Book Report: 365 Thank Yous

Wow. One month down and I have made 31 posts and read 4 books. Awesome! Hope I can keep it going.

365 Thank Yous is written by John Kralik. He's an ordinary lawyer who had several bouts of bad luck (wives, practice, etc). He is down in the dumps, almost suicidal when a thought comes to him to be thankful. And to do so, he begins writing thank yous to people. It takes him 15 months to accomplish his goal. He starts off by writing thank yous for his Christmas gifts and then moves on to each time someone does something good, he writes them a thank you...clients who pay their bill. Ex wife for hosting a great birthday party for their daughter. In return, he gets tons of thank yous back and he become more grateful.

While the story is true and a little hokey at times, I do see the benefit of writing thank yous. Of course, I was raised that you write thank yous for your gifts. But sometimes it's nice to send a thank you out of the blue. And maybe to someone you don't really like, but want to bring attention to something good they did.

Overall, I liked the book and would recommend it to others.

Making Valentines

Today, L got to participate in a Valentine's Day card making class just for kids. It was at our local scrapbook store. Two hours, 24 cards and all by herself. I shopped for a bit, then realized she didn't need me. She is already starting to lay out her first cards.
So I left, exercised and got the car washed, then headed back just as she was finishing up. She asked me if I wanted to help a little and I was more than happy to do so. The ladies were all impressed with her listening skills and ability to work independently.
Here are the robot cards. The bodies are a Hershey miniature.
Here's L with the finished product. She was so proud of herself. Now the waiting begins until Valentine's Day.

Three Shocker Cuties

The Friday Night Group

Friday nights are reserved for fun. For years, we went to a movie then dinner. Since we've had kids, we don't make it to the movies as often. This Friday, I fixed chicken, rice and dessert and the crew (minus Kasey) gathered to have a good meal and share stories and laughs. I love getting together with them...it's the best way to end the work week.

Book Report: The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick

I get a flyer from the library every couple months and this was a book featured. Gene Stone wrote this book about 25 different people's secrets to not getting sick. Some people were bizarre, including the guy who takes a cold shower every day (no way!). The other oddity was the person who dips his head in hydrogen peroxide (again, no way). But there were some good ideas, such as meditation, taking Vitamin C, and daily napping (I wish I could get my boss to agree to that).

Another set of stories was about those who have good genes. There are people who live in blue zones: Loma Linda, CA, Nicova, Costa Rica, Barbagia, Sardinia, Icaria, Greece, and Okinaqa, Japan. These people have the highest proportion of people who live longer, healthier lives.

Definitely a good read.

Thanks Mom and Dad!

Jeff got a new Keurig for Christmas and I think I enjoy it as much as he does. We have bought several flavors. My favorites are Chai Latte and French Toast coffee. If you don't know about this new hit, the Keurig makes a single cup of coffee in 30 seconds. I love it so much I bought one for the office!

L's New Bed

Apparently after we moved a couch from the basement to our room, L decided that was a great place for her to sleep. I would complain more, but it means she sneaks in there in the middle of the night, but she doesn't wake me up to do that. I'm not worried...it's just one of her many phases.

Really???

Yes, folks. This is what we get for half time entertainment. All the mascots in Wichita playing basketball. No wonder we get little respect.

What a Productive Day!

Some days are like that and I am grateful for them. Today, I was going to run with Judy but the wind chill was -9 so we skipped it. But here's where my productivity started. I :
1. Picked up the house and put everything in its place.
2. Cleaned the bathrooms, vacuumed, and took out the trash.
3. Cleaned up L's room, which was a giant mess.
4. Cleaned the entire kitchen.
5. Cleaned out the pantry and threw away a huge bag of old stuff.
6. Zumba'ed for 40 minutes
7. Played Wii.
8. Scrapbooked and started packing for Cropaganza.
9. Fixed homemade burritos.
10. Made rice krispie treats.

Maybe it's because we didn't leave the house, but we did it. L was a huge help!

Meet Tommy!

Thomas James, born Thursday. 7 lbs, 6 oz. Oh so cute! He was cuddled in my lap for 20 minutes. His eyes were open the entire time and he was so sweet. He's the son of my co-worker, Brady.

The Imax Experience

Last night we went to the 10 pm showing of The Green Hornet 3D at the IMAX theater. Bill Warren created a wonderful IMAX theater in Wichita. It's next door to the regular theater, but they connect. This was our first time to IMAX and we were excited to check it out.
I was impressed by IMAX. While I haven't been thrilled with the 3D movies, I thought adding IMAX helped the experience. The movie to me was okay. It wasn't really what I thought it was going to be. The guys, on the other hand, loved the movie and thought the IMAX experience was just okay. At $15 a ticket, we probably won't be going back there often.

Carrot and Squeekles

The boys are now 4 months old. They have definitely gotten bigger. They eat a TON! They enjoy spinach, brussell sprouts, but they love their hay. When Carrot hears me open the container to fill with hay, he starts making noises like a siren. I tried to tape it last night, but he wouldn't talk. Of course tonight, he was loud and clear and my camera was downstairs. Silly guineas. They are so much fun to play with. L loves to pick them up and cuddle. And they really tolerate it well. I have been very pleased with our latest animal choice.

Book Report: Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang

I know what you're thinking, but I needed a mindless book to read after the last book required much brain power. And Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang fits that bill. Chelsea Handler is a comedian who has her own show on E! I've never watched the show but this is the second book of hers I've read and she is FUNNY. Sometimes the stuff she writes about makes me laugh so hard. I've been reading it at work over lunch and when someone walks in my office, I hide it. I'm not sure why I'm ashamed. Maybe because the first chapter is all about her learning to masturbate at the ripe age of 8. Much of this book centers around her father and his lack of social skills. My favorite chapter is when he rents out his house in the Hamptons for $7500 a week, it's completely gross, the renters complain and want their money back, and he acts like its the renters fault. The story ends with Chelsea threatening her dad to pay them back (which he does). I know...it's hard to summarize the funny. You've really got to read the book.

L's eye checkup

On their day off, Jeff and L went to the eye doctor's for a checkup. This was L's first time at the eye doctor. She had a great time visiting with the puppies (Pooh and Molly). They were snuggled in their beds.
L and Hank (the optometrist). He gave her a clean check up, but said she'd likely need correction sometime (both her parents have astigmatism...doesn't bode well for the girl).
I look at it this way. Not right now and we'll keep checking on it.

A and L

Two bests friends.
Had a sleepover.
Made out at Chucky Cheese (got 1200 tickets=2 tshirts).
Ate some ice cream.
Stayed up really late.
Played and played til A's mom came back.
What a day!

Making Cupcakes

Today, we spent the day at the Robinson's. Misha leaves tomorrow to go back to college so L and Misha needed to spend some time together. Misha got a Babycakes machine for Christmas so the girls made red velvet cupcakes.
This machine rocks! It makes cupcakes in 8 minutes. After a few minutes in the fridge to cool down, L took her time to frost the cupcakes. They were DELISH!
Final product. It was less than 8 minutes before they were devoured.

Not Just Any Running Shoes

These shoes may look like ordinary running shoes, but they're not.

They got me through hundreds of miles, a half marathon and a full marathon.

These shoes never failed me, even when I got them dusty and dirty week after week.

Even after one of the shoe ties broke.

No, they aren't just any running shoe. They are my first true running shoe. And while they have lost their bounce and need to be tossed, I've still held on to them.

Like an old friend.

My Favorite Meal

I came home from work Wednesday night to a good smelling house. I thought, "oh good, they picked up chicken so I don't have to cook." But then I discovered it was so much better than that. Jeff made his famous (to me) beef stew. I have no idea how he makes it because I'm never around when he does. It takes him 90 minutes to prep the stew which is why he hasn't made it in over a decade. L helped by peeling carrots, dumping in the veggies and cutting potatoes.


She had so much fun making stew with him. And I'm a happy camper because I got my favorite meal and there's tons of leftovers!

Cool Snow Pictures

...taken this morning of our house. I love the icicles. It finally warmed up today and the snow is melting.

Book Report: Mindless Eating

I thought since I love to read, I'd try to do some book reports. So I hope I don't bore you. The first book I read this year is called "Mindless Eating, Why We Eat More than We Think" by Brian Wansink. I read it because Jeff's school district is doing the Mindless Method program for weight loss this year. It's a pretty interesting concept.

The book was okay. He spent A LOT of time discussing studies about why people eat more than they think they do, why we eat junk when we aren't hungry, etc. I know all this stuff...I just don't do it. But at the end, he discusses making 3 goals to be able to check off every day for 30 days and if you can accomplish that, the goals are likely to stick.

So my three are: 1. Take two bites of food, then put my fork down. I have a bad habit of scarfing my food down and need to stop it.
2. Drink 4 bottles of water a day. This will keep me from eating when I'm really just thirsty.
3. I can only eat sweets on days I exercise. That will give me a little motivation to get up and go to the gym in the morning.

I'll post on February 12 and let you know how it went.

What do You do on a Snow Day?

Jeff and L got today off for snow/subzero wind chills. So what do they do when I'm at work and they're home to play?

Well, first you sleep in. Then you get up and put on your uniform. Then take it off when you find out there's no school and get into comfy clothes and eat breakfast.
Of course the weather doesn't keep these two inside so in the early afternoon they went picking. L is so happy to hang out with her daddy.
Lunch...always a given and always at McDonald's. They never get tired of that place (ick).
Then you head over to your buddy, Kam's house to play in the snow. They threw snow at each other, Kam tried to shovel L across the yard. They played and played.
...and you make snow angels.
Sounds like a great day to me. While I wish I could stay home, it was so nice to know that Jeff can be home with L. And since it's still that cold tomorrow, they are in for a repeat...no school!

Where's the Snow Day?

This is what it looked like outside the house at 7 am this morning. And our school district said it will be fine to hold school. What.A.Mess. It normally takes Jeff 20 minutes to drive to work; today it took 1 hour 20 minutes. Tomorrow I'll have some better daytime pictures. I wasn't out much when it was light.

A Sea of Yellow

I went Picking!

Jeff is planning on setting up a booth at the local antique mall. So when he found a nice glass case for $50, we decided to head out yesterday afternoon to look at it.
We LOVE American Pickers. Mike and Frank are awesome. So we always have them in mind when we stop at a place to look. And yesterday rocked! These guys had all sorts of stuff. We picked up the case and another shelf as well as a couple small things. The guys loved L (go figure) and gave her a doll. We were just about to leave when Jeff noticed another part of the store and one of the guys said, "Your welcome to go in. It's just got the leftover stuff in it". So we checked it out. And it was just like a picking site. Crap everywhere, in no order. At the very back, I saw this...
it's a Snapple cooler to put beverages in. It will be perfect for our summer parties. And I snagged it for a mere $20 cash (usually they go for 70-80 dollars). I was thrilled!!!

Dinner and a Movie

Before L was born, we went to dinner and a movie every Friday. It's definitely slowed down, but we still go about once a month. Tonight we watched "True Grit". What a great movie. I haven't seen the original movie, but this version was really great. I love hearing them talk. Jeff Bridges was so good.

Afterwards, we headed over to Jose Pepper's. I indulged in two margaritas and a chicken chimi. They were both really good.

Off to bed to run 6 miles in the am!

My Typical (or not) Day

Here's a look at my day today.

0545: alarm sounds. Hit snooze.
0600: alarm sounds again.
0600-0601: have mental argument on whether to get up and exercise or sleep in.
0601: get up and get dressed
0615-0645: worked out at the Y on the ellliptical machine watching my own TV
0650-0720: get ready for work
0720-0750: read paper, eat breakfast, catch up on Twitter and FB
0750-0830: get L up, repeatedly, feed and dress her.
0830-0840: go to bus stop. Wait for bus. Discover bus didn't stop for her this am. Call and complain.
0840-0900: drop L off at school; head to the hospital
0900-0920: see 4 preemies; all stable
0930-1130: see patients in the office, answer calls,, etc.
1200-1300: have meeting with a drug rep to discuss his medication.
1300-1700: see patients in the office, answer calls, catch up on dictation.
1700-1800: review patients with the doctor
1830-2030: have dinner with another drug rep to discuss neurological changes in Wichita, upcoming surgeries, etc. Had a wonderful dinner of salmon, ravioli and a peach martini at Yia Yia's.
2040-2115: clean out guinea pigs cage, give them a bath and feed them.
2130: repeatedly tell L to get to bed
2145-2200: read with L, share a few moments about our days
2200: collapse in the chair.

What a day!

My Annual Physical

I am excited today. I went for my annual checkup (don't worry...I won't be talking about my girl business. I have a gyno for that). My family doctor feels I'm in great health, even after I complained about being overweight. As part of my exam, I get lab work. And everything was great! My blood sugar (glucose) was 82, my cholesterol was 182 (supposed to be less than 200) and my triglycerides (bad cholesterol) was 78 (supposed to be less than 100). Woo hoo!

I called Jeff up and bragged since he did his lab last week and his cholesterol was high. He has to make some major diet changes. Me? I just need to quit eating all the time to lose some weight.

Good for a Shocker...THREE!

WSU beats Drake: 82-63.

"Mom, I'm doing my Homework!"

I came in our room last night to find L on MY iPad, typing away while she jams to music on the iPod. Technology....way different than when I was five.

Hanging out with Grandma

Yesterday we headed to Burlington for the day to hook up grandma and grandpa's Wii. We got it set up with Netflix as well. Grandma and L had fun playing each other in tennis. It was quite comical to watch. A day well spent.

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2011!! We hope you have a wonderful year. We are looking forward to our 2011 word, BALANCE. I'm raising a toast to keeping my life in check with work, home and all the busyiness that goes along with life.

My 2011 goals are as follows:
1. Write a letter to someone once a month
2. Lose weight by eating less and moving more
3. Relax
4. Keep my blog and scrapbook updated
5. Spend wisely