skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Yesterday, I told you about The Son dressing up like a Big, Bad Bullybug for Book Day at his school. You can see how scary he was in the picture above. You can also see how visible and conspicuous he was, hard to miss, don't ya think?
Well, it was raining that afternoon so I decided to pick him up at the bus stop, usually, he walks home from the bus stop because I can see it from our house and I just watch for him by looking out the window. Thank goodness, that's not what I did on this particular day.
I got out of my car as the bus drove up and I watched the throngs of children come off the bus, we have a lot of kids in our neighborhood and I'd say that approximately 15 of them are on The Son's bus. They all got off and I scanned the crowd for The Son, as I was scanning the crowd, the bus drove away and The. Son. Wasn't. There.
I became frantic, wracked my brain thinking, "Was I supposed to pick him up today?" I quickly asked the other kids if he had been on the bus and thankfully, they replied, "Yeah, I think so, he was in his bug costume, right?" I then asked them why no one thought to bring him with them as they got off the bus, I mean really, how could you miss a Kindergarten Kid in a silver bug costume? I then realized that The Son was probably panicking himself right about then.
By this time, the mom in the car behind me had called the school and passed her phone to me, it was nice that someone else was thinking clearly. The school phoned the bus company who contacted the bus driver and I got word that The Son was safe and would be dropped off on the bus driver's trip back around in about 20 minutes! I swear, it was a long 20 minutes but soon enough, the bus came driving back up the street and I got out as The Son exited the bus. He was crying and running toward me with all six legs outstretched and waving in the rainy breeze. I scooped him up and hug, hug, hugged him. He was so sweet, telling me how much he missed me and how the older kids on the bus, "cared for him." He told me that one girl offered him some goldfish crackers and made sure that he felt OK. I came to find out that it was a substitute bus driver which I think led to the problem and is part of the reason he didn't get off at his stop. The other reason can be blamed on the classic rock group, Queen.
"Queen?" you ask.
Yes, Queen!
When we both calmed down and got home, I was holding The Son on my lap and asked him to tell me what happened. He said, they were doing "WE WILL, WE WILL, ROCK YOU!" on the bus and he didn't realize that all his friends weren't there until he turned around to talk to his little friend Josh and he was gone. He started crying again while telling me this story and then said, "The bus driver told me he would bring me back home later, and I was so scared and then the big kids cared for me and I started to feel better but Momma, I missed you so much."
What a day! I was so relieved that he was safe and secretly found the "We Will ROCK You" story a tad bit funny. I will not hesitate to refer to this incident the next time The Son gets mad at me and tells me I'm a mean Momma although I haven't had to use it yet. ;)
All in all, it turned out just fine, The Son hasn't forgotten to get off the bus since that day and I doubt it will happen again any time soon as long as the kids don't start channeling Freddy Mercury again.
Have a great Thursday my friends! I'm getting weighed today and I'm not expecting a great result, it's been a tough week as far as healthy eating... I'll let you know!
A couple weeks ago, The Son had "Reading Week" at school, each day was filled with special activities focusing around reading. The best day, according to The Son, was the day they got to dress up like a character in a book,my boy LOVES a costume. I don't think all parents did this but I told The Son that it had to be a character that was in a book first, like it couldn't be Bakugan or Sponge Bob or someone that books were written about but had to be more from Childrens' Literature. He decided to be a "Big Bad Bullybug" from Ed Emberly's "Bye Bye Big Bad Bullybug."
I used silver dance costume/bathing suit fabric and traced around The Son to make the base of the costume. The Son and I stuffed knee highs with fiber fill to make the legs and I attached them to the sides of the costume, it was a little tricky but I used fishing line to string the legs together so that they would attach to his wrists and be able to stick out straight at the sides.
We used foam sheets and pipe cleaners to create the Itty-Bitty-Babybugs in the book and also attached them to the costume and lastly, I took an old pair of sunglasses and attached some more foam pieces to make the Bullybug's three eyes with some more pipe cleaners as the antennae.
He was so proud of his costume and he looked so cute. We had a great time making this together and he was so excited to ride the bus the next day, he said everyone liked his costume and told me about some of the other kids' choices. I have to say, it sounded like his was the most creative. ;)
Later that day, we had some real excitement, excitement I hope to never have again...
I'll tell you more about that tomorrow, thanks for visiting today and I hope you enjoyed my Big Bad Bullybug Boy! Happy Wednesday!
Back when The Son was a baby and I was solely a Stay at Home Mom, we spent every minute together, playing, hanging out and visiting museums, etc. Now that he's a Big Boy, and in Kindergarten, I'm working more in and out of the home, and I realized that we haven't had any of those "special" Momma/Son moments we used to spend together.
We're fortunate that we live kind of near Longwood Gardens and that we're members there. Longwood Gardens is a wonderful place to visit, it's acres and acres of beautiful horticultural wonderment. (I just made that up) It's beautiful all year round and I know I've mentioned it at Christmas time before. If you're interested in visiting or just checking out the history, just click on my link above.
I decided that The Son and I needed to take a Momma/Son visit to The Gardens and I picked him up from school on Tuesday for us to do just that. We took LOTS and LOTS of pictures. As I told you before, I just got a new camera and I knew that taking The Son there would give me lots of opportunities to test out the new camera. It was a beautiful day so there are many pictures to share with you...
As you can tell, we had a fantastic day, we plan on going back again really soon. Thanks for stopping by my blog today and for leaving a comment of course. Tomorrow we're going to get a little more up close and personal with some of the flowers at Longwood... See you then!
Did you realize we were gone? Probably not. I haven't been getting much in the way of comments recently although that I will say I am definitely more of a "quality vs. quantity" type gal and the comments I HAVE received have been just lovely, thank you all so much for your kind thoughts.
It's Spring Break for The Son so we decided to take a couple days away and head to Washington, DC. I didn't post about it before because I'm now paranoid to be specific about when we're going to be away because of recent robberies to people's homes that have been linked to Facebook. Of course, I still posted that I was a way on Facebook but I just tried not to be totally specific. I'd also like to think that my FB friends wouldn't rob me but I'm sure that's what the people who were robbed thought too.
I started the planning for this little trip on Priceline.com. I'd never used Priceline before but decided to do a "name your own price" deal and ended up with a room in DuPont Circle for $69 a night! SWEET! It was at the Marriott and it I was thrilled with what we got for the price, the room was small and The Son kept commenting on that but the child is used to full, two-bedroom suites at Disney with full kitchens because we're Disney Vacation Club Members so he has no concept. It was a nice, clean comfortable room with great Marriott service, I'd stay there again for sure, especially for $69 a night! I also recently used Priceline to get a great room in Philly for the night before the Broad St. Run, also at a Marriott (Residence Inn) also, for $69 a night which I'll be splitting with friends so, another great deal!
We had a really nice time, lots of tips and things I can tell you about but I am going to sign off for now and try to get a few things done around the house before we head out to the Y for working out/teaching swimming this evening. I indulged a bit too much while in DC and need to get myself on that treadmill ASAP!
Have a great day everyone!
Hi Friends! If anyone out there still reads (or comments) on my blog that is...
I know I've been on hiatus again, I have to admit I am having difficulty managing to find time to blog and work out and work and take care of my men and all the things that busy moms have to do. I know for a fact that many of you out there will understand!
I am really feeling great about this weather lately. I hope that the title of this post doesn't jinx us and make it turn into Winter again because Pennsylvania has had some big snow storms in March and even in April. Scary... it's been pretty nice around these parts lately and I'd like to keep it that way.
So, let me tell you what's going on with us. I am still working on losing weight but my body doesn't seem aware of that fact! ha ha! I have had quite a few weeks of NO LOSS! Ugh! and it's not for lack of trying and doing all the "right" things. I am so close to my goal of losing 100 pounds that I think at this point, it's just difficult. I am not getting discouraged or giving up because honestly, on the plan I do, there is no "finished" this is just the way I will live and eat for the rest of my life. If I have another week of no loss, I will have to really examine my foods and tweak a few more things to make those last ten pounds LEAVE. It will all come off eventually, it might just take a bit longer than I want it to.
I am still training for the Broad Street Run which is a 10 mile race on May 2nd. I am feeling a bit nervous because I can't seem to get past 5 miles comfortably and 7 miles with a lot of effort. I'll keep trying though and know that I could walk 10 miles right now so if that's what I have to do, at least I know I'll get through the race. I downloaded some music to run to and I have to say that BPMs have changed my running life... don't know what that means? I'll tell you in another post, it will give me something to blog about!
The Son is doing BEAUTIFULLY in Kindergarten. The Husband and I had his conference this week and his teacher couldn't say enough good things. He's mastered all the Kindergarten skills and is now working on first grade skills. She told us not to expect him to master the first grade skills this year because they are much more complex than the Kindergarten ones. I am not worried. I have no plans to rush him, he's still just a little guy. He needs to work on his printing because it's very sloppy and he also needs to work on putting spaces between his words, other than that he's doing really great. His standardized test scores were in the 99th percentile for math and the 97th for reading... PROUD! I will add that as a former teacher, I know that standardized tests are only one indicator of a child's intelligence and abilities but as his mom, I am still very proud of him indeed. His teacher also said that he is a very "nice boy" and that he treats the other students with respect and is friendly with everyone. I hope this is an indication on how he will be as he progresses through school because I couldn't be happier.
We're going on a little spring break vaycay this weekend... it's not THAT exciting but I'll tell you about it soon. It should be fun.
I still keep wanting to do a post on healthy cooking/eating as well as a post on BPMs that have changed my life... I'll try, try, try to be a little more proactive with the blogging because it really is something I like to do, it's just hard to find the time.
Lastly, I got a haircut and I am really happy with it! My hairdresser didn't take off too much but she did just enough to make it a little more manageable and now I have some shape. Here's a picture. Funny enough, The Son took this picture, he's pretty good for a six year old, as long as I help him know how to frame it and place him the right distance away, he's getting the hang of it.
Final addition... I wrote the above post earlier today and forgot to post it. Duh. I got weighed at 1:00 today and was down 1.6! Yahoo! That makes my official total 90.2 pounds. only 9.8 to go for my goal... that could take another year but I'll get there. (I'm only half kidding!)
Have a great day everyone! Stay healthy!
Spring that is! We've endured quite a few days of rainy, yucky weather and today when I woke up I saw the sun! The warm, beautiful, welcoming sun. However, it's March 16th and I hate to get too excited about Spring because Mother Nature can be a big tease, taunting us with these lovely, pleasant days only to rip them away and dump another ten inches of snow all over us. I will just try to enjoy these days while they're here and not get too excited lest they be cruelly ripped away from me as I am plunged into the depths of Winter Hell once again. (Who are you calling overly dramatic?)
So anyway... as you can see, I'm still here. I've been feeling a little "non-bloggy" these days. As usual, I've been busy and when I'm busy, there are things that have to be put aside. Blogging is probably one of the first things to go because it certainly isn't going to be The Son or my work outs or my healthy eating, those are always things I make time for because those are the things that keep me healthy and feeling good.
The Son is doing well, growing like crazy, I cannot believe that he's more than half way through kindergarten. His Nannie recently sent him a down vest from L.L. Bean and then found this cute hat to go with it.
The Son loves it so much that one night he even wore it to bed! He got dressed this morning at 9:30 and put it on so that he "would be ready to leave when it was time to go to school." People, the child goes to school at noon! LOL! He's playing in the sunroom now wearing his vest waiting to go to school. He's a funny kid, my boy.
Thanks Nannie! We really love the vest (and you!)
I'm still training for my ten-mile race, I feel like I hit a wall with my training but I'm going to overcome it. Ziggy (my German Shorthair Pointer) and I are going to go for an outdoor run today. I think getting outdoors will help me get back into the swing of things. I've been running plenty, don't get me wrong, it's just been difficult to get past the max of seven miles that I've achieved. I'll get there... I'm determined.
I have a few posts that I'd like to do about excuses (not making them) and about ways to incorporate "real healthy eating" into our diets, not "faux healthy eating" with bars and frozen meals. They'll get written... one of these days.
Well, I'm off to say hello to Mother Nature now and beg her to keep that sun shining and those temperatures warming up. If you see her, do the same, perhaps she'll decide to let Spring stick around for a while! Happy Tuesday! Stay healthy!
Hello Everyone! Happy belated Valentine's Day! I had a wonderful day with my guys yesterday, The Son gave me a beautiful potted red tulip plant and The Husband gave me a book on "SuperFoods." We had a low-key day as far as gifts are concerned but Valentine's Day isn't about gifts, is it? I should add that it was the 17th anniversary of my engagement to The Husband... can you believe he kept me that long? Through thick and through thin... literally!
I have been INTO making risotto lately, I think it's because of the cold weather and snow we've been experiencing as well as the fact that risotto is delicious! DELICIOUS! Now, as a nutritionist, I will admit that risotto isn't the most healthy thing you can eat but there are plenty of ways to work it into your diet (diet meaning the food you eat, not a plan you can't live with) and the fact that if you make it at home, with out a pre-packaged mix, it's all natural, not processed and it tastes so fresh! It also takes a bit of time to make so that helps me limit it to once per week, therefore, we're not eating too much of it.
I really enjoy the process of making risotto, it's soothing, stirring in cup after cup of broth as the smells of garlic or shallots or mushrooms waft up and as your hearty, delicious dish thickens and gets tastier by the minute. I always tell The Husband that it's a dish you make for the one you love because it takes time and dedication to do it right... just like marriage!
I've been scoping my favorite recipe Internet sites for various risotto recipes and of course, the best ones I find are on Cooking Light and Eating Well, two of my favorites. I had a guest photographer yesterday who took pictures of me as I cooked, The guest photographer is also known as The Son and I think he did a pretty good job!
Here is a cooking tip for you and yes, I am totally and completely serious... I wear swim goggles when I cut onions, or in this case shallots. I know it helps that I am a swim instructor so of course I have goggles but you can buy a cheap pair at any Wal-Mart or Target as soon as summer gets here if you don't already have some. My eyes are sensitive and I cannot stand the way they feel when the fumes burn them. I know I look ridiculous but honestly, it's the only thing that works...
Plus, it makes The Son laugh...
I also like making risotto because usually it calls for a half a cup of wine or so and that means that I can have a little glass of wine while I'm cooking, it makes the stirring and stirring and stirring just a bit more entertaining.
So, I am not going to post the recipes here that I've tried, I'll supply you with a link and my opinion and you can give it a try yourself if you want to make them.
The first one I tried was from Cooking Light and was Porcini Mushroom Risotto with Marscarpone cheese . This one was by far, my favorite. I cut a little bit of the fat by using half the olive oil and replacing it with non-stick spray which is something I do with just about every recipe I ever make. At times, I don't even use the olive oil but in this case, I want a bit of that EVOO flavor. I made this recipe twice and the second time my grocery store was out of dried porcini mushrooms, I used oyster mushrooms and the were not as flavorful but still quite good, if you don't like a really strong mushroom flavor, they would be a good option for you. I preferred the porcinis as did The Husband.
Last night, I made Eating Well's Winter Squash Risotto, the nice thing about this one was that by adding the Butternut squash, you lower the calories per 1 cup serving. The Husband had requested this one and it too was very yummy. My tip for this one is, if you can, buy the squash already peeled and seeded. Doing that saved me loads of time, this recipe calls for optional saffron which I was unfortunately unable to find at my grocery store. It was good without the saffron but I think it would have been even better with. I added a few fresh enoki mushrooms along with the fresh shitakes that this recipe called for just because I think they're cute and yummy. Here's the risotto in the pot...
And, on the plate with some roasted asparagus and a petite filet... a yummy, hearty, healthy meal for just a bit more than 500 calories!
And see... he loves me!
And... so does he! I'm a lucky girl!
Thanks to The Son for taking most of these pictures, please don't mind the few dark spots on some of them, that's where his finger was over a portion of the flash, he tries so hard, I don't have the heart to correct him.
Have a great President's Day, we're meeting friends at the Y which I'm really looking forward to. They're calling for more snow tonight and I'm hoping it's just a dusting and won't affect whether or not The Son has school tomorrow the child needs to go back... Bye for now!
Hi Everyone!
Another long stretch of time without a post. I've just been very busy, so what else is new?
Lots of new weight management groups starting up. I have some fantastic people in my groups and I am so honored and excited that they'll be working with me to get healthy. It's such an awesome job that I have and I feel so fortunate. Obviously, I don't blog about other people's journey's since losing weight and getting healthy is such a personal thing but I've had a lot of success in my groups and have seen so many healthy changes in people that it thrills me, I love helping people realize how much fun it is to be healthy!
The Son turned six last weekend. We had a party for him at the Y and it was very successful. I have pictures of course but you may have to wait a while to see some of those. My MIL visited and we had a really nice time. She lives in Maine which is hard on The Son, and on her but she makes time to see us as much as she can.
I am going away for the weekend with my fantastic cousin, Chrissy Cuz. She is coming from Connecticut to go to a scrapbooking weekend away with me. My sister usually goes but her daughter, The Baby Niece, is a little too high maintenance right now for her to be able to join us. We're sad about that and will miss her a lot. Next year Sissy, next year... So, I've been uploading and uploading and uploading pictures to have them printed at CVS. Next year, will someone please remind me to start this in November, not a couple days before I have to go. I always have good intentions to get started early but alas, it never happens.
I'm about to get The Son ready for school and myself ready for the gym and work. If you notice my running mileage in my sidebar, you'll notice it's gone down considerably, that's because I am trying not to over do it so that I can have good runs for my training plan. I am running more than the plan suggests because I just can't bring myself to run only three even when it tells me to do three, I just use the extra miles as warm-up and cool down. Soon, I'll be wishing it only asked me to do three I'm sure!
Have a great day everyone! I have a few more photos to upload and then we're heading out.
Happy Friday my bloggy friends! I actually have a few minutes this morning to write up a blog post for you. The Son gets on the bus at 8AM and I don't have to be at the gym until just afternoon. I've been enjoying myself by trying out lots of new fitness classes at the Y and my nutrition classes that I teach are going well. I also went back to teaching swim lessons. I don't know if I had mentioned on the blog that the Y came up with a "policy" that you had to work 10 hours there to remain employed and with that policy, many of the swim instructors quit. One would have to work pretty much every day to be able to get in 10 hours of swim lessons and since so many of us are moms who work at the Y because we only had to work a day or two, we quit. That didn't bode well or work at the Y so they changed the policy and we all went back. I'm thrilled because I enjoyed that job and it was really nice to see some of my favorite little swimmers again... I missed those little guys!
Walking to the bus stop...
Oh Momma... come on!
There it is...
Happy First day of First Grade Son! WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU! Clearly, you're very proud of yourself as well and that's just the way we want you to be! 
