Bloom On!

We have a new blog! Visit us at:

www.bloomon.net

Change is GOOD!

The blog, it is a changin'.... stay tuned.

p.s. See my friend Colleen's new venture: www.weaksauceblogs.com.
She is raising money to bring her children home from Rwanda. You only wish you were as cool as Colleen. Love that girl. She is also partially responsible for all my favorite t-shirts over at wildolive.com. Basically if there is something cool on the internet, Colleen probably did it. She's like Al Gore in that way.

Veiner

Syd has always had her own vocabulary. She knows exactly what she's saying, mind you. So if there are a few words you're not catching, that's your problem. At just shy of 5 years old, the one weird vocabulary word still in constant rotation is veiner. VAY-NUHR. We have not been able to pin down the part of speech veiner qualifies as. It is a mystery.

"That is a veiner baby." - meeting a cutie patootie new friend at lunch last Sunday. His mom looked at me with questioning eyes. "I think it's a compliment," was all I could offer.

"Brenna! Don't be a veiner crying girl." Said with disgust. Not a compliment.

"That's so veiner!" Said with delight.

"Moooooo-ooooomm! I was JUST veiner trying to tell you." Said like a curse word. It's like having a teenager sometimes.

Veiner. I think it's such a great word, because there just aren't many cool words that begin with V. And because it never means the same thing twice. It's not boring.

Cory and I can't stop the snickering. We're starting to use it ourselves. Have a very veiner day, ya'll.

Pampering?

Isn't getting a pedicure supposed to be relaxing? It's a spa treatment, right? I just cannot enjoy pedicures. I enjoy the end result, but the process is like torture.

I went today for the first pedicure of the season -- and the season is, from the earliest I dare to wear flip flops (March this year) up to the time that I'd better find something more substantial unless I want frostbite. I do love a good pair of flip flops. But my poor feet really, really needed some help. I dropped Brenna off at MDO and headed toward the nearest nail place.

I ordered up a spa pedicure and a manicure... I'm really should be a little more high-maintenance. My grooming, beyond soap, body wash, deodorant, a razor, an occasional tweezer and my hair dryer and straightener -- and that last one really should be used more often -- borders on neglectful. I smell great, just don't look to closely at my feet or hands. Or eyebrows. Or chin. ugh.

First, they always want to turn on the infernal massage chair, which is NOT comfortable. It feels like 4 year old boys running trucks over your back. Maybe worse than that. I always give it a try, and it always irritates me, so I always turn it off. Useless. I soaked for a while. Then the sweet lady poured some goo on a loofah thingy and scrubbed every last bit of skin off of my foot. I almost.came.out.of.my.chair. "You okay?" She smiled at me. I forced a smile and tried to calm my no-doubt crazy eyes. "Uh-huh," I said affirmatively. I had to remind myself to breathe. I'm frantically looking around for something to distract me. There's a Vogue magazine on my lap. I've already read about Giselle Bundchen's post-baby body. She mentioned she thought ladies turned themselves into garbage disposals upon finding out they are pregnant. She herself was careful about what she ate, did kung fu up until just before her baby was born and the very second Benjamin (whom Tom Brady would not let her name River) popped out, she was back to her svelte self. Whatever. I'm dying here. I want to shake Giselle. I hope I will be able to walk when this "pampering" is over. I catch sight of the TV which is on the Travel channel. I can't hear it but all they are showing are different types of steaks... like a tour of a meat market or something? All I know is, I was thinking "That's what my feet are going to look like."

My whole body is tense. I'm trying not to squirm. I remind myself to breathe. Then blessedly it's time for a rinse, a slather of mud and some hot towels wrapped around my legs and feet. THAT part did feel pretty good. And now my feet are pretty but sweet goodness, I'm done with all that. At least for another couple of weeks.

I won't go into the eyebrow wax. I'll just say they look good, but DANG! For my next me-time, I think I'll schedule something a little more relaxing, like a monster truck rally.

Spring Break update #3

Still shredding. Still being monitored while shredding. Still using the ketchup bottles. Haven't been to Target all week... I know! Surprising, huh? Brenna's going potty without many accidents. I still usually tell her to go, but she goes willingly. I'm happy it went so well, even if the first day I thought I was making a TERRIBLE mistake. So it looks like we will have to schedule a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge in celebration of Brenna's accomplishment, but maybe not for a few weeks.

Also, we had a little woodland creature (Tanya: catch that verbage. Ring a bell? hee hee) visiting our backyard yesterday. Stay tuned for cute pics.

p.s. I love my Kindle.

30 day Shred helpers

So I got a wild hair and decided to do the 30-Day Shred by Jillian Michaels workout DVD starting this week. Jillian is one of the trainers on The Biggest Loser, which I don't watch but hear is good. I kept hearing about this workout, and figured I can do anything for a month so.... yes. I am in serious pain, having only completed 3 days of 25 minute workouts. Isn't that sad? Sadder still is that I"m only on the level 1 workout, so don't even want to think about what levels 2 and 3 are going to do to me. The stairs are NOT my friend right now.

Yesterday, Syd decided she would do the whole workout with me and she did. I was a little irked with her, as she didn't even look winded or break a sweat and kept exclaiming about how well she was doing and how much fun it was. Right.

Today, Syd and Brenna both started out the video with me. Today Syd only did the parts she felt like doing and the rest she perched on the arm of a couch and repeated whatever Jillian was yelling at me, "Moooo-ooom! She SAID eyes on the ceiling."

Here she is stretching and scrutinizing my form:


At the beginning of the workout, she stripped off her pajama top and said, "THIS is how those girls exercise!" Okay, they had on workout bras, but ...



I really need to go to Target and get some hand weights. I know I have some somewhere, but I can't find them to save my life currently. Until then, I am using a rather large bottle of ketchup in one hand and a gatorade in the other for my hand weights and the girls are using mandarin orange and soup cans.


I was giggling so much yesterday at all these shenanigans that I thought today I had better catch a little of the madness on camera. Don't worry. I was fully involved in the workout. I didn't miss anything. My calves are killing me. I will keep you posted on how these workouts are progressing... if I can make it to the computer.

Spring Break day two & three

We ventured out out of the house yesterday for haircuts at the mall. Actually, for lunch at Chic-Fil-A in the food court, flip flop shopping at Old Navy (and as it turned out, we also picked up a couple of piggy banks and a few shirts on clearance), haircuts and then ice cream. I was too chicken to leave Brenna in panties for the car ride and mall trip, even though she had been doing better than the day before. SHe did have a wet pull up when we used the restroom the first time at the mall, so I was grateful for that decision. Maybe she wouldn't have done it if she had panties on, but I didn't want to risk it.

She is fine with going, whenever I tell her too (usually) but she's not really initiating it that I can tell. Does that come with time? I hope so.

Anyway, it was nearly 90 degrees and we wore fun sundresses to the mall and had a lovely time. Then we came home for a little playing and rest. It's excitement 24-7 around here, I tell ya! (no accidents so far today, day 3)

Here are a few pics...
Brenna in the chair before her haircut. They both did SO well sitting still and being patient.

We rode rides on the way out of the mall.

Spring Break day one

It seemed a no-brainer to potty train Brenna over Syd's Spring Break when we have no obligations and can be home as much as we need to be. So yesterday after she woke up, I talked up the whole "big girl" gig and got Syd on my side (I believe in bribery. I really, really do. I told them we could all go to Great Wolf Lodge - their favorite place on the planet -- when Brenna learns to use the bathroom.) I had a whole list of things I wanted to get done around the house yesterday while taking Brenna to the potty every 20-30 minutes. As it turned out, I got nothing done. Because between taking Brenna to the potty every 20-30 minutes, she also had 4 accidents, all before noon. It was very daunting. Bodily fluid clean up is not my favorite.

The afternoon was somewhat better, but still involved accidents. She and I were both relieved to put a pull up on her after bath last night. Everyone slept the sleep of the exhausted. We woke up to a thunderstorm this morning and another chance at life as a big girl. So we are going for it. Please pray! :-)

We have haircuts today at 1. That was probably not smart scheduling, but they do need haircuts, so we're doing it. And it will be nice to get out of the house for a bit, and visit all the mall's public restrooms. JOY!

Happy Easter 2010!

Decided against the matching dresses this year...


Egg hunting in jammies and rainboots in the backyard


Chocolate bunnies for breakfast? Check!