Happy Birthday Honey :)

Didn't have time to post this blog yesterday.

It was KC's birthday and he surprised us by coming home early!

We weren't quite ready for him. The presents were wrapped but the cake was only half done. It was an extra special cake this year. I figured since I've been using my kitchen more, I'd try and duplicate his favorite, Ice cream cake from Dairy Queen.

I love the internet. If I don't know how to do something, I can almost always find it there.

After going through a many of recipes, all different, I decided to piece together what made the most sense to me :)

My ingredients, didn't use the Hershey Drops, that was going to be for decoration, but decided it was overkill.

If interested, I used about 10 of of the sandwich cookies. Scraped off the cream (which the girls ate) and crumbled them in a bag.

I lined a pan in tin foil. Let the Mint ice cream (KC's fave) soften and then scooped it all out and smashed it into the pan.

I poured half the jar of hot fudge over the top (next time I will use all of it).

Then melted 40 dipping chocolate chips in the microwave. Pour the crumbled cookies in the bowl and stirred it all together. Then spread them over the hot fudge.

Placed in the freezer to harden for a few hours.

Then pulled it out by the tinfoil, removed the tinfoil and place on plate.

Stir up the softened ice cream for the top. And then I spread it on like frosting. (This is the point KC walked in the door :)  )

Place back in the freezer.

Then we finished it off with a little Whipped Cream. (I tried to find "Whipping Cream Frosting", which was suggested but I wasn't able to find it)

It was super easy and everybody loved it.

I would suggest making it a day or two in advance if you want it harden like DQ's, but I don't typically do things in advance, I'm lucky to get things done on time :)

We'll be making it again. A little cheaper. And I can personally pick out the favorite flavors for whoever's birthday it is.

It was a fun and relaxing family night.

The twins hadn't seen daddy for a few days. He's home after bedtime and they've been sleeping in lately. They were very happy to have him home :)

The boys all watched SpongeBob together, happily in daddy's lap. Cuddle time.

Later they also made time for wrestling and hiding under blankets on the floor. Good night. Thank you for coming home early :)

Love you Honey. Happy Birthday!

I also want to add a big thanks to all you teachers out there. I thank you for teaching my kids the knowledge that I don't have. My kids are growing up into the people they are because of your help. I don't take that for granted and I will continue to educate them to the best of my ability from home, because I believe they have the chance to be anything their little hearts want to be and the knowledge to get them there is everywhere. THANK YOU!

Where Did My Tulips Go?

Confusion is a theme to the year I am having.

Spring is here. My plants are emerging, leaves are unfolding and the first of my flowers are beginning to bloom.

I was excited to see my tulips popping up. I have three groupings of white tulips that have purple tips. They are my second flower every year, only behind my bleeding heart bush.

I'm always amazed at how fast it grows, unfortunately it's life span ends in early August.

I was very disappointed to come out to this.

The rabbits got two of them.

The rabbits are horrible around here. We have to spray and spray often if we want to have any color in our gardens . . . the smell is horrible!

This is my confusion.

They are pink???

For the last 5 years they have been purple.

Could I have really changed my tulips without remembering? Has the last year been so crazy and stressful that I forgot doing something like that? I'm soooo confused.

Now, all I can do is laugh. Every time I look at them I giggle. My life :)

I am awaiting the opening of the other blooms. Will any of them still be purple?

I caused the rest of my confusion today.

I watch Extreme Couponing and did a little research, looked on the internet for some tips and was blessed with lots of coupons in Sundays paper.

I was able to find a few great deals. I am still working on it. There must be a better way. I gave myself a headache.

I like the thought of saving money. I don't know if I have enough patience to figure it out.

I'm going to give it a try this month. See what deals I can find :)

One of the highlights of our day was a trip to Aldi. I only had a couple of things to get. And they have the best carts to suit my needs.

They are made for twins :)

Couldn't get them to look at the camera because Cameron was crying behind them. He wanted a front seat. He got over it fast.

When we left, he was walking. He was obsessed with the quarter in the cart. I let him plug in the chain and pull out the quarter. He was amazed by the whole thing.

As I was buckling him into his seat, he asked, "Can I put my magic coin in my Scooby Doo bank when I get home?"

I love that boy!

I Hate Drey!

So "Drey" is in the P90X video and she does everything perfect and extreme. I don't do any of it near perfect or extreme. I just have to say that the "Dreya Roll" is impossible! I have to focus my pain on something, and I have chosen her, as fair or unfair that it is :)

I am definitely "feeling it" in my tummy and upper arms . . . but it's not as bad as I thought. I wasn't sure if I would be able to move at this point.

But I'm still going!!!

Day Two and Three are COMPLETE! - - - only 87 days left

Yesterday was Cardio X, and I enjoyed it.

So far, this workout is working for me. As soon as I get tired and can't do an exercise anymore . . . he moves onto something else using a completely different muscle, so I find it completely do able.

Also . . . LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the countdown clock in the bottom corner. It actually has a countdown for each individual exercise too. I can look at that clock when I am feeling like I want to stop and see 15 seconds and push through.

Today was Shoulders and Arms, I actually didn't mind it. I was worried about this one, the push-up hater that I am. Shocked! No push-ups :) Weights and bands, and I found it kinda fun.

There were actually two workouts scheduled for today. I finished the first one and felt pretty good, so decided to do them back to back since I knew that I'd be too busy the rest of the day.

I looked at the time for the Ab Ripper X workout, 17 minutes, so I thought, that shouldn't be too bad.

I was wrong. Very, very wrong!!!

Each exercise had to be done 25 times, it wasn't a timed thing. And the people did everything so fast that I ended up, watching how the exercise was done, pushed pause, struggle through my 25 and then pushed play to watch the next one.

This easily took me 45 minutes, I thinking maybe an hour. I had just enough time to shower before the girls got home from school.

It hurt yesterday to sneeze . . . and laugh. I just pray for no sneezing for the next few days, because I'm sure it'll bring me to tears!

I'm still going strong :)

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Audrey had a school music concert tonight. Isn't she cute :)

I took pictures of her before, because taking pictures of her from where I had to stand with the boys, I knew it would be like a "Where's Waldo". Can anyone find her? LOL.

KC had a late night at the shop, so I taped it the best I could. I was also feeding the twins animal crackers to keep them happy and had to put Emmitt's shoe back on 3 times. So the video will be very shaky, but it won't effect the sound quality.

Audrey got a white rose from a neighbor after her performance :) The first thing she says to me when we got into the car "I need blue food coloring, I'm going to turn this rose blue." Blue is her absolute favorite color, so we are giving it a try.

We'll see in the morning. I think it will work, but not sure if it'll be blue by morning.

I'm gonna stretch, take a couple Advil and go to bed :) KC's advice, thanks hun.

A Happy Belly Button

I am not over-weight.

That is not the reason I am doing P90X.

I'm actually 20lbs thinner now than on my wedding day.

I have never really exercised.  I eat what I want, but always try to do it in moderation.

Most days, my life is exercise enough.

But, I want to see if I can do it.

Laugh at me if you want, but my only goal is . . . a happy belly button.

Four pregnancies and five children, I'm just a little soft.

Today was just the start, I just finished Core Synergistics . . . I feel a little flushed . . . but I also feel great!

I did it, not with perfect form, not as fast, not as many, but I did it and plan to improve :)  (thanks for the advice Tracy, a P90X-er and my wonderful sister-in-law)

My start date is April 4th so I should finish this by July 1st . . . if I do it in the 90 days. I am giving myself a 90 day buffer, because I can, so I have to finish this thing by September 30th, at the very latest. It may seem to defeat the purpose of P90X, but I figure if I keep moving, it's better than not :) And if you didn't notice . . . I renamed this thing P180X in my goals :)

To those familiar with the program, there are 3 choices . . . I'm going with the "Lean" version . . . which is a little less arms, I am a pushup hater! But I still did more pushups today then . . . probably ever . . . and that is ever combined :)

Week One, I am determined to do all 6 days in a row, to kick-start my butt into doing this . . . or maybe I should say, get it over as fast as possible!

Week 1, 2 and 3

Monday - Core Synergistics

Tuesday - Cardio X

Wednesday - Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X

Thursday - Yoga X

Friday - Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X

Saturday - Kenpo X

Sunday - Rest or X Stretch . . . most Sundays, yes, I'm sure I'll be resting :)


Really, I'm feeling great . . . mostly proud of myself, I'm just hoping not to be too sore tomorrow.


LOL, I don't remember the last time I did more than 25 jumping jacks in a row . . . I did 45 today and was shocked at how much work it was . . . seriously, try it . . . or am I really that out of shape?

Well, it definitely didn't blow over!

Wow, we have snow drifts 3/4's the way up garage doors, 4ft trees have disappeared and I am almost certain that we no longer have garbage cans. I spent the night praying that the power wouldn't go out and listening to things hit the side of the house. We even experienced some freak lightening and thunder in the middle of it. We were packed and ready to go in case the power get go out, the County kept calling with warming shelter information that was making me a little nervous. But the power stayed on, and we all slept warmly in our beds. In fact, the twins slept until 9:00am :)

K.C. is going to start trying to make his way home. It was way to windy last night for him to even try. We will probably sit tight until he gets here and rescues us. I only see one brave family out shoveling their driveway, they must have somewhere to go. There are three of them, two are taking the top layers of snow off and the third is on snowblower. Guess that means it might be too much for the blower? That's not a good sign.

School was cancelled yesterday. So what to do today? The kids keep looking out the windows excited by the snow. I'm not sure how cold it is out there yet, but I know that they'll want to venture out at some point just for the experience, so do I. And I'll be taking lots of pics and keeping an eye on Cameron so he doesn't disappear!

They've requested hot chocolate with breakfast, which today sounds perfect. And I thought that I'd share our plans for this afternoon, so others can give it a try.

Zoe's teacher sent this recipe home yesterday with her kids. I love teachers. Thanks for thinking ahead for me, now my kids have something new to look forward to today.

SNOW ICE CREAM


Ingredients:
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
6 cups "clean" fluffy snow
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla


Directions: Mix all the ingredients together. Eat right away and enjoy! Compare it to real vanilla ice cream.


Serves: 6

We also have plans to make Rice Krispie treats!!!


So everyone safe and warm. Drive slow if you have to go anywhere. And have fun with your snow day!

What happened to the Stars?!? . . . there's got to be a man behind this :)

I have been feeling . . . not myself lately. With the change of the new year, I think my personality may have changed with it. Is that even possible?


I think that's why I started this blog. I needed to do something new in my life and my options are limited with five children.


And then this week K.C. tells me, I'm a Gemini?!? I've been a Cancer all my life and I thought that it suited me perfectly. Then somebody says we're missing Ophiuchus and it changes everything. How does this happen? But in a way, it may explain a few things.


As a Crab, I valued my hard outer shell for protection. I felt most comfortable at home. And hid my sensitive feelings. I held onto everything, including the past. Fiercely loyal and had a hard time letting things go. I protected those I loved and nurtured them with my tough shell. I built security by developing my home and family relationships.


And now, am I really a Gemini? A person with a dual nature, who believes our world comes in pairs. The yin and the yang. I'm going to like something and also it's opposite. (For those who have met my twins, Emmitt and Castiel, they are a great example of my love of opposites.) I am now curious, talkative, versatile and mentally active. My mind will bounce from one topic to another with great ease. An eternally youthful child with razor-sharp wit that will have me fighting with opponents which moments later will be my best friends.

Then I found this article that explains Ophiuchus.

The current media hype about Ophiuchus as "the new 13th zodiac sign" has sent folks spinning into an astrological identity crisis. But the whole thing is untrue!

"Ophiuchus has nothing to do with western astrology" "It's not an astrology issue. It has to do with the stars -- it's not a sign, it's a constellation."

"There are four seasons each with a beginning, middle and end" "That makes 12 zodiac signs, and there's no such thing as a 13th astrological sign."


Western astrology is based on the four seasons, not on constellations -- and the seasons don't change. There is no 13th sign. Period.




So I think that means I'm still a Crab, which I still thinks suits me better.


It is my nature to be nurturing and emotional, which I believe I truly am. And I've never been a great talker, I'm the one usually stumbling over my own words.


But I will choose to be more of a communicator and not such a homebody. My life has always revolved around my family and home, but now I want to include my life and friendships in that circle. That is what I need in my life now.


It's not easy to change who you are, and I'm not really planning on changing myself, just improving myself. So even if I'm not a Gemini, I am going to do my best to become more of the person I want to be. And hopefully through this new journey in my life, I can realize what I want and what's most important to me.


So, to those who have their astrological signs tattooed onto there bodies, it sounds like your safe for now. And to those who want to make changes in their lives, the time is now  :)

Cordon Bleu or Green and Gold?

I don't know what I was thinking! There will be no inspirational cooking in my kitchen today.


Packer game at 3:30 with Digiorno Deep Dish pizza and breadsticks for dinner. We don't have a t.v. near the kitchen, so I can't possibly.


Kids are dressed and ready for the game :)

Even my napper is dressed in green and gold. The twins will be going down for their nap around kick off. And yes, I planned it that way.

It's sometimes sucks to be a Packer fan in the land of the Bears. Especially on weekends we don't get to watch the game because a Bears are playing at the same time. We are diehard Packer fans and are raising our children to be the same. I figure it's one of the traditions that we are passing on to our children, even if we live in Illinois for the rest of our lives. We have taken heat for years from the neighbors, but we have also taught them how to grill a brat correctly.


Once, when I was shopping with Cameron, he was around 3 years old, I had him dressed all in Green and Gold. I saw a boy, about 6, look at Cam in disgust and ask his mother "Why is he wearing that?" I smiled at his mother and we shared a laugh and I said "Because the Packers have beaten the Bears twice this season."


Everyone have a great game day.


Go Pack!!!!!