Chocolate Bunnies ... 114::365

April 24, 2011 ... Happy Easter! At 2:30am I heard Sean's door open, and I held my breath. Would he find what the Easter bunny left him? I prayed he wouldn't. I wasn't ready to start my day at 2:30 in the morning! Luckily he was in a stupor and stumbled into our room, and crawled into bed with us. I didn't fight it, I was too tired myself and just thankful he didn't see the huge basket full of goodies the Bunny left him outside his door.

I set my alarm for 7:30am because we had a lot to do in the morning before leaving for 10:30am mass, and I didn't want the magic of Easter morning to be rushed. Sean didn't budge when the alarm went off, so I slipped out of bed to snap a few photos of his basket just as the Bunny left it.

Then I went to wake up Sean, "hey buddy, wake up. The Easter Bunny was here!" You would have thought I shot a gun off -- he shot straight up in bed, "He was? The Easter Bunny?" And then the big smile spread across his face. Oh what joy!

He ran out of the room to find his Easter basket and pulled everything out. He carefully looked everything over. Then he found the chocolate bunny. The sweet little bunny never saw it coming. As you can see, ears first.

Coloring Eggs ... 113::365

April 23, 2011 ... Today we colored Easter eggs with our Greninger cousins. Sean dropped three eggs into colored mugs simultaneously and promptly left the table to play basketball with his older cousins outside. And Hannah didn't want her picture taken... which was A-OK with me because I snapped this yummy light on her face when she turned to talk to her mom.

Happy Easter!

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad. --Psalm 118:24

Be Yourself ... 111::365

Date Night ... 110::365

April 20, 2011 ... Jeff had an informational job meeting thingamajig tonight, so Sean and I had a date night. Normally that means we eat dinner at home, Sean gets to play in the bath extra long, and then we snuggle on the couch in our PJs eating popcorn and watching some sort of animated train movie (take your pick, we've got 'em all).

But this night we went actually went out on a REAL date! Being the lady I am, I let the boy pick where he wanted to go -- McDonalds it is!! Nothing better than a date night at the McDonalds playland with your three-year old son. Going home with a Shamrock shake is a close second.

PS. Camera phone again. I keep forgetting to bring decent cameras with me...

Winter Never Ends ... 109::365

This is Chicago after all. I can't remember the last time we had a Spring. In a few weeks it will probably be 85 degrees and I'll be bitching about the heat.

What's Wrong with This Picture? ... 108::365

April 18, 2011 ... If you guessed snow, you'd be right!

ARGHHH!!

I have to believe that God missed the memo about it being APRIL... for heaven's sake! And clearly Sean didn't get the memo that lawn mowers are not used when there's snow on the ground. 

Happy Spring everyone! Here's praying all your cute Easter outfits look nice with parkas.

Messy Morning ... 107::365

Mornings can be pretty messy around here. Especially when cereal is involved. We have to pull out the plastic bib... where almost half the cereal & milk ends up.

I particularly like how he shoves big spoonfuls into his mouth. I'm sure that's a big no-no in Miss Manners.

Playing House ... 106::365

April 16 ... This was entirely Sean's idea, and lucky for him I'm not too anxious about messy play.

I love when he gets into imaginative play. Here he said he wanted to be a daddy, and give his baby a bath. This is Jimmy. Nevermind that Jimmy came in a pink diaper and flowered shirt. Sean doesn't care. He loves  Jimmy just the same.

Isn't Jimmy the cutest? And he's the most patient, durable and tolerable baby doll EVER.

Think Spring ... 105::365

April 15, 2011 ... It's freezing outside. And windy. Really windy. The only way we know it's spring is the rain. Lots of rain.

Think Spring. I promise it's here.

Lifestyle Changes ... 104::365

April 14, 2011 ... Three months ago I started to move more and eat less. Getting back to the basics, and slowly working on simplifying my lifestyle. I joined a 16 week weight loss challenge at Snap Fitness that guarantees my money back if I meet all their requirements. Workout three times a week, keep a daily food journal, and meet with one of their trainers once a month. So far, so good. I've gotten into a rhythm and actually enjoy my workouts for the most part. My routine right now is 45 minutes of cardio Mon, Wed and Fri ... Tues & Thurs I do strength training at home. And one day on the weekend I do something outside like gardening, walking, biking, etc. Something fun, not so intense, but keeps me moving.

I've lost 17 pounds. Yay for me! That's about a pound and a half a week. Can I do better? Sure I can. Would I stick with it if I worked harder? Maybe not. I'm making small changes here and there until I see change. I'm in this for the long haul. Like for the rest of my life... so I better like (even love) what I'm doing.

I also started logging my food diary on myfitnesspal.com. It's made a big difference in the past two weeks to really understand what I'm eating in terms of calories, carbs, fat and protein. My goal is to not exceed 1500 calories. Some days are better than others, but at least now I know where the pitfalls are.

This little blue rolly thing is one of my new purchases. It's a foam core roller. Those of you who have used it know you have a love-hate relationship with it. They are extremely versatile and can be used in workouts to improve balance, flexibility and strengthen your core muscles. To start I'm simply using it for self-massage. After my cardio workouts at the gym I come home and use it to massage my calves, quads, hips and  back. The pain can be intense. That "ouch, that feels good" kind of pain. It's pretty wonderful.

I'm getting back to basics. Simple. Well, most days :-)

Welcome Spring ... 103::365

April 13, 2001 ... I'm in love with the spring flowers blooming. While tulips are my favorite, I'm enamored by the early daffodils. Last year I actually dug up what I thought were all of the daffodil bulbs. They were planted in an area of the planting bed that was overgrown with weeds and grass. So I decided to rip it all out.

I clearly didn't get them all. This one stood proudly just begging for its picture taken. Proof that no matter what we do, new life will always spring forth and grow.

Welcome Spring.

Breakfast ... 102::365

April 12, 2011 ... There have been lots of cereal deals at the grocery stores the past few months, so our pantry is well stocked with cold cereal. It's our go to choice for breakfast around here. Quick, healthy, easy, yummy. Can't go wrong.

Note the harvest gold tupperware bowl. My husband brought these home years ago from his grandma's house. I just about choked him, "Do we really need more Tupperware?" And in harvest gold nonetheless. Arghhhh!

Shhh! Can you keep a secret? I've grown to love them, especially for cereal. They are just the right size to get the perfect serving size. And I kind of get all nostalgic looking at the harvest gold color. Remembering a time when I would eat Cheerios as a kid... pouring sugar on top, and joyously scraping the sugar off the bottom of the bowl. Ahhh, those were the days. Now they just bake the sugar right into the famous O's.

Um, Hello? ... 101::365

CAUTION: Don't take your eyes off a three year old for more than 3 minutes.



Anticipation ... 100:365

April 10, 2011 ... It was absolutely beautiful today. Gorgeous.

After mass we decided to stop by the new Three Oaks Recreation Area here in Crystal Lake. AMAZING! A nice beach area, trails, fishing, boating, picnic groves, cool new playground and splash area. Oh, and the snack bar? Culvers. How cool is that? The beach is closed for swimming until Memorial Day, but we definitely see ourselves taking advantage of this new beach area this summer.

Again, forgot my DSLR and had to use my camera phone. It clearly stinks, but tells the story.

Easter Bunny ... 99::365

April 9, 2011 ... The Easter Bunny made a special stop at our local Walgreens for a few hours. Looks to me like he could use some new fur. Sean didn't care. He was giving fist pumps and jumping all around. Pure joy. It's what the season is all about.

And chocolate. Let's not forget the chocolate.

Uncle Mikey ... 98::365



Me: Sean, who do you love the most in the whole world?  ...

Sean: Uncle Mikey ...

Me: Are you sure? Who do you love more - mommy or Uncle Mikey? ...

Sean: Uncle Mikey ...

Me: What about Daddy? Do you love Uncle Mikey or Daddy more?

Sean: Uncle Mikey ...

Me: Really?

Sean: Yes, really. I LOVE Uncle Mikey.

I really can't blame him. Can you?



My Angel ... 97::365

Don't Look Back ... 96::365

April 6, 2011 ... I was heading to Portillo's to grab dinner, and was blinded by the setting sun behind me. It really was spectacular (despite the blinding part), so I grabbed my cell phone and snapped a photo of it in my side mirror.

Um, yea, the photo stinks. But trust me. It was "wow" kind of amazing.

And it's what I'm going with for this day because I've got nothing else to show for it. So there.

Blue Skies ... 95::365

April 5, 2011 ...

Blue Skies
Smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies
Do I see

... AMAZING blue sky today, and puffy white clouds that you just wanted to snatch out of the sky and tuck into your pocket for later.

Determination ... 94::365

April 4, 2011  ...  Even with a cold, this kid doesn't slow down. He begged to play Don't Break the Ice today, and I finally took a break from work to play a few games. It's a fun, nostalgic game... but honestly, it's a pain in the neck to get all those ice cubes back in place.

Today I had Sean do it himself. He loved it. Almost as much as breaking the ice.

And you gotta love the tongue.

Dedication ... 93::365

April 3, 2011 ... I feel like crap today. My sinuses are going to explode. Or at least that's what they're telling me. Tomorrow I'm headed to the doctor. Yet, I still dragged my ass into the gym tonight. Everything I've read said that it's OK to exercise if it's not in your chest.

So, off I went. Now, that's what I call dedication.

Or perhaps we should call it: Amy wants to get her money back from the 16-week challenge and needs to workout at the gym three days a week.

Believe you me, if it wasn't for the money my ass would have been sleeping.

Somebody Come & Play ... 92::365

April 2, 2011 ... yep, I missed April Fool's Day all together. Just as well.

Spring has arrived. For good this time.

I think.

OK, I'm not placing bets.

Sean and I spent the better part of the day outside digging. He played with his Moon Sand thing, and I was digging in the earth cleaning out the front planting beds of old leaves, weeds and grass. It felt good, even though my sinuses were starting to scream at me from the pressure. C'est la vie.

Somebody come and play
Somebody come and play today
Somebody come and be my friend
And watch the sun 'till it rains again
Somebody come and play today


PS. I love Ernie.

Getting Better ... 90::365

March 31, 2011 ... He's starting to get better. The nose is running less, but now the cough is starting. Luckily he still has his appetite. In fact, it seems to be growing. I take this as a good sign.

Holy cow, where have I been?

Sick. I've been sick.

Yuck.

I caught whatever Jeff and Sean had, and my thick head turned it into an infection instantly. I never even had a runny nose. Just intense pressure, aching teeth... generally felt like someone punched me in the face. Fun stuff.

So between taking care of Sean, work, and cleaning I was trying to remember to take photos. Most weren't very good, but I reminded myself it was about documenting our lives first and foremost. Photography skills second. Still... I didn't get a photo a day.

But I'm back and ready to share what I do have. Ready? Let's go.