A day in the life of Jess...

Hey everyone! Today we have Jess, a mom, and full-time teacher.  I give mad props to anyone who has to wake up early, get a child ready, get themselves ready and go work all day, come home, do all the nightly home stuff and do it all again the next day.  It's tough stuff!

If you would like to participate in the day in the life series shoot me an email at pinkflipflops44 at gmail dot com!!

A day in the life of a breastfeeding urban schoolteacher mom.  A little background on me:  I am a fourth grade teacher in Philadelphia and momma to a gorgeous almost 8 month old little girl, Lexi.  Here is how a typical day in my life goes…

5:15 am- Alarm goes off, roll over hit snooze twice

5:35 am-Finally drag my tired self out of “bed” (more on that later)

5:40 am-Wash my face, brush teeth, do hair and make up all while entertaining said 8 month old on the floor

6:00 am-Stand in my closet and complain I have nothing to wear

6:10 am-Finally pick out something frumpy and throw my clothes on

6:15 am-Let the dogs out and plop Lexi in highchair with a toy.  Load up all the bags: Lexi’s diaper bag, my school and lunch bag, and my pump bag

6:25 am-Warm up the car so Lexi doesn’t freeze her butt off

6:30 am-Drive over to my parent’s house

6:40 am-Bring all my crap inside their house.  At this time I make Lexi cereal, make myself oatmeal, and transfer the pumped milk from the pump bottles to regular bottles and clean said bottles.

7:15 am-Rush out the door and run to my car and speed off to work

7:45 am-Get to my school, clear out my mailbox, rush up to my room and start pumping.

8:00 am-Go next door to complain with the teacher there about how awful our jobs are.

8:21 am-Greet my students and my day of work begins.

12:45 pm-After four hours of screaming over students and being yelled at, I drop them off to lunch and run back upstairs to pump.  This is where I pray someone doesn’t try and bust in my room while completely ignoring the huge, “Do not disturb” sign on my door.  Don’t laugh, it’s happened!

3:00 pm-Rush out the school doors and hop back into my car to go get that smiley baby of mine.

3:30 pm-Get to my parent’s house and squish on the cutest baby alive for a half hour.

4:00 pm-Drive back to my house where I usually spend about five minutes cleaning up the mess my dogs have made, like will they ever be house trained?

6:30 pm-After hopefully scarfing something other than oatmeal crème pies down, I take my shower.  If Greg isn’t home I  bring Lexi into the bathroom and try and entertain her while I shower.

7:00 pm-Get Lexi dinner and then bring her up to bathe her.

8:00 pm-Nighttime routine; Bath, Lotion, Jammies and sleepsack, Goodnight Moon, Whale sounds, and Rocking in the rocker while she nurses to sleep (don’t judge).

8:30/8:45 pm-Place Lexi in the crib and pray to sweet baby Jesus she sleeps.

10:00 pm-Crawl onto the air mattress in her room (to save trips back and forth since she won’t STTN anymore) and try and sleep.

11:00ish pm-Lexi wakes up and joins me on said air mattress.

5:15 am-Lather, rinse, repeat

I know my life isn’t that exciting but thank you for taking the time to read about a day in the life of a breastfeeding urban schoolteacher mommy!

Thanks, Jess! I hope Lexi sleeps through the night for you soon! ;)

Do you like your job?

Abducted - T.R. Ragan

This book was the first full book I officially read on an e-reader.  It's a good thing it was a thriller and I could whip through it, because my eyes were screened out... Give me my books any time.  But, a free e-book is a free book!

Abducted, is a thriller starring Lizzy Gardner.  When Lizzy was 17 she was kidnapped on her way home from sneaking out with her then high school boyfriend, Jared.  Fast forward 10ish years and Lizzy and Jared are reunited when the crazy serial killer who abducted Lizzy is baaaaaaaaack.

This book kept my attention and was quick paced.  It kept having dates and times at the top of headings but I will be honest, I wasn't paying attention but I think it was stressing that it happened over a very short time period.  Like a week or so. 

It kept me on my toes, it was gruesome, there was some torture, and animal cruelty so if that stuff bugs you, stay away, but if you read Still Missing by Chevy Chase, I would say it was a step below that crazy stuff.

I've kind of become a more critical reader (probably because I have limited time to read and if I am reading it, you better entertain me NOW) and there were a few instances where I was like, yeah this is not believable, but I think you have that in thrillers and some of the writing made me think, ummm you didn't explain that well, but overall it kept me engrossed.  Definitely worth checking out, and I will check out more books in this series as it develops, as I assume it will since it said it was Lizzy Gardner #1.

What thrillers have you read recently?


(Book Club Note - We will discuss Chapters 1-9 in The Violets of March by Sarah Jio on March 9th!)

Rebecca - Final Discussion

Yeah, I did a horrible job this month.  I never picked the book back up since the last post.  I got engrossed in another book and  I swear I was going to try to read more on Thursday night, but my best-friend is in town and then it was 10:15 and I realized I didn't have this post written.  The good news is, that via twitter I have heard that after they got into it many people liked it.. YAY.  Maybe someday I will read it...( I also said this about Water for Elephants, hasn't happened...)

1. How might the costume ball—and the heroine's appearance in Rebecca's gown—stand as a symbol for young Mrs. de Winter's situation at Manderley?

2. In what way does the relationship between the young heroine and Maxim change during the months after their arrival to Manderley?

3. How, if at all, do Maxim's revelations change your attitude toward him? Did you feel relief upon first reading his confessions? Can you sympathize with his predicament, or do you censure his actions? What do you think of the heroine's reaction? In her place, how might you have reacted?

4. How does this new knowledge alter the heroine's behavior and her sense of herself?

5. Now return to the beginning of the book. How would you put into words, or explain, the sense of loss and exile that permeates tone of the opening?

Any other thoughts?  It appears that our next novel will be Violets of March by Sarah Jio. ;) Can't wait to read that one!

I think I can... I think I can...

So, remember when I wrote a post about how I was going to work out every day in February and not go to McDonalds until Valentine's Day when I would have a Shamrock Shake?

Yeah, big fail.  Fail, fail fail...

But, last Thursday, I made a new plan and I got back on the treadmill.

Thursday - 1.5 miles run/walk on the treadmill, 10 sit ups and 4 pushups

I did a 2 minute walk warm-up and then went 2 minutes at 5.5, 1 minute walk at 3.5 and then did 2 minutes a 5.3, 1 minute walk.. and did that going down to 4.5 and then back up until I finished.  I didn't always do 2 minutes of running, sometimes it was a 1 minute, sometimes it was a minute and a half.  But I did it.  In 21:58.

Friday - 15 minute walk on treadmill, 15 sit ups and 5 pushups

I took it nice and easy and just did a nice walk with no inclines and read while I walked.

Saturday - Rest

Sunday - Rest

Monday - 30 minute walk on treadmill, 20 sit ups and 6 pushups

I did mix this one up with different inclines but I mainly took it easy and read my book!

Tuesday - Rest

Wednesday - 1.75 miles run/walk on the treadmill, 25 sit ups and 7 pushups

I was soooooo tired and didn't want to do it, but made myself.  I bought a bathing suit on Saturday that I am wearing in Florida in a month and by golly I want to feel comfortable in it! So, I started out at a slow walk warm up (3.2) and read my book and then moved up to 3.5 for a 5 minute warm up.  Then I ran a 4.5 for 2 minutes,  walk 1 minute at 3.5, run a 4.7 for 2 minutes, walk a 3.5 for 1 minute, run 4.9 for 2 minutes, walk one minute at 3.5, run 1 minute 45 seconds at 5.1, walk 1 minute a 3.5, run 1 minute 45 seconds at 5.3, walk 1 minute at 3.5, run 1 minute and 45 seconds at 5.5 and 1 minute walk at 3.5.  Then I ran at 5.5 o finish out my 1.75 miles!  I did it in 25:10.

I want to work on more running and less walking but I always underjudge or overjudge my stamina and usually end up with side pains. 

But, I AM DOING IT.

And I will keep doing it.  I have to do it.

Oh, and I lost one pound in the last week.   Woot woot.

How do you do your run/walk intervals?

What Not To Wear

I've really enjoyed Amber's series of what she's worn and Lisa's Monthly Look, so I thought I'd share what I wear in hopes of someone helping my non-stylish self out.  Hence, the name -- What Not To Wear. Please excuse all dirty mirrors and blurry photos and any messy backgrounds you may see hahaah.


Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking this day either...

Shirt: Target. Cardigan: Kohls. Pants: Kohls Headband: Twenty-Five Designs

I felt pretty in this outfit, but I couldn't manage a good photo because of my 'helper.'

Shirt: New York & Co. Cardigan: JCPenny. Pants: Express. Necklace: Premier Jewlery. Headband: Gussy Sews

Um holy boobs here. Wow.  I did throw a fleece coat over this to wear to work haha.

Shirt: Target. Jeans:Kohls. Headband: Gussy Sews

This is my typical look.  Jeans, shirt, vest and boots.  I really need new boots, I am far tooa shamed to show those on this blog hahha.

Shirt: JCPenny. Vest: New York & Co. Jeans: Kohls. Headband: Twenty-Five Designs

What you can't tell is this shirt is on inside out and nobody told me until half way through the day hahaha.

Shirt: JCPenny. Overshirt thing: Kohls. Jeans: Target. Shoes: Meijer? I don't remember Headband:Twenty Five Designs

What I learned? My boobs are out of control.  My clothes do not fit me right.  But I really do appear as I have lost the 10 extra pounds that I have recently! Woot.  Also? I wore a lot of headbands in this stint haha.

So.. help?

A day in the life of Angie

Hey all! It's that time of week again, I have another day in the life! Today I have Angie , a gorgeous gal, who has chosen to share with us a day in her life.

If you would like to participate in a day in the life feature email me at pinkflipflops44 at gmail dot com!

Here is my day in the life of the most boring girl you will ever read about. I chose to do a day in the life of me on a normal work day.

A little background on me, I work full-time at a data storage company - I am not going to list the name of the company in fear of saying something bad about it and me getting fired. I am a product support engineer. I will break the job down for what I actually do because I still get confused as to what I actually do. Basically big companies like Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, Wachovia... etc. buy our big refrigerator like computer storage unit. They store all their important customer data on this system (examples: Bank of America stores information like when you take money out at an ATM or put money in, the information is in our storage system. Big hospitals store patient information or other things needed for when they are performing surgeries etc.). So basically what I do is if something breaks on one of the storage systems I dial into the unit and attempt to fix it remotely (remotely = not actually at the site of the system but via computer). It is a very high stress job because our customers (Bank of America, Wachovia... etc.) could be losing up to millions of dollars a minute and we are under a lot of pressure to get these things fixed. Sometimes the CEO's of the companies get involved and it can get pretty hot. It's really not my thing but right now it works because the money is good and it's a job.... can't really complain.
So here is a day in my life of being a computer geek. I was working Monday - Friday, 9-5 but recently switched to Monday - Friday, 10-6 so I will just estimate my day as if I were still working 9-5 because that is what I am used to.

5:45 a.m. - alarm clock goes off and I attempt to convince myself to wak
e up and go to the gym. It's typically a no go.

5:55, 6:05, 6:15, 6:25 - my husband continually hits the snooze button because neither one of us can get our butts out of bed. We are big snooze button people but I am going to go out on a limb and say that that's about to change. We have our first baby on the way!

6:25-6:30-ish - I finally get my butt out of bed.

6:30 - 7-ish - I shower and lotion up and brush my teeth.

7-ish to about 8-ish - I continue to get ready. I blow dry my hair put on make-up and get dressed. I usually watch the Today show while I am putting on my make-up. Lately, my husband comes in while I am putting on my make-up and reads our "Pregnancy Day by Day" book to learn what is going on with our baby that day. We are geeks.

8:00 - I leave the house for my long 8 hour work day.

8:10 - I always stop for Dunkin Donuts coffee - in the winter I do a medium hot hazelnut cream and sugar and in the summer I do iced (same thing). Yum (I'm actually having one right now)! This is by far the most exciting part of my day - I look forward to it every day.

8:10 - 8:45-ish (depending on traffic) - I drive to work and listen to music and clear my head to get ready for my day. I actually hate going to work so usually if I listen to some feel good music I have a better day so this is what I do!

8:45 - 9:00 - I get to work and unpack all my stuff and get my breakfast ready. Usually yogurt with fruit and granola. Not that good but healthy.

9:00 - 11:30 - I work. Taking calls and dealing with customers.

Around 11:30 (depending of if I am stuck on a case with a customer or not) - I go down to the cafeteria and get my lunch and bring it back up to my desk. I get a lot of salads but sometimes I treat myself and I will get a tomato, basil, mozzarella on whole grain bread with a bag of light lays potato chips. Yes my diet sounds good up until this point but it usually goes downhill from here. We also don't get lunch breaks so we have to eat at our desks while we continue working - don't get me started on how mad this makes me.

11:30 - 3:00 - continue working.

3:00/3:15 - I usually take a break and go down to the cafeteria and get water and a snack. Lately it's been a big ole brownie. Told ya that my diet takes a downward spiral as the day wears on.
3:15 - back at my desk and working.

4:30 - I usually wind down my cases, take a bathroom break and pack my stuff up to get ready to head home.

5:00pm - leaving the office for the day.

5:15 - finally get in my car because the walk from the building to the garage takes a good 15 minutes. Usually I am freeeeeeezing. 5:15 to about 6:00 (again depending on traffic) - I drive home and unwind from my day. Typically I will call my mom and my husband and talk about our days. After I am off the phone with them I listen to more music. Sometimes I do something illegal and check my Facebook - it is a really bad habit of mine.

6:00 - Finally home!!!

6:15ish - I usually shower again because I am a 2 showerskinda girl.

6:30ish - Make dinner.

7:00ish - Eat dinner!

7:30ish - clean up dinner.

8:00 / 8:15 - FINALLY settle down for the night. I usually sit on the couch and either get online or watch some of my favorite shows which as of recent include Bachelorette (yes, it's my guilty pleasure), Justified, American Idol, One Tree Hill, and more!

9:45ish - brush my teeth and get ready for bed.

10:00pm - bed-time.

Is that the most boring life you have ever read about?

In My Mailbox

Wow, this past week I collected a large number of books to my ever growing TBR stack!  I love books and have a bit of problem but have been doing soooo well with buying them!

Here is a peek into what I got..

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte (I ordered this from Amazon because it was a really cheap deal and I really mean to read it!)

Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green & David Levithan (I got this in a Valentine's goodie box and am so excited to finally read it!)

Blindsighted - Karin Slaughter (A friend recently recommended this author and I am excited to get into it, it is ALSO from my valentine's goodie box!)

Love thy Neighbor - Mark Gilleo (For review via, Partners in Crime, and I am going to have a giveaway as well! but not of this book.. haha)

Abducted -  T. R. Ragan - (My first ever book that I borrowed on our Kindle Fire!)

And yes, we do now own a Kindle aka a freaking e-reader.  I am still not a fan, but since we get one free book a month via our Amazon Prime I haaave to check it out.  Still going to love on my books, but I will admit that it will make traveling at spring break easier, except for how many freaking electronics we need to bring! And it was not even my suggestion or decision to buy it.  My non-reading Staple Rewards Points burning a hole in his pocket husband did!


What books have you recently acquired?

Friday Five

TGIF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1. I am stoked.  I found a $100 gift card in my wallet while trying to find a business card! Woo woo!!! New spring break clothes/suit without the guilt!!!

2. While not finding the business card, I had to google to find the email I needed and found out the nice lady I needed, had moved to a different office.  I hate change and cold contacting people.  So I emailed her and asked for her input on who to email.  I'm a wuss.  And I need to take master classes.  Fark a noogle.

3. I should not drink coffee while driving.  I rarely do.  But today I made myself some at home, put it in my reusable cup (actually my husband's but I bought it because I liked it ha) and of course tried to sip on my commute.  I totally wore half of what I tried to drink.  I just need to say no and wait til I get to my destination.  And who makes reusable cups so hard to drink out of??? I swear I'm dripping half of if each time I sip, or this could be a personal problem. 

4.  I completely failed at my February challenge.  But I picked myself back up, made myself a workout plan that leads me up to Spring Break and restarted last night.  I can fail, but I got to get back on the horse.  It is OKAY if I miss one workout, but not if I miss two.  BAAAD ME.  I am also going to wake up early on Tuesday mornings to get a run in.  Hold me, I am NOT a morning person.  Ugh.

5. I feel like I never get anything done.  I have had to start making even more to-do lists for various parts of my life or I feel all cluttered and I forget things.  A to-do list for BEFORE work, a work to-do list, a night time to do list.. ughhh... But I NEED to not be a lump.  Baaad me.

What are you excited about today?

Super Easy and Delicious Ham and Bean Crockpot Soup

We baked a ham the other night and had a ton of leftovers. We discussed different ways to use it up and ham and bean soup sounded like a winner.  However, I was not going to the store to buy anything new and I wasn't going to slave over a stove to make it.  To the crock pot I went. I used this recipe from simply recipes as a guide and I'm stealing their photo because their soup looked waaay prettier than mine.  But mine tasted daaaaayum good!

[ source ]

Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup diced potatoes
- 2 cups cooked ham
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 can white kidney beans
- 1 can pinto beans
thyme, salt, pepper and parsley

I cooked it on low for 7 hours and it was delicious!  The only thing I would do different is probably make more!! And add more ham.  I totally could have added another cup and adjusted maybe another cup of chicken broth in.  So delicious!

What do you do with ham leftovers?

March Group Read Suggestions

It's that time of month again! For March, I will be hosting the discussions on Friday, March 9th and Friday, March 30th.  It seems the selections that get us talking the most/best reviews are those that are written within the last few years and are fiction.  However, we are always up for a challenge, or Spark Notes haha. ;)

Here is what we've already conquered..

Rebecca
State of Wonder
The Invisible Bridge
The Postmistress
The Scent of Rain and Lightning
Still Missing
The Sandalwood Tree
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
Something Borrowed
The Blue Orchard
Sammy's Hill
In the Woods
Shanghai Girls
The Weight of Water
Water for Elephants
The Color Purple
The One That I Want
The Secret Garden
House Rules
American Wife
Firefly Lane
Middlesex
The Reader
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
The Awakening
Pride & Prejudice
I See You Everywhere
What do you want to read? I apologize, but the poll sidebar from blogger seems to not let me add in more than 4 or 5 suggestions (can't remember off the top of my head) so I do apologize if you suggest something and it doesn't make the list.  I add them in order that they get suggested! I will put up a poll on the 20th on the sidebar!

A Day in the Life of Lori..

Happy Tuesday! Today we have Lori, a zookeeper, here to tell us about her day!

Everyone who hears my job title gets immediately excited, and I do have some great stories. There's a lot of romance that people associate with the profession of zookeeping, and some of it is well founded. But, here in the chronicle of my day is the absolute truth of what we do, and most of it isn't romantic at all.

6:15am - I wake up grudgingly, throw on my clothes and get through my morning routine. The dogs have to be let out, i pack my lunch, make some coffee, and stuff something that vaguely resembles breakfast down my throat.

7:10am - I hurry out the door, drive to pick up the girl I carpool with and head to work. The commute is only 25 miles.

8:20ish am- I arrive at work, clock in and head to my locker where I change my shoes grab my coat and gloves and check in for a morning meeting which may or may not happen. Today, the morning meeting goes well, no one called out so I grab my radio and..

8:30am - My day officially begins. The first thing I do is grab a giant stack of diets for the animals under my care today. Today, I am working in the small mammals section, although sometimes I work in the "birds" section, or even "education". The pile of diets gets tossed onto the back of my cart and I begin my morning rounds.

8:40-9:00 - Morning rounds. I check to make sure all of my animals are accounted for, and seem to be well. I also check fences, and look for any other obvious external problems.

9:00 - I'm done with rounds and headed to the otters. I clean their exhibit, feed them, let them out, and then clean their off-exhibit holding areas. Lots of scraping, sweeping, raking, and hosing. They're pretty messy, but even so they are my favorites to take care of in the small mammal section. (Neither rain nor sleet nor snow nor hail shall keep me from picking up poo!)

9:45 - Rinse and repeat -- Just throw in a couple of gibbons! The gibbons are a bit of a special case because of the complicated nature of training and shifting them. And they produce a LOT more poop. They also need lots of enrichment, we usually give them enrichment twice a day. This morning it's baby rattles, balls, a big bucket of hay with food hidden inside. They get a short training session before they get to go outside, they have to cooperate with a variety of simulated medical procedures (like getting an ultrasound or a shot).

10:30 -12 -- A LOT more cleaning, feeding, raking, washing -- Toucans, sloth, prairie dogs, geese, ibis, Tortoise, muntjac, crane.. Everyone gets enrichment! Paper chains for toucans, sloth, and tortoise, Bamboo for the prairie dogs and muntjac, a paper mache ball for the cranes, and new nesting material for the geese and ibis.

12:30 -- Time for a garbage run!! Gotta do something with all that poop after all! This is usually followed by emptying trashcans that are full of dirty shavings, and washing lots of dirty dishes. Being fast and thorough is a must have zookeeper trait.

1:00 - Finally! I rush back to our keeper building, drop off my clean dishes, wash my face and hands and head to lunch!

1:15- 2:00pm - Lunch time! Usually lunch time is the only time of day where I really spend any time with my fellow keepers. We have truly entertaining, often horrifyingly disgusting, and occasionally morbid discussions that would spoil the appetite of most of the human population, but after spending the last 4 and a half hours surrounded by poop, it doesn't seem so bad.

2:00pm - Time to make the diets! Small mammal diets are very precise, and consist of a great many fresh ingredients. Everything from fish and meat to fresh fruits and veggies have to be brought up to the kitchen to be chopped measured and prepared. This process takes between 1 to 1 1/2 hours depending on the day. Today, I had to squeeze it into an hour because...

3:00pm - Staff meeting - We discussed a lot of things today from maintenance issues to future plans for exhibits and even the record breaking ZooLights attendance, at least we got to sit down! And it was indoors!

3:30pm - Let the rushing begin! We all break for a run to grab our pm diets and get back out to our animals.

3:40-4:00 - I had time for a short project today and spent 20 minutes collecting pine cones and pine branches to be used as Enrichment for the otters. The extras get put in a storage bucket for later.

4:00-4:30 - Even more cleaning, feeding, and raking -- This time for the Bobcat and Skunk. I also give both of them enrichment today. The bobcat loves scents so I rubbed perfume samples all over her exhibit, and i stuffed the skunk's diet into puzzle balls for him to figure out! Fun :)

4:30- Time to bring in the otters! But first, I have to set up their indoor exhibit with a cozy sleeping area (today was pine branches, pine cones, and pine shavings in a big tub). Provide them with lots of toys (Shells, logs, and some boomer balls), and hide their food (in pieces of PVC corners). Then I bring them inside. Luckily for me they cooperate!

4:45- Time to bring in the gibbons! I set up their indoor exhibit too! I hide their diet items in lots of buckets stuffed with newspaper, a giant candy cane with holes cut into it, and set up a couple of fun things -- a slide, a giant ring to swing on, and a sheet hammock. I also hid a couple of peanuts in the brick walls for them to find. Then, they come inside very willingly making lots of excited noises!

4:55- I quickly fill out all of my paperwork in the hopes that I'll be done by 5.

5:10 - I drive back to the keeper building, change back into my regular shoes, put my paperwork in my supervisors box and hurry out the door

6:30 - arrive home, shower, prepare dinner

7:30-10:30 - eat dinner, watch some TV and do some chores, also I'm doing all my Internet things. Hooray.

10:30 - bedtime. Ah... ZZZZzzzzz

It's a busy, crazy life, but someone has to do it. The biggest change to my day is my afternoon project/ staff meeting time. It can be filled with anything from planting grass seed in an exhibit, to taking an animal for his yearly exam. Sometimes I do fun stuff like make new enrichment or extra animal training sessions, but usually its a big cleaning project like washing all the prairie dog windows or raking all the leaves out of my exhibits. 365 days a year someone has to be here to do this job, weekends and holidays and hurricane days included!

Thanks for sharing Lori! It's interesting to learn about what happens behind the scenes at the zoo!

Do you like visiting zoos? What is your favorite?

I am currently looking for more people to share a day in their life.. even if you have already participated, I'd love to hear from you again! Send me an email at pinkflipfops44 @ gmail dot com !

A Perfect Sunday..

Woke up at 730 to some happy coos coming from the other room.  Had morning cuddles and then got a chance to sleep in until 9 after the cuddler and the husband went to play.

A family breakfast of eggs and toast and then we went visiting.

We went to see my grandpa in his rehab center and made his day.  He absolutely adores my child and wouldn't stop going on and on about her.  Hip pain, what?

Then we went to my inlaws and had lunch with them and then the child got spoiled for Valentine's Day and entertained her grandparents with her tricks.  (Climbing, crawling like a fool and pretending she can walk!)

Then we stopped by my parents to borrow my mom's car (I'm getting new brakes) and we got dinner!

Finally, we came home and watched some Grammy's with our girl and she didn't even pass out until 9pm! She took a 30 minute and a 45 minute nap during our car travels and an hour nap at my inlaws.

It was a great day to hang out together and see multiple family members.  It's nice to get out and about and waaay more entertaining for the child!  We get kind of boring.

I am impressed we were gone from 1030 until 8pm ha.

And here is an adorable photo from last Saturday.

What did you do this weekend?

Rebecca - Discussion 1

Yikes.  I'll be honest, I can't stand the book and I read SparkNotes. ;)  Bad bad me, I know.  But I feel as though I would REALLLY like the book if it was written as interesting/entertainingly as SparkNotes!!! I actually kind of want to read it after reading SparkNotes, but then I remember how I skimmed through page after page wanting some action.  So, I'll save it for a very rainy day.  Or when I want to poke my eyeballs out next.

1. Why does the heroine remain nameless?

2.  What kind of character is our heroine—as she presents herself at the beginning of her flashback?

3. What kind of character is Maxim de Winter, and why does a man of his stature fall in love with the young heroine? What draws him to her?

4. What role does Mrs. Danvers play in this story—in her relationships to the characters (dead and alive) and also in relation to the suspense within the novel?

5. Both Beatrice and Frank Crawley talk to the heroine about Rebecca. Beatrice tells the heroine, "you are so very different from Rebecca." Frank Crawley says that "kindliness, and sincerity, and...modesty...are worth far more to a man, to a husband, than all the wit and beatufy in the world." What are both characters trying to convey to the heroine...and how does she interpret their words?

So, how you are you fairing with this book?

Final Discussion over the last chapters/whole book will be on the 24th!

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch

Oh my gosh this book has such a sweet message! Poor Mr. Hatch is a the typical lonely old man who doesn't talk extra to anyone, doesn't smile and just seems generally unhappy.  Until, one Valentine's Day when he gets a box of chocolates with a note that says, "Somebody Loves You." 

Mr. Hatch is so surprised that someone loves him that the next day he helps out the guy at the newstand, the grocer and shares chocolate at work.  Everyone is smiley and kind to Mr. Hatch and he hosts parties in his backyard and becomes a totally different person.

Until the postman returns with some sad news.  He delivered the Valentine to the WRONG house.  Poor, Mr. Hatch.  Nobody loves him! He reverts to his old ways and EVERYONE in town notices.  What will happen to Mr. Hatch?

This book has a really good message about being kind to everyone we come across and how words can affect people. 

I recommend it for ages 5-8 because it is a bit longer, but some 4 year olds could probably sit through it too!

A Day in the Life of Rachel

Happy Tuesday! Today we have my friend Rachel.  She has an adorable daughter, Riley.  Rachel keeps it real and entertaining.  Enjoy!

HI! I’m Rachel from The Growing Gibsons . I have been trying to write the post for Emily for well over a month. Things got way to crazy and I never had a moment to sit down and actually write or do anything for that matter.

So here I am! I am mommy to a beautiful 9 month old girl, Riley, who is my absolute center. I live my life in 2 hour increments mostly around the babes schedule/routine. I work part time, Tues, Wed & Thurs 8:30-5. For some it might be a bit sturdy but for us it works well. It’s a typical day.

6:00 – I start to stir. Never fails. I’m not sure why.

6:05 – I tell my husband to breathe quieter

6:07 – I tell him again

6:10 – I loudly question why he never wants me to get any sleep

6:12 – Fine, I’ll just get up.

6:13 – he rolls over and stops snoring

6:15 – 7:00 – It’s my time. I shower, dress; drink a cup or 5 of coffee, take care of the dogs. If it’s a work day I pack my lunch. I try to get bottles made the day before but sometimes I have to do them in the morning. Pack the diaper bag with breakfast & lunch for Riley.

7:00 – Riley is usually up. Always smiling. We do a diaper change & get dressed. She has a bottle.

7:30 – She’s done the bottle and had about enough sitting on anyone’s lap. It’s time to play. Our living room floor is a toy tornado. We really don’t have anywhere else to put them and Mommas not ready to make the move to the small TV in the basement. So instead I spend 90 minutes chasing her under the table and getting her un-stuck from under toys

9:00 – It’s time for breakfast. Usually fruit and a grain, blueberries & waffles or bananas & pancakes.

9:30-11:30 – we’re ready for a nap. Both of us. Morning nap is the worst for me. I want desperately to go back to sleep. Sometimes I do. Despite what some believe, mostly I do not. I might have yet another cup of coffee. Usually I practice my mind control by staring intently at a pile of laundry willing it to wash itself. It’ll work one day

11:30-1:30 – Riley is usually up & ready for another bottle. Afterwards we play, well she plays, I chase. Sometimes we go out, usually to Babies R Us, sometimes the grocery store.

1:30 – It’s time for lunch. Usually veggies & a fruit.

2:00-4:00 – It’s time for another nap. If I wasted time during morning nap I really have to get in gear. I try to vacuum & sweep the floor every day because of the dog hair. Laundry, dinner, dogs, basic housekeeping.

4:00 – I give her another bottle & we play until Daddy gets home.

5:00 – I try to get dinner started & figure out what we & she will eat for the next day. I’ve been trying to do better with a menu & now that Riley is doing table food it’s much easier just to give her what we are eating. It’s also forcing us to eat better.

6:00 – Dinner time for everyone.

6:30-7:00 – We usually start the bed time routine. Bath, which takes 30+ minutes because she usually plays forever in the water. Bottle & a book or 3.

7:30 – She’s down for the count. I finish up what I didn’t finish during the day.

9:30 – I start my bedtime routine & by 10:15 my day is over. I’m crashed.

Boring & tedious to some but we have fun. We dance and sing. I make a fool of myself to get a smile. It works for me. At 6:00 I’ll start it all over again. 

Thanks, Rachel! I just bought those pjs for Miss I and we have the same high chair! Riley so adorable, thank you for sharing!

Are you a morning or night person?

If you are interested in sharing a day in your life, send me an email pinkflipflops44 at gmail dot com! ;)

Friday Five

1. Black coffee is freaking delicious.  I forgot how much I loved it.  Pregnancy made black coffee seem gross except from the one diner that has the best coffee eeeeeever.  I may have been drowning my coffee lately in some delicious creamers but all we have left is my husband's Plain Jane French Vanilla and I'm not a fan, so black for me and it is yummmy.

2. I should not keep butterscotch chips in the house.  I think I used maybe a 1/2 cup in a recipe for bloodies or something and the rest of the bag has slowly made its way into my belly by the handfuls.. Yumm!

3. I went from having to sit in a training all day to not having to work at all today and so far I've spent it sitting down.  But after the babe wakes up from her nap and we do our breakfast eating together we are getting dressed and I think we are headed out for a bit.  I also think Quiznos needs to get in my belly for lunch today after I had it last Friday.  I forget how much I love it.  I got the Turkey Bacon Guacamole? I think.. On their Chipotle bread.. Hmmmmm.. I think it is honestly the only order I get.

Why are these all about food?

4.  I have to admit, I've already failed my February Challenge.  But, for a good reason.  My grandpa is in the hospital and he wasn't doing so hot yesterday so I packed up the babe and we hightailed it to the town he is in so I could visit with him while she hung out at my aunts house for awhile.  We stayed later than I anticipated and enjoyed some super good Italian Sandwiches from a diner there, and it was worth it.  Love my grandpa!

5. I don't even care if Global Warming is a bad thing if it means no snow.  There, I said it.  I HATE SNOW.  And at this point in our lives, I sadly do not see us ever moving somewhere better until we are retired.  My husband is settled in his career and his own business.  While that is FABULOUS, it is sad, because I always dreamed of moving away to a warmer locale.

What should I eat for dinner?

February Challenge

I am dubbing the month of February, my kick in the butt month.  I am using it to jump start my love affair with my new treadmill.  Yeah, I am forcing a love affair with it before I really get to know it and all its kinks, I am going to be in a bathing suit on March 31st and I will not scare away small children!

My plan for the month is to use my treadmill every day.  I have been searching the web for treadmill workouts and putting together a ring of different workouts to keep things interesting.  No, I will not be running every day.  I am putting no time limit on this but I am aiming for between 20-40 minutes a day.

I will sporadically post my workouts (to help others find new treadmill routines) and to keep myself accountable.  I am not committing to a certain about days/times to update because I am putting all my effort into using the treadmill, not stressing out about sharing.

I am also instituting a 14 day ban on McDonalds.  It is sad but they are the ONLY drive-thru on my path to work and you have NO idea how many times I stop for a coffee, a tea or a pop or a sandwich.  It gets ridiculous.  I made it the month of November with no McDonalds and then fell into a bad bad habit again in December and January.

So in short, 29 days of treadmilling, 14 days no McDonalds.. Ready set go! ;)

Tonight's treadmill workout was GOING to look like this:

Min                    Speed      Incline
0-14:59              3.5
15-21:59            4.0              5%
22-30                 3.5

However, I am STILL getting over my dang cold.. so it ended up more like me doing all of that until 19:05 when I was like, "Ahhh I cannot breathe and I am almost tasting snot and I just want my pjs."

So, there ya have it.  Not pretty, but I did it!

Do you have any treadmill workouts to share?