Hell....

I have this list of items that really "grate my nerves" or "get my goat" or makes me " see red" like these 4 items.



1:  Carpet.
It is very lovely when brand-new.  So soft under the feet.  So nice to lie down on when watching TV or whatever.  It is all fun and games until someone spills a whole cup of Sunny D and doesn't tell you about it until days later.  Or when you are trying to potty-train a cute puppy.  Or when a child tracks mud and other grime from outside.  I know we could have avoided a lot of the muck if we had the "no shoes inside" rule or didn't get a puppy....but I like wearing shoes and love my dog and children....plus I didn't want to stress over the floors anymore than I had to!!


When my parents built their house in 1980 my mother wanted all hard-surface floors.  NO CARPET.  I never understood until I had my own home.  We built our house in 2002 and went ahead and had the carpet put down because it was included in the price...but we knew eventually it would be trashed.  A few years later we got hard wood.  Best. investment. ever.  I respect the "no shoes" rule at other people's houses and have lots of respect for their clean carpets!  

2.  Grout
Ok...so a few years ago Richard and I (mainly me) installed our own tile in the kitchen and sunroom.  HUGE project.  never do it again.  unless I have to.  Saved thousands though and only messed up once....which you really can't do since it is permanent...but that isn't my complaint.  The grout.  It gets dirty so easily.  Yes...i sealed it.  twice.  If I could change something it would have been the color I chose.  Our tile color is a little lighter than this picture but the grout was about that shade of beige.  In the beginning you could see the dirty grout...but now as I look around it all looks the same dark brown/ dirt color so it is OK:)  I don't notice it as much.   I have looked into cleaning products but that will not last that long.  looked at better sealants and/or staining it another color ....who cares, right?

3.  Holly Bushes
Sure...they are cute when they are small(just like a puppy) but they grow up(although my dogs have stayed cute!).  And before you know it...the 14 holly bushes that were planted along the front of your house are  thick and prickly and overgrown and taking over your sidewalk.  As they got more mature they were very difficult to control and i swear they grew overnight.   Oh...and trying to haul away the clippings....torture.

So what are your options?  Hack away with a dull shrub trimmer  and lop off the bottom branches?  Try to shape them but cutting away so much that it looks like a midget tried to prune them....so you just cut it down to the ground level?  Or borrow a chainsaw and cut them all down while laughing maniacally?  All of the above.

The ONLY good I saw from these devil-bushes was keeping away the riff raff like in this picture  (when I was googling a picture of the bushes this came up...."ways to keep your house safe"...it looks like 2 teenagers trying to escape...not burglars!


















4.  Weed Eaters or String Trimmers

Oh...this is making me 'see red' and I haven't even written 20 words!  Imagine your yard needs to be mowed....and you know those places where the lawn mower just won't reach...no matter how many times you back up and bump the swing set and almost run into the house?  Those places the need a string trimmer?  Ok...so imagine you have just spent an hour mowing the lawn and are ready make your yard sparkle by taking care of the trim work.  You make sure the trimmer is gassed up....have pushed that little bulb 10 times...moved the choke to 'full'....done all the steps and then start pulling.  nothing.  you go through the steps again and start pulling.  oh...you get excited because it starts to cough and then it dies.  once again all the steps and it starts!!!  angels start to sing.  Ok....so you move the choke down to the "run" position and it dies.  Imagine doing this for 20 minutes. Oh...yes it did eventually run for about 5 minutes and then die....so i would have to start. all. over.
I have never "screamed out of frustration" so loud-and so many times-  in my life!  I didn't even care what the neighbors or the missionaries thought.  Oh...and when you do get the demon started and then the string runs out...what now?  Try restringing it.  Just try.  Aint' that easy.  And then you remember how much you paid for this machine....putting up a little more money to get one that would start each time.  geesh.  Makes me want to put down astro turf like they do in Florida!

So there is my list of items that are probably in Hell.  Carpet, Holly Bushes, grout and String Trimmers.  The end.

School Already....YAY!!

Yes. School is back in session!  I love the summers.  I especially loved the independent age of Fia and Nate this year because I could keep my teaching schedule without worrying about them being bored at the gym while waiting on me!!  So it was SOOOOOO nice when they could stay home and mindlessly waste brain power in front of the TV and computer while I was off galavanting in town!

But alas...that fun had to end.  School officially started Friday August 5th.  Big milestone for Sophia because she was going to Middle School(new school, teachers, people, rules, etc) and for Nate because he was going to be all alone at the elementary school.  Thankfully he has a reputation at that school...one that has earned respect from the teachers.  Doesn't that face just scream 'respect the Nate'?

(and it is the i-may-scowl-but-i-really-dont-hate-you-or-mean-any-disrespect reputation')

Turns out I stressed out WAY more than they ever did.  Nate had no qualms about being the only Villamor at school(can you see his 'i can handle this' look on that face?....or is that the 'i hate school and i hate pictures' face...or maybe it is the 'can i watch TV' or 'can i have ice cream' face.  He has so many it is hard to tell).  Sophia was a little nervous but walked into LCMS like a big girl and had to fight off her Daddy wanting to walk her inside!  I could tell I stressed out too much when i was so exhausted Friday night.  I was so relieved when the afternoon rolled around and I saw that they both survived the first day(Nate actually got an award for following directions the best on day 1!)...when i saw they were OK i relaxed a little and man was I tired!

Sophia loves to pose....see her bent knee?   so big!

Registration was a zoo that took 1 1/2 hours to complete and we left the school hot, bothered and with a messed up schedule and had no idea when school started/ended.  So i was soooo excited when she got in the car and told me about her new schedule-complete with chours!  And her best friend was in all her classes.  And her friend from Junior University was in her classes and her boyfriend-stalker 

wasn't in any of her classes!!  It is going to be an awesome year!!

SOphia is the best at keeping traditions.  I started making a school bus cake the night before school started back when Fia went to K.  She has made sure we have done it ever since! It is fun and yummy!

I just included this one to show the world what a beautiful smile Nate does have!  I hope he shows it more in pictures this year....yeah right!(this was taken in 2009)

wounded Warriors

The first weekend in May i participated in a 50 mile bike race to support the Wounded Warrior project. I have ridden on the road a couple times last year and loved it. So fun. 

There were 2 distances you could sign up for....25 and 50 miles.  Hmmm...i haven't been on the bike in a year which should i do??  50 of course!  I was a little worried about how my butt would handle it since i hadn't been on the road this year but I had nothing to lose and there are always motorcycles or fire trucks ready to take wimpy-riders back to their cars if they have to stop;) 

Here are my fearless riding buddies. Mark(far left) finished his race in @2.5 hours. He was going for speed and didn't stop at the rest areas at all-he was 4th overall. Jody and Susan and I took all the stops and finished in @4 hours:) The stops were at mile 10, 25, 35 and 50. We needed each one. The only bad part was the traffic. We were riding through Alphraetta, Ga on a Saturday morning @830am. There were lots of traffic lights and stop signs. That was pretty frustrating but on the 2nd loop we had it down. It gave us LOTS of opportunities to practice clipping in and out of our bikes! We all felt pretty confident about that and i felt more confident with riding in a group and with cars around(although that still frightens me !)

THis race was also a hand-cycle race. The proceeds benefitted the Wounded Warrior project-they help the wounded soliders when they come back from war.  These riders were the true athletes!

There weren't many who did the 50 mile race.  It was a down-and-back course so after we rested and started back we realized not many were going out again.  There were 3 of us and along the way we caught up with this guy.  Jerry.  Like Susan said-it was nice to have a man around!  He said he enjoyed riding with "tough girls"...that's right Jerry! Don't mess with shorty(look how short I am!!)  When we rode in for our finish everything was almost packed up. There were less than 10 volunteers left and they did clap for us but I wanted more of a welcome! They had already deflated the start/finish arch (pic 1).  The free massage-person had already left!  All the good snacks were gone!  Oh well....it was a fun day and I did fine!  Now I want to do a Century ride this year!!

Cricket

August 8,1995- March 18, 2011

Well...we finally got the courage to let Cricket go. It was so very hard to do. The kids don't know yet...they just haven't noticed that she isn't on her chair. I am avoiding that conversation.

Cricket wasn't sick like other dogs who have to be "put down" which made this decision a little more tough.  She was still eating and would use the bathroom outside when we put her out there.  These were always the signs that let you know your animal was alright.  But she couldn't see, hear or smell.  She couldn't find her way around the house or outside.  We kept her in the chair most of the day so she wouldn't wander the house.  But if we weren't around to get her down when she needed she would fall as she tried to get down.  Last night we came home to find her wandering the house which meant she fell off the chair again.  After cleaning up her messes I found her in the middle of the sunroom floor.  She was trying to go somewhere and just got too tired to keep going I guess.  Richard and I just looked at each other and knew today would be the day.

I started crying when i made the appointment.  I cried when we walked into the vet.  I cried when the Dr. walked into the room.  I cried when they gave her the sedative(just to relax her before the final shot).  Then she calmed down and went to sleep.  It was nice to hold her like this.  She hasn't wanted to be held or cuddled for SO long.  About 5 minutes later the Dr. came back in and administered the shot that would stop her heart.  I didn't cry much anymore.  I felt peace.  I think I am a little numb right now and i know it will be hard again when we try to explain it to Fia and Nate...but until then I think i will enjoy the lull and take a nap:)

Cricket was our first baby.  She was loved by so many....she was never the stereotypical small dog.  She wasn't nippy, didn't bite and put up with A LOT of attention from little kids, a cat and a few puppies we brought into our lives.  Oh... and she was the BEST bed warmer.  She had this ferocious growl when she would play tug-of-war that made everyone pause.  I think that was one of Granny's favorite traits of hers.  She was the best traveling companion and loved to hear the words "want to go for a ride?".  When we would travel to Alabama she  would curl up on my chest.  It was a balancing act but not a dangerous one.  I had taught her how to turn on the blinker and wipers so actually she was a big help.  She never mastered shifting gears though.  :)

Obviously death is never easy and the pain is unique but it was for the best.  It is amazing the bond that forms between and animal and their human companions.   Cricket will be deeply missed by so many.

Dear Nate

Dear Nate,

Why did you have to grow up? Why didn't you listen to me when you were 3....i specifically told you to stop growing up!!

Sigh

You know how my belly hurts when i see your sores...like the small blister on your collar bone that was caused by the hot popcorn kernal that flew out of the popper when you thought it would be funny to lift the lid?? And you know how you like to show me your boo-boo's to make me wince...which makes us both laugh?

It is so very hard to look at these pictures. It makes my belly hurt. Why do you enjoy hurting your mother like this?

What? You don't know how to stop doing it? It is fun to make me furrow my brow in pain? Well...i know how you can stop. Quit growing up please. Then I won't have to find pictures like these in my closet, frown and grab my belly because it is hurkin'.

Love,

Mom.

summer breeze....

Last night I was looking through our pictures and came across these. It hurts to look at these. So i decided I should blog about the hurt.

Sophia got this $20 Barbie tricycle when she was potty-trained...or maybe it was when she gave up her pacifer...but anyway she was 3 when we bought this for her. She LOVED this trike. LOVED it. She rode it until the wheels cracked. She cried when I threw it away.

When we built our house in 2002 we were able to hand-pick our lot. We purposefully chose this lot for the cul-de-sac. It is the perfect place to ride bikes, play ball, etc. We spent many days out riding our bikes and enjoying the weather.

Sophia loved to feel the wind in her face -as you can see in the sequence of the pictures. See the determination on her face in the first one....she is trying so hard to get enough speed. In the 2nd shot she is letting up on the speed and tilting her head back.....

Ahhhhh.....eyes closed...basking in the cool breeze. If you look closely you can see her squishy forehead. I loved kissing that forehead. Now it isn't so squishy:(.

She still loves feeling the wind in her face. When we pull into our neighborhood she will stick her head out the window. So next time you see us coming down Sweetwater Court look for Sophia's head out one window and Obie's out the other!

Nate

recently we were struggling with Nate to fix his hair daily...when he wakes up it looks like a rat's nest. he has no problem with it looking like this and his argument was it was his hair and he should be able to look like he wants. well...son...not when it looks like that! he can cut it if he wants. once he found out that his best friend Jacob isn't allowed to wear his hair messy he stopped fighting me. here is a recent conversation we had while I was applying some curl creme...

Nate: "Mom. You know why I dont' like my hair?"

Me: "Why?"

Nate: "Because it rhymes with 'girls' "

Me: "What? it does?"

Nate: "Girls-Curls"

SOphia

sophia walked into the bathroom while i was getting out of the shower recently.  this prompted the following discussion.  her school offers a puberty class to 4th and 5th graders every year.

Sophia: "Mom...do i have to go to the puberty class this year?"

Me: "Why? you dont' want to go? Is it embarassing?"

Sophia: "No...it is disturbing."

Relief Society An Enduring Legacy

anyone know how to save this to my computer so i can use it in a slideshow???

letter-boxing

Last year we went to Stone Mountain to hike.  Before we left I looked up the locations of some letter-boxes.  I believe Stone Mountain has the most hidden boxes in the US.  There were tons...the hard part was looking for some that would be 'easy'...and mainly ones we knew the location of the first clue.  This one started at the Plantation House(i think that was the name.

Although I don't remember the exact order of the clues...these pictures give an idea of what we did( and picasa only allows you to upload 4 pictures per post so i couldn't add all of them).  One said to look for the 3 green chimneys.  This house has 2 chimney in the front and one in the back.  Then it said something about a rock across the street.  Then we were to follow the log running parallel to the street.

Then locate the 'goal-post' tree....this was a little hard...but so exciting when we found it!  It does look like a goal post! Then we looked for a moss-covered rock that was in-between 2 logs.  One log had the box located in a groove where it split into 2 trunks...or something like that:)  It is so so so exciting to find it!

Inside the little box is a log book and a stamp.  We pulled out our log books, applied this stamp and stamped their log book with our stamp( we just have the letters "M, R, S, N" for each of our name), added the date and LaGrange, Ga.  Everyone who finds this box does the same. It is fun to flip through the book and see who has been here, when and where they were from.

You can see what letter-boxes are located in your town.  We need to do this more often!

Binders....

I dont' remember getting excited about binders or notebooks.

Nate does.  He gets excited about school supplies in general.  

maybe i did get excited about the infamous "TRAPPER KEEPER"!!

He loves to go to Staples and look at all the notebooks and pencils and boxes and folders and erasers, and pencil grips, oh...and backpacks!  he loves backpacks! When it was time to buy our school supplies for 3rd grade I almost got roped into buying a new binder like the one above at Staples.  They had this sale where if you bought 3 you got one free and they were already on sale so it sounded like a good deal until you got home and realized they still were $8/piece!  Nate had already caressed his new notebook,  dreamed of all the paper it would hold, how it would fit in his backpack when I gave him the sad

 news "that folder is going back!".  

He would ask about getting a folder like that one many times but i kept crushing his little heart....but always with the suggestion of "you can use your own money"...but we all know how well that works!  Well the cheap $3 binder he ended up with has lasted until now.  We have other binders he could replace his with but he refused.  

We were in Wal-Mart last night and he saw a binder like this: 

and i said "wait...I have 2 of those".  I was cleaning out my closet this week and saw them.   When we got home he asked about the binders and quickly fell in love.  What does "falling in love with a binder" look like?.  Well...he very carefully looked at each binder.  Weighed each option. Asked my opinion about each one 10 times.  Which one should I use.  What would I put in this pocket.  What about this one.  Hmmmm.....which one would Fia want....and i think I will definitely want that one. 

Then after he decided which one he wanted he transferred all his stuff.  Ok...so that sounds all normal, right?  Well...tonight he had it in his lap when we sat down for dinner.  I think it would have stayed there if I didn't say "put your binder away".  Sophia switched out her binder for the other zip-up one.  He was watching this process eager to give his always-plentiful- priceless advice on how she was arranging her things.  

ahhhh...the joys of childhood!

the runaway

Cricket, Cricket, Cricket.  In her younger years she was a looker.  A real head turner.  Lately though the years have taken her beauty and some of her personality, her hearing and all her sight.  Some days she is "here" and other days she is just a shell of a dog.  We can't leave her outside alone because she can't find her way back to the house.  She can't find her way to the food and water either.  But she isn't in pain.  She still eats.  She is comfortable.

So this week we put Cricket outside to use the bathroom and she was forgotten.  About 30 minutes later I asked "where is Cricket?".  We quickly looked outside to the cul-de-sac where she usually would end up just wandering around in circles....but she wasn't there.  We looked in the neighbor's yard.  Nothing.  We looked up and down our street 4 times, knocked on all our neighbor's doors and looked behind their houses.  We looked in the woods behind our house and in the cul-de-sac.  Nothing.  Nothing.  It was getting dark and cold and starting to sprinkle.  I was holding it together but when I had walked the street for the 3rd time I started to cry.  I didn't know where else to look.  Richard felt the same way.

I told my good friend Joanne about our dilemma and she brought her whole family over to help us look.  They came right as I was about to *realistically* give up.  Just when I was about to let my mind go to the place where I would start to feel the emotions of this situation I heard the words "I found her!".  What?

Joanne's boyfriend had walked the woods starting at our neighbor's house and followed the fence to our yard and crossed over 2 barbed wire fences into the pasture.  He heard some rustling and a little whimper.  There was our baby girl!  She had fallen into a gulley and was badly tangled in thorns and briers.  She was covered in mud and all wet.  He had to cut away some of the thorns and she had a pretty long thorn still tangled that we had to cut out.

Even though Cricket exhibits no sign of "knowing" most of the time....she knew where she was this time.  She usually doesn't enjoy cuddling or snuggling but she showed how much she enjoyed this by licking our faces.  Once you get past the rotten-fish breath it is a sweet thing!

I don't know how we would have made it through the night knowing she was lost out in the cold.  That evening I would have moments of panic and then remember she was not lost anymore.  We can't thank our friends enough for helping us find her.  True friends.

After she was warmed up we put her in the bathtub, washed away all the dirt and told her many times how happy we were she was home!  I even warmed up her blanket in the dryer.  I think she liked that!

Family Exercise....

Back in November Sophia and I participated in a 1mile/5K run in a nearby town.  Nate and Richard said they would participate in the next race with us.  Well folks...that time had arrived!  Yesterday we woke up at 6am on a Saturday and drove to Newnan to pariticpate in the "Run for Angles" 1mile and 5K.  We didn't do much training outside.

Sophia is now in a different age bracket (11-14) and this race was a little bigger so her chances of placing were smaller....but she did great coming in 1 mile at 8:53.  Nate was near 9:30 and Richard brought up the rear with a grand time of  11:22!  I was so proud of all of them...but especially Richard!  He gets NO exercise and had 1 practice run.  He was pretty tired when he crossed the finish line but he did great!  He wasn't proud of himself...he was expecting a faster time...but i told him it was a wonderful time!  My first 5K was completed in 37 minutes...12min miles!

The 1 mile started at 8:15am.  I ran the 1 mile to keep track of the kids....well all i kept track of was the back of their heads.  Then I ran the 5K at 8:30am.  My goal was to finish in 30 minutes.  That was my goal of the last one but the hills killed me and I came in right around 31:00.  When I woke up yesterday morning I thought "it is OK if I don't make my time today" and "what am i thinking.  it is Saturday!" and "man it is cold...".  But all that was gone once I got there.  I pushed myself and at mile one I was at 9:15 then mile 2 was a little faster and I just pushed myself on that last mile and crossed the finish right at 29:00!  wahoo!

I am hoping we can do more of these in the future and that maybe someone will do the 5K with me!  I am so proud of my family!

journaling...and strategy

So my healthy goal for the past 3 weeks has been to keep a journal of what I am eating.  Like all goals this is hard to keep for the first few days.  Or some goals are exciting for the first few days and then...blah.  Well...this falls into the first category.  I really didn't want to do it but since my jeans were a little too snug I knew it was time(i have been wanting to do this goal but excuses are always plentiful!).  It would be a good indicator of what I was eating and how my portions were looking.  (i don't count calories or measure...just write down what I eat...i know when my portions are too large and I will jot that down too )

Week one was pretty much a hit and miss.  Week 2 I started out by weighing myself(something I don't do on purpose.)  It was a nice motivator to really get serious about this goal.  Around Wednesday I wanted to stop but kept going.  THis past week(week 3) was easier and I actually wanted to record what I was eating.  I also jotted down a few emotions I was dealing with surrounding my food which helped tremendously.  If I can acknowledge my emotions on paper then they don't come screaming out in the form of donuts.

This weekend I had a couple of meals where I was a little anxious about what I was going to eat and the company I would have.  In the book I got for Christmas-The Total Female Body Breakthrough by Rachel Cosgrove-she says to have a strategy for when you are going to be out of your comfort zone or for when obstacles arise..  So I wrote down my strategy in my journal. I also wrote down a plan of what I wanted to eat.  Nothing is ever set in stone and I can change my mind(i hate being told what to do...can you tell?)...but it was so nice to have a plan in place to fall back on...it felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.  It helped put my emotions at ease and then I could enjoy my company and the food!

Another great benefit from journaling is to see which foods are causing my intestinal distress:)  I felt so good this morning when I got up to workout.  no bloating.  ahhhhh.  so nice.  Which means I had a good week food wise and I believe I know now which foods are safe.  "If Mama's intestines ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"...isn't that how that saying goes?

Happiness List

A very talented graphic artist -and new mommy- Aarean has a very insightful post on her blog now about happiness. What makes us happy. Apparently there is 40% unaccounted potential happiness in our lives. 50% of our happiness is biological(which I found interesting...so if our family is typically "doom and gloom" we tend to be that way half of the time?) 10% is based on life circumstances(like if you are uniquely talented or attractive...well we all know I am both of those...hardee har har) which leaves the
 40% that we create for ourselves.

So what brings me happiness? (besides those 2 munchkins above?)

*freshly mopped floors

*using my steam mop to get those clean floors

*fuzzy socks

*the tight feeling I get after teaching Body PUmp...love it!

*hearing babies laugh

*looking through baby pictures

*talking with my Mom. She has the unique talent of listening to whatever

 I want to babble about and sounding so interested. love you Mom!

*a visit to my brother and sister

*hearing the funny jokes from my Dad

*taking a nap.

*taking naps with snuggly babies

*taking naps with my snuggly dog

*when my children LOVE what I cook and compliment me on my cooking skills

*the look of excitement and longing my dog gives me when he hasn't seen me in a while. wouldn't' it be nice if everyone greeted you that way!

*loading my dishwasher and knowing I won't have to do that work.

*having children old enough to unload the dishwasher and knowing I won't have to do that work.

*stuffing my XL washer with dirty clothes and knowing they will come out smelling clean!

*having Sunday off

*a husband who supports me in my hobbies

*watching movies with that cool husband

*lunch with good friends

*when i turn my keys and my car starts

*when we get to sleep in

*a productive day

*payday

*Family Home Evenings that don't have too much fighting:) rare but possible!

Shrinking dryer...

My friend Chris posted about her weight loss journey so I decided to write about what I am doing to get me motivated to think about starting on a weight loss journey...how is that for committed? I debated about writing about it because I know if I say I am going to do something must follow through...so i guess if I write this I must follow through:)

So last weekend i pulled on a pair of pants that had obviously shrunk in the dryer...i mean they were hard to get over my hips! What else could explain this problem?

What? Maybe I am eating too much? nonsense.

Ok...probably so. I have fought this for too long, made excuses about why I can't change my eating habits...no more! Time to do something small. I weighed myself last week. It wasn't as bad as I thought thankfully. And it is actually what I weighed last year when I was training for my triathlons. And weighing didn't carry the same negative emotions that the scale use to carry for me(which is wonderful). So I decided to set a small goal of writing down everything i ate. It is very eye-opening to see just how much I put into my pie-hole. When I weighed myself this morning I was a little shocked that it was up a little...why? Because when I do write down what I eat it makes me eat less...makes me aware that I am eating mindlessly. Plus I taught so many classes last week(10!)...but that just supports the theory that more exercise doesn't equal weight loss.
So. It didn't get me down. I just started paying closer attention to my portions this week. I also calculated the calories of one of my favorite breakfasts this morning. Oatmeal with 2 T peanut butter. This morning I also had a banana and added 1/2 cup of wheat berries for extra protein... before I knew it I was up to 600 calories. What? Really. Oh well. It was filling and yummy. There is also tomorrow, right? I had taught Body Pump this morning and was teaching RPM later so I did need to give my body some good food. I am a protein-type and really need to get a lot of protein at mealtime to feel satisfied and last until the next meal/snack. So i bulk up my oats for that reason...but am going to rethink my PB oatmeal tomorrow. My body isn't digesting dairy(which includes eggs) or soy or beans so that seriously limits my protein choices!!! yuck. Which makes me want to write a nasty letter to my digestive system...but I refrain. I am very thankful for my body. It does many amazing things and will figure this whole problem soon enough!
I love to read health and fitness books and blogs to get inspired. For Christmas I ordered this book. Love it and will read it again. I also visit Trainermomma.com for great motivation...but I have to be careful not to compare myself to these women. I can get there if I can just keep that motivation past...ummmm...past the time I get out off the couch. ha. I mean what is my excuse?

test test 1, 2, 3