Fab at 40

 

With the start of school (Boogie started Kindergarten this year) it has occurred to me that having my oldest child start kindergarten after I just (okay, maybe more like 8 months ago) turned 40, probably puts me in the top 10% of "old" moms. When Puddin' Pop starts (in 3 more years) I'll probably be in the top 5%.

While I don't necessarily think that I look my age

(That's as close as your going to get to a before picture)

I'm definitely not doing anything to get rid of the extra 20 pounds I'm carrying around (I'm working with WiiFit right now and have lost inches in my waist from all the hula hooping, but the lag time between exercises doesn't give me the full cardio I'm looking for) to look and feel younger (better.)

XFLOWSION has me pretty excited about being fab before I turn 41. I'm not a fan of weight training. I do enjoy competitive sports, but don't really have the extra time to participate in any. The XFLOWSION videos look fun. They have a 3-in-1 system that works out your entire body, and I think I can muster up the motivation to actually do these routines. They provide a combination of martial arts, power yoga and dance so I'm sure to maximize my efforts without getting bored from doing just one thing.

Fitness expert Eric Paskel provides a combination of motivation, knowledge, skill and humor in this program that consists of 4 workouts on DVD, 2 audio CD's, plus 2 guidebooks. XFLOWSION has been featured in several magazines including In Touch and Shape.

If it's good enough for Jessica Biel... It's good enough for me. I want her body for Christmas, and with a lot of luck, and XFLOWSION, I just might get it.

 

 

My head is spinning

I recently posted on another blog about some home remodeling we have to do.  It started out on Thursday when we had a plumber come out to look at and fix a leaky toilet.  The plumber was nice enough to inform us that the toilet had apparently been leaking for quite some time (since before we moved in 5 years ago) and had done some serious damage to the sub flooring.  They offered to seal it but suggested we get the floor fixed first.  We called a contractor and waited for the bad news.

In the mean time, my In Laws decided that they wanted to pay for the repairs.  Hubby is an only child and they love to do whatever they can to make our lives easier.  We decided to get an estimate to replace the linoleum flooring with hardwood and put tile down in the bathroom.  Hubby told his dad about the new and improved flooring we wanted and His dad was not to pleased.  He stated that they were willing to help us out but they were "not made of money" and was insulted that we would ask for upgrades.  Hubby explained that he wanted the estimate to see what the difference in price would be and we would pay the difference.

My In laws have been married for almost 50 years and have joint as well as separate accounts for their money.  While Hubby was having the previous conversation with his dad, his mom was telling me to pick out new carpeting for the living room and the stairwell.  I explained that the carpet on the steps continued throughout the entire upstairs (hallway and 3 bedrooms).

While we were all expecting this "job" to cost nearly $10,000, the contractor came back with a bid (for the sub floor, and replacing the linoleum with the wood and tile) under $4,000.  Elated with the news, Hubby immediately relayed the good news to his parents.  Since they "are not made of money", but expected to pay much more than this, they came up with a new plan.

They would like to have the floor done as needed.  They agreed to the hardwood floor and the tile for the bathroom.  Mom still wants to provide new carpeting, but now for the entire house.  All 3 toilets will be replaced and a new vanity will be purchased for the downstairs bathroom.  As if that wasn't enough, Mom would also like to have the entire downstairs repainted. 

The contractor will be here at 8:00 tomorrow morning and I have no idea where to begin.  I'll be taking suggestions now.  I will also be posting about the renovation project here.

Disney Bingo DVD Game

We've been a member of the disney movie club since before (I mean after) Boogie was born.  Hubby and I were raised on these movies and my Father in Law is an avid collector of Disney movies as well.  There are so many great movies in their collection, here is a list of movies I have enjoyed enough to purchase for our family... In no particular order.

Monsters Inc (my absolute favorite), Finding Nemo, Chicken Little, The Little Mermaid, A Bugs Life, Peter Pan, Toy Story (1 and 2), Cars, The Incredibles, The Tigger Movie, Underdog  (really funny), Beauty and the Beast, Ratatouille, Mulan,  and Lilo and Stitch. 

We have more, but those are my top 15 most watched.   What are your favorite Disney movies (I mean your children's favorites)

Being an avid fan, I was really excited to see Screenlife come out with a Disney Bingo game. It's an interactive DVD that helps teach colors, numbers and matching skills through movie clips and music from popular Disney movies

Boogie is really getting into playing games and I think this would be a really fun game for the whole family to play.  Puddin' Pop (with some help) could even get in on the action.  Amazon.com and Drugstore.com have them available new and used and I definitely plan on getting one as a Christmas gift (for Boog, of course).

 

Kids and Puddles

 

 

 

Every kid loves to jump in puddles, right?  It has been raining all day and Puddin' Pop was bored in the house with her brother at school and Mommy dealing with the Plumber and calling contractors.

So when she asked to play in the puddles,  just before it was time to get Hunter from the bus stop, I thought "what the hell". 

"Sure, baby.  I'll go get a towel and some dry clothes and you go splash away."  I also, thankfully, grabbed my camera to catch the cute splahing moments.   I didn't get the jumping in puddles pic...

I got this one.

 

 

Whatever was she thinking?

I made Dump Cake

I've been enjoying dropping Ecards over the last month since I've come across some pretty good info on the blogs I drop on.  I am definately NOT a drop fanatic, but manage to drop a minimum of 50 EC's for each of my blogs on a daily basis.

My point...

I have seen different versions of Dump cake (at least 3) and decided if it was good enough for others to blog about, I had to try it.

This is by fay the easiest dessert I've made.

1 16oz can of cherry pie filling

1 16oz can of crushed pineapple

1 box of yellow (or white) cake mix

1.5 sticks of butter

Dump cherry filling and crushed pineapple into 9x13 pan and mix together.

Dump cake mix on top and spread to evenly cover fruit.

Cut up sticks of butter into pats and lay out on top of cake mix

Bake at 350 until golden brown.  Mine took about 35 minutes.

Serve topped with cool whip or vanilla ice cream.

Thanks, Sorry, Let me Help

 

 

Dear Cassie,

We had so much fun this past weekend with you and the family.  I'm so glad you could come down from Chicago to visit us.  Our friendship means a lot to me and I hope our kids can be life long friends as we are, we at least got them started.

I am so sorry about the trip through West Virginia and the falling rocks.  I've never had an issue driving through there, but I guess the rocks spotted a New vehicle and "made their move".

 It's like getting that new bike as a kid and "wiping out" for the first time.  You don't care about all your scrapes you just check out the new bike, praying you didn't put a scratch on IT.  I'm sure this has hubby more distressed than you, as boys and their cars have such precious relationships.

I thought the least I could do was to research auto glass chip repair and find the best solution for you.

I found a place that does auto glass chip repair in Chicago and wanted to pass the info along.  It looks like they are close to you, have good hours, and from the reviews, provide exceptional customer service.  Here's the info:   Gerber Collision & Glass, 3425 North Halsted Street Chicago - Wrigleyville, IL 60657 Phone (773) 296-0555 Hours of Operation: Monday to Friday 7:30am to 5:30pm Saturday 8:00am to 12:00pm

I am confident they will do a great job and the quicker you get it done, the longer time we have for Hubby to forget about it before you come back next year.

Thanks Again for a Wonderful time

xoxo

 

Two For Tuesday 9/9/08

Back Again.  A spotlight of two causes you can check out and possibly make a difference by supporting.

As always, if you have a cause you would like featured, leave a comment andI'll check it out.

The first is from Cassandra, a cause she believes in and supports.  Thanks Cassandra.

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Feed My Starving Children is a Christian based company that provides meals to children in 50 different countries.  For just 17 cents you can provide a meal to a child.  94% of all donations go directly toward the food program.  Just click the picture above to find out more.

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My second spotlight today is Paws with a Cause

This is a program that trains hearing and assist dogs for people with disabilities.  I mentioned in a previous "spotlight" that my Step Mom has M.S. and she was lucky enough a couple months ago to get a dog to assist her.  Colonel helps her in day to day activies like opening doors and retrieving things such as the phone and files from coworkers and brings them to her.  This dog has been an asset to her life and I want to thank Paws for helping her out.  For more info, click the dogs above.

Two For Tuesday 9/9/08

Back Again.  A spotlight of two causes you can check out and possibly make a difference by supporting.

As always, if you have a cause you would like featured, leave a comment andI'll check it out.

The first is from Cassandra, a cause she believes in and supports.  Thanks Cassandra.

---

Feed My Starving Children is a Christian based company that provides meals to children in 50 different countries.  For just 17 cents you can provide a meal to a child.  94% of all donations go directly toward the food program.  Just click the picture above to find out more.

---

My second spotlight today is Paws with a Cause

This is a program that trains hearing and assist dogs for people with disabilities.  I mentioned in a previous "spotlight" that my Step Mom has M.S. and she was lucky enough a couple months ago to get a dog to assist her.  Colonel helps her in day to day activies like opening doors and retrieving things such as the phone and files from coworkers and brings them to her.  This dog has been an asset to her life and I want to thank Paws for helping her out.  For more info, click the dogs above.

First day of school

First day of Kindergarten.  I would like to say that it went off without a hitch...but I can't.  Poor Boogie was fine until the bus came, then became petrified and had to be removed from my leg and carried, screaming and crying, onto the bus.  Thanks to his friend for moving up to sit with him and calm him down.  My heart was breaking, but I knew it was for the best.

He loved his first day and while he wanted me to walk him across the street to the bus yesterday, today I got halfway across the street and he stopped me saying "Mom, I got it from here."