No one HATES exercise at much as me...

Very strange that the Ironman married me knowing this...

So in an effort to a) get some exercise and b) keep the girls from fighting all night while the Ironman is working late, I bought this DVD on the way home....



Let me just say this is the cheapest porn on the market at $9.00. The blonde is mostly naked during the whole hour. Of course Morgan couldn't wait for "the blonde" to come back on - she was as mesemerized as I was with those abs!

Avery got bored after about 10 minutes and started cleaning the bathroom floor - seriously, I don't know where she gets that! Morgan starting complaining after 30 minutes - her "hips" were hurting. OK, so after 30 minutes I was out of breath and felt like I had accomplished enough for one night - so we turned the tape off.

But we will "dance" again tomorrow night. Hey, it's my only shot at EVER looking like the blonde! AND winning the money from the Weight Loss Challenge!

PS - I treated myself to the cutest purse and earrings today because I actually LOST weight in Disneyworld. Asking for egg whites and plain lettuce really did work!

The Disneyworld Experiment...

We had a great time - helped by 5 xanax a day. We quickly learned that there was no "agenda". The girls literally watched an egret for 10 minutes. Are you $#%@% kiddin' me? We have EGRETS at home!!! But once we adapted to their interests, the trip went very smoothly. They LOVED the characters - so thank goodness we went to a Character meal everyday. We rode a total of 5 rides in 4 parks and 6 days - amazing, huh? They aren't very adventurous!

I am NOT a "Disney every year" kind of girl. I'm thinking I'll be ready we again in about 10 years! New York is more my style...

I took 700 pictures, and then there are 200 pictures on the Photo Pass, so here are a few of my favorites....

Mini Mel...

Ever had one of those "Oh My God!" moments? Granted, I have them on a daily basis - like - "OMG - how did I forget to put deodorant on?", but this one was bigger. People always say I look like my mom, but when I opened these pics from the SugarBowl, I stopped dead in my tracks. OMG - I am a blond Mel! I see it! My mom is a Mini Ethel (her mom) and Morgan is a Mini Me - so I don't know why I thought there could be a break in the chain.

Maybe it's the haircut that is making me see it more now. What do you think?

The storm before the calm...

The week before a vacation is always a nightmare for me! Granted, I'm the most obsessive person on the planet (even with medication), so I feel like EVERY detail must be taken care of before we leave.
Pay the Bills
Balance the Checkbook
Charge the camera and cell phone and remember to pack the chargers
Remember the birth certificates, SS cards and insurance cards in case of an emergency
Handle all client emergencies
Prepare the office for all POTENTIAL client emergencies
Buy extra socks for the girls
Blog
Put the "Out of Office" message on my e-mail
Coordinate the girls outfits to match the character meal for the day
Bring the Sharpie to write our cell phone number on the girl's bellies - in case of emergency
Coloring books for the plane
Snacks - because my girls EAT constantly
A notebook so I can keep track of my points everyday
And the last thing I needed to squeeze into today - the Going Out of Business Sale at the Disney store - but how could I resist? Now the girls will wake up to a new treat everyday on the trip!

Oh my goodness - I need more drugs! Luckily, once I step onto the plane - I will forget all about the office, the clients and the laundry that didn't get done. I can't wait until I step on that plane! Wish me luck until then!

All About Me Class - January specifics

For the students who missed the class - here is the layout. I tried to put some closeup shots of the details. I'm leaving for Disney this weekend and will be gone for a week, so I won't be able to answer any class questions. Post them here and maybe another student will answer, or I will answer when I get back.

Here's the left page:
the base sheet is paisley - then add red and orange to it (but only use the orane that is left over AFTER matting your photo block!). The white journaling block is the wrong side of the striped paper.



For the journaling block - place your picture (without adhesive) and trace around the right side. Then place your letters - gently - ending the letters even with the bottom of your picture line. Pick up any letters you want to be in RED. Leave the others. Use black or charcoal chalk ink to cover the "letter area". Pick up the letters that you left on the page and you have created a mask. Put the red letters back on. Oh, and I'm not REALLY 34, but I didn't want to make anyone feel bad by putting 29...



At the bottom left of the photo, we added a strip of white paper (wrong side of striped paper) and a strip of orange and some buttons.




I cut each of the three rubon swirls into pieces and used them all over the layout. The butterflies were cut out of the butterfly paper. They look cute with a small black button in the center. Also, we used scalloped scissors to cut a strip out of the striped paper for an accent along the top of the photo.




The right page starts with the paisly background. Place your photo block (matted on the orance paper) and then cheat with the red paper by slipping strips of it to the left and right of the photo block. Everyone had a different size photo block. I matted mine onto a piece of black cardstock to start. The black is NOT in your kit, but it was easier for me. The photo block is just whatever size you created...



We added a strip of white paper, and a strip of striped paper cut with scalloped scissors and buttons to the bottom right of the photo block.



I added the rubons and butterflies wherever I needed some pizazz.



Number each one of your photos and explain them in your journaling block. You can see I had empty space in my photo block that I filled in with pattered paper scraps. Again - rubons and butterflies where needed.




Hopefully this helps everyone - whether you are finishing your layout or starting from the beginning. There are VERY detailed instructions in your kit, but they made my head spin, so I just included the highlights.

Happy Girls - Healthy Dinner

No one ever believes that my girls eat fruits and veggies non-stop - and they like it. Tonight it was soy milk, yogurt and strawberry smoothies, with brussel sprouts and steamed broccoli (both topped with spray butter). Look at these smiling faces...








Gotta love the Little Ironmans in training...

All About Me Class Update - January

I have printed out the pictures for the "favorites grid". Instead of having them all the same size - they vary. I placed my photos on black cardstock (the orange piece of paper is in the kit). It ended up measuring 7 1/2" by 10". I will add two pieces of left over patterned paper to the empty blocks.



The example provided by Basic Grey has 9 photos all sized 2.5" by 3.5" butting right up against each other (I was gussing before when I said 2" by 3"). The point is - the picture grid is the only thing on the right page of the layout - so don't stress about sizes of pictures or the size of the grid. Keep a basic rectangle shape (or even a square - max size 10" by 10")and you'll be fine. Leave space between them or not - your choice.

It took me about a half hour to figure out how I would place these photos in the block - so it is VERY important to do this before class. Or AFTER class, but we probably won't have enough time DURING class.

The class list suggested by Basic Grey is:
Charcoal Chalk ink
Black journaling pen
large scalloped scissors
glue dots
trimmer
scissors
adhesive
pencil

Don't stress! Bring what you have - we'll share the rest.

Every had one of THOSE weeks?

Well, I'm having one now! Won't bore you with the mundane details, just find something to laugh about today and send it my way!

"Challenge" update...

A friend called me yesterday and simply said, "I'm mailing Shane my $40". This seemed strange - but most of my friends are a little "off". Then she went on to say, "If the Ironman is in the weight loss competition, I'll just give him $40 now." OK, so he is the Ironman, and he'll probably be more determined and try harder than the rest of us (I know this because we have been married for 11 years, in which time, I planned a pregnancy solely around the Ironman training schedule).

But for the record, the Ironman, is NOT in the "Challenge" pool. He has his own thing going. Frankly, he doesn't need the money as motivation. He must have found the fountain of inspiration years ago (maybe that's what's in that crazy expensive FUJI water he drinks -damn, maybe I should drink water...)

So if you were thinking of joining the Challenge, but were deterred by the Ironman - have no fear! He runs, bikes and swims to the beat of his own drum - man, I need that drum!

PS - We are up to 13 people. For those mathematically challenged - that's $520!!!

The Online Weight Loss Challenge...

So I issued this online weight loss challenge to people in my email address list. Starts now (or when you want), ends May 1. Each participant contributes $40 and the winner (most weight lost - % wise) gets the pot. So far 11 people have jumped up for the challenge. If you want to join, let me know - the bigger the pot - the more incentive. To verify your starting weight, send me a picture of you on the scale (feet only, please!).

Now, onto the REAL reason for the post (but I had to give you the history).

I woke up this morning to the Ironman in true training form. He had already taken his picture on the scale for the record. He was cruising the Internet while eating his breakfast - I'm sure looking for tips on "Clean Eating in 2009". And his breakfast - egg whites with a black bean salsa topping and a bowl of oatmeal with fresh blackberries. And since I saw flax seed on the counter, I'm sure that it was added to one or both of his entrees.

I'm having a slower start - I made coffee and I took my xanax and zoloft - breakfast of champions! I did record my weight with a photo - that was a little disturbing, but done.

So all I have to do is follow the Ironman's lead, and I'll have this challenge in the bag - WAY easier said than done! Happy New Year! Hopefully you were smart and didn't make any resolutions - or if you did - you made ones like: I will drink more this year, or I will eat more candy this year, or I will not exercise this year. Now, those are my kind of resolutions. But since I am married to the Ironman, I'll be sticking with the Weight Loss Challenge.