Be a happy mother!

One of my favorite movies of all time is "The Trouble With Angels."

One part in particular struck me the last time I watched . . .

it's about being a mother.

While I DO want to die wealthy I don't want to die young ;)

My favorite line is when Mother Superior is hugging the crying elderly woman and she says:

"Be happy. That's the greatest gift a mother can give her children"

I think it's easy to be hard on ourselves, and heaven knows many of us are plagued with body image issues and low self esteem.

You must remember children are sponges and you are the role model they will emulate.

Be happy for them.

Be confident.

Love yourself.

Smile.

No mother wants to pass along her insecurities to her children, but you will.

When you have a minute read "A Mother Heart" by Julie Beck

The good thing today: my son said he likes my soft tummy.

(In my head I said "well that makes one of us!" but I thanked him anyway)

Teresa

Being Fat Finally Pays Off!

I took a good tumble down some cement stairs. It was one of those long falls that allows for thinking along the way. My self dialogue included:

I don't have time for this

Did I just break my leg?

Please don't let me break my wrist, my job would be impossible

I can't take my 3 kids with me to the ER for x-rays

I finally landed on the ground and the nurse in me noted:

I didn't lose consciousness

I can feel my body

I don't think I broke anything

The girl in me dusted myself off as fast as I could to make it look like nothing happened!

Just like Miss USA!

After assessing the damage and the big purple leg I concluded the only reason I didn't snap my leg in half is because it is SO well padded (fat) it absorbed the shock and preserved my bone.

The good thing today: enjoyed a slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream and didn't feel a BIT guilty!

Teresa

Farewell Friend

I am pretty sure the world would stop without cell phones, okay may be that's a bit dramatic but could you go a week without yours?!

I couldn't!

My cell phone is an EnV3

This week she passed away, I think it was one too many drops onto the concrete,

or was it the glasses of water poured on her,

the drop into the toilet,

the baby slobber,

the teeth marks,

the rollerblade tires,

the little sword stuck in here holes,

or was she simply loved to death.

A mom's phone puts up with extra abuse and EnV finally had enough,

goodbye dear friend, you will be missed!

The good thing today: An extra flip phone in my nightstand. Not as good as EnV but free!

Teresa

Stairwell Makeover!

My stairwell is dark, plain and the walls are usually

covered in little brown hand prints.

I needed a cheap way to decorate without darkening, so here's what I came up with:

BEFORE stairwell. I added the vinyl bird family on a branch and the leaf is just here to fill space during the fall. Don't mind the stuff at the bottom of the stairs ;) But DO notice the electrical panel on the wall.

I gathered old frames from all over my house. I'm sure you have them, the ones you bought because they were cheap, the wrong color, dented, ect.

Spray panted them with ivory gloss paint. I left the varnish on because I life the distressed look and that did it for me . . . aka no sanding

Filled them with pictures and hung in an asymetrical pattern. Notice they are just high enough so little fingers can reach them

I used double sided craft tape to cover the electrical panel with a picture. I'm planning on replacing it with a hinge.

I loved this idea because it keeps the stairwell light and adds uniformity to the pictures while keeping the price WAY down!

The center wall will still need to be fixed. I was going to leave the birds, put that white cornice above them and top it off with a gorgeous mirror! what do you think?

The good thing today: Double sided tape! REALLY, because what else would i do with that nasty panel in my stairwell?!

Teresa

Big Macs are on Sale!

I'm working out HARD twice a day and eating healthy and recording everything on

Spark People.

I feel stronger and for the most part have more energy, but Big Macs are 2 for $3 right now!

Oh baby! My mom can sing the whole song that accompanies this burger, yes it has it's own song!

I had to give in and indulge, but I also had to write it down and take it out of my calories for the day . . . there wasn't much left ;)

In case you were wondering here is the nutrition info for a big mac!

Calories 540

Fat 29

Sat Fat 10

Carbs 45

Protein 25

Sodium 1040

The good thing today: would it be bad to say I thought it was worth every bite?

Teresa

Nasty!

WARNING this is mostly a rant blog!

Why do toddlers eat out of the garbage can?!?!?!?!

The second they are tall enough to reach they start pulling stuff out . . . and of course they MUST put it in their mouths!

I bought a lidded garbage can, she opens it and plays with it.

I put in on my kitchen counter, but now I have nasty germs on my counter.

After 3 kids, those nasty pieces of garbage in their mouths doesn't even phase me.

I figure she has lived this long despite the garbage can, this piece of rotten strawberry probably won't kill her either.

I course she will make me chase her down and pry it out of her tight fingers first ;)

If you don't have kids . . . just wait! I swear it's coming!

The good thing today: Eating out of the garbage can exposes these kids to germs and strengthens their immune systems, so they won't die later. Smile/grimace

Teresa

I actually had to crawl up my stairs!

I have a weight problem, a big one. Despite that I thought I was pretty strong. I lift grown men and run for 12 hours straight at work, that's not easy BTW.

Part of my weight loss plan is working out with a big focus on cardio, and in my travels I came across this:

You won't find any new age stuff, no yoga or Tai Kwan Do. Just good old fashioned workouts and Jillian's constant pushing.

I worked every major body muscle while doing cardio at the same time.

Yes, I wanted to puke but she certainly knows how to maximize her 20 minutes.

When all was said and done, I was gasping for air, sweaty and had to crawl up the stairs.

Granted I'm fatter than most of you, but good heavens that was a good workout!

I'm doing it for 30 days with a low calorie diet based on this pyramid

I'll let you know how it goes!

The good thing today: ibuprofen, LOTS of ibuprofen! Thank you Costco for selling it in bulk ;)

Teresa

While making my way through Washington I visited Cat Tales outside of Spokane. It's a refuge for big cats and believe me there are a LOT of BIG CATS!

This is Zamba the Lion, in case you can't tell . . . he's huge!

What I love best about this guy is: he was a MGM lion (the one who roars at the beginning) then one day he decided he was all grown up and wouldn't roar on command anymore = retired!

For a measly $10 I got to feed Zamba a bag of meat, he was really excited and so was I!

See how big he is!?

Next time you pass Spokane stop by and feed the kitty!

The good thing today: Plexi Glass. So when Zamba gets made he won't pee all over me ;)

Teresa

Brothers

I'm the only girl in my family and the oldest so these guys took a LOT of crap from me and still do!

Here's to little brothers:

the sword fights

wrestling in the backyard

water fights

long car trips

silent eye rolling

and all the other things horrible things we did to each other ;)

Thanks for showing my boys how to be good brothers.

The good thing today: we didn't fight, scream or cry while taking this picture. We've grown up a bit you know!

Teresa