Merry Christmas?

Christmas was good, although I have to admit I have definitely had better years.

Christmas Eve was spent with my mom for lunch, along with my sister's. Christmas Eve night was appetizers at my dad's. (Still weird they are at different places.)

The next morning we opened presents at our home. Macie & Zoa loved every minute of it, as all children should. We then got ready to go to my Grandma and Pop's.

Within moments of being there, Macie asked me where Mama and Papa were. At this time, I excused myself to go to the bathroom. After I composed myself, I returned, avoided eye contact with anyone and made a small plate of food. My appetite was not there. Two small bites of turkey and two small snack things was all. We stayed about 30 more minutes. My mom showed up a few minutes before we planned to leave. After some small talk, we I decided to leave.

We went and hung out with Jeremy's mom until our movie started. It was just what we all needed. Downtime for the girls, less pressure on Jeremy to make me happy and a outlet for myself. It is something we plan to do every Christmas from here on out.

Christmas this year was good, but just not merry. Be thankful for what you have, because it can all change within an instant.

Off to work out...

XOXO

Spaghetti Arms

We started P90X again. I bought a pair of jeans Saturday and they were the smallest size I have ever bought since being a freshman in high school. (!) This is the greatest motivation to get even more lean and toned. It is my resolution this year so Jeremy is joining me. I asked if the bet was still on and he said yes. So, even better.

But, I am going to post on here the workouts for the week. Next week, I will post the workouts for that week, and so on.... We add more as time passes so for the first few weeks it will be different.

I am going to post a quick link in my sidebar for my reference. If you want to follow along, great. If not, my feeling won't be hurt.

Here's to '09!

(Heads up - the links I included to explain the exercise has sound.)

Week 1 - December 29-January 4
Today: Chest & Back & Ab Ripper, but we moved that to tomorrow due to lack of time.
Tuesday: Plyometrics, Ab Ripper
Wednesday: Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper
Thursday: Yoga
Friday: Legs & Back, Ab Ripper
Saturday: Kenpo

Week 2 - Jan. 5-10
Monday: Chest & Back, Ab Ripper (The worst is over...I am starting to look forward to working out now.)
Tuesday: Plyometrics
Wednesday: Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper (Jeremy was playing basketball until 9:45 so I did Cardio X instead. Tomorrow we will do Kenpo X in the morning and Shoulders & Arms & Ab Ripper tomorrow night. I want to start doing two-a-days anyways.)
Thursday: Yoga (This was so boring last week. Yoga is not for me. We will substitute cardio here.)
Friday: Legs & Back, Ab Ripper
Saturday: Kenpo X
Sunday: Off Day/Rest We may do Kenpo X again today.

Week 3 - Jan. 12-17
Monday: Chest & Back, Ab Ripper (Packing)
Tuesday: Plyometrics (Packing)
Wednesday:Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper (Packing)
Thursday: Yoga...yawn. Maybe some extra Plyo instead.
Friday: Legs & back, Ab Ripper
Saturday: Kenpo X
Sunday: Off Day/Rest (Which really means pack all day.)

Week 4 - Jan. 19-25 (Since Week 3 was little off, we are going to repeat it before we move forward.)
Monday: Chest & Back, Ab Ripper
Tuesday: Plyometrics
Wednesday:Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper
Thursday: Yoga...yawn. Maybe some extra Plyo instead.
Friday: Legs & back, Ab Ripper
Saturday: Kenpo X
Sunday: Off Day/Rest

Christmas...in short.

I'm alive and well, but still too exhausted to post details. Christmas was good great, the girls had a blast and the movie was hilarious! I highly recommend it. Yesterday was MJ's birthday also so we are really worn out. (Happy Birthday April!)

Here are few pictures from my dad's house...

Ethan, Zoa and Macie

Macie so excited...I love this picture!

And Zoa...posing as usual.

I hope you had a great Christmas!

Where is Santa?

Heads up Australia! According to NORAD, Santa is currently on your continent. You can also call 1.877.HI. NORAD to track Santa. The girls and I just did both.

Have a Merry Christmas!

The one where I would rather vacation.

This Christmas will be a bit different. The first year where my my parent's are not together. If it were up to me, I would do the un-Christmas Christmas. You know, a vacation. Right smack dab on Christmas Day. But, that is not possible with children and we will have to deal with it someday, so why not today?

Since things will be a bit different, Jeremy and I have decided to start a new tradition...the movies on Christmas! This will keep us a bit busy to where things are not too awkward. We plan on going to the afternoon show of Bedtime Stories. Hopefully, all four of us will enjoy it then we will move on to the evening festivities.

I still have Santa's presents to wrap and a few stocking stuffers to buy and I will be done! I am making some presents tonight for the grandparent's, great-grandparent's and Jeremy from the girls. It is so stinkin' cute and I will definitely let you in on the link after Christmas. Several family members read my blog, including some recipient's of the present so I can't go into detail. It will take a few hours to make and Jeremy works late tonight so it will work out prefect.

Our Christmas with our friends went great on Saturday. In fact, so great the kitchen was clean before I went to bed. (Who else despises waking up to a dirty kitchen?) We had a great time playing the Wii and just talking and relaxing. All of us agreed next year to do the same thing. Now we have to follow through...

That's that. Just a little update while I thought about it. In case I don't talk to you before the business of this weeks starts, I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

Hal Moose: A review and a giveaway!

Oh my. Can I just tell you how cute this Hal Moose from Build-A-Bear is? When I received this is the mail on Wednesday, I fell in love! It is so festive with the Christmas lights on his little antlers and I knew the girls would love it.

We also received the Holly and Hal Moose: Our Uplifting Christmas Adventure storybook. This set will definitely become a part of our holiday traditions. It is a "chapter book", as MJ calls it, so it could be read over the course of a few nights.

Gotta Have It? Hal is only $12 and the storybook is $15.99. But when you buy Holly and Hal for just $26, you get the book for free! If you order before December 23, you can still get it in time for Christmas. (Check prices here.) All of this and more is available on Build-A-Bear's website.

Want to win one? Build-A-Bear gave me $10.00 gift card to giveaway to one of you! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment. Simple as that. If you want extra entries, you can:
1. Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.
2. Twitter about this giveaway. My twitter ID is 3ladiesandadad. Just follow me and Tweet it.
3. Subscribe to my blog.
For each extra entry, leave another comment telling me you did it.

A winner will be chosen randomly on January 5, 2009. Please leave your e-mail so I have a way of contacting you. (Added: Sorry, I forgot to put US addresses only. )

Good luck!

Kreativ Blogger Award...

Jennifer also nominated me for the Kreativ Blogger Award. Thanks again. I am so glad I found your blog!

What are six things that make me happy?

1. My family, obviously. They bring a smile to my face everyday.

2. Vanilla scented candles. Yumm!

3. A good song at church on Sunday morning.

4. I love to cook. Knowing that I feed my family as healthy as I can makes me feel very accomplished.

5. Friday night home with Jeremy and the girls. We are either playing games or watching family movies. I love it.

6. Coffee and snow on the ground. It is so peaceful to me.

Once again, I am looking at so many new blogs now, so if you see this, feel free to play along! Thanks for the award Jennifer!

Tag-alicious...

Jennifer at This Girl Loves Pink nominated me to share our Christmas traditions. I actually might steal a few from you Jennifer! Thanks for the tag...

1. The girls open one present on Christmas Eve. It is always pajamas so they look festive for pictures the next morning. (I guess this one is pretty popular.)

2. This year we are starting a new one. On Christmas Eve morning, we are baking birthday cupcakes for Jesus. Hopefully, this will help them remember that it is not all about Santa.

3. We have done this before, then skipped a year. The weekend before Christmas, we spend with some of our close friends. We are having a few people up on Saturday for some relaxing before the bustle of the week starts.

4. A glass of wine, wrapping paper, presents and our basement. 'Nuff said.

5. Drive around and look at lights. This year, we are going in our pj's with popcorn in tote.

6. We bake cookies and leave some in the mailbox for our mailman, along with a card. This year we are adding hot chocolate and a mug. Did you know they make Christmas cards for mailmen?

7. The weekend before Christmas, we spend all day Sunday baking. The whole fam, in the kitchen. Makes for one heck of a mess!

8. And Jennifer, I am going to steal the one about exchanging present with the hubs the night of Christmas. What a great idea!

So, who is tagged? I really do not know who to tag! But, I would love to know if you are going to participate. I am always looking for new traditions!

T.i.r.e.d.

This evening:

3:35 - Get off work.
3:45 - Pick up Zoa from pre-school.
3:55 - Get Macie from Grandma's.
4:15 - Arrive at Hobby Lobby.
4:17 - Start looking at Christmas trees. (Marked down to 50% off.)
4:18 - Find the tree.
4:21 - Realize I forgot my phone in my car. Headed to get it.
4:22 - Call Jeremy to get the okay to purchase it. Realize that he has the money with him.
4:23 - Wow...they have really cute ornaments too.
4:41 - Load the girls up in the car to meet Jeremy to get some moo-lah.
5:15 - Get back to Hobby Lobby with dough in hand. Start looking at Christmas decorations.
6:15 - Proceed to check out with decor and tree. No problem!
6:21 - Gentleman helps me load the tree in my car. Uh-oh.
6:40 - Realize the tree will not fit. Call back-up. (Thanks dad!)
6:41 - Head off. Grab some dinner at a drive through and get some gas.
7:15 - Dad drops tree off. Start to set up.
8:45 - Tree is done. Cannot figure out the lights. A nine foot tree means there are a lot of cords.
8:46 - Marvel at the tree. Dang, it looks good! I do need more ornaments though.
9:00 - Set up Christmas stuff and clear off some old things. Decorate kitchen table.
9:36 - Start to pick up. Someone is coming to look at the house tomorrow.
10:05 - Oops! The girls need a bath. "Girls! Bathtime!".
10:17 - Sit for a few. Really want a glass of wine but I need to go to bed. "Ohh! I'll check my e-mail and blog real fast!."
10:43 - Done blogging. Off to bed.

Pictures soon!

Wordless Wednesday: School Pictures

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

Would this count as a present for Jeremy?

This past Saturday, we had my work's Christmas party. The owner's did the games a little different this year. We had five rounds of questions. A few weeks ago, we were told to list two things about ourselves that nobody else knew. The first round was trying to put everyone with their two facts. I came in first at this round. So far, so good. Next, was the second round which involved questions about our office plus general questions about the company. The third round was to see how well you knew your bosses. Each person got $1 for each correct answer. I did not do so well in this round, but since I was in the bottom three, I was able to get a final question correct and come back up into the top three. The next round was asking more general questions about the company. I went on to the next round where the winners were guaranteed a prize. The final round asked one question, one that I knew nothing about. I looked back at Jeremy and guessed on the answer. And I won!!

I was so excited! I won a 32" LCD TV! Since we already have a 52" plasma in the living room, this will be going in our office. Not bad, heh?

Gap Holiday Sale

The Gap is having a huge holiday sale. Use coupon code GIFT to get $20 off a $100 order, plus free shipping. I am not sure when the sale is ending, but the code is only valid through today.

Last night, I bought $161.50 of clothes for the girls for $121.00, including tax. Hope this helps you finish up some of your Christmas shopping...

(Almost) Done with Christmas Shopping!

Saturday, I enjoyed a full day without my wonderful husband or girls. I went shopping and loved every minute of it. Target, the mall, Hobby Lobby...it was pure bliss. I am almost done with the girls. I have just a few more things that I am buying on Amazon.

That night, we had our work Christmas parties. First, we went to mine where I won the grand prize, which retails for about $500.00!! More details on that to come. Jeremy's party was next, followed by a trip to Taco Bell. Good times, good times.

I am starting my menu up again. Can you believe we have not done any serious grocery shopping in over a month?

Off to eat some food and look at the ads from the paper. Hope you had a great weekend!

Almost forgot...

The winners of the PGC giveaway are Michaela and Danielle. You should have received an e-mail from me. Congratulations and thanks for entering!

I have another giveaway in the works so stay tuned.

Oh, and continuing from my sushi post below, the girls tried an eel roll and loved it! They both kept saying, "I like eel. Sushi is yummy!". I would bet all Whitney's money she won at the casino they do not know what en eel looks like, but they know sushi is raw fish.

In case you were wondering, it is okay for kids to eat. I checked with their doctor and they said it's fine.

I love free gift cards!

I know I have told you about a few different surveys companies offer for free gift cards. Recently, I have gotten two $10.00 gift cards to Amazon in my e-mail . Today, I took advantage of them and did a little shopping.

I planned on buying myself a few things. Instead, as all moms do, I decided to buy a few things for all of us:

First, a Christmas present for the girls. We saw Horton Hears a Who and loved it so hopefully they will like the game too. And it seems somewhat entertaining so Jer and I might actually enjoy it with them!
Next, was something for [Jeremy and] I. I am all about board games lately. We do not have this classic and it is good for two players. Now, if I can tear him away from his chair (which we got on clearance for $74.00!!).

Next, was something else for all of us. We have recently started a movie night each week where we all watch a family movie. I have never seen this, believe it or not, and will be looking forward to watching it these last few weeks before Christmas.

The best part of all is all of these were qualified for free shipping so after my gift cards I was only charged about $6.00. I love it!

If you are unfamiliar with Amazon, you really should sign up for their 'Movers and Shakers' (to switch categories, click on the list on the left sidebar). I can't remember who, or should I say, which blogger, told me about it, but it is items that are very quickly selling. Most of the time means that they are super-cheap. You can sign up here for notifications here.

Tomorrow, I am off to do some more Christmas shopping. A-l-o-n-e. I am so excited!!

Oh, and about the big reveal - no, I am not pregnant. I repeat, am not pregnant. (Do I look prego?) Hopefully within a week or two I will show you.

I'm off to switch out laundry before Jeremy gets home. I have to make him think I actually did something - he is bringing home sushi! G'Night loves!

Parents Architecture ABCs: A Review

I know everyone has heard and read about the toys made by Parents. They never fail to make great quality toys at a reasonable price. They are also super safe and 100% phthalate free!

I recently have had the opportunity to review the Architecture ABCs blocks made by Parents. My girls are bit too old for blocks, but they had a great time building arches with all the pieces. The difference between these blocks and the traditional wooden blocks are that these are squishy, soft, and flexible. (Think chewable for babies!) They are easily squeezable and I wouldn't think they would cause any bumps or bruises. (Something our family knows all about!) When squeezed, they also let put a squeak that will entertain your baby. On each block is a letter and an animal that corresponds to the letter - "C" has a cow on it, "L" has a lobster, and "F" has a fly on it. All 26 pieces can be grasped easily by little hands and fingers.

As soon as I opened and reviewed this product, I knew exactly who would love it. After shopping at Target, it is now under the tree for our nephew. It is something that can grow with him with the different shapes, animals and letters. I have no doubt he will love it.

Gotta Have It? Parents Architecture ABCs are recommended for children 6+ months and are available at Target for $19.99.

An Open Letter

Dear Obnoxious Offspring,

How many times must I tell you to be quiet while we are in a waiting room? Is it really necessary to loudly dump all the blocks out on the floor? Even when I told you to listen and be good before we even walked in! Must you really keep talking loudly when I am ssshhhh-ing you for over one minute? Do you really need to talk so loudly to each other and run around like wild lions? I don't care if we are friends with the doctor and you know him personally. That does not make it okay. What don't you understand?

I know I have not raised monkeys. I know you have manners because I pound them into your super-absorbent mind. What happens? Do they go into one ear and out the other? You behave great at school but I think sometimes you two have a quiet contest between yourselves about who can make mom more irate. Seriously.

Your mother needs a wife who will do everything so I can enjoy the evenings. I need a mom that successfully teaches you how to behave like little girls. I need one day of silence. I need you to be perfect angels for one entire day. Anything from just getting up in the morning, to putting your shoes away without complaing to going to bed when told to do so. I would greatly appreciate it. I just need a glimpse of hope that it is possible. I need a husband who does not love sports so dang much and wants nothing more than to be home with his constantly-on-the-edge wife. Why doesn't he?! Hmmmmm.

Don't think next time we go to that office you won't be apologizing. No missy. You will say your sorry to the nice girls at the desk and LIKE IT! If not, your mom could become a bitter ole' lady. And I know neither of you don't want that.

I really do love you. And I want people to see what great little girls you are. So, for Christmas, mommy wants you to just listen. Really.

I got nothin' but love for ya,
Your Basket-Case of a Mom

Fine Print:
(I really do love my girls. Please don't criticize this letter and call me a bad mom for writing this. If you have lived this week in my shoes, you would be proud I am writing instead taking it out on anyone. And girls,I know when you become a mom you will understand these feelings all too well. Why? Because I remember my mom saying things similar to this to me and I never really understood. I still love you and your dad more than you can ever begin to fathom. )

Delgo: A Review

Hitting theaters tomorrow, Delgo is a movie that involves many aspects of a movie. Fantasy, love, action, family, and about any other emotion you could imagine. I have not seen the movie itself, but the trailer looks like a great movie for Jeremy to take the girls too.

Delgo is a young man who loves in Jhamora, which is consisted of two divided cultures, where one part is ruler of the skys, and the other is ruler of the land. Delgo, who is part of the rulers of the land, and Klya, who is a ruler of the sky, form a friendship that is not in any way approved of. They ultimately work together toward the same goal - to calm the hostilities between the two cultures.

Delgo and Kyla are played by Freddie Prince, Jr. and Jennifer Love-Hewwitt. There are many actors and actresses that are well-known that play a part in the movie. Kelly Ripa, Val Kilmer and Burt Reynolds, just to name a few. It is getting great reviews; CNN is saying it is, "perfect timing". Animation Magazine said "...doing the impossible".

Like I mentioned above, this is a fantasy movie. Jeremy loves movies like this and I think it would be a great movie that he would enjoy with the girls. I am not too keen on fantasy movies, but this one looks like it is a bit more than that alone, which when all is said and done, I might end up seeing with them.

Delgo, produced by Fathom Studios, has a running time of 90 minutes and is rated PG. To see if it is playing near you, please visit Fandango.

"Hey! How are you?"

Friday was our much anticipated Christmas shopping adventure. We went to eat at Shogun's and split a HUGE platter of sushi. It was so good - of you have not tried sushi, you really should. Then, we went off to Sears. If you remember a while back, I posted about free gift cards to Sears. We ended up using them for Christmas. (Have you heard about their KidVantage program?) We got a few things for the girls - jeans for Zoa and a sweater for MJ.

At Target, we got a lot done but not as much as I thought. We ran into everyone!! Walking through the movies, games, toys and clothes, we saw so many people. Hence the name of the post. And the funniest thing of all, is nobody had kids. They were all doing the same thing we were - Christmas shopping! We checked all the nieces and nephews off the list and got a decent start on the girls' there.

Yesterday, I drug Jeremy to Old Navy while the girls' were at AWANA. We got the cutest clothes so I highly suggest you check out their clearance section.

Saturday, we took the girls to see Madagascar 2. It was not the good in my opinion. Maybe I would have felt differently if I had seen the first one, but I'm not sure...

I also have a big reveal that should happen soon. I will keep you up to date!

Have a great Monday!!

Whew...

As I sit here, MJ is wrestling with my loud and rambunctious husband. All I want is silence, but I guess in a house with two small girls and a husband like Jeremy, times like that are few and far between. I am trying to count my blessings!

This week has been a fast and busy one. We hired a new girl at the office (Hi Em!) and I have been training and teaching her computer programs, the daily grind and the ins and outs. On top of that, the end of the year is fast approaching so it is time to move out old files and bring in the new. So, deep cleaning is in full force. It's nice though. At least I have someone hil-arious to chat with all day. She keeps me smiling!

Tomorrow is date night and you want to know what we are doing? First, we have dinner planned at Bella Italia. Yum! Have I told you how much I love pasta? Good thing I started my Herbalife again this week! I plan on gorging myself with pasta and Italian cheese. Followed by a glass of wine. :) And I will love every minute of it.

Then we will be off to do some Christmas shopping!! We are the type of people who usually just wipe it out in one shot, or at least 85 % of the gifts we buy. But I love every minute of shopping so it is right up my alley. We will hit up the mall, a little Tar-jay, Sears, Toys R Us and countless others. The smell of the mall is so exciting. Yes, I think the mall has a smell. Ahhhh...

I also have to get a few things so I can start some new traditions with the girls. I am so excited about them and will let you know once we do them. But, on to another subject I have been wanting to tell you...

A few weeks ago, while the girls were at AWANA, Jeremy and I went a saw Fireproof. Oh. my. goodness. The acting was not Oscar worthy by no means, but the message is great. It really made me think about our marriage, in good ways and ways that can be improved. Once we got back to church to get the girls, I was talking with a friend of ours and he told me they actually do make the book, The Love Dare, that was featured in the movie. It is something I plan on buying as a present to myself, just to stash away or secretly complete the book for Jeremy. It would be a great book to buy for something you know who may be struggling with their marriage. I can't help but think, if I only saw this movie and knew about the book a few months ago...

If you don't already know, the people who made Fireproof is a church in Albany, Georgia. You can view their other movies here. They try to stay low-budget and focus on the meaning of the movie. The cast are members of the church and all proceeds from the movie go towards the next production they will make. Pretty neat, huh? I don't know about you, but this makes me want to support them even more. (And how romantic is this little fun fact?!)

But, that's all she wrote! I am off to baths and bedtimes, followed by myself hitting the sack.

Oh...and go wish my sister, Whitney, Happy Birthday! It is today and she needs some uplifting thoughts!

xoxo

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Zoa's Birthday Party

Once again Zoa, happy birthday to you. I hope you had a great 4th birthday party.

p.s. Did you notice my new hair? (My back is in the picture when Zoa is opening her presents. I have a black sweater on.)

It is not Jeremy's color of choice, but I love it!

(Thanks goes to my dad for about 100 pictures of the party.)