Happy Birthday Love

To My Italian Stallion (whom I know just LOVES this little blog name I've created for him)

God must have had me in mind when you were born :)  

Yes, I realize that that sounds extremely self-centered and I think you know me well enough that it takes me a couple of times around the barn to get to my point...and you know that's not what I am aiming at...

You constantly tell me about all my "so-called" wonderful qualities and contributions to our family...you know my love of words and desire to feel safe, cherished & valued...

however, I want to take this day...this anniversary of the day of your birth to focus on all that YOU are and the reason I am even able to be who I was created to be...

You are someone who, from the very beginning, tends to put my needs before your own...it humbles me...the way, that even when we are arguing, you have a calming way to look at the situation from my point of view (even when I don't reciprocate) and yet, you stand firm in the way you lead me and our family...you know how to let me know that we may not be going with MY plan, but that doesn't mean you don't value it...

The way that weekends are fun because you are with our girls...and it's genuine...you are never trying to "get away", but rather creating ways to be together...even in the mundane...

The way you r patient beyond measure...I swear God put a lot of extra ounces of patience into your body the day you were born...I am not fearful that you will run out, because you remind me where your heart lies and on Whom you depend, from Whom you get that strength.

 The way you relax us all and remind us what life is truly all about...so that we don't get so caught up in the drama and self-centered thinking...

You are definitely the introvert to my extrovert...and though you aren't necessarily energized by people, you always make time for them...I admire the way that others listen when you speak, because they know you are a man of integrity and compassion.

I can't imagine life without you...you make me want to strive hard and show love more, to give grace and be generous...because you choose those attitudes and actions.  I know you would downplay all this and I know you aren't perfect :)  It would be way too hard if you were...

I'm just in awe that you chose me...We have now officially gotten to the point where we've known each other longer than we haven't...my life is filled with moments that have you in them :)

Happy Birthday my love, my best friend...I love you :)

My Exercise Regime

People ask me never  all the time "How do you keep that beautiful muffin top around the top of your jeans looking extra smooshy?" 

Little Munchkin put her hands on my belly yesterday in the middle of Kroger and loudly declares, "Mommy, I think you must have a baby in there...LOOK, it's sooo big and round!"

NICE!!!

Folks, I'm approaching 40 and realizing that time is not slowing down and yet, my metabolism is...and along with that, everything seems to be sinking...down...

Now, I am going to admit that YES, this is partly a vanity thing...I DESIRE to look a certain way because I feel "pretty"...DUH...but please believe me when I tell you that it's not like I spend a boatload of time worrying about it or looking in the mirror...

in fact, it's been quite the opposite...

I did finally manage to get a haircut after 6 months and I did redo the nail polish of my toes about 2 weeks ago...this was the "self-done pedicure" from last summer mind you...

Anyway...long story short...it's not all about the looking good...but it's about the osteoperosis, heart attacks, cholesterol and all the other stuff that I'm seeing in the future if I don't take care of myself now...

I've done my duty with p90x and Jillian Michaels...and I've cut back on a lot of junk that I've been eating...(well, except for the gummy bears...ooooo, I LOVE gummy bears)

Anyhoo...I'm getting down to business now...I can't find anyone with the Insanity DVDs and truth be told, I doubt I have the gumption to even do it...but, I am serious about trying to cut back on all the processed food junk and actually working out where I SWEAT...and so...thus has begun my "regime"

It looks like this:

Get up in the morning (and get the girls out the door..this takes about an hour or so...let's just skip this part) we are thankful that I have at least gotten myself out of bed.

Go down to the basement and search the TV for any infomercial about working out...this has become my "mantra"...my inspiration...I get on the treadmill and run at 7mph, uphill...HARD for 2 miles...I then get off and go nuts trying to do whatever exercises I have watched on the infomercials targeting whatever area they happen to target that morning...sometimes I get the wonderful "Brazilian butt lift" and other days, I see Tracy Anderson jumping around in her little green/black leotard...either way, I do pushups, situps, weightlifting and anything else I can until I'm in a puddle of my own sweat and Little Munchkin is yelling for her morning Apple:) 

Shower...MAYBE get my hair dried...

and then I gulp down this:

My sister in law introduced me to them...they are called Glowing Green Smoothies (minus the celery for me...it just ruins the taste) but, I gulp this down for breakfast and I'm on my way:)

I've got Italian Stallion on the kick too...which also means that my "hour" in the morning is extended while I blend one up for him as well...

I have no idea if I will ever fit back into the jeans I wore 2 years ago...and I have a feeling that at some point, I will need to let go of that dream...but at least I'll have some healthy benefits from my craziness:)

Wacky Wednesday Odds and Ends

Don't groan...it's just a fore-warning...I know it's corny, but, she's young...she'll get it...it'll make her smile...besides, although it is absolutely wonderful to be told that you are loved...it's only a matter of time before you basically can recite word for word what dear 'ole mom has written in her 95th lunch box note of the year...

I have to "switch it up" a little every now and then...and yes, I am well aware that we've only been in school for 5 days...but, let's remember the type of "change-around" personality that I am...my dear friend Sara can vouch for me...

So, here is Sweetpea's lunchbox note from Mommy for today!

hee, hee...Italian Stallion rescued that one from the depths of his elementary school memories...

myself? yes, well I was googling "knock knock jokes for children" at 11pm...it's pathetic, I know...

Anyway...onto other odd and ends:

Check out what McDonald's happy meal toys are for this last week? how did I go so long without realizing this...oh yes, I gave up Mcdonalds after watching the documentary Super Size Me and I couldn't handle the "molding" at the end...yuck!

What you may not know is that you don't have to buy a happy meal in order to get a prize...you can just buy the prize for 96 cents...ChaChing! Stocking gifts already!!!

In other news, If you are looking for a quality made swimsuit...and at a relatively good price...(by the way, I am aware that these "prices" are rather high even still...but, I've had my Lands End quality made swim suit for 10 years...I got my money's worth out of it) You may want to check out this store. My friend down the street purchased one this summer and it is not only so cute, but the entire thing is LINED and super comfortable!!! A lot of their tankinis are on sale right now...just fyi!

I'm ready for Labor Day weekend already...we've got a Fantasy Football Team party on Monday...don't ask me what that actually means...I kinda got sucked in with everyone else in the neighborhood...all I know is that I get to purchase some YUMMY chicken salad and croissants to share and my girlies will be around for a 3 day weekend!!! WooHoo...

Happy Wednesday!

What If You Won the Lottery

In keeping with the wave of "winning"...and by "wave", I mean...I won something one time, this past week...but it's gotten me so excited that I thought I'd just settle in this little dream world that I've created in my head and stay there for a few moments or so...please come join me...

Italian Stallion and I used to play this game on our long trips visiting family while we were in college. It's not that we're not content with what we have...it's just hilarious to think of all the things that you could get with a GAZILLION dollars! (if you didn't catch that, that was my disclaimer b/c I seem to be so into them lately...just want to make sure people understand me and sometimes that's hard on the computer screen) So, please feel free to join in and play with me here...

If I won the lottery...here are my top ten things that I would do first...this is all AFTER the obvious things like: pay off our mortgage and all the mortgages of all our family members and a few select friends...get all the girls' college, wedding and down payment on their first house all set aside...you know...the "regular" things we would do!

Here we go:
#1 I would add a beautiful back porch with patio and outside brick pizza oven (because you know any good Italian family NEEDS a good outdoor brick oven)...


all this WOULD include all patio furniture and of course, a porch swing...a nice ceiling fan on the porch might be nice as well...(while we're here in my little happy place, come sit and relax on my rocking chairs and sip some lemonade with me)

#2 I would buy all these cameras


AND all these lenses


I had to combine these all onto one, otherwise, my entire list would consist of camera accessories...I figured it would be quite a boring post for y'all if I just went on and on about the Nikkor 10-24mm and the Nikkor micro lens and the Nikon D300 and the Nikon D90 and...and...and...okay, I'll stop now.
oh, and I would also get the Canon versions of all of these for my BFF A-M...cuz, I'm just that sort of friend :)

#3 Back to the back of my house, as we're sitting here sipping on the lemonade and taking pictures with all my cameras...we can take cute photos of my girls swimming in my beautiful inground pool, complete with waterslide and waterfall...and a pool boy who take care of all maintenance requirements so that my dear Italian Stallion wouldn't have to bother with it...and he could probably bring us some lemonade refills and wipe our perspiring brows...(I'm just sayin'...it could just be part of his job ya know?)
#4 Okay, so in order to keep that lemonade nice and cool, I'll need one of these:
My fridge works just fine, but this model came out AFTER we got all our appliances for our house and oh my, if we were building NOW, I'd just order myself one of these! #5 I've got to throw in a large screen TV with all the Wii golf that my husband could possibly enjoy...this would all be added to our finished basement that I would have done, complete with game and lounge room for the girls.

#6 I would buy whatever land is left in our neighborhood and build houses for our dear friends the Austins and for my brother and his family...and since we have a GAZILLION dollars, I'd just throw in salary for them until they were able to find jobs here (considering they don't live in our state in the first place, so it would be quite the change for them...however, seeing as this is MY dream world...it would just work itself all out perfectly)

#7 This Washer and Dryer would be our next addition into a newly remodeled mudroom, complete with an outside spigot for dirty feet before the girls come into the house...and I"d be sure to have one of these in there too...just cuz I think it's pretty...and you gotta add the pretty to the mudroom sometimes!

#8 I would get a laptop with CS4 installed on it...that's pretty much all I'd need...oh and maybe I'd order up some "actions" and stuff too...but, that's about it I think.

#9 I believe a king sized bed would be a nice addition as well...may I just say, that if you have the money, or can sell things to get the money...when you get married, don't bother with the queen bed...you don't even really need a headboard or anything...just get the frame, 2 old box springs and then a really nice king sized mattress...it's worth it...especially if you plan on having kiddos...cuz by the time they are 2,5, and 7 they all want to crawl in bed with you in the mornings and there's just not enough room for all those squirming, growing bodies..
#10 I can't think of a super duper number 10 item...I'm sure I'd want to buy a new pair of jeans and get a new toaster (cuz ours is really quite nasty right now)...but, I think the last thing would be to travel...I'd love to take our family on really super vacations, I'd love to "honeymoon" again with Italian Stallion and go over to Italy...lots of options with this one I'm thinking...

Soooo, how about you...do you ever play the "what if I won the lottery game?" I'd love to hear any of your ideas or your top ten as well!!! Happy Monday!

EDIT: Just for the record, I don't even PLAY the lottery, which makes this post all the more ridiculous...but MUCH FUN to play on a long road trip, and when one wants to drift away into a "happy place" amidst the chaos of spilled milk, doggie doo on the floor, TV blaring, clogged toilets and mounds of laundry:)

Deep Thoughts

Since yesterday's blog post was a little "thoughtfull"...you know, with all that "Thinking" going on and stuff, so I thought I'd just continue the thinking with other deep thoughts and reflections...

1) Beware when all is peaceful one moment, because the second you need to use the bathroom...everyone will need you, there is someone at the door and the phone starts ringing.

2) Believing that the universe is infinitely big is easy, trying to figure out what to wear in the morning after your "friend" has come for a visit, is hard.

3) One thing that will make your sister really sad, is just running up and biting her on her belly and then running away.

4) Someone should invent a cleaning fairy...someone who does all the laundry, cleans the toilets, vacuums, loads the dishwasher, changes the sheets, cooks dinner..wait a minute...that's me.

5) My dad always told me "You think you know all the answers...You just don't know all the questions yet!" I think I agree with him now.

6) Trying to find a new bathing suit...something you ONLY wear once every other year because that's pretty much the only time you're at a pool because you're in Florida...after having 3 children...well, it's about as enjoyable as slamming your finger with a hammer...over and over and over again.

7) Why is it that sometimes, Cookie Dough is just the only thing that will do the trick...that and maybe a frapaccino?

That's it...not much goin' on upstairs today...
Have a great Sunday!