids+ OJ that's enriched with calcium. He also snacks on slices of cheese all the time. Since he's been about 2 he's been taking gummy multivitamins that has extra vitamin D in it as well. I think we will still continue to try and introduce milk to him every week or so though. We also found these Danimals Smoothies at the grocery store that he LOVES. He's been drinking those like crazy. I tried to make smoothies at home for him, but he didn't like it. It very well could be because the Danimals comes in a neat little cup that he can use a straw with. So next trip to the store we are going to get a "special" fun cup just for smoothies and one that he can only drink milk out of too.

Thanks again everyone for all your advice! Have a good weekend!

Random Tuesday - Sponges

2010-02-02T01:10:00.001-06:00

My Random Tuesday is about one random thing this week instead of several different things because I don't want you guys to be distracted. I need your full attention on this one subject because I really need some feedback. If you are just itching for some more randomness, then head on over to Keely's.

Now on to the important stuff...

(Image from Google)

The other night D Hubs and I caught an episode of MythBusters that was really kind of disturbing. They tested the cleanliness of 8 objects that people touch everyday. The results are quite shocking and really got me freaking out a little.

The results go from most dirty to least dirty.
1. Kitchen Sponge
2. Money
3. Light Switch
4. Computer Keyboard
5. Toilet Seat
6. Cell Phone
7. Shopping Cart
8. Hotel Remote

I've seen some gnarly bills working at a bank before, so I thought that the money would be #1 by far! They said that the amount of microorganism colonies found on the sponge were so much that it was impossible to even count!

Enter me, freaking out! I knew that those suckers were bacteria hoarders, but to have a sponge be dirtier than all of those things on the list has really got me rattled. They didn't specify how old that sponge was that they tested. I really wish they would have so I can know if changing them out weekly like I do is enough. I'm tempted to go to Costco and by a gazillion sponges so I can change them out everyday.

I want to know what you guys use. Do you use a sponge or a scrubbing brush to clean your pots and pans and things that aren't dishwasher safe? How often do you replace them? Or do you use some other kind of gadget that I don't know about?! Please enlighten me and tell me what the cleanest option is!

P90x Phase 1 Results

2010-01-31T19:38:00.000-06:00

As most of you know, D Hubs and I have been doing the P90x Extreme Home Fitness program. Today is Day 28, which marks the end of the 1st of three phases of the program. I thought it'd be fun to share with everyone our progress at the end of each stage.

So here's my numbers...

Weight: -4lbs.
Body Fat: -5%

Chest: -1 1/4in.
Waist: -3 1/2in.
Hips: -1in.
Rt Thigh: -1/2in.
Lt Thigh: 0
Rt Arm: +1/2in.
Lt Arm: +1/2in.

D Hub's numbers...

Weight: -9lbs.
Body Fat: -4%

Chest: -1 1/2in.
Waist: -4in.
Hips: -3/4in.
Rt Thigh: -1 1/2in.
Lt Thigh: -1in.
Rt Arm: +1/4in.
Lt Arm: +1/2in.

And some proof that this program is legit.

It's only been 28 days and we both are impressed with our results this far. It's not a huge difference, but I think it's a pretty big difference for it just being through the 1st phase. Slowly but surely I think my post-preggo pouch will be all gone by the end of the 90 days. I can thank Ab Ripper X for that! We are still really motivated and pumped to follow through with the program. Both of us would recommend P90x to anyone out there looking to get in shape. If you can commit to working out 6 days a week for up to an hour and a half and can follow a diet, this program is for you!

Random Tuesday - Getting Old, Anti Milk Man, Greek, Bachelor, Brangelina

2010-01-26T01:35:00.000-06:00

Is it really Tuesday already? Weeks are just flying by like crazy! Here's this weeks Random Thoughts.

GNO was fun. Broke some P90x rules and had some wine. Talked about adult stuff that shouldn't ever leave that room. Played some Apples to Apples. Pretty laid back good 'ol time. BUT. I'm getting old people. I just can't drink like I use to. Plus I had a headache all day the day after. BOO.

D Boy's doctor wants him to drink 12oz. of milk a day. Well he's refusing to drink it. So Momma called the doctor and the doctor said in order to get him to like milk I need to only offer him milk for THREE days straight. Well yesterday was Day 1 of enforcing the only milk rule. It didn't go so well. In fact he didn't drink a drop of liquid ALL day. I take that back, he did try it a couple times but that only resulted with him quickly gagging. I feel like the worst Momma in the world right now. He cried for juice or water all day... I'm just worried that he's going to get dehydrated. Will he eventually cave and drink the milk? Or should I stop these shenanigans right now? Maybe he just truly hates milk and will never like it. I think I'm going to call a different doctor today and get a second opinion.

Greek is one of my favorite shows and a new season started last night! I have it DVRed so I'll have to watch it today.

Ali, Ali, Ali! What are you doing?! She was my favorite bachelorette for Jake, but she seems to keep bullying Vienna. She's almost obsessive about it. Why can't she just drop it?! Anyway, the more they show Tenley, the more I like her. So she's now my favorite. Lots of shockers last night. Jake sending both Ella and Kathryn home and keeping Vienna! Wow!

I heard on E! News that Brangelina split up, but then they said that someone is saying it's just a rumor. So my fellow media vultures, ahem Meredith or Tamara or anyone else out there, what's the deal? Is it true??? If it's true, should Brad and Jennifer get back together? ... Nah!

Go on over to Keely's for some more Random stuff!

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?

2010-01-24T16:48:00.000-06:00

You're totally singing that song now aren't you? Muah hahahaha! Well it's true my friends I big fat puffy heart you guys big time! You guys still love me even though it sometimes takes me awhile to catchup with blog posts. Thanks for understanding and not forgetting about me. XOXOXOXO So without further ado I have some more awards to accept and pass on.

This Happy 101 award was given to me from the very kind Samantha @ Apple Juice and Milk.Thank you so much! The rules with this one is I'm suppose to list 10 things that make me happy and pass it on to 10 blogs.

10 things that make me happy:
1. Ya... um I really don't feel like doing this. I'm sorry! Ha! I really don't think people even read these lists anyways!

I'm pretty sure everyone and their mom has this award. So how about if you happen to not have this award yet AND you follow me, I would LOVE to pass this award off to YOU!

This Beautiful Blogger award was from Melissa @ Mommy to 3!. Thank you so much for thinking of me! This ones rules are that I have to list 7 interesting things about me and pass it on to 7 blogs.

7 interesting things about me:
1. Again, not feeling like following this rule... please don't hate me!

7 Blogs I'd like to pass this to:
Mama Donna Hey!
Imperfect Daisies
Our Daze in the Desert
Confessions From A Working Mom
Lessons Learned
musings of amber murphy
Salt says...

These last two awards are from Salt says.... How freaking awesome is she to give me two awards?! Seriously! I'm a pretty new follower of hers and I'm really diggin' her blog, ya'll should check her out!

This Circle of Friends Award doesn't come with any rules, but I'd like to pass it along to some great bloggy friends that I've made. Loves!

These first 3 because they are P90Xers and have been great support for me and I would like to think that I am to them too!
Imperfect Daisies
Our Daze in the Desert
Masala Chica
Headaches Hormones & Hotflashes - SOON-to-be a P90Xer, that's right, I outed you, now you just have to follow through! :-D
Simple Sweet Inspiration - Miss AJ is so sweet and genuine and really opens her heart to her readers. She's also my go to gal for HTML code help. Much appreciated, thank you girl! She has a great blog just for blogging tips, check it out!

Salt says... actually made this one up by herself. I love it! It's pretty creative and fun!

She didn't say that there's any rules with this one. So I will just do my own thing here and say that the first 10 commenters of this post gets this award!

Thanks again to everyone!!!

Does This Make Me Look Phat?

2010-01-21T01:49:00.000-06:00

I think I might have a button for my blog finally. I know, I'm behind with the times. Just like I was with wearing black nail polish. Please forgive me.

So here's the button I made...

The reason behind the chandelier is because for as long as I can remember I've always introduced myself by saying that my name is "Shandal, like chandelier." Basically I try and brainwash people into thinking of me whenever they see a chandelier. Okay I'm kidding. I think it's just kind of a helpful reminder for how to pronounce my name, that's all. Obviously pronouncing my name correctly is an issue with some people. I've heard Shon-dell, Shon-dole, Shan-dale... I digress.

So what do you think? Lame-O or Neat-O?

Random Tuesday - Mall vs. Target, Black Nails?, Haircuts, Bachelor Drama, GNO

2010-01-19T01:31:00.000-06:00

I went to the mall with D Hubs this last weekend. I haven't been to the mall to actually shop for myself in a long time. I can not believe how freaking expensive clothes are. Like seriously... the cheapest pair of jeans from The Buckle were $150. WTH?! That is ridiculous! No wonder why I stick with Old Navy or Target clothes. Needless to say I didn't get anything from The Buckle, but D Hubs had a couple things to exchange that he got for Christmas from there. Lucky him.

I bought my first bottle of black nail polish the other day. Ya, I'm slow with trends. Is that even cool still?

I haven't had a haircut for almost a year now. I've been afraid to get a trim because every time I ask for just a trim I end up getting a couple inches hacked off. Which really irks me b/c it takes a long time for my hair to grow! I do want a new style though. Right now it's almost to my mid back in length and I always wear it parted just off to the side and straight. Boring. Any long hair style suggestions?

Holy Hell am I happy that Michelle went home last night on The Bachelor. That woman needs help. Did anyone see the preview of last nights show over the weekend? They showed a clip of Tenley saying "I'm pregnant." After watching the actual episode, she never even said that in their convo! Unless I missed it? Anyway, I really like Ali. I hope Jake ends up with her.

Friday night I'm going to a Girls Night Out party. I'm really looking forward to that! I hope I don't drink too much. Which is pretty easy to do these days since I hardly ever go out and drink, but I'll try my best to control myself. ;-)

For some more random thoughts, head on over to Keely's!

10 Months, So Bittersweet

2010-01-14T14:36:00.003-06:00

D Girl turned 10 months old today.

She's a 20 pound happy little butterball with 4 teeth.

She's a busy little girl exploring the world one step at a time.

All those things make us proud parents.

But very tired parents too.

In the last 10 months Momma hasn't had a full nights sleep for more than 3 days in a row. I think it's finally catching up with me. Don't worry little Missy. I will forgive you. Someday. You just remember how many restless nights Momma has had for you before you go and mouth off at me when you're a moody teen. Deal?

Love you sweetheart!

Momma

Random Tuesday - Xmas Encore, D Boy Stats, Movie Review, American Idol, Cookies, DVR Fail

2010-01-12T00:16:00.000-06:00

On Sunday we had another Christmas shindig to go to. That would make it #7.

"Holy Shit! Where's the Tylenol?" ~Clark Griswold

D Boy had his 3 year checkup yesterday. He weighs 33lbs (50%) and is 37in tall (45%). Only one issue. My boy will not drink milk. We've tried chocolate, soy, everything. Doc wants him to drink at least 12oz a day. So to get him to like it I'm suppose to only offer him milk to drink for 3 days straight. I can hear the tantrums now. Joy.

D Hubs and I watched 500 Days of Summer the other night. I loved it. I love Zooey Deschanel. She's so cute and she's hilarious in How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is awesome too. He was my favorite character in "3rd Rock from the Sun". Most people know him as Cameron on 10 Things I Hate About You though. He really looks a lot like Heath Ledger in 500 Days. ;)

American Idol starts tonight. I kind of got burnt out watching it the last couple years. Since Ellen is going to be a judge this season, I'm sure I'll tune in. That woman is hilarious!

If you follow me on Twitter then I'm sure you've heard that my Girl Scout Peanut Butter Patties that I ordered before I started P90x was delivered yesterday. Are you kidding me?! WTF is up with that timing? I gave them to D Boy, but he's not allowed to eat them in front of me. FML.

P.S. My DVR failed to record The Bachelor last night. If you find it online, hook me up with a link please!

For some more Randoms, be sure to stop by Keely's.

Shandal

My New Crack, I Mean Obsession

2010-01-09T16:11:00.003-06:00

I don't know what has gotten into me, but I have so much energy I can't even sit still to read! I've kind of turned into one of those annoying peppy girls that are always so hyper and full of energy that can't keep their mouth shut. Am I yelling? Because I feeling like I am.

It's Day 6 of P90x. Maybe it's the healthy diet I'm on. Washing out all of that junk food crap that made me move in slow motion and be lazy everyday. Perhaps it's all the excersize that I've been doing everyday this week. To be honest, I'm sure it's both.

I have a very addictive personality. I obsess obsess obsess over things that make me feel good or happy. One of my obsessions has always been Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. They're so darn good and they make me uber happy. There's no room for that in my diet right now and I'm surprisingly just fine with that. This new, refreshed and energized me is making me feel too good to turn back to my old lazy self. My new obsession is getting to see my results from P90x. I don't have an ounce of doubt that I won't be able to complete the 90 days. In fact I'm already thinking about wanting to do the 90 days again over the summer.

It's only been 6 days and D Hubs and I can already see a difference. Curiosity killed the cat and we both went ahead and measured our waists. He's lost an inch and a quarter. I've lost half an inch. I'm even eating MORE food than I was before. It feels so good to get in shape the right way. Anyhoo, enough blabbering! Got to go do some Kenpo X!

Shandal