Super Bowl 2012

I was not too excited about the Super Bowl this year. Every team that I was rooting for ended up losing!  First the Chiefs, then the Broncos, and then the 49ers! I think I jinxed them all! Then the other day (while jogging around the lake in the rain!), I heard a story about one of the Giants players, Mark Herzlich. You see, I am a sucker for a good story! He isn't a star by any means...he didn't even get into the game last night. He is part of the team and did fly to Indianapolis with them because this is what he tweeted shortly after landing there, "2 years ago I was told I might never walk again. Just WALKED off the plane in Indy to play in the SuperBowl. Take that Cancer!" To me that is awesome! And...it made me a Giants fan for one night! ;) Luckily, everyone else was cheering for the Giants, too!

These pictures are blurry, but so funny! I especially LOVE Jonah in the background. =)

We went over to our neighbors house to watch the game commercials! Of course, we got to eat lots of yummy food! J made a Weight Watchers Chicken Chili which was really good and Mal bought a Hummus concoction. I had never had Hummus before, but really liked it. I am definitely going to be purchasing some soon.

This little stinker was in rare form! I think he was on a sugar high because he was cracking everyone up. He is one ornery little boy!

My Kids

Tonight I got to watch some of my former students play basketball. This particular group of kids hold a very special in my heart...they were my very first kindergarteners. Now, they are in high school! As a teacher you aren't suppose to play favorites, but hands down they are my favorite kids. They literally taught me how to be a teacher!

One thing I noticed while watching them is how they have changed, as well as stayed the exact same, over the past 4 years. For example, one of the boys is still a complete ladies man. Every single time he touched the ball the girls swooned! =) I remember in 5th grade he was always causing drama with the girls...they all thought he was their boyfriend. 5th grade drama at its finest!  And another boy (my absolute favorite student EVER), was still the dangly, shy kid he was in elementary school. He spotted me the minute I walked in the gym and went out of his way to come say Hi. It made me smile to see a kid that I have truly missed! The athlete of the bunch was still the athlete. He ranks high on my list of favorite students, too. My hope is that I will watch him play for the Jayhawks in a few years! The last of the group was a kid that caused me more grief than any other student in the past ten years. And...he is still the whiny, cocky, brat he was back then. He did say Hi to me, but I'm guessing he was cursing me under his breath. ;)

Seeing former students reiterates to me why I became a teacher in the first place. It also reinforces my decision to teach at my school. Sure I have to put up with a lot of discipline problems, but for the most part, my kids are really good kids! I feel truly blessed to have taught all four of those boys for so many years...even student #4! Now...hopefully they will win a couple of State Championships at HP! =)

Week in Review

I am lacking a little motivation lately. I just have NO desire to blog! I have started 3 different posts and just didn't feel like finishing them. I blame it on Addy's athletic career...it's kicking my butt. I feel like we are always going to some type of practice or game. As much as I love it, I really do enjoy time at home! Speaking of athletics, Addy scored her very first goal on Saturday. I was one proud momma and she was one excited little girl!

The pink sticker she is sporting in the picture says, "We've had 100 days of school!" She couldn't wait to tell me that she is almost a second grader. When did she get so old?

After school today, we spent about an hour outside. It was almost 70 degrees on January 30th. That is crazy...but really nice. As much as I enjoy 70 degree weather, I would really like one good snow fall before winter is over. The kids got a new sled for Christmas and have yet to use it. Come on Mother Nature, bring us some snow! =)

We need to work on her form just a little! =)

The kids got to spend Saturday afternoon playing with the Molina boys. E and Isaiah are so silly when they get together. I can't help but think about how much trouble they are going to get into over the next 13 years!

This picture makes me laugh! I took it of them when they were leaving PE and sent it to J. Do you see what they all have in common?

And...I can't not put some pictures of Hayden on here. He has started being REALLY NAUGHTY! He is constantly doing things that get him in trouble. Yes, my 14 month old (almost 15 month old) baby gets in trouble. His timeout chair is his new BFF!

Here he is getting into E's lunch tray. I walked into my office for one thing and returned to find him on the table eating E's french fries.

Here he is eating lunch with my 5th graders. J had to run an errand and dropped him off with me for a few minutes. He thinks he is a big boy!

Did I mention he climbs? E had his milk up on the table and Hayden climbed up the side and spilled it all over his head and the floor!

I had a few people ask me about the 24 day challenge. I did not do the complete challenge...I omitted the catalyst and the meal replacement shakes. Other than that, I followed it pretty strictly. I did find a meal replacement shake from Sam's Club that was a lot cheaper, but only drank it a couple of times for breakfast.
I'm not a huge fan of meal replacement shakes!

I weighed myself this morning and am down 15 pounds! I have to admit, I am pretty pumped about that number. 15 pounds in 27 days is awesome for me! I still have another 15 or so that I would like to lose before summer vacation. We are talking about going to the beach over break and I really don't want to look like a beached whale! =)

A few things I have found that I really like are...

#1) Multi-Grain Peanut Butter Cheerios...they are yummy!

#2) www.myfitnesspal.com 

You put in all of your information (weight, height, amount you want to lose, etc) and it figures up how many calories you should consume in order to lose or maintain your weight. It has been fabulous for me. I track all of my food and it keeps track of how many calories I have left throughout the day. I am trying to eat a 1200 calorie diet, but it adds more when I record my daily exercise. According to my fitness pal, I can eat approximately 1700 calories a day with exercise; however, I have chosen not to go over the 1200. Losing weight is tricky...you can't eat too many or too few calories! Hopefully, I have found a happy medium!

#3) Skinny Cows!

I've tried the strawberry cheesecake and the oreo sandwich. They were both really good and I didn't feel like I cheated on my diet! Even if you aren't watching your food intake, you should try them. They are really good...I promise!

I can't believe the first month of 2012 is coming to an end tomorrow. Shoot...I'm still writing 2011 on everything!

24 Day Challenge

The holiday season completely ruined my healthy eating habits and regular exercising routines. I indulged in lots of yummy treats and didn't run as much as I should have. I ended up gaining a little (ok...a lot!) of weight in just a couple of months. I have to say the oreo balls, sugar cookies, and peanut butter balls were totally worth it! =)

I knew I had to get my butt back in shape after Christmas, but wasn't going to completely jump on the weight loss wagon until after the first. I still had 2 Christmas celebrations to enjoy and I didn't want to deprive myself!

On January 3rd, I started the 24 day challenge. I began by shopping for lots of whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies at Sam's Club. I am pretty sure people were laughing at this cart...

I bought tons of lettuce, peppers, carrots, celery, avocados, oranges, apples, bananas, etc. It was definitely a cart full! Next, I searched the internet for recipes that I could use while doing the challenge. That was not an easy task! I had to cut out all milk, white bread/rice, beef, pork, processed foods, pop, coffee...you get the idea. I eat a lot of whole grain rice with sautéed vegetables. It is absolutely delicious!

The first 10 days are referred to as the Cleanse phase. I'm gonna be honest...it was horrible. I had to drink this absolutely nasty drink...

I almost threw up every single time I drank it! It wasn't really the taste that made me sick...it was the texture. Gross!

Along with the vitamins and healthy eating, I have been working out a lot. Approximately 60-90 minutes a day. I think I have taken 2 days off since Jan. 3rd. Plus, I am a PE teacher. We move all the time. I don't want to mislead anyone...supplements do not work if you don't eat healthy and workout regularly!

So...how has the challenge been going? I think pretty good. I don't think the Advocare products are miracle drugs, but I do think they help keep my energy level up. I LOVE the Spark! I drink it every morning and it keeps me from running to Sonic for a large diet vanilla coke! Those of you that know me well realize that is a big deal...I love diet vanilla coke!

Today, 23 days into the challenge, I am down 12 pounds and several inches...yes, I just weighed myself! I didn't measure myself on Day 1 (I should have), but I am back in my skinnier jeans and have had lots of people ask me about my weight loss. I'm really happy with the progress I have made, but still have a ways to go. My long-term goal is to lose 16 more pounds by the end of the school year. My short-term goal is to lose another 5 pounds by Valentine's Day. Why Valentine's Day...absolutely NO reason. It is just the day I picked. Hopefully, I can continue on without any major hurdles in my road. Pray for me! =)

Our Week...through iPhone pictures

It has been a CRAZY week at our house! The craziness started last Tuesday morning @ about 4:30 AM. That is when Easton started throwing up. He had been coughing so we were hopeful that he just gagged. No such luck...he threw up again at about 6:00, 6:30, 6:45, etc. The poor boy was sick as a dog! J ended up staying home with him and Addy & I left for school. Then, in the midst of setting out our PE equipment, Addison threw up. I ended up running her home to spend the day with the boys. =( The rest of the week was very similar to Tuesday! The bug spread through our whole family...minus myself. I'm not sure why, but I rarely get sick. I think it has to do with being a teacher. I am constantly dealing with sick kids! This is a picture that I sent J on Tuesday evening...

The poor kid didn't want to leave the bathroom and ended up falling asleep on the floor. Good thing I had just deep cleaned the bathroom 2 days prior!

Thank goodness, Hayden never threw up. He had other problems. =( He ended up getting the worst diaper rash that is still not completely healed. Notice the bruise on his head...he got that on Papa Greg's watch!

One evening, he fell asleep watching me run on the treadmill. It is very rare for him to fall asleep anywhere other than his crib so I took this picture. (while I was running...not the easiest task!)

Addison missed school on Tuesday and Wednesday. She was more than excited to get back to school with her friends. On Friday, I ran to Subway and bought us lunch. I love having her at my school. It's so fun surprising her with little things like lunch! =)

And...she pulled another tooth! I'm not sure it was ready to come out, or if she just wanted some more money! She has been saving to buy a happy napper.

She also had a basketball game on Saturday morning. Normally the whole family goes to support her, but Hayden and Daddy were still sick. So...mommy cheered her on all by herself! She did really good and ALMOST made a basket 3 different times.

This picture cracks me up! My daughter is such a shorty! Granted the two girls to her right are third graders, but still...She is vertically challenged!

Our weekend ended up being pretty good! By Saturday afternoon, everyone was much, much better. Easton and I went to a former co-worker's baby shower, we all watched the Jayhawks beat the Longhorns, and then watched the movie Courageous. If you haven't watched it...it's a must! Such a good movie!

John 3:16

When I was a kid, I knew lots and lots of Bible verses. We had to learn them at school, church, and occasionally at home. The other day during the Broncos game, a commercial came on of kids reciting John 3:16. It was such a sweet commercial, but made me feel a little guilty. I had never practiced reciting verses with my kiddos. BAD mom, I tell ya! I decided that I needed to add that to our nightly routine ASAP! That evening, after our evening devotional, we started practicing John 3:16...the easiest verse I could think of! =) Also, I put it on the fridge so they would see it throughout the day. Addy pretty much mastered it after one day...E-man is still working on it! My goal is to introduce a new verse every Sunday. Hopefully, we can stay focused and get the verses memorized in one week.

After much thought and consideration, I decided to take the verses out of my Bible which is a KJV. I personally like it better, but that is what I grew up using...obviously I am going to like it better. Addison has a KJV & NIV...I figure as long as she is reading it, I really don't mind.

A nice day off!

J and I both had the day off today! I love days off with my BFF! =) We had a lot of things we should of done, but chose to have a FUN day instead. We started out the day doing a little shopping. Kim told us about a new sports store that sells lots of KU stuff...of course we had to check it out! I found a pair of KU sweats for Addy and a KU zip-up sweatshirt for Hayden for $10 total. They had a lot of neat KU shirts, but they were out of my size. Hopefully, I can get in there this weekend when the new shipment arrives!

After our mini-shopping trip, we picked up Schlotszkys and headed to Grandma Marie's house. She turned 83 years-old yesterday and we wanted to stop by and wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY a day late. She was excited to see the kiddos and enjoyed her sandwich and chocolate cake. We are so thankful for that sweet lady!

This afternoon we went to Papa Greg's land with the Molina family. It was a BEAUTIFUL January day and we wanted to take full advantage of it! We had a great time walking around and watching everyone take turns shooting the bows. These pictures are all from my phone so the quality is not the greatest...

All in all...it was a great day! Why can't every weekend consist of 3 days?