My so-called workout

I do try to "workout" every now and then. My so-called workout is on the Wii Fit... some of it is not going to cause me to break a sweat... like dodging shoes thrown at my head or me throwing snowballs at people, but other things (strength training/yoga) pretty much kick my butt... obviously I am relatively weak and uncoordinated.

Today Pol had to go to work really early, he left the house around 6:15am. Liam was up and ready to go right after Pol left.. luckily he played in his room until around 6:30, so I could come to grips I was going to have to get out of bed earlier than my body wanted. I decided I could get up and do my so-called work out. Normally I save my so-called workout until nighttime. So up we go, bright and early.

Liam likes to watch the Wii, well he likes certain games... like the penguin and the ski run (because I tend to become a big snowball). Today he wanted to make my so-called workout a bit more challenging. He laid on my tummy during stomach crunching time. He sat on my lap for the balance time (it told me I was very unbalanced). And he liked to step on the board while I was standing on one leg so Wii trainer Bob told me to stop putting my foot down. I kept yelling I AM NOT PUTTING MY FOOT DOWN!

I have no idea why, but he saw his headphones and wanted them on. In normal cases he refuses to put these things on. Today he wanted them. Then I let him hold an extra Wii remote. Pretty soon he was also doing the step aerobics with me... actually I think he was doing better than me.

While he was very focused on an exercise I ran to get the camera because it was just too funny not to.

My so-called workout:

Competition

As I have already admitted, I like competitions when winning money is involved... and since my chances of winning any bracket this year are pretty much null and void.. thanks Kansas. I will tell you about another competition I am in... The Biggest Loser.

A friend at work heard about how we had done The Biggest Loser a few years back and she wanted us to do it again. I said sure, let's do it. In order not to single any one person out I sent an invitation to all girls in office and told them they are welcome to join. To my surprise.. every single girl said they were in. Seriously people... some of these girls are borderline underweight. But if they want me to take their money.. I will. It's $5 to be in and then a $1 per week for weigh in. The winner of the weekly weigh in gets the $1s. The overall winner gets the $5s. So.. with 16 girls in.. that will be a pretty good chunk of change to win!

This week was the first weigh in. I would like a big high five to myself for being the winner! I will probably not win another week and it's highly unlikely I will win the overall. But I won this week and that's all that matters! Most of us just want to lose about 5-10lbs... the winter weight.

I actually changed my eating habits.... and check it out.. it helped! Goodbye 3-4 cokes a day. Hello water (blech). Goodbye yummy cookies and brownies. Hello apples and strawberries (not so blech). I did allow myself to still have the occasional yummy.. like a Margarita when we went to a Mexican restaurant. Of course there was beer on St. Patrick's Day, oh and on Friday and Sat there was basketball.. so I NEEDED beer! Sure, I had a few slices of pizza and one ice cream cone. BUT for the most part I ate a lot healthier than I had been. Honestly that is the goal - to eat healthier and I think it's working so far! Slight chance I might make my family start drinking organic milk.. not for weight loss, but for healthy reasons. I'll keep you updated on that.

SHOUT OUT: to the Wii Fit! I know it's not a hard core workout.. but better than laying on the couch. Some of those strength building exercises are tough / I can't do them at all.

In other news... Scout and Mocha are happy for the crumb of a mere Cheerio.

Hiking

Weather is finally warming up a bit! We are so anxious to start spending our mornings enjoying the outdoors... and by this I usually mean hitting up the zoo or feeding the ducks. Instead of doing one of those fun activities, this weekend we decided to be trailblazers through nature... you know.. casually walk through trees with no leaves. We are hoping no one else on the trails wanted to be alone in nature enjoying the silence, because Liam ran up and down the trails screaming, laughing, and giving us a running commentary of his every move. Needless to say, he enjoyed himself!

The girls joined us on this little outing! Mocha could not have been happier. Scout was not so sure about the exercise.


Liam was always way out in front, so I have lots of pictures of the back of his head. (It really did not help Scout's anxiety when bottom dog would get too far in front of her - and I am not talking about me as bottom dog, but Liam is bottom dog... no matter what Pol tells you)


I am so sad this picture is blurry because it was hysterical. Liam marched most of the hike. Below he was swinging his arms and head.


I am supporting one of our bands with my stylish hat. Also, a hat is great when you haven't bothered to shower for the day.


water breaks.



For the last .6 miles Liam was a bit tired and wanted a ride.

Bracketology

As in most things, I really don't care until you make it a bet. Once it becomes a competition.. then I care. Knowing full well I might lose, but a bet just makes it that more interesting. It's bracket time.. and I haven't watched a basketball game until last weekend, but it's on. I am all about winning some brackets!

At work we have a bracket - winner receives a $100GC to the place of your choice. Second place receives a $50GC. Last year I won the $50 gift card.. and not to brag or anything, but I am pretty amazing (I would have done better had MO not choked on me... That's what I get for going one too far on emotion and not strategy).

For the family we also have a bracket. Pol and Liam are included in this bracket. They have made their picks and I fully expect one of us to win. No money ever exchanges hands (though in the past it was supposed to, but well, some people are bad at paying up). Basically you only get bragging rights in the family... in my family, well, that means quite a lot.

Just so you know, we did let Liam choose his teams. We started letting him choose every team, but he got bored really quick. So then we just auto filled his with the top seeds and he got to choose the final four. Below is evidence of his choosing.

Nothing too exciting

So I really don't have much to write on, but I am at my desk eating my leftover taco soup and I felt the urge to do a post.

Highlights of my morning so far have been:
1. I baked fresh homemade Cinnamon Rolls - they were delish. Liam turned his nose up at them. So I ate his as well.
2. Pol and I had a serious conversation about exactly what are the lines to the Thomas theme song. He was sad when I remembered all the lines about each train and he got them wrong.
Awe.. it's ok honey.. I just am better with musical things than you. Wait.. that means I know each line to that blasted theme song!
3. Pol and I laughed at how our pastor referenced Thomas the Tank Engine in his sermon last night.. and WE UNDERSTOOD WHAT HE MEANT. Oh Thomas - you and the gospel bring good news to the world.
4. I brought Molly the train to work with me today, as requested from my son.
Sidenote: We bought Liam Molly this past weekend because he had to go to the dr on Saturday about his ear infection and we told him if he was good we would buy him a train.. yes.. we believe in bribery wholeheartedly. Oh, and I had a gift card we could use.
5. I guess you could say my blog has turned into having a theme: oh, little blue engine, you have changed my world.

In other highlights:
This weekend we went over to some friends house and watched Star Wars - Mystery Science Theater version.. and it was amazing. Liam ended up watching 85% of the movie, the other 15% he slept on our friend Scott's lap. You don't have to say it, I already know my parenting skills are at an all time high - first bribery and now Star Wars. But a big fat WHATEVER! is what I say to you people... he enjoyed it. He now knows and talks about C-P3O, Darth Vader, Walrus (the big fat walrus looking guy who's name I cannot remember), Chewbacca, Storm Troopers, and Lightsabers. His father is so very proud.

He came ready for the party... this is taken with my phone, so sorry for the quality... the cute is still obvious.


I also made homemade bread (which is how I got the cinnamon rolls I devoured this morning). The below picture is not actually from this weekend (even though Liam did help). Thanks to Grandma Teri for the cutest apron ever!


If you click on the pic below it should get huge and you can see how his ear is draining.. I took this picture back when he had his "first" ear infection (he has tubes so the liquid drains and drains - think of a brain oozing out of an ear and you will get a mental picture of what it has been like). Back to the reference of Molly and dr appt, we had to go to the dr because this infection refuses to go away so Liam is now on drops and oral meds for it. Liam actually doesn't mind because he gets an M&M every time we put drops in his ears. I KNOW, I KNOW, enough with the bribery judgements already... we like to think of this type of parenting as "The Incentive Program".


Wow, turns out I had a lot to say, and in the end.. I still have Thomas stuck in my head, oh, please join me:
"Thomas he's the cheeky one
James is vain but lots of fun
Percy pulls the mail on time
Gordon thunders down the line
Emily really knows her stuff
Henry toots and huffs and puffs
Edward wants to help and share
Toby, well let's say, he's square"