Project 52- Week 1

Week 1 was "Self Portrait". 

Although this photo is not just a picture of me- it is SO me! 

I am a mom of two awesome boys and I love my sleep(bed)! :)

When Charlie fell down on the pillow and smiled-

it made the picture!

It could not be any better in my opinion!

www.project52.net

Project 52

   


    So while searching for wedding photos on line I came across this Project 52 and thought it to be very interesting! Basically, you have a category every week for the whole year. You have the whole week to take your photo and then post it. I am thinking to do this on my own as something fun, to help me practice my hobby so that I can get better, and so that this time next year I will have wonderful 52 pictures! I am also thinking that if I do this on my own and post them here that I can make up my own categories. I was thinking of doing something random each week, but I think many will have to include my boys, as you know I cannot exclude them while camera is in hand... ;)

    And, well, they have already started as they are on their 5th week. Too bad I didn't find this 4 weeks ago! I have taken some pictures so far that I could include to get myself up to date, but I think I will just start where I am and call it Week 1 for me...and I think starting in February will be nice since Valentine's Day is coming up!

    If you would like to join me in Project 52 you are more than welcome! Feel free to share your photos on my wall as I'd love to see what you've come up with! For more info you can click Project 52 and it will take you right to the site! I love to look at inspiring images- it helps me to kick start my own creativity and shoot something I never even thought about! I think this will be very cool to look at at the end of the year, don't you?! You can also check out the archives from 2010!

Excuse Me, Is My Diet Showing?

JuMp FoR JOY!

I have been thinking very long and hard about exercise and eating healthy.  Let's face it- I LOVE food so eating healthy really is not a problem for me, well, except for all things "deep fried and smothered in chocolate"! (thanks Fairy Godmother on Shrek2).  It's the exercise part that's hard to stick with.  However, I have 2 kids and one of them keeps me on my toes and extremely busy! If you are ever curious and want to track your calorie burning, click here and you can track everything from caulking bathroom windows to running down toddlers! It's that detailed! :) 

And from that website I gathered some pretty great insights to weight management and just being healthy day to day! I just want to make sure I'm fit enough that if there is ever a fire in the middle of the night that I have the ability to grab my kids, my camera, my video camera and my external hard drive and get out of the house! Jeff should be running out of the house on his own, I can't carry everything! ;)

Here are some tips that I have read and memorized for my personal use and you can take these if you need some inspiration!

1. Living an active lifestyle is a commitment. Plain and simple!

2. The diet mentality is never going to produce the lasting changes you seek.

3. Knowledge is Power! (Thanks School House Rock and my college Nutrition class) In order to eat foods that make your body healthy and beautiful you have to be informed of what foods provide what nutrients and vitamins that your body needs; to burn calories and fuel your body for daily activities.

4. Never forget the basic weight loss equation.  Calories expended must be greater than calories ingested in order to lose weight.

5. Rule number 5 is supposed to say "make small changes a little at a time." But if I'm being truly honest with myself, I'm a "go hard or go home" kinda person. I either do it all at once and make the change and be done with it or I just slip back into the old lifestyle...but that's just me.

6. You won't be perfect everyday. Staples has the "Easy" button- so give yourself a "restart" button and start over the next day- it's ok to eat cookies and enjoy them every now and then! 

7. Dump the internal critic. Just say to yourself from the beginning that eating healthy and being active is a positive thing in your life- and you have no room for criticism! Positive talk will help you reach your goal- not making yourself feel like a failure! Refer yourself back to rule number 6! ;)

8. Lose only 1-2 lbs a week. Don't over due it! Have fun and really, don't sweat the number on the scale! Heck, my number changes every day, I don't even know how much I weigh, really! It's not the number on the scale or on your pants that matters. It's whether you are healthy and you feel good about yourself.

There are SO many more tips and secrets and things to think about such as  dieting and metabolism, healthy eating habits, refining your style, stress management, and why the scale lies! There's much much more! I'd suggest this website to anyone that wants to change their lifestyle! It's so positive and informative that you can't take it all in in one sitting! 
It's just great! 

So get up and go! Do something active and fun and make sure to laugh along the way- we're living life here people! And we only get one! And unlike Methuselah, we're not going to live to be 969 years old! So live your one life as happy and full as it can be this side of Heaven!

Love ya'll and I'll be posting more about this from now on to keep myself accountable! :))))) So make sure to tell me how good I look when you see me and I'll be sure and do the same ;)

I See Skies of Blue and Clouds of White...

Sing this song as your look through these pictures! 

Makes me smile in every color!

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself "What a wonderful world!"

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself "What a wonderful world!"

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying "How do you do?"
They're really saying "I love you".

I hear babies cry, I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll never know
And I think to myself "What a wonderful world!"

Yes, I think to myself "What a wonderful world!"

Just thinking of the many blessings I have today...and the joy that goes along with being called his Mommy...

Thoughts...

I have the best life...
I'm not a millionaire but I don't care.
Not everything that happens in my life is perfect, but the memories I make are.
I'm not afraid to leave the dishes to go color or bake something yummy with Charlie.
I wear pajamas pretty much all day long and that is alright by me!

Whenever we go out I always try and find something to teach Charlie and learn myself. That's how I found out there were two kinds of camels (ones with 1 hump and ones with 2), elephants (African elephants whose ears are shaped like the continent Africa and Asian elephants whose ears are small) and zebras (stripes on bellies and white bellies). Isn't that neat?! Bet you didn't know that!
 
And I'm reminded every time I see a sunset, a rainbow, a shooting star or something as simple as a flower that God holds me right there in the palm of His hand- and that as long as I'm in the Potter's hands I'm forever changing into what He wants me to be- and that one day I'll get to see what is beyond the firmament-what eye has not seen and what ears have not heard- and look into His beautiful face!

My life will never be published in a magazine, but as long as my children and my children's children remember my legacy then I have made an impact- and so I must live as if my family were to read my life like a book, that it would 1. be worth reading and 2. that it would have my love for God and life written on every page! And live so, that if anyone were to say something bad about me, no one would believe it!

I have been challenged in 2011 to do something different. To read my Bible more, to find out more about what's in it and how I can apply it to my own life. I want to pray more and get the relationship I had with God at age 14 back, because I need Him so much! Where I am and where I'm going is up to Him...and I can't wait to get to see God use my little boys to do something great- I pray it everyday and hold that promise that He will hold no good thing from me...

I feel totally honored that God wants to spend time with me and wants a relationship with ME! 

It is late and I must get to bed...I just had few things to say...and let's face it, this was too long for a Facebook status! ;)

Brotherly Love!

Yesterday Charlie and Wesley were playing and I stopped what I was doing to take some pictures! Wesley is getting better with his tummy time and Charlie is getting better with his animal sounds! He learned "Roar" yesterday- that's what a lion says. He already makes his arm into a trunk and sounds like an elephant! It's fun to watch him imitate animals! Here's some more Charlie and Wesley goodies!!

 

Loves of my life- minus Jeff! 

Charlie's Sledding Adventure!

Charlie and I went sled riding today! And by "We" I meant "he" as I was the one pulling the sleigh!! Like a pack of sleigh dogs I pulled him through the yard, almost yelling "Mush!" to myself for motivation! I went up the hill, down the hill, up the hill, down the hill, circle circle, circle, circle, circle, down the hill, back up- ok, you get the point! I basically got the workout of a lifetime- one you'd pay $100 for at the YMCA, my friend! I turned to Charlie and he signed, "More". 

"More?!" I asked in disbelief! More. "Ok, what do i do now?" I asked myself still trying to get my breath to catch up- it felt like it was still a hundred feet behind me coming down the hill....then I saw the pile of snow along the driveway, because, oh yeah- I shoveled the driveway twice already..."A ramp!" I said and jerked Charlie around in the sled and took off!

"Weeee!" I said as I turned and watched him fly up over the small pile of snow! He roared with laughter! Yes! He liked it!!!! So that meant I had to do it about forty more times, too! But it was so fun! I really wished I had more energy to keep going! But after about ten times, and two face plants to the snow he was ready to just fly around the yard again. Me- not so much.

"How about lunch, Charlie? You hungry?"

"Mmmmmm!" He said in a high pitched voice which meant, "yes!" 

"Chicken noodle soup it is!" I got inspired form the commercials of the little snowman coming in to eat and melting off the snow to reveal a little boy! Oyster crackers, too because they're Charlie's favorite! When I finally got to eat- I don't know, maybe from all the calorie burning, I wanted to eat everything in sight. No, this was much different than the normal times I want to eat everything in sight- this time even Charlie's Pez dispenser didn't have a chance! I felt famished!

We had a lot of fun! the downfall was coming inside to a 70* house that felt like a sauna after all that cold air on my face. But I eventually cooled off, fed Wesley, changed him twice as he was seeming to not be having as good a day and Charlie and me. He's asleep in his swing at the moment and Charlie is down for a nap as well! the house is quiet except for my typing.

I think I need to go put my feet up and catch some Zzzz's myself! After all, my back is about broken!

Here's Charlie in this awesome sled I got from the family I used to nanny for. These are hard to find! Last year I took him out in the snow but he hated it. This year he was hesitant at first but loved it once he got out! He's wearing the snow suit and coat outfit my mother in law, Marie, got him last year for Christmas! It fits him like a glove! And you should have seen Charlie after the sledding- he was covered in snow!!! :o)

Can't wait to get to go back out with him either this afternoon or tomorrow! Hope Jeff gets to see him in it before the snow melts!

  

****Charlie also made his first snow angel today!****

Chef Charlie!

Chef Charlie decided to make Apple Blueberry Crisp today to go along with lunch! 

Here's how he did it!

 

A good chef always washes his hands!

 Let's pick out the apples!

Cut and core the apples.

 

 Now let's pick out the blueberries.

 

Fill the apples!

 1Tbsp brown sugar, 2 tsp butter, 3/4C oats

 

1 egg white

"Tada!" says the Chef!

Ready for the oven!

 In the meantime, let's watch Thomas!

Of course the Little Chef must climb on the piano!

It's his favorite seat!

Now that Thomas is over let's color, Chef Charlie!

After awhile, Wesley joined the party!

 40 minutes later they're ready for lunch!

 The Little Chef approves!!!

 :)

I really enjoy the times the Little Chef and me get to cook!

We got the recipe from SproutOnline.com!