Shouting it from the rooftops!!

My great friend Molly finally told me about this amazing Website she had discovered some time ago and uses daily. After reading my blog about "August's New Years Resolution Experiment" and the tracking I set out to do with everything I eat, she casually mentioned it in an email to me.

This website, Myfooddiary.com is UNBELIEVABLE!!! They offer a free 7 day trial and after that it is only $9.00 a month. Beyond keeping track electronically every food you eat, it analyzes it for you and gives you real-time results on the data.

Upon registration, you input your current weight, what your goal weight is and how much you would like to lose per week. As you enter your food during the day, you can find out at any point, how many calories you have left to maintain your weight, lose the amount per week you want or lose the absolute max amount of weight they feel safe for you to lose.

There is also a section for entering activity. From anything like standing still to shopping to running a marathon, you can get credit for and gain more calories to eat in your day.

Here's the part I especially love, as you enter your breakfast, snacks, lunch, whatever, you can view the details and see by color code what is considered very healthy, healthy, unhealthy and very unhealthy. So I am able to tell at a glance if I am getting enough fiber, protein, fat, carbs in my diet. Or, if I am consuming too much sodium, saturated fats, etc and that would be a bad thing. At the end of the day, I am able to see my daily totals and find out if I fell within the recommended ranges for all of the above. Such great reporting!

It is no secret that I love Weight Watchers and believe strongly in the program. But the reason I think I hit a major plateau is because I never knew how much points I should eat for all the exercise I do. I am extremely active and I was afraid to eat as many points as they'd have me. By doing My Food Diary, I take all the guesswork out of it and it becomes more black and white.

This website is changing my life. The data, reports, analysis is helping me reach my goals and become a healthier eatier. It is super easy to use and I can even access it on the go using my blackberry.

Now if only Molly told me about this website sooner. I wonder what else she is keeping from me.

yeah sure, shipping is free

Ian wanted a watch, so I had him pick one out on Amazon. He found this really cool looking Batman watch. It was only $9.00 and I was excited about the deal we were getting. With just another $16 bought on Amazon.com, I'd be eligible for free shipping. Surely, it makes more sense to spend the $16 on stuff I would get anyway, then to spend $5 in shipping a $9.00 item. Right? Are you with me?

So I discovered that Jillian Michaels has a new kettlebell exercise DVD coming out on September 7th, and Amazon is taking pre-orders. Yay! Yippee! This is perfect and I would've really gotten this DVD no matter what. So I put it in my cart and realize I still need to spend another $6.00 to make it to the $25.00 limit I am trying to obtain. While on the exercise DVD page, I see one that catches me eye. It is a Jackie Warner, Total Body Circuit workout. Perfect! I add this to the cart and proceed to check out. I click on free shipping and await the confirmation in my inbox. Turns out, because I am doing free shipping and Jillian Michael's DVD isn't available until September 7th, Amazon will hold everything and ship it at the same time, set to arrive approx. the 3rd week in September. Oh no! I wanted Ian to be able to get his watch now, not in 6 weeks. So I had an idea.

Why not go into "MY ACCOUNT" section on Amazon's website and modify my order. I'll take Jillian's DVD out of the shipment and add in a different item that is available to ship now. Since I am very much into Heart Rate Training and working out more efficiently, I'll look at these books and see if there is a good guide book to get. I found the most perfect sounding one "Heart Rate Training for the Complete Idiot". So I add this to the cart and do one click checkout. Are you still with me?

Now, all I needed to do was go into the "MY ACCOUNT" section and combine the two orders. I'll take out Jillian's DVD and let that hang in my cart until September when it becomes available. Once I have the other 3 items listed and shown as all being available, I can reclick "free shipping" and get the order in the next 2 days. Yay! Simple, right?

It wasn't letting me combine the orders. Uh-oh!! So I called customer service at Amazon and told them what I was trying to do. The rep said that my first order (it was placed less than an hour before!) was too far into the fulfillment process to stop it and there was nothing I could do. She did offer to cancel my 2nd order (the heart rate training guide for the complete idiot), but I was so intrigued by this book and what it could do for me, I couldn't tell her yes to cancel the order.

So Ian's $9.00 watch, now was costing a total of $15.00 in shipping over two orders. So not what I intended. I was just hoping for free shipping.

Sweet Summer Fun - Part 6 (a.k.a. Now, THAT was crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I take full responsibility for what I am about to report on. Really, it was all my fault. I used poor judgement and should've known better, especially when so many kids were involved. Oh my!

I have to say that I don't know when enough is enough. Jeff points it out to me many times that I should give up and throw in the towel way before I find that limit. But there is something in me that doesn't allow that to happen and of course everyone suffers in the end. Only this time I brought many innocent mothers and their kids in to my normal crazy day. Fortunately these are all good (no, make that GREAT) friends and they have a sense of humor.

Last Thursday, I planned a fun pool party for the afternoon and invited a bunch of our friends to join us. While at the pool, we'd order pizza for dinner. I even made cupcakes for us to enjoy afterwards. We had a great turn out and 6 moms and 16 kids were able to make it. This was not even including us!

The weather forecast called for a strong chance of severe thunderstorms. But when we started on our outing to the pool, the sky was crystal clear and sunny. I was at Wolf Trap the night before and saw a dark, gloomy sky above and had the good fortune that I didn't get rained on. I was hoping the luck would continue at the pool and whatever clouds appeared would continue to blow by.

We arrived at the pool at 2:40pm and the kids were having fun. At 3:15pm, the whistle was blown and the pool was shutting down. The lifeguard heard thunder and that was the sign it was time to get out of the pool. Yes, there were some dark clouds above. And, yes, I do agree, it looked like it was going to pour, but surely we'd have time to eat the cupcakes first, right? After going to the trouble to make these cupcakes from scratch, I was determined to let the kids enjoy them. Plus, did I really want to get stuck with 2 dozen cupcakes? No sirreeeee!!

So as everyone is scrambling out of the pool, I threw out my idea to gather around and have a cupcake. I've come to find out later that two of the moms thought my suggestion was completely bonkers. But I really did think we'd have enough time before.....

The rain, lightning, thunder all seemed to start in the same second. It was nuts. One second we were dry (well, actually still wet from just having been in the pool), and the next second, we were drenched and cupcakes were flying off the table from the high winds. It was out of control! The kids were mere seconds into eating their cupcakes. They got scared and we couldn't get our stuff together fast enough to high tail it out of there. We quickly made our way to the lifeguard/bathrooms/community center building and got our bearings.

Because we live so close, I walk to the pool. This time I not only had the two kids with me, but also my friend Susanne and her three kids walking too from my house. I pack a big wagon and fill it with everything but the kitchen sink. Now our close walk back to the house seemed like a continent away and getting there would require Noah's Ark.

I invited whoever wanted, to come back to the house; at the very least to dry off and get changed. My friend Carol came to our rescue and drove Ian, Sam, and me home. I left my wagon behind. My friend Dawn took Susanne and her 3 kids back to my house too. In both instances I am sure the kids were in shock getting thrown into the front seat of the car and taking off without even a thought of a car seat. (A quick reminder....I live literally around the corner...this would never be done in any other circumstance.)

Of the 6 moms in attendance, I had 3 moms and a total of 9 kids back at the house. There was a crazy number of towels being used in an attempt to get everyone dry. It was insane and the sheets of rain kept falling and falling without letting up. It was a monsoon! Once back in dry clothes, the kids quickly found themselves in our rec room playing. The four of us stayed in the living room area and hung out, sitting on the floor, recovering from the experience.

We ended up ordering pizza and making the best of the situation. Our playdate finally came to an end around 6:30pm. The kids had a fun time playing and the moms had a rare opportunity to sit and chat for a few hours without worrying if the kids were going to drown.

It didn't take long before we could look back on the situation and start laughing. Specifically when the pool has just announced it is closing and I say, "I think we have enough time for cupcakes." Yeah, right. Like I said, me and when 'enough is enough' don't usually see eye to eye on the first try.

Before the group left my house, we decided we needed to get together again next Thursday. Fortunately it appears my mommy friends don't know when enough is enough of me either. :)

How sweet it is!

My little girl has her first crush. The other night she was drawing a picture and upon completion, took the piece of paper to show Daddy. Sam then said, "Nathan...mail....Nathan...mail." She wanted to mail her picture to Nathan. How cute is that!?!?!

Nathan is the younger brother of Ethan and 3 weeks older than Sam. Because Ian and Ethan are such good friends, the two younger ones find themselves together frequently. Through out the week, they attend camp together, go to the kids club at the gym and generally get tagged along to the older two boys' activities.

One time we had pulled up at the traffic light and Jen's minivan was right next to our car. Sam loved this and recited Nathan's name all the way to Chuck E. Cheese, where we were headed. Now, whenever we are at that same intersection, Sam starts asking for Nathan.

I know this is projecting extremely far ahead into the future, but if things do work out for Sam and Nathan, I couldn't ask for a better family for her to become a part of. And to think we would have pictures of them together from the very beginning. Which in my book, gives Nathan the leg up on any competition that could come along in kindergarten. :)

Swimming to the top

I am convinced that Ian is going to grow up and become the head of a company or a politician. He is a born leader. He has a way of working the situation to his benefit and takes care of others along the way.

Ian has been taking swim lessons twice a week for the past month and a half. His swim teacher is one of the lifeguards at the pool we frequent. Tommy, the swim teacher/lifeguard, does not have the best conversational skills. Ian uses this weakness to his advantage and Tommy doesn't stand a chance during their 30 minutes together each lesson.

To start with, Ian talks non-stop during the lesson. Tommy can't get a word in. Ian tells Tommy what they are going to work on. "Let's start with a warm-up going once around the pool." or "How about I work on kicking now?" Tommy will try to tell Ian to swim to a certain point in the pool to him and Ian will reply with, "No, I am going to swim to there first (a destination much closer)." After Ian has accomplished that. Ian will then tell Tommy, "Ok, I'll swim to where you want me to go just once. And for doing that, I get an extra piece of candy."

Then they'll move on to the next activity and Ian will negotiate how that is going to play out. It is really something watching this in action. Ian speaks with such confidence that you can't help but believe he knows what he is doing. And taking on a 6 foot college student is quite spectacular.

Tommy's head must be spinning by the time the lesson is over. Ian pretty much runs the lesson and in the process scores 4 lollipops by the time they are through. Now here is the part I am really in awe of -- when the lesson is over each time and Ian goes to collect the candy, he turns around and hands out a piece to Sam, his friend James, and James' little sister Ashley. Plus, he still has one lollipop for himself. Got to give the kid credit. He is brilliant.

It's all about time

Ian is obsessed with the time. Time of day. Time until we leave to go somewhere. Time until we head back home. Time until we will eat lunch. How long will the playdate lasts. How long is party going to be. How many minutes until we get there. It is getting out of control and borders on the obnoxious.

At first I was amazed at how well Ian could understand time and even do the calculations on various hour/minute equations. Ian would ask, "What time is the birthday party?" I would answer, "1:00pm to 2:30pm". Ian would then instantly come back with, "Oh, so it is 90 minutes long." Or, we will be driving in the car and the time on the radio would say 9:37am. Ian would tell me that we have 23 minutes to get there by 10:00am. It is pretty impressive for a kid his age to be able to have this level of comprehension, but it is also becoming tiring to answer his questions over and over again. Every time we travel somewhere new. Every time we arrive at said destination. Every time we get back home. Every time we talk about the plans for the next day. It doesn't end!

Ian has a watch, but it is a Thomas the Train design and he doesn't like to wear it. Believe me, I am going to change that and get him a watch he does like to wear. This week. In 2 days, 5 hours, 22 minutes and 13 seconds. :)

Sweet Summer Fun - Part 5

I spoke way too soon about how fantastic he was and what a joy to be around. OMG! Somebody shoot me now!

For a few months now, my friend Kristin and I had it on the calendar to take the kids to Chesapeake Beach on Thursday, July 29th. I knew I'd be there two times earlier in the month with the whole family and could gauge how easy it would be to attempt this on my own with the kids. Both prior visits were amazing experiences and it got me very excited to return back on a random Thursday when most people are at work or on a real beach vacation elsewhere.

Taking two active, spirited kids by myself was a piece of a cake. Why, you ask? Because for the 3.5 hours we were there (10:00am to 1:30pm), Ian never got off his beach chair. He sat there and complained on and off the entire time we were there. I am not kidding. "I don't like the beach." "I hate the sand." "I am sooooooo hot." "I don't want to be here." "I don't want to go in the water." "I don't like the sun." "This is not my summer." "My day is off to a bad start." "I just want to relax."

In between the complaints, I'd also hear the following, "What time is it now?" "What time will we eat lunch?" "What time are we leaving?" And this pattern would repeat itself often enough to be ridiculously annoying.

I was ready to strangle the kid!! Although, because Ian wouldn't budge from the beach chair (positioned directly under the umbrella, mind you), I was able to devote all my time and attention to Samantha. She was having a fantastic time and her temper tantrums and screaming were at a minimum. I guess I got better at either figuring out what she wanted or could read her mind faster than she was able start communicating. The big downfall was her lunch -- potato chips, chocolate chip cookie, and chocolate ice cream. I guess I covered all the major food groups with that variety, right? But at this point, am I really going to start arguing with a 2 year old to eat her sandwich when I was already having such major issues with the 5 year old? I think not.

Looking back, I wonder if I set us up for failure. I have a feeling it would've been a very different experience for all of us, if Ian had even one of his best buddies there to play with. In the past we had gone several times with Ethan and his mom. Ian and Ethan would play for hours on end and the time flew by. You didn't even know they were there unless it was time to eat or they needed a drink.

I am now rethinking camp being only 3 days a week for Ian. It's never too late to add in Thursdays and Fridays, right? We still have 3 weeks to go before we will have 2 weeks entirely open without even camp being offered. Oy!

Chocolate ice cream before the ride home. Good for what ails you. Ian finally has a smile on his face.