I Just Love My Kids!

We live about 5 minutes from Albany where they have a huge fireworks display every year, but since we only have the pickup truck and we can't all fit in it, we couldn't go to see the fireworks. Mallory was really disappointed at first..........and then we all decided to make the best of what we had. We stood on the sidewalk and watched a few of the fireworks from the distance but that wasn't to much fun. So then we got out the 2 packages of glow sticks I had bought at Michael's a couple of months ago and the kids had a blast with them. There was about 20 glow sticks in a variety of colors and all 3 kids got a handful and they would throw them up in the air at the same time and pretend they were fireworks. We made circles out of the glow sticks and rolled them across the driveway. We had more fun with those stupid glow sticks!

Mallory jumped roped and even got me in on the act.

I made it threw the poem and then up to 19.

My heart was definitely beating after that!

Jace used his imagination and his glow sticks were a steering wheel, a guitar, a sword and I can't remember what else.

Ezie got pretty silly with his glow sticks!

and even Daddy joined in on the fun!

We sat in the backyard and ate, looked at the full moon with the black sky and clouds surrounding it, jumped rope, played a little basketball, chased each other with glow sticks and just had so much fun spending time together and playing around. Then when the neighbors came home Mallory showed them how we made fireworks with the glow sticks and they joined in too. The kids rode bikes and then the kids jumped rope while us adults twirled the rope. They said they had more fun with us then they did at the actual fireworks. Finally at 11:00 we came in.

I love how adaptable my kids are and how they can make the most out of a situation. I hope everyone had as great of 4th as we did!!!

Happy Independence Day!

In September of 2004 my Mom came to visit and took me and 3 of the kids to New York City for the day. I never had really thought that much about seeing the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island until I saw it that day. Suddenly I was filled with pride and a sense of patriotism. It's weird how just visiting a landmark can make you feel so different.

Happy 4th of July!!

2 New Things That Make Me Happy!

Earl and I have only gone out to eat like 2 times in the last 2 years. Last Saturday though after Lexie's graduation we had no kids and so Earl decided we were going to go somewhere. I am very easy to please and don't require anything fancy so we went down the street to Hot Harry's Fresh Burritos. Hot Harry's is kind of like a Subway in that there is an assembly line type of cooking and you watch them make your food. I love Mexican food and Hot Harry's has got the best, freshest, restaurant quality food that I have ever tasted! Everything is super fresh and really good!!! If you've never been to a Hot Harry's I think it is definitely a great find!!


My next new thing that makes me so happy is a Neti Pot. I have had sinus problems for years now and have lived on generic Sudafed. I got chewed out at the Dr.'s office a couple of weeks ago for taking Sudafed for so long. A friend of mine from when I was 12, that I recently reconnected with on Facebook, told me to try a Neti Pot. Honestly at first I wasn't sure if he was talking about a kind of pot or a kind of pot (I was a little wild back then!) so I had to do a Google search to see what he was talking about. I started using this clever little device last Sunday and I love it. Although it is kind of a weird thing to put water in one nostril and watch it drain out the other it is a nice feeling to have your sinus cavities cleaned out. So far so good with this Neti Pot and my sinus problem. I bought this one at Wal-mart for $14.50 and it came with 100 packets of the salt mixture. Not a bad price.....it's like paying for 2 1/2 boxes of generic Sudafed.

So Thank You Earl for taking me out to eat and having some really yummy Mexican food and a big Thank You to Kevin for helping me out with my sinus problem!!

Twenty minute Simple Skirt Tutorial AND GIVEAWAY!!!!

Twenty minute Simple Skirt Tutorial AND GIVEAWAY!!!!

Boojiboo Flirty Apron GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Boojiboo Flirty Apron GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

An Annie Giveaway

Cyndi at http://cyndisdistinctivecreations.blogspot.com/ is giving away a super cute Annie doll. She has 2 different ones and the winner gets to pick which one they want. Make sure you go over and enter for your chance to win.

Nothing much Going on Here

I've been finishing up a couple of swaps........that I would have had done on time if I hadn't gotten sick. Darn it! (I've been fluish the last 2 days too which really sucks!) Anyway, I should have them done and in the mail today and then the afghan I've been working on is coming along pretty well. I have all the squares hooked together and the edging almost done and then it's just sewing in those stupid end threads. I'm going to be working on cleaning out my craft room and then I am going to be doing lots of sewing.

That's about all I've been up to. Thanks everyone for all of your support and encouragement on my weight loss journey. I appreciate it!!

I Learned the Hard Way

I got to thinking after I did my post yesterday about Lexie's attempted suicide. Lexie was a freshman in HS and so I let her keep a bottle of Tylenol in her room so when she needed it she could use it. Lexie knew how many to take and usually told me if she was going to take some. I really wasn't concerned about it. Then I found out the dangers of taking to much Tylenol.

Lexie took like 20 or so Tylenol one night. The next morning I got a call from the school that she wasn't feeling to good and that she admitted to taking a lot of Tylenol. She was rushed to the ER in an ambulance and the hospital was very concerned. Dumbie me, I still wasn't aware of the damage the Tylenol was doing. I figured most of it was probably out of her system by now. I didn't realize that Tylenol overdoses may not affect you for the first day or even two days, but by day three you can drop dead or have irreversible liver damage. Lexie was lucky that her friend told the teacher what she had done and that her school acted immediately. She had to take some really nasty medicine for about 3 days to absorb the Tylenol that was in her system. We were very fortunate that she lived and that her liver wasn't affected.

Acetaminophen affects the liver, which processes Acetaminophen and removes it from the bloodstream. When too much Acetaminophen is taken, it overloads the liver's ability to handle the drug. In the process, it creates a toxin that kills the liver, and a person can die several days later.

What makes Acetaminophen so horribly dangerous, for children, is the difference between a "dose" and a fatal "overdose" is so small. According to some medical reports, twice the normal dose will result in liver damage. Some estimates say as many as 56,000 people end up in the emergency room every year due to overdose.

If you think your child or someone else may have taken a Tylenol overdose, call your poison control center or emergency room immediately.


I just want everyone to be aware that a drug that most of us consider safe and that we use so often on ourselves and our children can be a silent killer. Please always check the dosage chart before giving medications to your children and don't increase the dosage amount. It is for your own safety!
I don't know.......maybe everyone else knew about the dangers of Tylenol, but I didn't. Please use over the counter drugs as directed!!!

Also, many teens take over the counter cough medicines to get high. I found this out when Lexie was in the hospital.

Lexie's HS Graduation and More on My Weight Loss Journey

Yesterday afternoon my beautiful daughter, Alexis, graduated from High School. Lexie's graduating is especially special to me for a couple of reasons. Four years ago in September, Lexie's first year in HS, she tried to commit suicide. Thank God her attempt failed! Secondly, Lexie has finish HS while becoming a mother. Anthony will be 2 yrs old in a month so she completed a year of HS while being pregnant and the last 2 years while being a mom. Lexie could have so easily quit, but she didn't. Instead she strived to get her education and to live her life. She has even been awarded a partial scholarship to a local college. I am so proud of my baby girl and of all of her accomplishments and I'm so glad to have her as my daughter! Okay, I'm bawling my head off now so I have to quit writing about this.

Anthony and the Graduation Cap

A Flip Book in the Making

Congratulations Lexie!!!!

I'm so proud of you!



After I did my embarrassing post yesterday I received several very supportive messages. Thank you Kana, Dianne, my wonderful sisters Cathy & Robyn. My blogger friend Valerie has even volunteered to by my buddy in this. We decided that we would work together on loosing weight and that we would be accountable to each other. We are starting off today with a plan of drinking 6 glasses of water a day and walking 3 times a week for 20 minutes. Next week we'll add something else to our plan. Thanks Val for doing this with me!!! I'm going to be posting my progress on my sidebar so I can make myself be more accountable for actions. Wish me luck and if anyone else would like to join in feel free!

Here is a picture of me with my grandson, Chad,Jr. taken yesterday at Lexie's graduation. Isn't he a cutie?!?!? I decided as part of my new journey I wasn't going to hide from the camera anymore. I actually asked to have pictures taken of me yesterday, which if you know me at all is very unlike me. I'm trying to come out of my shell. So who knows, everyone may be getting sick of seeing so much of me in the future. A newer skinnier me!!

I also wanted to share a something that the Keynote speaker, Coach Pete Citrolo, said at Lexie's graduation yesterday. "It's not about how many times you fall in life....it's about how many times you get up". He also told the kids it's "all in the attitude". I think these will not only be encouraging words to the graduates, but to me on my new weight loss journey.

Have a great day!!!

My Confession and New Beginning

Last night Earl and I had to go buy me an outfit to wear to my daughters High School Graduation today. The last several years I absolutely dread shopping for myself. Growing up I always felt fat and even though I was a chubby in my 4-7 years of school I thinned out after that and was always petite. I weighed about 85 lbs and wore a size 0 wedding gown when I was 17. I never weighed over 100 lbs until I had my 4th baby. I got up to 110 then. After my 5th baby was born I got back down to 95 lbs. When I moved to New York 12 years ago I had gotten back up to almost 120 lbs. Progressively over the last few years I have gotten fatter and fatter. I very seldom leave the house and in my little world I feel fine, but when I do leave the house I am very ashamed of myself. Last night was it though!! I am so embarrassed to go to my daughters graduation looking the way I do. I am up to almost 190 lbs. I can't believe I admitted this to everyone. I'm tired of being embarrassed by my own body though, I'm tired of the way I look and the way I feel. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike overweight people......just myself. I'm so tired of trying to find clothes and nothing fits. I'm only 4'9" so any extra weight definitely shows on me and quite frankly I look like a rolly polly now. So as of today I am going to really get serious about exercising and eating right. I know a couple of you of heard this from me before, but I'm really ready now and I have no excuses.

My fat progression

I remember feeling so fat on this day,

now I only wish I was this fat!

2001

I only have 1 chin in this picture

2005

Now I have 2 chins

Me now. See all of the chins......on working on chin #3.

I'm going to be posting my progress over the next few months in the hopes that now that I've publicly humiliated myself I might actually be motivated to loose some weight. Wish me luck and any support and encouragement will be gladly accepted!!!!