The Best Bunco EVER!!!!!!

Last night was the monthly GCM Bunco night. I try and go every month and usually make it. It seems like sometimes I have runs of luck where every time I go I will at least win my money back and other times I don't win for a few times. Well, last night was so awesome! GCM decided to give some money back to some of their members and brought gift cards to be raffled off. There were enough gift cards for each of the 12 women there to win one. They ranged from $5 Starbucks or Jamba juice gift cards, to $15 manicure or scrapit gift cards, to $25 Kohls, Regal Theatres, or Safeway gift cards. Well lucky me, I wasn't the second ticket drawn so I picked the Kohl's gift card. WOOHOO. Kohl's is my favorite store and I can't wait to go and buy myself something!!!!!

Not only did I win the gift card but I actually won most Buncos! This never happens to me. I swear in the past year I have probably only rolled a bunco once! Well, last night I rolled three buncos. I was thrilled! I won $45 dollars for having most buncos which is the biggest prize to win. I am so happy! What a great time!

The Wii craze

Today I read a blog from a friend of mine telling me all about the Wii Fit. I had heard about it but after reading her blog I really want one. One problem, I don't even have a Wii. Yeah, so if I want a Wii fit, I have to buy a Wii, which would be such an investment I just don't have that much to spend right now.

So, I decide to go do a search for current Wii contests that are giving away either a Wii or a Wii Fit. I have found quite a few. One of the contest is a photo contest asking to post a photo of the kid in you from 5minutesformom. So I have decided on this photo of me at Dillons Beach being a crazy kid jumping in the air!

I really hope that I win! Not only could I have fun with a Wii but Daddy and the kids will too. If you know of any more contests out there please post on the comments.

Aly gets bit by a goose!

Well today was quite a day filled with the unexpected! I had scheduled a playgroup at a local park and was to meet some of the other mom's there at 10:00 a.m. Upon arriving I notice that no one is at the park and the park is closed. I couldn't believe it! Our local parks have never been closed before. Apparently they were doing some renovations to the blacktop area and will reopen of Friday.



So here I have two sad kids who really want to go to the park. I quickly think in my mind, what other parks are there? I remember that there is a park we all nicknamed Duck Poop Pond because there are soo many ducks there, that on the grassy lawn area there is duck poop everywhere. It doesn't effect the playground area so I decided to give it a try. We get there and there is no one else at the park. We go and visit the ducks and geese. Within a few seconds of seeing the ducks, the geese are charging us. I am thinking they just want food so I don't worry too much. Nope, one of them reached right out and bit Aly! I couldn't believe it! Immediately she is screaming and I am thinking, it must have just scared her. How bad could a goose bite be? Then when I sit her down to look at the bite, I am in shock to find out that a goose does bite hard and yes indeed it does hurt. Aly began bruising immediately and you could see the exact shape of the goose's bite on her leg. Poor girl.

I know the picture isn't a really clear shot but it really is quite a bite.

After she got bit she didn't want to stay at that park anymore so we go over to the last park I could think of in town. No one is at that park either and what's worse, there are no bathrooms. Aly doesn't want to play there alone so we decide to go to the local McDonald's as there is a play center there.

The girls had a lot more fun at the play center. The only down fall is that someones child peed in the play center half way down one of the slides and KK slid right through it. Disgusting huh! Maybe this was just one of those days we should have stayed home!

Meatloaf recipe

I recently discovered this meatloaf recipe from Deceptively Delicious but of course I had to change it and make it my own. Here is my version:

1 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs

1/2 cup milk

1 package lipton onion soup mix

1 pound lean ground turkey

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup raw carrot finely chopped or pureed

1/4 cup cooked bacon bits

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tsp salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In large bowl combine all ingredients mixing thoroughly.

Put the mixture into loaf pan and add some ketchup on top. Bake until center of meatloaf is no longer pink, approximately 45-60 minutes depending on your oven. Cut and serve.

Lucky me again--with good odds though!

Last night was a Mom's Night Out for GCM's. We decided to go to Annabelle's Chocolate Lounge as they have regularly scheduled bands that play there on friday nights. This particular friday was a band called The Golden Caddillacs. They were a good, young band. They wrote some of their own music which was a nice, refreshing change. For some reason only half of the band had shown up in the beginning so they played with the lead singer/guitarist and the keyboard player for about an hour hour or so. Once the drum player and bass guitar player showed up the real fun began. Although now, we could no longer have any kind of conversation as it was very loud. There was quite a crowd of people there too ranging in ages from early 20's to late 60's. The dance floor was crowded and quite happy!

We had arrived at Annabelles just after 6:30 and ordered wine and chocolate. GCM's was giving a raffle for the women that showed up to the event. Six women came and there were four giftcards making my odds to win quite good. So I was lucky enough to win a giftcard for $25 to use at Regal movie theatres. What is funny is that I already have four free tickets to the movies from Safeway's movie promotion so I will have a summer packed with free movies!

Aly's Favorite things

I thought it would be fun to write down some of Aly's favorite things as she is approaching five years old. I decided to ask her the following and she came up with some of her own questions as well:

Favorite color: purple and pink
Favorite number: 100
Favorite toy: Littlest Pet Shops
Favorite thing to do: Play puzzles
Favorite thing at school: playing bean bags
Best friend: Maya
Favorite thing to play:stuffed animals
Favorite thing to wear: Disneyland hats
Favorite thing to draw: a dolphin
Favorite thing on the computer: playing Blues Clues
Favorite food: Macaroni and Cheese
Favorite drink: Orange Juice
Favorite place to go: the mall (BTW this only happens a couple times a year since it is so far)
Favorite movie: Land Before Time
Favorite thing to play with friends: Ring Around the Rosie
Favorite character in the Land Before Time: The bird called Ruby
Favorite place to go on vacation: the beach to find shells
Favorite thing to collect: sea shells
Favorite art project: drawing turtles
Favorite thing to do on a rainy day: Splash in the puddles
Favorite song: 5 Green and Speckled frogs
Favorite animal: zebra
Favorite amphibian: frog
Favorite thing underwater: sea turtle
Favorite thing to do with Daddy: play outside in the rain
Favorite thing to do with mommy: read stories
Favorite thing to do with sister: play puzzles
Favorite outfit: Littlest Pet Shop doggie shirt
Favorite shoes: crocs!
Favorite stuffed animal: black bear and shelly the turtle
Favorite place to play: the park
Favorite dessert: ice cream cake
Favorite TV show: Stanely
Favorite book: Five Little Ducks

KK's favorite things

Here is a list of KK's favorite things. If she didn't answer I made my best guess about it.

Favorite color: green
Favorite number:10
Favorite toy: dollhouse people
Favorite thing to do: color
Best friend: Nathan
Favorite thing to play: whatever Aly is playing
Favorite thing to wear: shirts
Favorite thing to draw: a duck
Favorite food: pizza--Round Table Pizza snob at that!
Favorite drink: grape juice
Favorite place to go: the park
Favorite movie: Land Before Time
Favorite thing to play with friends: chase
Favorite character in the Land Before Time: The long neck Little Foot
Favorite place to go on vacation: Disneyland
Favorite thing to collect: books
Favorite art project: painting
Favorite thing to do on a rainy day: Splash in the puddles
Favorite song: Baby Beluga
Favorite animal: elephants and giraffes
Favorite thing underwater: dolphins
Favorite thing to do with Daddy: play crabby
Favorite thing to do with mommy: read stories and cuddle and cuddle and cuddle
Favorite thing to do with sister: anything that she is doing
Favorite outfit: anything with elephants or giraffes
Favorite shoes: crocs!
Favorite stuffed animal: giraffe
Favorite place to play: the park
Favorite dessert: ice cream and chocolate
Favorite TV show: Wow Wow Wubsy
Favorite book: Dr. Suess Go Dog Go

Cutting my own hair

You are probably going to laugh at me and think I am quite pathetic but for numerous reasons I tend to only get a paid haircut about twice a year. It's not that I don't want one more often, it is a combination of things. I have a hard time getting hubby to be available to watch the kids during a normal hairdressers hours, I have a hard time finding a hairdresser, I don't like to spend a lot of money on my hair, and sometimes it just takes me awhile to get around to it.

About a year or so ago I decided to change my hair a little more dramatically and I had them cut bangs for me. I never regretted it and like having bangs. The only downside is my hair grows so fast that I need my bangs cut about every 4 weeks as I hate to have hair in my eyes. So over the past year instead of paying to have my bangs cut I have been doing it myself. Most of the time they always turn out pretty good. The time before last I was in such a hurry I didn't do the best job. So this time I decided to slow down and do it right. I think it turned out great. What do you think?

So can you tell I cut them myself? For those of you who have known me for the past year did you know that I have been cutting my own bangs? Were there times you wanted to say, "Girl, what did you do to your hair?" Or do you think I do a pretty good job and no one would be the wiser?

Please comment, I have been feeling very lonely.....feels like I only have a one person audience....

Aly's last day of preschool

Today was Aly's last day of preschool. She has spent the last two years at the same school, with the same teacher. Miss Gilinda has been her teacher and has really done a good job making Aly feel comfortable at school, away from Mommy, and with other children.

Aly dressed for the occasion and enjoyed wearing a dress for a change. In the picture on the right she is receiving her preschool certificate. Aly seems to be o.k. with not going to preschool anymore and she is looking forward to a new school year in Kindergarten and the big kids school. I was surprised at how well she took it knowing that it was her last day of school.

Aly's playdate and my little helper

This morning shortly after 8 a.m. I got a call from a local friend asking if we were still o.k. having Grace come over. I was happy to have Grace over as she is such a good little girl and it would be great for Aly to have time to play with a friend.

As soon as I hung up the phone I asked Aly for a favor. I said, "Aly can you clean up the front room while I finish on the treadmill so I can vacuum before your friend Grace comes over?" Aly was excited and immediately replied, "Sure Mom!"

Sure enough while I was doing the treadmill Aly was downstairs happily cleaning. No complaining, no negotiating, just happily cleaning. When I finished on the treadmill I came down stairs and to my surprise the entire front room was cleaned, she moved a chair and the two person picnic table out of the room, and had her little toy vacuum and was vacuuming the living room. I couldn't believe my eyes or ears for that matter. I was so proud and so happy. I couldn't believe what a helpful, big girl she was!

Weight loss Mondays

Unfortunately this Monday I weighed in 2 lbs heavier than last. Current weight: 130.8. I really attribute that to my period---water retention--and the fact that I was so busy last week I only had time for one treadmill a day burning an average of 280 calories each day. This is obviously not enough to make a difference especially with how much I was on the go. Oh well, I still feel great and my legs are really firming up. I see more muscle each week and it is making me happy! Besides I do feel great in clothes and if it weren't for the whole swimsuit thing I would be fine to just be on maintenance.

Our visit to the Calaveras County Fair

Today we went to the Calaveras County Fair. After such a busy week we have barely been home and hadn't had any opportunities to watch television. We left this morning shortly after 8 a.m. as it is close to a two hour drive. We got to the fair shortly after ten a.m. and at that point it was already 93 degrees. This fair doesn't have many shaded areas either so you can imagine how hot it was there.

We actually started off watching frog jumping contests but none of those photos turned out. Our next stop was this frog garden with lots of different frog statues to stand in front of for pictures. Aly really loved the dalmation frog on the right.

Here is KK's favorite frog! The next place we went was to the children's art exhibits. It was so fun to tour and see all the art other children made. Aly loved it and wanted her picture taken in front of her favorite art. This particular art piece she wants to do at home. They are skeletons made using q-tips.

This particular art exhibit was drawn by students I believe in fourth or fifth grade. They are frogs holding an icecream cone. Too cute!

Our next stop was going to be the rides at the fair. At noon we went down to the rides only to discover there would be a delay in opening them. Of course at the time we had no idea why? We thought it was just their lack of organization or that they were short staffed. We did notice that they were welding a kiddie ride. We took note of that because we weren't going to let the girls ride that one.

When we asked the staff when the rides would open they were very short and rude--maybe in an hour--we have no idea. It was blazing hot at this point nearing 100 degrees. We waited a half hour and asked again. Same reply. We decided to go up and ask for a refund. We were sent all over the fair talking to different people. It was quite annoying. Finaly after 1 p.m. we found the right place to try and get a refund. The office staff was very curt and just simply told us we are not giving refunds. You have to file this application with the state and they will determine if you are granted a refund or not--BTW the paperwork you use to file charges a $25 fee for applying for a refund! The lady told me I could call my credit card company and dispute the charge. They weren't budging. We would have to leave knowing we may never see that $30 worth of ride coupons we purchased.

When we got home I called my friend Annette to complain about not getting my money back. She let me know the shocking truth as to why the rides weren't open! To read more of this horrifying story click here. After learning of this tragedy I was so happy that our children didn't get the opportunity to ride their rides.

My cousin Sarah had her baby today!

My cousin had her baby boy today. He weighed 8 lbs. 6 oz. and was 20 inches long. How exciting for her to have her first child. I am so happy for her. Her sister Amy had her first daughter last November so it will be lots of fun for the two of them to raise their children and have them so close in age. I know Sarah's mom was so happy to welcome her second grandchild into the world and her Dad must have been so happy to finally have a boy in the family.

I can't wait to be able to make the trip to meet Davis. Congratulations Sarah!

Look what happened to our dog run!

Today there was a bit of gusty wind in the morning. For some reason that gusty wind must have effected this old oak tree. While we were sleeping the tree fell right down on our dog kennel. Good thing the dogs weren't in it!

The tree fell apart in two places. Half right down below the tree trunk and the other half right on our dog kennel. Poor hubby, as if he didn't have enough to do around here. Now we can't go away on any trips until it is fixed!

Check it out! Can you believe it? Now we don't have an indoor/outdoor dog run. We must come up with a new plan!

Mickey Mouse pancakes

Aly has really been into having pancakes for breakfast lately. So today I decided to make Mickey Mouse pancakes. When I was a little girl my Aunt Karen would always make them for us when we stayed with her. I loved it and thought they were the best pancakes ever. So now I have decided to try and make them for my daughters. Especially since we love Mickey Mouse so much!

Kindergarten Roundup

Today Aly had kindergarten roundup at the school she will be attending in the fall. I was really excited to go and she seemed to be too. We got a sitter for KK so we could enjoy the experience together uninterrupted. The paper we got in the mail told us we would be riding a school bus, visiting a kindergarten classroom, meeting the principal, and touring the campus.

When we got to the roundup and sat down to listen to the principal we found out that Aly would spend the day without Mommy. She would be riding the bus alone and going to a kindergarten classroom without me. I was mortified. I wasn't prepared for this. I didn't prepare her for this. I thought we would ride the bus together and be able to talk about it as it was happening. I was quite nervous when I found out we would be separated. I told her she would get to ride the bus like a big girl without Mommy. Luckily she has her frog with her and her friend Nathan. Aly and Nathan got on the bus together and sat in the same seat.

Aren't they so cute together holding hands as they board the bus? In the second picture Aly and Nathan are sitting in the back on the left. You pretty much can only see her green frog above the seat.

Here is Aly in a kindergarten classroom. She looked like she was having a good time doing art. She made a sunflower. Aly said her favorite part of the day was playing out on the playground for recess. She said she didn't like the bus and was very scared. Nathan told his mommy that Aly was very sad on the bus and cried. He tried to make funny faces to make her happy.

I think if I had known she would be by herself and prepared her it probably would have gone a little better.

Aly's field trip to the zoo

Aly had her field trip for preschool today to the zoo. Daddy took the day off from work and joined us. The first most important thing for Aly was to get there and find one of her friends to spend time with at the zoo. After a few minutes we managed to find one of the nicest girls in her class, Grace. Grace also lives within three minutes of our house so we are looking forward to some summer play dates with her. Her younger sister Abbey is only 6 months older than KK so it is a good fit for both girls.

The picture on the left is Aly looking at the giraffes. Check out her hair! So cute isn't it? The picture on the right is the four girls looking at the anteater. From left to right--Abbey, Grace, Aly, KK.

One of KK's favorite things to do is to stick her face through the cardboard pictures. Aly chose the spider.

The girls had a nice time hanging out. After the zoo we all went to McDonald's for lunch. Aly was thrilled to eat at McDonald's with a friend.

Mother's Day Fun

On Mother's Day hubby was ready to take the girls out to buy me a present. I told him that the best present he could give me was to give me the day off. What do you mean the day off was his response? I said I didn't want to do any cooking or cleaning. He said that would be great for him too as he would rather do that than drive down the hill and go shopping.




So we got to go out to a local restaurant for breakfast. The girls both behaved very well so it turned out to be a great experience. I dressed both of them in dresses and did their hair as you can see in the previous post.

Since I had the day off hubby made dinner as well. He and Aly made home made pizza. They made three different pizza's which was great for leftovers. The pizza was good and Aly enjoyed making it with Daddy.

Here is a cute picture of the both of them sleeping. Although KK was really the only one sleeping. Aly saw KK sleeping and told me she wanted to lay next to her and take a picture. I told her to pretend she was sleeping. What a great little actress!

Hair do for the girls

Within the past couple of weeks Aly has finally expressed and interest in me doing her hair. Whether it be braiding it or putting it in a pony tail she finally wants it done. For well over a year now she has just wanted to wear it down so I have been really excited to get the chance to start doing different things with her hair as I know how to do so many things.

On Mother's Day Aly decided she wanted her hair done with lots of colorful rubber bands. So I decided to do one of the popular 80's har dos. I thought it looked pretty cute.

Now that Aly is taking an interest in her hair guess who else is? Of course, KK wants to be just like big sissy. The only problem is she barely has any hair. So it tends to be a bit more challenging.

Weight loss Mondays

I did manage to make some success this past week and am back down to 128.8. I lost a total of 1.8 pounds even with my busy schedule. I managed to get in one treadmill a day which only averaged 300 calories a day burned. I must have done better on diet. I am hoping that this next week I might be able to manage to loose 1-2 pounds so I can hit new records. I will say though that I am happy with how I look in clothes, I would just like to look a little better in a swimsuit!

Boxtops for education

To all of my family and friends that are not already saving boxtops. Boxtops for education is a program sponsored by General Mills to help give money to schools in this country. Each boxtop is usually worth ten cents. While it might not seem like much it really adds up. Aly starts school in the fall so I began saving them for her school a couple of months ago. I will give them to her school in the fall when she starts. I checked how much her school has earned this year and I believe it was around $800. That is a good amount of money for supplies or whatever else the school may need to fund. It doesn't cost us anything other than a few seconds to cut the logo of the box.

Check your pantry and start cutting. I found these tops on granola bar packages, cereal boxes, cookie mixes, muffin mixes, cake mixes, frosting, pasta, toilet paper, fruit rolls, some canned foods, and I am sure many more things that I am forgetting. Anyway, look for the above logo. It will usually have an expiration date on it and the amount of money it is worth.

If you are not already saving them for someone else, please start saving them for us. You can help Aly's school have more money for supplies.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of you Mom's out there. Hope you all have a day of rest and relaxation from all of the daily mundane chores.

I decided to take this day to celebrate the love I feel for my daughters so I wrote each of them a letter. One of the main reasons I started this blog was so that if anything ever happened to me my girls would always know that I love them and they would be able to learn a bit about me through the blog.

A letter to KK

Dear little KK,

From the moment I found out I was pregnant with you I was thrilled. We had been trying for five months and were starting to feel like we might have a problem having another child. Just when it seemed like it might not happen, we found out I was pregnant. What was even more amazing was we found out you would be a June baby just like your sister.

During my entire pregnancy I kept asking my friends, "How can I love my second child the way that I love my first? Is there room in my heart for this kind of love with more than one child?" Many answered that they had felt the same way but were amazed at how much they loved each child there after and how the love the felt for each child was just as intense.

When we found out we were having another girl we were surprised. I was happy for both you and Aly because I was thrilled you would be sisters. I never had a sister and always wished that I could have had that sister bond that so many of my friends had with their sisters.

Your name was an easy one to pick. I had wanted to name my little girl your name since I was 16 years old. It was just convincing Daddy that took time!

When you were born I was so happy. I was surprised when you were born weighing in at an even seven pounds and 19 inches long. I had my tiny little petite girl who turned out to look a lot like me and my side of the family. You reminded me so much of my father who had only passed away three months before you were born. I felt like he was apart of you and that every time I look at you I see a piece of him. You totally have his lips and lower part of his face. I love your lips so much and I know that you will find them to be one of your favorite features when you grow up.

That first day that you were born I was so amazed at the love I felt for you. I was amazed that I could have that intense feeling of love that I had for your sister and also have it for you. In those first few days I learned to love your quiet nature, your beautiful little face, and your mild manner. I was so thrilled to have the next four days in the hospital to have alone time to bond with you.

Bringing you home was a joy. Aly adjusted to you and learned to be quite the little helper. You were an easy baby except for your sleeping habits, which to this day are still interrupted. You will probably turn out to be the girl that can pull all nighters for exams and still function off of very little sleep.

Do you know what amazed me about your development. You were so active and things came so easy for you. Learning how to roll over, hold yourself up, crawl, etc. Your temperment was persistent and you just kept trying things over and over and over again until you finally got it. I loved this about you. I loved that you never gave up and you never seemed mad or frustrated in the process.

At a year old you began trying to walk. You wanted to keep up with your older sister and do all of the things that she could do. I loved this period of time for you and I was so proud at how you just kept trying and trying until you got it right.

Early on you had this quality of projecting happiness to all of those around you. You had a constant smile on your face and the world around you just seemed to amaze you and lite you up. I loved how happy you always were and it always brought a smile to my face.

When you started talking I really began to learn more about you and your personality. It was fun to see what you would want and what you needed. It was fun to see you stand up to your sister for what you felt was yours. I admired your ability to stand up to others even though that were twice your size. You already showed me that you will grow up to be a strong woman.

By the age of 2 1/2 you already knew all of your letters and sounds. You could even count to ten in Spanish. I was so proud of you for how smart you were and how much you too loved to learn. I can tell already at such an early age that you have an amazing memory and learning will come easy to you. I look forward to watching your schooling years and the woman you will become.

You remind me so much of me in so many ways and you have helped me to learn more about myself. I never knew that I didn't like my hands to be dirty or sticky until I watched you get upset over it. It was then that I noticed I didn't like it either. I believe we also share our strength and tenacity. I love you for this.

KK I look forward to seeing my little girl grow and develop and I love you more than words can ever express.

A letter to Aly

To my beautiful daughter Aly,

Words cannot express how much you mean to me. From the day I found out I was pregnant, to the day I found out you were a girl, to the day of your birth I just fell more and more in love with you. I was amazed when you were born the intense feeling of love I had for you. I had never felt a love like this before and I felt so happy to have such a beautiful little girl in my arms.

You were so fun to watch develop. I remember each stage of development eagerly awaiting your mastery of it. I also remember thinking each stage was my favorite, from you first smile, to discovering your hands, to learning to roll over, etc.

You had a command on language at such a young age. By 8 months old you were already shouting dog commands such as sit, stay, come. At 12 months of age you loved to be read to which I believe is what helped you to talk at such an early age. By 18 months old you were already talking in sentences.

Things seemed to progress rather quickly from there. Your sister was born and while it was quite an adjustment for you it helped you grow into an independent little girl. I remember how you looked at her when she was first born, not knowing what to think, only to soon discover that she is your best friend and that you love her more than you ever knew you could.

By the time you were three you were already taking an interest in learning to write and read. You had learned all of your letters and sounds before you turned three and you began writing your alphabet shortly there after. I remember you would sit at the table for hours at a time tracing letters and showing me how well you were doing. I was so proud of your natural interest in learning and so proud of your ability at such a young age to sit for long periods of time to do a project or activity.

By the time you were three and a half you began learning to read 3 letter words such as cat, dog, rat, etc. It amazed me how fast you learned and how much you personally wanted to learn everything around you that you possibly could. I was so proud of you and let everyone around me know of your progress.

Do you know what amazing skill you developed at the age of four? It was then that we began to recognize your amazing talent for drawing. You can check through my blog and look at many of the posts that I made displaying your art. You amazed me everyday at how well you were drawing and what your imagination brought you to draw next. I also really loved to watch your drawing sessions with Daddy. I loved seeing how you would learn to draw things he drew by watching him draw. You know what I loved the most? When you would draw pictures for me and write Mom on them. The best part was when you would bring them to me beaming with pride at how well you had done.

I love every part of you for who you are. I love that you enjoy being you and that you explore things in life that interest you. I love your smile, your beautiful brown eyes, and your happiness for life. I love your caring nature and your desire to teach others new things as well. I love that even with all your talents and skills you are humble and proud of being who you are.

I love you with all of my heart Aly, and I always will.

Pancakes for breakfast anyone?

Last Monday at preschool one of the mom's made pancakes with chocolate chips for snack. Aly was so excited and has been begging me ever since to make the same thing. Of course since I am on such a whole wheat kick I had to look up a recipe to make a healthier version.

Our friend Terry gave us the airplane and train shapes to make pancakes with for Christmas. Aly was really excited and chose the train. We gave KK the airplane although she wouldn't even try a bite. I made regular pancakes for me, hubby didn't want any because he doesn't like to eat carbs.

Aly loved her pancake and ate the whole thing! I made mine with strawberries and whipped cream. It was so good I had a second one!

Here is the recipe if you are interested in making them:

Whole Wheat Pancakes

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup of sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, well beaten

2 cups of milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Stir together dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk, and oil. Stir until dry ingredients are moistened (batter may be lumpy). Add chocolate chips. Cook on preheated griddle or frying pan until bubbles form and edges start to dry. Flip and cook until lightly browned.

This week has been crazy busy

Wow, I can't believe how fast this week went by and how stressfull it was. Last year I made a DVD slideshow for Aly's preschool as a fundraiser. I was asked to do it again this year and boy did it give me a lot of trouble! I bet the whole thing took more than 20 hours of prep! One of the longest processes was going through all of the photos that not only I had taken but also the teacher and other parents. I also had to try and make sure each child was shown an even amount of times. Plus the editing of photos and adding text so people knew who the children were.

Once I finished that process I began working on the slideshow. Tuesday night I ran into a bunch of trouble. Everytime I tried to burn a copy of the slideshow my computer kept freezing. Of course this was another week of hubbies long hours and deadlines and he was at work that night and didn't get home until 10:30! I ended up having to remove files from my computer because my hard drive was too full. I also removed magic jack as I had a feeling that was hanging it up to.

The slideshow consumed my every moment this week. I did get it done for Open House and recieved comments on how good it was. Hopefully we will raise a good amount of money for Ms. Gilinda to spend on classroom supplies.

My latest win!

Yesterday at the mom's mixer they had a raffle going on. There were probably more than 20 baskets to raffle. I went through very carefully and picked the four baskets that I would really want to win. One was a palm pilot, another was a haircut at a nice salon, the third basket I put in was a 3 month membership to a gym, and the fourth basket I put in was for a fairy tea party for my girls.

Luck would be in my favor and I won the fairy tea party for my girls. Click on the picture and you can see what all they will get. It is a tea party for 4 valued at $200.00. The girls should have a lot of fun. Aly was really excited about it. I called her two best friends right away so I could coordinate dates with them so they could be our guests at the tea party. All of the girls are really excited and they should have a great time. I can't wait to take lots of pictures!

Weight Loss Mondays--hee, hee

For the first time since doing this I have to report that I gained weight. I am kind of laughing as I write this because I knew I would. I had a fantastic week. While I did do the treadmill everyday there were quite a few days where I only did it once. Typically I like to do at least two a day.

That wasn't my only problem. On Wednesday I allowed myself to eat Round Table pizza. If I had stuck to lunch only where I was full after two pieces this probably wouldn't have been a problem. I brought left overs home and had three pieces for dinner--hee, hee. Then there was also the yummy cake I made for hubby's birthday.

Yesterday brought another major cheat day. I went to a Mother's Luncheon for our Mom's club and totally gorged. It didn't help that I hadn't had anything to eat. I was so busy in the morning and had to leave by 10:30. The luncheon started at 11:00 so I assumed it would be no big deal that I could wait until we were served. We didn't start getting served until 12:45 and it was bread. So I started scarfing bread. I ate the entire salad, and my chicken and rice plate. Dessert was served and it was a chocolate mouse type cake. Very rich and quite delicious. I ate all of that as well. What a great day!

So today it is back on the normal routine. I gained 1.8 pounds this week so let's hope my hard work and dedication in the next week will help take it off. Hee, Hee, I just can't help but laughing.