Wordless Wednesday/ Before and After

Above is the BEFORE (check out that mop)

Below is the AFTER (he decided to chop it all off)

Mommy is a happy camper.....

To Do Tuesday

Yeah, yeah, yeah...so it's 10pm on Tuesday and I am just getting to my To Do Tuesday List now. At least I am doing one, right? Hey, Lisa didn't even get to her last week and she runs this crazy show.... *wink wink* (only kidding, honey I know you and your kiddies were sick)
Today is my husband's birthday, so I was running around all last minute like. Had to go to the grocery store, get a card, try to find a gift. Then came home and had the in laws over for dinner and cake.
So it's on to my list now....

• Finish the dinner menu for the rest of the week
• Finish getting Easter Basket stuff for my kids and grandson
• Drop off the two Easter Baskets we are donating to Thomas' school. (Wed.)
  
• Research and buy Mom's Birthday gift (Ipod/ITouch and docking station)
  
• Research online for summer rental houses in the Pocono's
  
• Review blog post (my first .... cross fingers and say a prayer for me) (thurs or fri)
  
• Budget/pay bills
  
• Stay on diet and support my Mamavation Sistas
  
• Clean out my closet and go through clothes (UGH)
• Get new baskets for bathroom stuff (hubby fixed the shelf that was leaning and now our old baskets are too big...... see be careful what you wish for!) I have looked everywhere, so I am going to go to Michael's and Marshalls on Wed. Wish me LUCK
  

That is all I can think of, other then SLEEP, SLEEP and more SLEEP. (I have been one tired chick lately)

Have a great week

Mamavation Monday / I'm BACK

I know the calendar says "March 29th" but for me it's January 1st all over again. I have fallen so off the weight loss wagon that I lost track of time!! But I AM BACK, I promise!
I have been stressed and busy with so many other things that I put myself on the back burner once again.
Sitting here thinking that my 40th birthday is exactly 2 months away and about the promise I made to myself to lose 40lbs by my 40th. I am disappointed in myself. Not sure that is going to happen now, so far I have only lost about 10lbs. I don't know if it's possible for me to lose 30lbs in 2 months.? I will get as close to that goal as I possibly can! With my birthday fast approaching, I know what I want as a present..........a pair of Earth Footwear sneakers. I know these would help me out alot in burning calories, even by walking around the store! I am amazed that they are so affordable and look just like regular sneakers. (not like the other kinds, that are funky looking)

This week I will strive to eat well, get all my water in, get my butt back on Wii Fit and use my exercise bar/bands. I might need my Sistas to help me this week and call me out.

I feel so bad, I haven't even seen one of the new Mamavation Mom applications. (If you have applied and want me to check it out, leave me a comment with a link to your post.)

See you tonight at the Mamavation Show on Mingle Media TV

Crafting a Pinwheel

This is my first whrrl story ever..... My photos are really
small because I used my cellphone camera. Thomas and I want to thank Walmart and Collective Bias for the opportunity. We had fun making the pinwheels that he plans on giving out on gifts when we see our family on Easter.

**Disclosure: I was given a gift card for creating this project**

Powered by Whrrl

Blockbuster Express Kiosks

The weekend is here....looking for something to do? Why not rent a movie from Blockbuster Express. It is easy and affordable, just $1.00 per night per movie. My kiosk is conveniently located in our local Big Y grocery store.
Just go to BlockbusterExpress.com, there is no membership to join. You can locate a kiosk near you, check out which movies are available, pay for it right there online and just pick it up. I love this idea, we can choose a movie as a family and we know it will be there for us when we get to the store.
Take tonight for instance, we picked out 2 movies Amored and Old Dogs, I paid for it online and sent my 17 year old son (with the card I used to purchase the movies) to the store to pick them up.
The movies will be due back by tomorrow night at 9pm. Can't get any easier for me! hahahaha
Just like everywhere else, New Releases are available on Tuesdays.

So go ahead, what are you waiting for? Oh wait, I was given the opportunity from Collective Bias to pass on a special promotional code to my readers for a Rent One Get One Free. (that is 2 movies for the low, low price of just $1.06.....you can't beat that!) Use promo code #395G13B at checkout but you have to hurry it is only good through 3/31/10.
Thanks and have a great weekend.

**Code is valid thru 3/31/2010. When you rent a movie at the regular price, you'll receive the first night's rental on a second movie FREE. Extra night charges and taxes apply. May not be combined with any other offer. Rental terms and conditions apply. Not valid at Blockbuster store locations.**

Wordless Wednesday

Tyler James
8 months old

Isn't my grandson just too friggin cute?

To Do Tuesday

I don't know about you, but for me these weeks and months just seem to fly by. It seems like it was just yesterday that I wrote last week's To Do Tuesday post. Now I've gotta go check it, to see if I can say I actually crossed anything off of it.....hold on. Ok, I am back... I did just about everything off my list last week and even did some yard work HOLY CRAPOLA, I am not a big fan of the whole outside, getting dirty kinda work but someone's gotta do it, right?

So here is this week's list, which I can tell ya right now I'm not "all about" doing or even writing.

• Dinner list for the week (I'm so sick of the same ol'- same ol')
  
• Clip all my coupons/Grocery-Shopping List (then actually go do it)
• Board of Education Meeting Wednesday night (that will be a snooze-fest)
  
• Clean out my coffee table and go through the papers/magazines (every damn week I gotta do this, never ends)
  
• Put together the Easter Baskets Thomas and I shopped for, to donate to needy kids at his school. (I normally donate to our local shelter/food bank, but this year I thought it would be nice to give to someone at the school)
• More decluttering (I did a closet last week, this week I wanna work on my laundry room)
• Plant my pansies in the window boxes in front of the house (bought them Sunday at Lowes)
• Mulch the gardens (only the ones in front of the house that I raked out on Sunday...the back yard still needs to be done, there is still probably a week's worth of cleaning ,raking, planting, mulching and painting that needs to be done outside *sigh*)
  
• Get my hair cut on Thursday
  
• Easter gifts/baskets for my boys (the grandbaby too)
  
• Stick to the diet (omg, I sucked so bad at this last week..not even funny)
  
• Blog stuff (I have been a bad-bad blogger lately...not really posting or commenting like I should)
  
• Budget/bill paying (SUCKY, SUCKY, SUCKY) That is all I gotta say about that one!
• Last but not least...WIN THE LOTTO (I am hoping that by writing it every week and putting it out there in the universe, that somehow it will happen eventually)
  

Well that is it for me, for now. If you wanna get in on the list making insanity then go check out Lisa over at CrazyAdventuresInParenting.com.

Have a great week!

Happy Spring

This is a pic of the PTO Bulletin Board at Thomas' school, he and I worked very hard on it Friday.

Not Sure I was ever so happy for the first day of Spring to be here. It was a particularly rough winter for me, mentally. The weather was the same as it always is here in Northwest Connecticut, so I can't really complain about that. I just need the warmer weather and sunshine, glad we got a taste of it this last week. Don't get me wrong, by mid August I will be bitching that it is so friggin hot and that I'm sick of having the air conditioning on. But for now I'm going to enjoy the Spring-like weather and try to catch the "spring-cleaning-bug"

Hershey's #BetterBasket Blog Hop

Yesterday I received this virtual Hershey's Easter Basket from my very good friend Cheryl over at TheBudgeBunch.com. For every #BetterBasket post Hershey's will donate $10 to The Children's Miracle Network (up to $5,000). I think this is an awesome idea and Hershey's is awesome for doing this. It is a small way we can all help, so I am passing this basket onto some of my friends to insure that they donate the full $5,000.

Robin at MassHole Mommy

Angela at Fitting into Thirty

Kim at Mentally Inked

Lisa at Crazy Adventures in Parenting

HERSHEY’S BETTER BASKET BLOG HOP RULES

* Copy and paste these rules to your blog post.
* Create a blog post giving a virtual Easter Basket to another blogger – you can give as many Virtual Baskets as you want.
* Link back to person who gave you an Easter Basket.
* Let each person you are giving a Virtual Easter Basket know you have given them a Basket.
* Leave your link at BetterBasket.info/BlogHop comment section. You can also find the official rules of this #betterbasket blog hop, and more information about Better Basket with Hershey’s there.
* Hershey’s is donating $10 per each blog participating to the Better Basket Blog Hop to Children’s Miracle Network (up to total of $5,000 by blog posts written by April 4th, 2010).
* Please note that only one blog post by each blog url will count towards the donation.

Thank you,

Happy "Drink Green Beer" Day...

"Happy St. Patrick's Day"
Enjoy the Corned Beef, Cabbage and a Green Beer
"Cheers"

To Do Tuesday

This whole "To Do Tuesday" list making crap is the brain-child of Lisa over at CrazyAdventuresInParenting.com. She thinks that if we blog and share our weekly "to do lists" it will help keep up on our toes and not be slackers. Well, it doesn't always work for me.....what the hell? Every week I am all gung-ho on Tuesday to come up with all these great things I want/need to accomplish and then by the next Monday night I am like, "shit, did I get anything crossed off my list?" But I am going to keep doing it every single friggin week til I get my act together.
Sooooooo, let's try this again....

• Steam clean carpets (it is supposed to be in the 50's and 60's this week)
  
• Grocery/Walmart lists (already cut coupons, just need to get rid of expired ones and file the new ones)
  
• Plan out dinners for the week (need to get back to this, I really did much better when I planned it all out, ya know for those 2 whole weeks??) such a slacker, not even funny!!
  
• Stay the freak on my diet (gotta get more of this weight off before my birthday...don't think it will be the 40lbs, but I still gotta try)
• Blog type stuff (got lots of ideas and need to just do them)
  
• Set up my Dell laptop (the Dell guy was here almost 2 weeks ago to fix it, new hardrive, new motherboard, new keyboard....ummmm probably would have been cheaper to mail me a new one. The stupid thing was only 6 or 7 months old!??) Whatever, not my problem, til the stupid-ass thing dies on me again!! ugh!
• Easter/Spring Decorations and Decor (need to open windows, badly)
• Declutter, Declutter, Declutter (that is similar to my Laundry , Laundry, Laundry) Seriously if I could back a dumpster up to my front door and get rid of 80% of the crap in this house, I WOULD.
• Do budget/bill paying (this job blows..... HATE IT)

Well that is it for me, for now..... I think my new tag line is gonna be "Shit has to get better, RIGHT?" What do you think? Lisa thinks I should put it on a t-shirt and make a bazillion dollars. I told her "She has all that child labor down there, and if we use them to make the shirts, we could make a bazillion-trillion dollars!!" (mwhahahaaa, mwhahahaha..... that is supposed to sound like the voice of Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers' movies)

Have a great week..
xoxoxo

Mamavation Monday

Once again it was quite a week around here. (Toilet/sewer issues, husband getting a horrible stomach bug and my youngest son getting sick too)
Tuesday was an extremely stressful day that I actually broke down and drank a few beers (ok, so maybe it was five)
My back is finally feeling better, Thank God....that was horrible. My constipation issues are gone too, THANKS BE TO GOD DOUBLE for that one!! I was absolutely shocked when I weighed myself yesterday morning and I had lost 3lbs.. yes, you heard me correctly I lost 3lbs. Personally, I think it was due to the fact I was literally "full of shit" for the last couple of weeks. hahahahaha But I don't care, I am taking it as a loss!!
Now, I really want to get caught up on my household chores and back on track with the eating, drinking and tracking. I also want to build my new exercise bar I got from HSN and get back on my Wii Fit.
I want to give a big shout-out to Lisa and Katie for the amazing job they have done in this campaign. I am super proud of them. See you tonight at the Mamavation Show on Mingle Media TV.

To Do Tuesday

OMG..... seriously this has been bad week for me, well month, well maybe year(s)!
Shit has to get better soon, right? RIGHT? Stress has completely taken over my life and my "To Do List" just keeps getting longer and longer. I can't seem to ever catch a break... EVER. If it isn't something breaking or some freaking in-law drama (Holy-Hell, there is enough of that alone, to put me in the looney bin) But all this crap should really be saved for a post all on it's own.
It's back to my "To Do Tuesday List" ..... my back is still not feeling 100% , laundry is still all piled up. Ya know what, nothing on my list last week got done, except I did go to the Dr. but I went Wed instead of Thurs. cuz my back was so bad I couldn't wait another day.
(Total "To Do Tuesday" FAIL) Oh , and I did sign my son up for his SAT prep course that he starts tonight. (But I did that yesterday morning.... nothing like waiting til the last minute, right?) I will keep making my lists and trying to cross the stuff off as I go , all I can do is hope that the week will be better then the last (please God, please)
So, here we go again...........

• Laundry (but hubby first has to figure out what is going on with our drain)
• Shopping List / Coupons / Dinner Menu for the week
  
• Go through the Bills/Papers/Magazines on my coffee table
  
• Make hair cut appointments for me and the boys (I have to add "hair dye" to my shopping list....whoa, the grey hairs are all out!)
  
• Make dentist appointment for the boys
  
• Make an Gyn appointment for myself ( haven't gone in a long time, let's put it this way.... how old is my youngest son?)
  
• Stick to the diet/drink water (not booze)/try out my new Tony Little Exercise Bar I ordered from HSN last week. (when back feels better)

• Declutter something....(for heaven's sake even if i pick one drawer or cabinet!)
• WIN THE FREAKING LOTTO (hellloooooo, why did I never put this on the list before?)
  

Ok, that is it for me for now...... Go check out Lisa over at CrazyAdventuresInParenting.com to get in on the To Do Tuesday list making madness.

Mamavation Monday

This week was a rough one for me, the back pain I complained about in last week's post is still here. It isn't as severe , but still bothering me. Now the pain as has moved from my back to my ass..... so I guess you can say "I'm a pain in my own ass." I went to the Dr. on Wednesday, she really didn't do anything for me other then give me some pain killers and muscle relaxers.
I did receive my Tony Little Exercise Bar in the mail on Friday and was hoping to feel good enough this week to use it. We'll see....
By some sort of miracle I did lose 1lb.... not sure how the hell that happened, I literally sat on my fat ass all week long. I did get in loads and loads of water everyday, at least 90oz. I was a bit stir crazy by Friday, so Sat I went shopping and was fine. Sunday went to my mom's house for corned beef and cabbage dinner and the ride to NY (about an hour) killed me.
I just want to say how proud and grateful I am for all of my Sistas, I'm so glad that I joined and I feel like I have made some real connections and real friends. I think we all need to give a big round of applause to Lisa and Katie for all their hard work and doing it all in the spotlight.
*clap clap clap*
Well , all I can do is to just keep trying. Jeez, it seems like it is always "something" with me but I guess that is just life and we gotta keep chuggin along.
See you at the Mamavation Show tonight on Mingle Media Tv 10pm EST.
Thanks

Six Word Saturday

"Back Pain All Week, NOT FUN"

"Happy To Be Going To Mom's"

You wanna join in on the Six Word Fun? Then head over to ShowMyFace.com and describe your day, week or whatever in Six Words.

Wordless Wednesday

Do you think I need to get a manicure or what?
Would you look at those fat stubby fingers......

For more Wordless Wednesday posts go check out 5MinutesForMom.com

To Do Tuesday

Here we go...it's "To Do Tuesday" time again. Like every week, I have such high hopes for the upcoming days and every week I get smacked upside the head with a "yeah right, bitch I don't think so." Last Wednesday my 6 year old washing machine crapped-out on me. ("WTF", you say...ya I know, tell me about it) I did a normal load of clothes and when I opened it to move them into the dryer.... I saw all sorts of plastic parts. "CHRISSSSS, the washing machine just broke!" In my naive mind I thought "oh, just unscrew those 4 bolts, pop out that part and I will take it to Sears, get the part and you can fix it." Ok, says hubby.... Well, 45 mins later a lot of cursing and a ziplock bag full of metal and plastic bits, I took it to Sears and put it on the counter. "Wow, man...that really exploded huh?" (no shit, that is what the dude behind the counter said when I put the parts there and said, "do you have one of these?") Needless to say it was too much money to fix, so we had to buy a new/used one. (which in it's self is a whole other long-ass story, that is a post all on it's own! cuz absolutely NOTHING in my life is easy)
For now, the long story short is .....as of Saturday night I have a washing machine that seems to do it's job.
I also have had some major back pain for the last week, so I don't know how much around the house will actually get done. I do what I can , when I can. This weeks list is short and sweet:

• Laundry, Laundry, Laundry
  
• pay bills, budget list for the month of march
• shopping list/dinner list/clip coupons & throw out expired ones
  
• Dr's appointment on Thursday morning (we will discuss my blood work I had done and she is going to HAVE to give me something for my back....the Advil is starting to kill my stomach)
• stay focused on the goal of "losing 40lbs by my 40th birthday" / support my mamavation sistas. (not sure I will make that goal, but gotta keep trying)
  
• remember to take vitamins
• still need to do the research on colleges/scholarships/financial aid for my son.
  

I can't think of anything else right now......... now go check out Lisa's skinny little butt over at CRazy ADventures in PareNting if you want to link up and do a list for yourself.

Have a great week!!

Mamavation Monday

Having to lose weight SUCKS..... I know this is supposed to be about changing a lifestyle and getting healthy but to me it is still a DIET. (and we all know the word "DIET" the nastiest 4-letter word ever) I didn't have a bad week, I drank lots and lots of water, I didn't eat too horribly. It wasn't perfect, I know I really need to eat way more fruits, veggies and remember to take the vitamins. I have a crappy-ass attitude right now and wasn't even going to write this post, but thanks to Angela I am. I think Aunt Flo is in transit and she might have something to do with that. (ewwwwww.... )
My back has been killing me since last Monday, at first I thought it was due to constipation (sorry, I know TMI) I'm normally a very "regular" person, after a cup or two of coffee and I'm good to go. But as the week went on it just kept getting worse and worse. Now, I have had back issues since I was 15 years old and deal with it all the time, but this is different. Hopefully it is just some sort of spasms and will go away ASAP.

On an "exercise" note: yesterday I was channel surfing and stopped on HSN where Tony Little was demoing this exercise bar thing. I heard him say, "you can do this from your couch sitting in front of your tv." I can do that, ........works for me!! $44.95 free shipping and 2 flex pays , you say? So I ran for my wallet got out the debit card and ordered it.

Well I can't record any weight loss this week, not sure if it is due to the fact that I am possibly "full of shit" literally.
Have a great week.