HOLY Week!!!

If you're a Catholic, like me, you should probably know that we are officially in the midst of Holy Week. This year, Holy Week is especially crazy for me since I am sponsoring a young woman who will be baptized during Saturday night's Easter Vigil. Since January, I have been attending Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults classes with her and helping her to prepare for her baptism and initiation into the Catholic Church.

This week, however, between church services and Lenten retreats, I am booked solid with work obligations and doctor's appointments for my crazy lung situation. Here's a glimpse into my HOLY Week:

Monday: Work and Hair Salon

Check out my new do!

Tuesday: Pulmonologist Appointment, Work, Lenten Retreat till 8pm

Wednesday: Work till 6pm and maybe actually see my kids!

Thursday: Lung Biopsy and Holy Thursday Service

Good Friday: Work and Mass

Saturday: Prayer, Easter Vigil Rehearsal, Easter Vigil, CAKE!

Sunday: Easter Festivities

Countdown to vacation...... not soon enough!!!

I need a change!

On Monday, I have my first haircut of the Spring!! I need a change!! What do you think?

I will also be getting my Spring highlights as well!

Time to shed the winter locks!

Can't you tell how bored I am with my current hair situation?!?!

Dealing with Health

So my journey to the Monument Avenue 10k ended suddenly with a bout of pneumonia, a chest x-ray, a CT scan, and finally a referral to a pulmonologist for further diagnosis and treatment.

Yes, in case anyone noticed my recent absence from the blogging world, last week just wasn't my week. I spent much of my time in the Doctor's office and the rest of it chauffeuring my son to swim lessons, doesn't he look soo cute

and googling medical terms.

It all started a couple of days before my husband's 30th Birthday party when I began what I thought was a sinus infection. I developed the most obnoxious cough and after about a week of the cough and one night of not being able to breath very well, I decided to get it checked out by a Medical Doctor. At the Doctor's office, a chest x-ray showed a spot on my lung and the doctor decided, just to be safe, that I should go have a CT Scan. My CT Scan showed several swollen lymph nodes and a couple of pulmonary nodules in my lungs. Hence, I have ceased aerobic activities until I go see a lung specialist. Sadly, this means no 10k for right now. I would say I would walk it, but I don't even want to go there because I just know that I'll bee too tempted to go ahead and run anyway.

I have been really upset about this turn of events. I have trained so hard for this 10k. I know I can do it! A week prior to this bout I ran over 6 miles in 82 minutes. I met both of my goals - 1. to run at least 75% of the 6.2 miles, I ran all of it! 2. to finish in under 90 minutes - how's 82 minutes?!?!

With the positive in mind, I know this is not the end of me and running! Hopefully, I will have some answers soon and will be right back to beating the pavement! In fact, I have a 10k in May in mind for my new first race.

So, in the absence of aerobic activity, I need to get a new program. I am thinking some Pilate's and weights and doing some walking. This is Vincent's last week of his power swimming class (2 weeks straight of lessons from 6-7pm!) so I'll probably start incorporating this in next week.

Good luck to everyone participating in the Monument Ave. 10k, hoping to be there with you next year!

What's Cookin': Better than Beef Turkey Burgers

I discovered this recipe for Turkey Burgers about 2 years ago when I was trying to find alternative to red meat. I've always liked Turkey Burgers, but the ones I made at home always came out so... bland! The first time I made these burgers was for a bbq that we were having at our house. I made both beef and turkey, but the turkey were gobbled up almost immediately, putting the beef patties to shame! That is when I dubbed them the "Better than Beef" Turkey Burgers!

Ingredients

1.25lb of Ground Turkey

3/4 Cup Bread Crumbs

1 egg

1/4 cup of fresh Cilantro, diced

1 red onion, diced

1 tablespoon of Soy Sauce

1 dash of Worceshire Sauce

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

1 teaspoon of ground Mustard

1 teaspoon of ground ginger

1 teaspoon of black ground pepper

Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients....

Form into patties...

And cook! I cook mine on the George Forman grill, but you can broil, grill, or cook in a frying pan! Be sure to cook thoroughly to a warm 160 degrees farenheit! You can't eat these babies raw!

Sooo good! They're definitely a favorite in my house, even my 3 year old scarfs down these Better than Beef Turkey Burgers!!

Enjoy!!

Take it Off Monday: The Scale Moved!

You read that right, I'm down 4 more lbs! I was stuck for couple of weeks, and still working hard, but the scale was being stubborn! He (because of course the scale is male) now knows who's boss and finally decided to budge! I tried to get him to promise that if I keep doing what I'm doing he will continue to lower his numbers, but he made no such promise!

This week was tough! On Tuesday, I woke up for a three miler and it was freezing! Like 25 degrees! Usually, once I get moving and the blood starts flowing, I warm up pretty quickly... that did not happen on Tuesday! I'm pretty sure my thighs froze solid, making the entire run feel as though it were uphill. On Thursday, the weather was perfect. I, however, began to feel rotten. I thought doing the run might "cleanse" my system, but I came back from my 4 miler feeling awful. I tried to wash off the icky feeling in the shower, but it just didn't happen - Spring is in the air and it was time for my semi-annual sinus infection!

On Saturday, I skipped the group run in hopes of recovery and also because it was the day of my husband's 30th Birthday Party (more on this later) and I had a lot to get done! I'm pretty sure with the amount of running around and 18lb baby holding that I did on Saturday was almost an equivalent to the 5 miles distance I was supposed to do.... no? I'm already feeling guilty enough, just smile and nod!

I'm hoping to get back on track this week - two more weeks till the 10k! It's crunch time!!

This week will be the most challenging with a 4.5 and a 5.5 run on the schedule before another 6 miler with the training group on Saturday. Hopefully, all of the Birthday Cake and Beer from the week-end didn't piss of my scale too much!

Have a fit week, friends!

Wordless Wednesday: Yogurt Melts and Snow

Take it Off Monday: What I Loved About Last Week...

Last week was a GREAT week! My students stayed out of trouble, meaning no crazy 10pm meetings at the residence hall, meaning I actually got to go home and stay home at the end of the day! It was great! I got to enjoy Family Dinner Time with no dreaded thoughts of driving back to campus to have serious talks with students about decisions and consequences. No, instead I got to make a delicious home cooked meal of stir-fry (I used the terriyaki sauce that I make for my Baked Terriyaki Chicken recipe and poured it over stir fryed veggies and chicken yummmm!) and hang out with my little family of four and laugh and laugh and then laugh some more....

Love it! I also got to stay on my 10k training schedule, as challenging as it has become!!

On Tuesday, I completed an easy 3.5 mile run, it was so easy in fact, that I don't even remember doing it. I think I was merely focused on the daunting 4.5 mile run on Thursday. On Wednesday night, I carefully crafted my route using imapmyrun.com. The route came out to be about 4.6 miles, but when I ran it, it was more like 4.76 miles and I was pretty exhausted walking in the door and rushing up the stairs to get ready for the work day!

On Saturday, I damn near completed a 10k! 6.11 miles in 82 minutes to be exact! I'm not going to say it was easy, because it wasn't, and I'm not even going to say it was fun, because I would be lying. But what I will say, is that I really pushed myself mentally and physically. At mile four, when I saw the course was going to continue instead of turning towards the YMCA, I hit a wall. I slowed my pace and pouted. Yes, I pretty much whined.  It took me almost a quarter of a mile to accept that I wouldn't be back at the Y for another 2 miles and by then I had let everyone else who wasn't having a meltdown pass me by and I was alone, on a street I didn't want to be on, jogging at the pace of a snail. I had already contemplated trying to cut through a wooded area just to get back to the Y when a trainer came up on me. Somehow he knew just the right words to say to encourage me and help me carry on... the joys of group training! So, I made it back, though I had my doubts, and then I realized that this was good, I had almost completed a 10k! My Type A planning personality could rest easy because I now knew what 6 miles felt like and I won't be surprised on race day!

Family and fitness coupled that with some nice, sunny weather and that is what I loved about last week!!

This week, I haven't even looked at the training schedule, but I am predicting a short run, followed by a long run, followed by a longer than expected run!

Have a fit week friends!

Wordless Wednesday: Feeding time at the Zoo

The aftermath of dinner...

Take it off Monday: 5 miles!!

When I started jogging in the fall, I was just doing it for me. I needed and wanted to exercise. It was time away from the chaos of life and time to myself, it was a great outlet for me, physically and emotionally. I started by running half a mile, then a mile, and then a little over a mile and a half... I was thrilled with myself! Everyone kept telling me "you need to train for something!" and I thought "nah! That's just not me!" I was trying to work up to 2 miles on my own and in my own time. I'm not sure what made me sign up for the 10k, but I'm glad I did because on Saturday, I completed a 5 mile run! With a 13 minute per mile pace! I didn't even look at the scale this week, didn't need to because my fitness level played out on that 5 mile course! My ability to run the entire distance at a much quicker pace than the previous weeks - those are the only numbers I need this week!

In January, just shortly after I signed up for the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k, I gave a presentation on S.M.A.R.T. Goals to my students. Everyone came up with 2 goals for the Spring Semester. At the end of the presentation, after some students had shared their goals with the rest of the group, a student asked me what my S.M.A.R.T. Goal for the semester was... I told her that by following the YMCA Training Manual, I would like to be able to run 75% of the 10k distance on March 31 - that's 4.65 miles, people! That means, I met and exceeded my goal! That means, hell, I might just run the whole damn thing!

This week I have a 3.5 mile run on Tuesday, a mixed 4.5 miles on Thursday, and a 5.2 miler on Saturday...  

Have a fit week, friends!

Wordless Wednesday: 3 Months and 4 Days

Till I am living here for the week....

With this as my view....

And just in case the beach gets old, you can find me here...

In exactly 3 months and 4 days...



Take it Off Monday: A New "Mile"stone

Last week was a blur... work was crazy and I had some other plans that separated me from the blog. On Tuesday nights, I usually post my Wordless Wednesday post, but I planted myself in my favorite chair, eyes bleary, muscles aching, and stomach satisfied from a delicious Valentine's Day meal and I couldn't make myself do it... so I'll try to do better this week!

What I didn't neglect was my fitness! On Tuesday I ran 3.2 miles and on Thursday I ran 3.5 miles all by myself, in the cold, at 5am... by Thursday, I really had to use some self-motivation skills to pluck myself from my soft, warm bed! "You're just going to make that 4 miler on Saturday that much easier" I told myself as I splashed frigid water from the tap on my face! Once I was out an moving everything was just fine, I settled into a good rythm and by then end of 3.5 I felt as though I could've gone further - that's a good sign! Thursday was also my last run in my Nike's. I had purchased them to walk in about two years ago - they have gotten some use, but I knew I would need something new, especially for running, something like...

These! What better way to embark on my 4 mile milestone than with a fresh pair of Asics! As soon as I slipped them on I knew I had made the right choice. I could instantly feel support in my high arches and on the pads of my foot!

On Saturday morning, I had to coax myself out of bed!More motivational self-talk "The coaches said the the majority of people lose motivation this week, don't be one of them!" I arrived to meet the group just as everyone was gathering for stretches! The 4 miles were long and toward the end we passed right by a Starbucks and a McDonald's - I carried on and just as I felt as though I was hitting a mental blobk where I could go any further... a training coach came out of nowhere and motivated me forward! I finished about 4.2 miles in 1 hour even! Success!

I also noticed some changes on the scale!!

Weight: Between -13 and -15lbs depending on the day. I can definitely see a difference in my thighs and hips and may need to start looking for smaller pants soon!

Mood: Great!

Energy: Pretty exhausted most of the time, hoping to adjust my schedule a little bit for some more rest.

Highs for the week: Running into a friend I hadn't seen in a couple of weeks and her telling me she could see a difference in my appearance! It's sooo encouraging! Dinner out with my girlfriends on Friday night and Coffee and catch-up with my friend after running 4 miles on Saturday!!!

Lows: Just the feeling of being exhausted all.the.time

This Week: Cross train on Monday and Wednesday (pilates, abs, arms), 3 miles on Tuesday, 4 miles on Thursday, and then maybe 4.5 on Saturday - we haven't gotten the email that tells us the Saturday route yet!

Have a fit week, friends!!

Take it Off Monday: Getting Physical

This past week has been one of my best weeks, physically, that is! On Tuesday morning, I overslept a bit for my 5:30am start time.. as in, I woke up at about 5:45am which is when I'd normally be heading out the door! I tried to use my lateness as an accelerant to get my 2.5 miler done in 30 minutes, it sort of worked as I came in with a time of 35:20. Not too shabby!

On Wednesday, I was going to meet a friend at the gym, but decided to spend the evening with my little family and then got in some beginner's Pilates and did some strength training with weights after the little ones went to bed. Gotta love fitness On Demand!

On Thursday, I repeated the same route and felt pretty great as I did it, but my time was about 2 minutes slower. Thursday runs are always a little slow for me. I think it's because it's the end of a work week and my body is tired.

With this in mind, I tried a little experiment as my Saturday runs have seemed to suffer from the same "end of week exhaustion" as the Thursday runs. My experiment was to go to bed earlier (more rest) and increase my water intake throughout the week. I was hoping it could boost my endurance. I'd say it was successful because come Saturday, and the challenge of my 3.6 mile group run, I was able to run the entire distance without walking! I didn't even walk up the ginormous hill between mile 1 and 2! I took a picture of that damn hill, but my phone forgot to save it...it's better this way!

Anyway, I was on a pretty big high from all of this physical fitness, that I was sure the scale would be looking nice too.... not so much... stuck on the same number. At first I was just plain mad, but then I thought to myself "Do not let this machine diminish your achievements!" and then I threw it at the wall... not really, but I thought about it!

So anyhow, there's not anything exciting to post! Still down 10lbs, still running, and feeling great! I even braved trying on some old jeans and an old top I found in the back of my closet and...

They fit! Yay! Take that scale!

So, this week I have 3 miles on Tuesday, 3.5 on Thursday, and then I'll attempt 4 miles on Saturday! Yikes!!!

Have a fit week, friends!

Wordless Wednesday: Freezer Stash

Some of my friends came up with the awesome idea of having a soup swap...

Everyone made a huge vat of soup...

Divided it into freezer bags...

...and traded!

The result...

A yummy freezer stash!

Take it Off Monday - Entry 1

As many of you know, I'm training for a 10k race at the end of March. I decided to enter the race, not to win any medals, but to keep me accountable! I can't very well slack on my fitness plan if I know I'm going to have to complete a 10k in a couple of months!

Anyhow... I've embraced this challenge 110%! I'm getting up at the crack of dawn on Tuesday and Thursdays (read about my attempt at being a morning person here) to run per the training guide and on Saturdays I meet up with a group at the local YMCA to venture out on the longest runs I have ever attempted...ever! This week was a little over 3 miles!

This Saturday, I awoke at the ungodly hour of 6:30am and stepped on the scale. I try to only weigh myself once a week to keep me from being discouraged by weight fluctuations, but something told me to get on the scale and see how much weight I'd be toting around on our 3 miler. To my relief, the number was lower! And then I realized that I had lost 10lbs since starting the training! That's 10 less pounds I'd have to take with me on the run! How exciting! It's a small victory, but a victory none-the-less!

It was indeed followed by Superbowl Sunday where Jillian Michaels claims the the average person consumes about 4,200 calories, but I tried somewhat successfully to not overindulge... meaning I did not eat any of the cute mini Valentine's Day cupcakes that I purchased to bring to our Super Bowl gathering...

Here are some of my stats!

Weight Loss this Week: -3lbs

Total Weight Loss in 2012: -10lbs

Places I've Noticed a change: wedding rings are looser, hooking my bra (oddly enough) is easier, the upper part of my thighs right below my butt, my pants are a lot looser there!!

Pictures:

Here I am the day after Thanksgiving trying to hide behind my poor child!

Here I am on Sunday Morning, 10lbs lighter and ready for the Super Bowl! Even though 10lbs isn't drastic, I think the pictures are a testament that sometimes it's not what the scale says that matters!

Anyhow, I'll try to document my progress or lack thereof each week! This week I have 2- 2.5 milers lined up for Tuesday and Thursday am and then a 3.4 miler with the Y group on Saturday! I'm also trying to find some time and energy to get in some weight training and ab exercises!

Have a fit week, friends! 

RIP Privacy

All of you single, childless people take heed!

Once you have children, you can say goodbye to any privacy you ever enjoyed...

Getting dressed - they're watching

Using the bathroom - they're busting in and asking where your penis is...

Close the door? kick them out? You ask innocently... It doesn't work! Closing the door is like starting a game of hide and seek in my house... tiny hands appear under the door in that tiny crack of space between the door and the floor to remind you that you're not alone, you'll never be alone again!

Ignore it, you insist... Ignoring the tiny fingers will undoubtedly lead to the launching of one's body into the door over and over again. The pounding wouldn't be so bad, I could deal with that... if it weren't for the screaming that accompanies it, because somehow my kids have both discovered the very frequency and tone in their small, angelic voices to drive me completely bonkers! My nerves are currently responding to the very thought of it...

So what do you do? You ask timidly.... Surrender to it! Kiss your privacy adieu and patiently and lovingly explain that while mommies do, in fact, rule the World, they aren't equipped with a penis!

Wordless Wednesday: 10k Training

Sorry, kind of my latest obsession.... here's what I've done so far!

Family Dinner Time

Alex and I have always been pretty laid back about dinner, I mean, of course I always make the most delectable, scrumptious, from scratch meals, of course.... but we never really cared where anyone ate the meal. In front of the TV, the kitchen counter, at the kitchen table, usually alone... it didn't really matter... until... Audrey started participating in dinner! She wasn't satisfied with being fed in the kitchen, alone in her highchair, nor would she allow me and my husband to eat simultaneously as someone had to hold her and usually had to give up half of their meal. So, about a month ago we instituted (Alex and I felt very parental as we had never instituted anything before) Family Dinner Time!

Per the Family Dinner Time guidelines, all members of the household are to eat dinner at the kitchen table TOGETHER. No TV (Vincent!), no phones (Alex!), just good old family time while sharing a meal together! The first night we did it, I managed to get dinner together by halftime of a football game that was playing and I had built it up as a big deal to Vincent all day long so I had all family members on board! We shared a meal with great conversation and it was awesome, I couldn't believe we didn't come up with this sooner!

The results? Vincent LOVED Family Dinner! He told his teachers and classmates about it, he talked about it in the car, and as soon as we got home he requested another family dinner - we had a hit on our hands!

Prior to his excitement, my husband was half on board with family dinner. I knew he could really take it or leave it, but with Vincents excitement about the whole thing we started having family dinner every single night and then it transferred over to family breakfast and lunch during the weekends until we became like a normal family who eats every meal at the kitchen table - go us!

While it is really cool to be normal and there are really great benefits to sharing a meal together, perhaps the biggest nugget that I gleaned from this entire situation is that if I want something to happen, I need to get my 3-year-old son 100% on board! What's next? A cruise to the Bahamas? A new car?

Wordless Wednesday: New Skills

The Joys of a 5:30am Start Time!

On Tuesday morning, the alarm sounded obnoxiously at 5:30am. I had optimistically set the damn thing the night before and thought "If I feel like getting up to jog, I'll do it. If I don't feel like jogging, I'll just turn off the alarm and roll over. Anyway, real training begins on Saturday, Jan. 21st, so anything I do this week is strictly overacheiving." I didn't even locate my warm workout clothes or shoes together before I drifted off to Snooze Town that night! But, somehow, some way, as the alarm rudely interupted my beauty rest, I was able to summon the strength to get myself out of bed, into some jogging gear, however mismatched and ill-fitting, hype myself up and get out the door.

The beauty of a traning program, is that everything is outlined for you - the distance, the pace, the beautiful, wonderful, magnificent days of rest (today is one of them :) Can you tell?) - everything! On Tuesday, per the first week training schedule, yes, the first week that doesn't actually begin until Saturday, over acheiver alert,  I was to jog one mile at a steady pace and so I did!

Prior to Tuesday, I had a lot of misconceptions about morning jogs that kept me from choosing that time in the past - I'll be tired for the rest of the day, it's too dark, there will be lots of cars filled with people commuting to work, the streets are lined with pro athletes - none of these were true! 5:30am is an awesome time to jog! The streets aren't dark because people have their porch lights and house lights on. At 5:30am, most people are either sleeping or getting ready for work, not leaving for work, so there weren't any cars on the road! I also thought that I would see tons of serious athletic gods and goddesses beating the pavement, which seemed pretty intimidating, but there wasn't a person in sight, I owned the road! As far as being tired, I felt the complete opposite effect! I had a wonderful runners high that carried me through lunch time, and I was in a great mood! I'm pretty sure everyone in my office was thoroughly annoyed at my chipperness, but I felt great and ready to produce!

Thursday, I have to admit it was a little tougher to get out of my warm, cocoon-like bed and I may have even hit the snooze button, but I did get myself up nonetheless! As I walked outside and began my trek, it felt pretty chilly, it should've - it was 20 degrees! The weatherman told me so once I returned! However cold it was, I warmed up quickly as I walked briskly to the corner where I begin jogging. From that point on, I enjoyed the same 5:30am benefits as I had on Tuesday, only this time for longer, as the training schedule called for 1 -1/2 miles at an easy pace on Thursday! I surprised myself by jogging the complete distance and arrived home to sleeping children and a hot shower, just one more pro for me to add to my ever growing list.

So stay tuned as I try to continue my enthusiasm for my new training routine... I know there will be days when I'd rather pluck each and every single hair, individualy from my body than get myself up and jogging, but for right now, I am ruminating in the joys of a 5:30am start time!

Have a great weekend!

Baked Teriyaki Chicken - What's Cookin'

This recipe was absolutely DELICIOUS and soooo easy! Make it tomorrow!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon cold water

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 chicken thighs ( could also use chicken breasts)

In a saucepan, I combined the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, black pepper, white and brown sugar, ground ginger, cold water and cornstarch. I mixed it well with a spoon and heated it until it got nice and thick.

Here's the homemade teriyaki sauce all mixed up:

Here's the teriyaki sauce with some heat:

Next, I poured the sauce over the chicken, making sure to cover every inch!

I placed the dish uncovered in a 400 degree oven and bake for approximately 35 minutes.

Here's what came out of the oven:

I served with rice and broccoli and it was fabulous! It was a little sweet, but I'm sure you can add less sugar if you don't like a really sweet teriyaki. I would also line the pan with foil because that sauce was a pain to scrub off the sides of my Pyrex dish! Try it, then let me know how it turns out!

New year, New Challenges

2011 brought me lots of fun challenges, some of which I am still working on, but it seems as though 2012 is just as bountiful in the challenge area!

Here are some of the fun challenges I am facing in 2012:

•  I have a 3 year old, enough said, but actually he is starting to ask difficult questions like the other day he asked me how mommies push babies out of their bellies... excuse me, this is starting already? He is also testing his boundries and we are trying to teach him that he doesn't get everything he wants every second of the day... this causes many a temper tantrum! 

•  Little Miss Audrey is turning the corner from infant to toddler! She's just 8 months but she is starting to pull herself up and cruise around the furniture, she's sprouting teeth, and she's developed this interesting water phobia in which she clings to me with a clutch so powerful that my only choice is to give my arm a bath, sleeve and all, right along with her because she will not let go!!!

• My new job. It is AWESOME, but it has me using brain cells that haven't been used in awhile and I'm pretty spent by the time I ride the commuter bus to my car, drive my car to pick up the kids, and finally get home! Which leads me to...

• Fitness - when I am going to fit it in?!?!  Between my commute, picking up kids, and everything else I am in charge of - there doesn't seem to be much time, or daylight! I need to figure this out quick because I have decided to sign up for the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K, which will take place on March 31st and... training begins January 21st!! I will be doing a group run each Saturday and then I have to follow the weekday training on my own.... nervous, scared, and excited.... this is my first ANYTHING!!!

• Saving $$$$. I do not want to be in our tiny home for much longer and now that I have a more lucrative job, I'm hoping to pay off some debt and save more money. This may involve a research project!

•  Organization - I already got a head start :) See post :)

So, as you can see I've got a pretty good list, which will probably double by the end of the year, but I think it's important to continually work and improve and develop and so 2012 promises to be an interesting, yet challenging year!!

Wordless Wednesday: Speechless!

This bare floor looks quite unremarkable, but it is in fact remarkable!!! Why you ask? Because when I headed upstairs last night, at 11pm, after doing dishes, dealing with kids, and packing bags for the next day, the contents of the container pictured below were scattered about in this very spot!

What does this mean, you ask? Well, it either means that we have tiny gnomes who come in and clean while we are asleep... or maybe, just maybe, my husband took it upon himself to clean up the toys...without me asking...

Beginning to see the remarkable quality of that bare floor?

Wheels are Turning!!!

I am a freak! After pulling off a very Spidey 3rd Birthday one weekend and then turning around and throwing Audrey's Baptism the very next weekend, I definitely needed a party planning hiatus, but I have two very special occasions coming up this Spring and my freakish tendencies will not allow me to give less than 2 months of planning time! What are these very special occasions you ask? Well, this March my husband and best friend turns 30 years old! He was 18 when we started dating and now he is turning 30! I cannot believe it!! And in April, sweet, little Audrey Grace turns 1. Oh my goodness I can barely believe these two milestones and want to do it up right.

For my husband, I am thinking some adult fun! Everyone get your sitters ready - March 10th! I'm not sure where it will be, or exactly what it will be, but brace yourselves!

For Audrey, I've know for quite some time that I wanted to do the Very Hungry Caterpillar theme. I've even saved some ideas on pinterest! We've rented out a clubhouse for the affair and I am planning to do lots of snacks, lollipop favors, and great decorations. All I need to do is come up with some fun activities for the kiddos and design the invites.

Yes, I understand that these Birthdays are occurring in March and April and it is still January, but my wheels are turning and if you didn't already know - I'm a freak!

Wordless Wednesday: Favorite Holiday Pictures!