Saturday, June 30, 2007
trouble with photos
**just a little note ... I'm having a problem uploading pictures to the 'puter. As soon as I can get it resolved, I'll have photos up of our Disney trip and Belle and Minnie. :)
Minnie and Belle
Last week Maya and I went to Petco to get Jasmine and Simba (our cats) a new litter box. While in the store, Maya asked if we could see all the animals--her favorite part of going to Petco. I said sure. When we went back to the cat adoption area that's run by a local animal shelter, we saw 2 of the cutest kittens I'd ever seen. They were black and white and just adorable. Maya desperately wanted to take them home. I said we couldn't just take cats home. We've already got two of them. Except, I was thinking that I would have loved to take them home. Naturally she told Austin all about them. (It is worth noting that Austin is an absolute cat lover ... he's always talked about wanting more cats, especially kittens.) The kids chatted on and on about how much they'd love to have kittens and how cute the ones in the store were. Austin hadn't even seen them, but was sure Maya was right and pleaded along with her.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the kids, I was talking to Tim about how fun it would be to get kittens. The kids are at a good age for it--old enough to know how to treat them and take care of them without doing the things that Austin did as a baby (pulling tails and fur, chasing, etc.). We know that we'll never be able to surprise the kids at Christmas with a puppy in a box because Austin's too allergic to dogs. He's also allergic to cats, but doesn't seem to react to them much. Besides, I would want our next cats to be indoor / outdoor, so they wouldn't even be in the house all the time. Tim wasn't as sure as I was. (read: Tim didn't like the idea) But after some more talking and thinking about it, we figured we might as well go for it. So, the kids and I went to Petco to get the 2 kittens.
Except that the animal shelter doesn't do same-day adoptions. And there had been other people who had filled out the paperwork for the same two adorable black and white 10-week old kittens. The representative from the shelter didn't seem keen on the idea that we wanted them to be indoor / outdoor or that we already had two cats. She told me that if we didn't hear from them in 48 hours, we should figure that we weren't the family chosen for the kittens. OK. No problem.
No phone call. No kittens. I had already told the kids that we might not get them ... and if we weren't the family chosen for them, then there was probably a good reason that we just weren't aware of. Maybe they wouldn't get along with Jasmine and Simba, maybe they wouldn't like being outside, maybe they wouldn't be snuggly cats like we'd want ... who knows?!
Or, maybe a more ideal kitten scenario was just around the corner. We were at my in-laws' house and had told them about the Petco kittens and that we didn't seem to be the chosen family, etc. That's when my father-in-law told me that my mother-in-law's brother (and family) had kittens on their farm that were just old enough to be given to other families. Really?! And they basically live right next door ...
So, the kids and I went over that night and checked out the kittens. Very cute and playful. Their mom is the best cat they've ever had ... if these kittens have half of her sweet personality (or cat-ality) they'll be wonderful, they said. Sounds great to me!! We picked out the 2 we liked best and brought them home.
We're sticking with the Disney theme we have for naming our pets. The mostly black / tiger striped kitten is Minnie. She has white paws--like Minnie Mouse's gloves. :) And Belle has a lot of white fur with some of the tiger striping on her back. She looks like she's got eyeliner on with the dark lining around her eyes. Both are really cute, very snuggly, silly and playful. Just what we wanted.
Another example of the adage that things work out like they should ... I'm so glad that my kids have been able to see that for themselves.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the kids, I was talking to Tim about how fun it would be to get kittens. The kids are at a good age for it--old enough to know how to treat them and take care of them without doing the things that Austin did as a baby (pulling tails and fur, chasing, etc.). We know that we'll never be able to surprise the kids at Christmas with a puppy in a box because Austin's too allergic to dogs. He's also allergic to cats, but doesn't seem to react to them much. Besides, I would want our next cats to be indoor / outdoor, so they wouldn't even be in the house all the time. Tim wasn't as sure as I was. (read: Tim didn't like the idea) But after some more talking and thinking about it, we figured we might as well go for it. So, the kids and I went to Petco to get the 2 kittens.
Except that the animal shelter doesn't do same-day adoptions. And there had been other people who had filled out the paperwork for the same two adorable black and white 10-week old kittens. The representative from the shelter didn't seem keen on the idea that we wanted them to be indoor / outdoor or that we already had two cats. She told me that if we didn't hear from them in 48 hours, we should figure that we weren't the family chosen for the kittens. OK. No problem.
No phone call. No kittens. I had already told the kids that we might not get them ... and if we weren't the family chosen for them, then there was probably a good reason that we just weren't aware of. Maybe they wouldn't get along with Jasmine and Simba, maybe they wouldn't like being outside, maybe they wouldn't be snuggly cats like we'd want ... who knows?!
Or, maybe a more ideal kitten scenario was just around the corner. We were at my in-laws' house and had told them about the Petco kittens and that we didn't seem to be the chosen family, etc. That's when my father-in-law told me that my mother-in-law's brother (and family) had kittens on their farm that were just old enough to be given to other families. Really?! And they basically live right next door ...
So, the kids and I went over that night and checked out the kittens. Very cute and playful. Their mom is the best cat they've ever had ... if these kittens have half of her sweet personality (or cat-ality) they'll be wonderful, they said. Sounds great to me!! We picked out the 2 we liked best and brought them home.
We're sticking with the Disney theme we have for naming our pets. The mostly black / tiger striped kitten is Minnie. She has white paws--like Minnie Mouse's gloves. :) And Belle has a lot of white fur with some of the tiger striping on her back. She looks like she's got eyeliner on with the dark lining around her eyes. Both are really cute, very snuggly, silly and playful. Just what we wanted.
Another example of the adage that things work out like they should ... I'm so glad that my kids have been able to see that for themselves.
Friday, June 29, 2007
it's been a while
Wow. I am a slacker! I keep thinking I want to get on here and post--I have lots to talk about, but seem to not be finding time where I sit down for fun at the 'puter. So, here goes a little bit.
Our vacation to Disney was really fun. The first 3 days were spent at the parks: Animal Kingdom (a lot of fun mixed with long, hot lines), Magic Kingdom (fun with long, hot lines ... we paid the $17--WTF!??--to buy the spray bottle with fan to help cool us for the day ... it helped, but only so much) and Epcot (best day of the three ... really great rides, almost no lines and the ones we did stand in were in air-conditioning--woo hoo!).
We learned that Austin loves roller coasters!! We'd had a glimpse of that from previous vacations to Sesame Place (near Philadelphia) ... they had a small to mid-sized roller coaster there that I'll bet we rode at least 10 times in the 2 days at the park. The full-sized roller coasters at Disney were easily his favorite things to do. The one at Animal Kingdom--called Expedition Everest--was his favorite. It somehow has been worked into conversation everyday since we've been home. Yesterday, the kids played Expedition Everest in the van. Every time I'd accelerate, turn a corner or slow down they'd pretend they were whooshing around like they were on a roller coaster ... complete with hands in the air and little "screams" to share their joy and / or pretend fear with what Austin referred to as the ride of his life. Funny!
Although Maya had fun playing Expedition Everest in the van, she was NOT interested in riding it--or many of the other roller coasters at Disney. She preferred meeting princesses and Minnie, watching the parade and doing low-key rides. I have to say that I was a little surprised that she got so afraid about riding some things ... several rides were abandoned just before we would have gotten on. Nerves got the best of her!
The last 4 days of the trip were on the Disney cruise ... also a lot of fun. We were busy, busy!! In the Bahamas, we had a great excursion--Close Encounter with a dolphin! We were in the water with "Andy" .... we hugged, kissed, rubbed, danced with and fed him. It was a wonderful, amazing experience. The kids loved it ... and we did, too! On Disney's island, we went snorkeling. The kids had never done that before ... Austin got a little nervous at first (I think it was mostly because he felt unstable with the fins on trying to figure out relaxed breathing through the snorkel), but once he got the hang of it, he was a snorkeling machine. I had to work to keep up with him when he was "chasing" fish! The kids spent almost all of the last day swimming in the Mickey-shaped pool on the ship. They had a blast ... making friends, splashing around, going down the slide. Maya thought that carrying me around the pool was the biggest hoot of all. So, being the great mom I am, I let her carry me just about as much as she wanted! :D
That trip was a great way to start the summer ... and after not-the-best school year for Austin, I was really happy that I had planned to have us on vacation a week after school let out.
Next post, the new additions to our family: Minnie and Belle.
Our vacation to Disney was really fun. The first 3 days were spent at the parks: Animal Kingdom (a lot of fun mixed with long, hot lines), Magic Kingdom (fun with long, hot lines ... we paid the $17--WTF!??--to buy the spray bottle with fan to help cool us for the day ... it helped, but only so much) and Epcot (best day of the three ... really great rides, almost no lines and the ones we did stand in were in air-conditioning--woo hoo!).
We learned that Austin loves roller coasters!! We'd had a glimpse of that from previous vacations to Sesame Place (near Philadelphia) ... they had a small to mid-sized roller coaster there that I'll bet we rode at least 10 times in the 2 days at the park. The full-sized roller coasters at Disney were easily his favorite things to do. The one at Animal Kingdom--called Expedition Everest--was his favorite. It somehow has been worked into conversation everyday since we've been home. Yesterday, the kids played Expedition Everest in the van. Every time I'd accelerate, turn a corner or slow down they'd pretend they were whooshing around like they were on a roller coaster ... complete with hands in the air and little "screams" to share their joy and / or pretend fear with what Austin referred to as the ride of his life. Funny!
Although Maya had fun playing Expedition Everest in the van, she was NOT interested in riding it--or many of the other roller coasters at Disney. She preferred meeting princesses and Minnie, watching the parade and doing low-key rides. I have to say that I was a little surprised that she got so afraid about riding some things ... several rides were abandoned just before we would have gotten on. Nerves got the best of her!
The last 4 days of the trip were on the Disney cruise ... also a lot of fun. We were busy, busy!! In the Bahamas, we had a great excursion--Close Encounter with a dolphin! We were in the water with "Andy" .... we hugged, kissed, rubbed, danced with and fed him. It was a wonderful, amazing experience. The kids loved it ... and we did, too! On Disney's island, we went snorkeling. The kids had never done that before ... Austin got a little nervous at first (I think it was mostly because he felt unstable with the fins on trying to figure out relaxed breathing through the snorkel), but once he got the hang of it, he was a snorkeling machine. I had to work to keep up with him when he was "chasing" fish! The kids spent almost all of the last day swimming in the Mickey-shaped pool on the ship. They had a blast ... making friends, splashing around, going down the slide. Maya thought that carrying me around the pool was the biggest hoot of all. So, being the great mom I am, I let her carry me just about as much as she wanted! :D
That trip was a great way to start the summer ... and after not-the-best school year for Austin, I was really happy that I had planned to have us on vacation a week after school let out.
Next post, the new additions to our family: Minnie and Belle.
Monday, June 11, 2007
an exciting milestone--25!!
Hip! Hip! Hooray!! It's been 1 year, 5 months and 9 days since I started this journey to get back into shape and lose weight. Today, the scale showed some very exciting numbers. Drum roll, please ......... I've lost 25 pounds!! WooHooo!! I am excited! I'm thrilled with how much more energetic I feel, how much more comfortable my clothes are (2 sizes smaller) and how much smaller I am. I've been measuring along the way, too ... and I have some fun statistics. Along with 25 lbs., I've lost 4 inches around my chest and waist, 6" around my belly, 4.5" around my hips and butt, and 2" around each thigh and upper arm. Yeah!! I'm melting ... and I like it! :)
I'm about to reach another one of my goals this week--I have been determined to be in good enough shape and have lost enough weight to wear a bikini on our Disney trip (we leave on Thursday) ... and I'm ready to do it!! I won't be posting any photos of that here, but I will wear it. :D I'm still not the hottest mama out there, but I feel good in my skin and I'm happy with my progress so far. (I still plan to lose another 15 lbs. or so, but I'm happy to be more than halfway to my goal of 40 lbs. total.)
A little more good news, the running is going better. I still have days that I don't love it, but I'm making some big improvements. I'm up to running 3 miles now, and I'm posting lower times to mark each mile too. I'm down to a 10:30 mile--I started out around 16 minutes because I had to walk for parts of it, but I've made some significant progress with it. Yippee!
I'll keep on chugging ... with my exercise and a Honey Brown or two. (We are almost on vacation, you know!) :)
I'm about to reach another one of my goals this week--I have been determined to be in good enough shape and have lost enough weight to wear a bikini on our Disney trip (we leave on Thursday) ... and I'm ready to do it!! I won't be posting any photos of that here, but I will wear it. :D I'm still not the hottest mama out there, but I feel good in my skin and I'm happy with my progress so far. (I still plan to lose another 15 lbs. or so, but I'm happy to be more than halfway to my goal of 40 lbs. total.)
A little more good news, the running is going better. I still have days that I don't love it, but I'm making some big improvements. I'm up to running 3 miles now, and I'm posting lower times to mark each mile too. I'm down to a 10:30 mile--I started out around 16 minutes because I had to walk for parts of it, but I've made some significant progress with it. Yippee!
I'll keep on chugging ... with my exercise and a Honey Brown or two. (We are almost on vacation, you know!) :)
Monday, June 4, 2007
a fun party ... with a small conflict
On Saturday we went to our neighbor's graduation party. She earned her MBA--while working full-time and with a family (she's got 3 kids ... and a hubby). Pretty fantastic!
We knew we'd have a really good time at the party. They're fun people who are easy to be around. We hang out once in a while, have a few beers together and chat often when we're out doing yard work, etc. Our kids play together most everyday and get along most of that time--typical kid disagreements sometimes arise, but nothing major.
Their families and friends were there for the party, too. (I'm a little jealous of people who have family who live within a half hour ... that hasn't been the case for us since we were in college. Sigh.) Talk about a diverse and crazy bunch of people. It was fabulous!! I felt right at home!! Debbie's family often and lovingly refers to themselves as "the dysfunctional family" ... but I have to say that there wasn't much that would separate Shane's family from that label, either. And those of you who are aware of the Schario family--we are what I would consider one of the most functional dysfunctional families around ... which is why I felt so comfortable with these two groups.
A funny little note: when Shane and Debbie are relaying something that's going on with Debbie's mom, Carol, they either immediately qualify during the story or ask for clarification whether they're talking about "Carol or Absolut Carol". She's animated, out-spoken, funny and quite accident-prone when she's Absolut Carol ... as you might imagine.
Around 11:00, after most people had left, Debbie mentioned that she wanted to go out to a bar for some dancing. Sounded like a lot of fun to me--it's been more than 2 years since I've gone out with the girls dancing. I really wanted to go. But there was one problem: there wasn't anyone who I thought was legal to drive. Debbie and I definitely weren't. Her friend Mary thought she was because she only had "4 beers, and you gotta know--that's not a lot for me." Yeah, I'm not convinced--thankyouverymuch. And there was Sheila. She had only arrived about 45 minutes earlier. She'd had a beer and a shot, she said, but I was pretty sure she'd had 2 shots and a beer ... and she didn't plan to stop drinking then. Regardless, I wasn't comfortable with that scenario either.
I recommended we call a cab. The bonus with that--besides that nobody gets killed--is we can all drink and do what we want without worrying about who has to drive later. I thought it sounded like a splendid idea. But I was the only one who thought so. Mary and Sheila went on pleading their sober-enough-to-drive cases. I played my broken record listing the perks of calling a cab--and I said I'd pay for it. Still not interested. That's when Sheila surprised me ...
She said, "you know, that's fine. Whatever. You just don't like me and I really don't like you. So, let's just not worry about this." OK. First, what she said was oddly irrelevant to the topic at hand. Second, I've only met her one other time and hadn't formed an opinion about whether I liked her or not--I certainly hadn't decided that I didn't like her. And, third, I'm thinking that I might not have a whole lot of fun out dancing with someone who desperately wants to let me know that she doesn't like me.
So, I told Deb that I'd like to go, but wanted to call a cab. If we weren't calling a cab, then I wasn't going to go. Not a big deal. Then I carried my sleepy daughter home and tucked her in. When I went back over to the party, Debbie, Mary and Sheila had left. Decision made. No sweat.
I continued chatting and laughing with everybody else at the party until Tim and I decided we were ready to head back home.
I had a fun time. I don't regret my decision at all. I hope they had a good time when they were out--and I'm glad they didn't get hurt along the way ... but I wouldn't have done it any other way.
We knew we'd have a really good time at the party. They're fun people who are easy to be around. We hang out once in a while, have a few beers together and chat often when we're out doing yard work, etc. Our kids play together most everyday and get along most of that time--typical kid disagreements sometimes arise, but nothing major.
Their families and friends were there for the party, too. (I'm a little jealous of people who have family who live within a half hour ... that hasn't been the case for us since we were in college. Sigh.) Talk about a diverse and crazy bunch of people. It was fabulous!! I felt right at home!! Debbie's family often and lovingly refers to themselves as "the dysfunctional family" ... but I have to say that there wasn't much that would separate Shane's family from that label, either. And those of you who are aware of the Schario family--we are what I would consider one of the most functional dysfunctional families around ... which is why I felt so comfortable with these two groups.
A funny little note: when Shane and Debbie are relaying something that's going on with Debbie's mom, Carol, they either immediately qualify during the story or ask for clarification whether they're talking about "Carol or Absolut Carol". She's animated, out-spoken, funny and quite accident-prone when she's Absolut Carol ... as you might imagine.
Around 11:00, after most people had left, Debbie mentioned that she wanted to go out to a bar for some dancing. Sounded like a lot of fun to me--it's been more than 2 years since I've gone out with the girls dancing. I really wanted to go. But there was one problem: there wasn't anyone who I thought was legal to drive. Debbie and I definitely weren't. Her friend Mary thought she was because she only had "4 beers, and you gotta know--that's not a lot for me." Yeah, I'm not convinced--thankyouverymuch. And there was Sheila. She had only arrived about 45 minutes earlier. She'd had a beer and a shot, she said, but I was pretty sure she'd had 2 shots and a beer ... and she didn't plan to stop drinking then. Regardless, I wasn't comfortable with that scenario either.
I recommended we call a cab. The bonus with that--besides that nobody gets killed--is we can all drink and do what we want without worrying about who has to drive later. I thought it sounded like a splendid idea. But I was the only one who thought so. Mary and Sheila went on pleading their sober-enough-to-drive cases. I played my broken record listing the perks of calling a cab--and I said I'd pay for it. Still not interested. That's when Sheila surprised me ...
She said, "you know, that's fine. Whatever. You just don't like me and I really don't like you. So, let's just not worry about this." OK. First, what she said was oddly irrelevant to the topic at hand. Second, I've only met her one other time and hadn't formed an opinion about whether I liked her or not--I certainly hadn't decided that I didn't like her. And, third, I'm thinking that I might not have a whole lot of fun out dancing with someone who desperately wants to let me know that she doesn't like me.
So, I told Deb that I'd like to go, but wanted to call a cab. If we weren't calling a cab, then I wasn't going to go. Not a big deal. Then I carried my sleepy daughter home and tucked her in. When I went back over to the party, Debbie, Mary and Sheila had left. Decision made. No sweat.
I continued chatting and laughing with everybody else at the party until Tim and I decided we were ready to head back home.
I had a fun time. I don't regret my decision at all. I hope they had a good time when they were out--and I'm glad they didn't get hurt along the way ... but I wouldn't have done it any other way.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)