T.L.C.-Toes Love Cuts

**This is absolutely no exaggeration! They are this long!!

People---it's almost summer and that means flip flops and sandals. That also means clipping your freakin' toenails. I admit that my heals are a little crusty right now. That is mainly because I am in a hurry about everything. I have no time to pamper myself. I don't care how busy I get-I WILL NEVER LET MY TOENAILS GROW LONG!! Disgusting!! Oh, I threw up a little in my mouth just thinking about it.

I recently came in contact with a woman. She was dressed up. Her hair was neatly put up. Her clothes were ironed. Her make-up was flawless. As I was talking to her, I glanced down and BAM!! I saw her extra long toenails. They were painted red. She obviously has the time to do something with these nails. I mean, good grief, she painted the dang things! BTW- I know for a fact that she has the time to clip those nails. She has no children and anyone that doesn't have children has the time. (Not my opinion, it's FACT!)

Now, I can not focus on anything but these nails. I never hear what she says. All that I can imagine is getting some hedge clippers and straightening out those parrot claws! Everyone that is reading this, please take a minute and look down. Do your nails need a quick trim? Do your feet need some T.L.C ? Help a sister out and take care of business. Seriously, they can be dangerous.

Remember When-No Dimples, No Rolls, No Fat...No Worries!

The day is finally here. I've dreaded it all year. It has haunted me day and night. I have to go SWIMSUIT shopping!!!

Flashback 1-it was the summer of '96. I had just graduated from high school. I could eat whatever I wanted. I was active, but never dreamed of going into a gym to workout. I was sporting a J Crew blue, string bikini. It had no padding, but everything was smooth and sat up in place.
Flashback 2-it was the summer of '08. I was sporting a zebra striped, Victoria's Secret bikini. I had been working out and eating healthy. I was not perfect, but looking back on that time I can see that I was definitely more confident.

Flashback 3-it was the summer of '09. I was 7, 8, and 9 months pregnant. I was sporting a Motherhood Maternity paisley tankini. I was big, but I had a reason. I was also tan and that hides a lot.

OK- now it is about to be the summer of '10. My baby is 8 months old and I have to get a swimsuit. I'm going to be sporting a 1 piece or maybe I'll be daring and go for the tankini.

I told my friends at work that I would be looking for a scuba diving suit. You know, the kind that zips up and covers everything from the neck to the knee. My girls were there for me. They got online and picked out the perfect suit for me. Whitni even called the store and had the girl put it on hold. I am leaving after school and getting the suit--I think. I may have an utter and complete meltdown when those florescent lights in the dressing room hit my thighs!!

I'm having a girls only swim party on Sunday. (Whitni is moving :( ) I'm going to down a few pina coladas to drown my sorrows and try to forget about my dimples, my rolls, and my fat. I've just got to realize that it's not the summer of '96 and that I'm going to have to live with it!!!

Goin' Tubin'

This ordeal started a couple of weeks ago. When I picked Knox up after school, his baby sitter mentioned that he felt a little warm he had been pulling on his ear. I ran him up to a doctor in town instead of making an appointment and heading to his pediatrician in Bartlett. She said that his ears looked fine, but gave me some drops for the pain. I thought that was kind of weird because why would she give me drops for the pain if his ears were fine? Anyway, I took what I could get. At this point, Knox has never had an ear infection.

The next week, my baby was up all night. I don't mean he slept and got up a couple of times. I mean he tossed and turned on me all night long!! He had a low fever, but I thought he was just teething. When I picked him up the next day, his sitter told me to look at what just happened to his ear. It was draining!! I went straight to his pediatrician and he told me that he had a RUPTURED ear drum. Of course, I felt like the bad mom that let he kid suffer and let is ear drum burst.

After 5 days of antibiotics, he began to run some fever again. I took him back to the doctor and he told me that the antibiotics were not working and his other ear drum had now ruptured!! Apparently, this is not too common for an 8 month old.

Yesterday, I had my visit with the ENT. Knox still has fluid in his ears and he has some hearing loss due to the fluid. We have no choice, but to get tubes. I know that these days it is more uncommon for kids to go on without tubes, but I'm still nervous. Jackson and Riley have never had anything done like this. The most they've had was a trip to the dentist. Luckily, I have some friends that explained that there is nothing to it. **Thanks Laurie and Georgia!

*We're getting the tubes on June 3rd. Pray for us!!

Snack Cart Snafu

THANK YOU LAURIE!! Laurie just saved me from myself. She saved me from hours in the gym, low self-esteem, and a one piece swimsuit with a skirt. Laurie had a snack cart intervention in the middle of the hallway.

Our school has a snack cart. Well, not just one cart...several. These carts(ran by students) travel to every classroom, every period of the day- NO MATTER WHAT. They sell food to the kids. If the snack cart is late, the kids are crazy. They are like little cart fiends. That is how they got the nickname "crack" carts.

I was on a mission. I was on my planning period and I was determined to walk across campus to the snack cart room. This room is full of every kind of soda, Little Debbie cake, and flavor of chips you could imagine. I wanted Crunchers. These are the extra crunchy chips that are cooked in peanut oil. I've seen the kids eating them and I couldn't resist any longer. I stopped and talked to my co-worker and friend Laurie. I commented on how she was looking good and that I generally hate her for losing weight. Then it hit me. If I want to be skinny like Laurie, I should not eat the Crunchers. I thanked her for making me see the light.

As we were walking back down the hall, I notice a snack cart. I felt like the kids. I wanted, no, I needed the freakin' Crunchers. I tried to justify it by telling Laurie that I brought tuna for lunch and I needed a little sumpin' sumpin' to go with it. Then, I tried to tell her they are cooked in peanut oil and are only 140 calories. As we walked to the cart, I was feeling like I was definitely going to get them. We turned the bag around and Laurie pointed out that the chips are only 140 calories---PER SERVING!! There happen to be 4 servings in a bag. That's right---560 calories of chippy goodness!!

I backed my big butt away from the crack cart. I'll stick with my twigs and berries!!

**If not for Laurie's wisdom, this could be my future.

Riley's Birthday Weekend/Mother's Day

This weekend made the "Henfling's Top Ten Busiest Weekends" list. It really all started on Thursday. I had early and late duty and Riley had soccer practice. Friday, after a day of early/late duty and testing, I had someone looking at my house (tryng to sell it), a birthday party to get the boys to, ran Knox to the doctor in Memphis because of an ear infection, and Jackson had practice. Saturday, we had 2 soccer games, both boys had soccer pictures, and I made cupcakes for Ri's b'day all before 1:00. We all took Riley for his birthday dinner at Outback. After dinner, Nan, Knox, and I went birthday shopping and Randy took Jackson and Riley to see Iron Man 2. I got home around 10:00 and had just enough time to throw his gifts into bags before they all got home at 10:30. After a lot of begging, we let him open his gifts. Sunday was Mother's Day and Riley's birthday. We got up, the boys had bluberry muffins and we were off to church. (Congrats Big Papa for becoming an elder!!) We left directly from church and drove to Missouri. Let me document that after 10 years of living here, Randy thought he knew a short cut that cost us 30 extra minutes. Anyway, we visited with Randy's family and then stopped by my grandparents' house before finally making it home at 9:40 pm. WHEW!!

This was mainly for me to remember how hectic this weekend was because it was kind of a blur. Believe it or not, we did have a lot of fun celebrating Riley's birthday and Mom's Day.

For the record, I got some really cool shoes from Randy and the boys. Jackson and Riley also made me lots of cards and a bookmark. Knox slept all night, so I guess that was his gift. I've got some great guys!!

Son #2--Riley Gardner

Goofy Riley

Okay, I confess. I cried about my sweet baby turning 6. I cannot believe that boy #2 is really 6 years old. I remember the day he came into this world. I was in labor all day on Mother's Day. I finally went to the hospital and the nurse said that if I wanted him to be born on Mother's Day, I would have to hurry. It was like a race. At 11:55 pm and after 20 minutes of pushing, we had Riley Gardner Henfling. He was adorable and huge - 8 lbs. 15 oz. This was the best Mother's Day gift ever!!

Before he was born, I was thinking about what to name my new boy, I couldn't decide. Originally, he was Noah. For some reason my brothers and cousin did not approve. They talked about it so much that I decided to think of something else. That's when Riley popped in my head. When I saw the name in a Pottery Barn magazine, I thought it was fate. His middle name, Gardner, is my maiden name. Riley Gardner was a perfect fit!!

From the first day Riley met his brother, Jackson, they have been each other's best friend. They are 27 months apart and I can just see them both on the couch in their diapers curled up sleeping. That's why I can't believe he's finishing kindergarten and growing up. As a toddler, Riley was a TERROR. He was always into something. I have often said that if there is anything in my house that is stained, cracked, dented, or broken---Riley did it! With Jackson, I never had to take things off of my tables or worry about him getting into anything. Riley was different. He always had a mess on his face and clothes. I used more Shout on his clothes than you can imagine.

Today, Ri is the sweetest, little boy. He is a very loving child. He loves to play with Jackson, but he is most content playing by himself. The other day, Riley was in the floor with Knox reading a book to him. He loves his little Bubba. He really has a cute personality and a funny sense of humor. Sometimes, he gets so worked up telling a story that through all of the rambling, you can't understand what he's saying. He has Randy's laid back personality and build. He definitely gets his lips from Randy. He gets his animated face from me. He is super smart without even trying. He amazes us by how much he knows.

This is the first year since he's been born that his birthday has fallen on Mother's Day. Riley is truly a special boy and we have enjoyed watching him grow.

Happy Birthday Riley!!

We love you!

-Mom, Dad, Jackson, and Knox

Spring Break---Grown-up Style

SPRING BREAK is here!! I had my doubts, but I've made it to Friday. I didn't kill any students, I didn't kill my own kids, and I didn't kill myself. I had to hang on for dear life, but I'm here now. What are my big Spring Break plans? I don't have any. I want to sit down. If I'm lucky, I might get to lay down in the middle of the day. Isn't that crazy? My goal for my time off work is to get a nap. I HEART naps. Sometimes, I get up in the morning for work and I hope I can get a nap after school. BTW- it never works out. What happened to Spring Break at the beach with friends and parties and misbehaving? I'll tell you what happened. We all grew up. We fell in love and got married. We all had a house full of kids. We have jobs. We have responsibilities now. As I am typing this, I am thinking about my BFFs from school. We had so much fun and made so many memories. I'm making different kinds of memories now.

**You will not find me in this picture, but I do have some just like it!

Needless to say, this will not be me this Spring Break. I'm OK with that. I don't think I could hang anyway. I am perfectly content with hanging out with my boys and trying to get some things done around the house. Hopefully, we'll have a trip to the zoo, visit family in Missouri, and I'll get to have a date night with my hubby. I don't need no stinkin' beach party- I've got my own party animals and they are 8, 5, and 6 months old!!

SHORT but SWEET

Okay-this is NOT me. It just made me laugh. Have you ever seen the movie Shallow Hal? To make a long story short, Hal falls in love with a "start weight" looking girl. He doesn't see her that way because he's been put under a kind of spell. He sees her as more of a "goal weight" girl. That's my husband. Randy sees me as someone that I don't see in the mirror or in my freakin' tight pants. I guess that's good though. He loves me for who I am and not for who I'm trying to be. Anyway, he was right. This is rare in my eyes. -Joking- I had been complaining for a while about not seeing a change in the scale. He told me to measure and not weight myself. I thought he just wanted to measure me so I would take all of my clothes off. Well, I think that is part of it, but I do know that it is a good way to see if I'm making any progress. After 2 weeks, I had my measurements taken again. I have lost 2.25 inches! Yay for me!! My muffin will have a little less top on it! :)

Blah, Blah, Blahs

I can tell now that this post is going to be a lot about nothing. I've got the blahs. I'm in a funk. I was trying to think about why I'm feeling so down, but I can't come up with anything good. It's true that my kids are healthy(even though Riley puked yesterday), my marriage is great, I have money in the bank, and a roof over my head. What do I have to be ill about?

I'm thinking that this baby weight is affecting my whole attitude. I'm aggravated because it is just hanging around. It won't go anywhere. I told Ran that my body should be studied by scientists because I'm the only human that can get up at 4:15 am to work out and eat right, but that scale is on the same dang number as a month ago! UGH!! My friend, who will remain nameless, ate ice cream for supper twice in one week and still lost 2 lbs. Then she had the nerve to show up to work in a cute little skirt the next day. Heifer-I hate her!

That leads me to another topic I hate . *MY CLOTHES* I refuse to buy any work clothes until I see some results. When I look like crap, I feel like crap. Today at work, I wore some athletic-looking pants and a BHS school shirt. Then I have to listen to one of the coaches ask me, "Is it casual Tuesday, Henfling?" Whatever-

Ran told me not to weigh anymore, but to measure myself. He swears I'm losing inches. He measured me with a tape measure. I know, I'm brave, right? I actually let him write the numbers down on a piece of paper. I tried not to look. Anyway, I'm supposed to get measured again on 3-20. That will be 2 weeks since the initial measurements were taken. I'll probably be on suicide watch if there is no difference!

Is is okay to pray to lose weight? Dear God...

No Pink in Sight!!

Jackson on the bumper cars...








Opening gifts...

Boys being boys!

When asked what he wanted to do for his birthday, Jackson thought hard about it. He finally decided on Incredible Pizza. That's what we did. Jackson invited 5 boys and he let Riley and Knox come too:) We ate and opened gifts. It is hilarious to see how boys act when they get together. They are loud, wild, and gross. They could be themselves with NO girls around. After they ate, they partied like only boys can--on video games! I did manage to round everyone up for a round of bumper cars. So, thanks to the parents who came and helped their kids play, thanks to my mom for sitting with Knox(Love Ya Nan), and thanks to Campbell, Brooks, Brandon, Nick, and Aiden for making Jack's party so great!

Son #1--Jackson Paul

**I wrote this on February 17. I just never had the time to post it until today. Pretend it is February again!

I can't believe it. Am I old enough to have an eight year old? Today, my baby, turned 8 years old. He was so excited this morning when he got up for school. What I've realized is that it is not just a special day for him, but it is a special day for me and Randy too. It makes me think about the day he was born. It was on a Sunday and I had been pushing for two hours. In my head I was thinking--"I can't do this much longer!" I didn't want to be that girl. You know, the one you see on TV screaming and giving up. So, I kept going. What choice did I have? At 6:12 am, I had my Jackson.

Jackson was named after my Mima. The maiden name of my mom's mom was Jackson. I just liked the name and at the time, I knew no one by that name. His middle name is Paul. That's Randy and his dad's middle name. It just fits him.

He was always a serious baby. He would look at people as if they were crazy for talking "baby talk" to him. He is a very mature 8 year old. Don't get me wrong--he's loads of fun, but things have to be a certain way with him (maybe it's a first born thing). He's too smart for his own good. I know everyone thinks their child is a genius, but he really soaks up everything he hears and reads. He is a funny, little kid. He already gets sarcasm. He can dish it out too! Sometimes, we butt heads about something and I can see my mom shaking her head. He is a mini-Liz.

His attitude and his hair he got from me. Ever since he was 2, he has been known for his curly hair. He really didn't have much hair until right before he turned 2. He has plenty of it now!(My dad always wants him to gather his hair up after a haircut and save it for him.) Now, from his dad-he gets his ability to be liked by everyone. People just gravitate to him.

I know I'm rambling a bit, but I could just go on and on about him. What I really want to say is...

Happy Birthday Jackson! We all love you!

-Mom, Dad, Riley and Knox

Goin' Mama!

You've heard of "going postal," right? Well, if you are a new mother or an experienced mother, you can probably relate to me "GOIN' MAMA." It all started with my precious Jackson. He said he was sick and didn't want to go to school. He did have an upset stomach, so I made the executive decision to let him stay home. He was totally fine by that afternoon. I let his friend come over and play with him and eat supper with us. As soon as I walked the friend home, Jackson miraculously becomes sick again. Randy and I were frustrated. It is stressful to take off work. (Especially now that I had to use all of my sick days for my maternity leave.) Anyway, I think Randy had some daddy's intuition. He just asked Jack if there was something going on at school. Jackson started crying and confessed that an older and MUCH bigger kid at school was making comments to him in the hall.

Oh, H-no!! I'll tell you what those comments were, but first I want to explain something. Jackson has always been a very logical kind of kid. He is very laid back and non-threatening. I remember taking him to the park when he was little. I would say, "Jackson, jump off of that step," or "run across that bridge." He was never reckless and would explain to me that if he jumped off of the step he could break his neck. I'm serious. He said that. Also, he hasn't learned to be mean yet. He doesn't know about calling people names to hurt them.

Please remember that he is only in the 2nd grade and the comments I am about to reveal to you were hurtful and serious--to him. Okay, are you ready?..........The boy called him a baby several times and in front of Jackson's friends he told him he looked like a JONAS BROTHER!! This was traumatizing to Jack. I can kind of deal with the little name calling, but when Jackson showed me the look that the kid gives him in the hall--Well, that was it. I'm not going to let anyone intimidate him! My baby boy is not going to school and be worried about this kid making fun of him for being EXTREMELY cute.

Before I went totally "mama" on someone, I called my own mama. She always makes me settle down and think things through. I got the number to the boy's mother and talked to her. I just kept thinking, if she says one crazy thing to me, I'm gonna blow up on her. She didn't. She has obviously had this call before. We talked and I explained myself. Blah, blah, blah...she talked to him and it's all good now.

Whew, that was a close one. I'm going to have to get myself in check before the next incident. I mean, I have 3 boys. It's bound to happen! :)

What My Crew Is Up To

My boys are all different. They look totally different from one another. They each have their own distinct personality. They are also each interested in different things. I thought that I would just write some things about what each boy is in to these days and some funny things they say. When I'm 80, I want to remember my little fellas.

*Thanks Keri for a great idea.

• Jackson is (hopefully) at the end of his Stars Wars kick.

• Jackson and Riley will be starting spring soccer soon.

• Riley is very tender-hearted. You can raise your voice and he tears up. He says his "eyes are sweating."

• No matter what Knox is doing, as soon as he hears Randy's keys in the front door he is looking for him. He's a daddy's boy!

• Jackson still makes Riley use hand sanitizer before touching Knox when they get out of school.

• Jackson thinks Germany is cool because Henfling is German. He rooted for them in the Olympics.

• Knox thinks the lady on the cooking channel is talking to him. He gets embarrassed and smiles at her.

• Randy is dying for the boys to ride bikes. They are SO not interested right now. He bought them some anyway!

• Knox looks just like Randy when he sleeps. He always has his mouth open:O

• Riley has an amazing memory. He can repeat something word for word, especially movie dialogue.

• My boys have a Big Papa and a Little Papa.

• Still having trouble with saying his l's, Riley says he wants to watch "A Bug's Wife."

• Jackson said, " Mom, nobody better mess with Riley. I've got his back." (I love that!)

• Riley wants everybody to notice Knox. When we go into his school or a store, he says really loudly, "OH LOOK, IT'S BABY KNOX. OOOOOH, HE'S SO PRECIOUS!"

• Knox always has to wear a bib. He never stops drooling.

• Randy is a "hands on" dad. He's a big guy, but he loves his bubbas. He gives all of the boys a bath and he feeds Knox his cereal at night.

• Jackson can tell you any thing about any animal. His favorite channel is Animal Planet.

• Riley loves food. He relates everything to food. We were talking about something and Riley said, "He'll be in the gravyyard."

• Knox is the only one of the boys that slept in a crib.

• The big boys eat like teenagers. They love HOT wings and Jack has to order steak and baked potato at restaurants. (We are now taking donations for our food bill.)

I could add a million more things to this list. I'm sure I'll do another one because my boys are always changin'!

I've lost the GOODS!

It's official. I'm old. I've lost the goods. You know, that certain something that people see that, for instance, can get you OUT OF A TICKET!! This morning, I was driving to work and I noticed that a cop was tailing me. All of a sudden, his lights came on and I had to pull over. Wait. Let me back up the story a little. Saturday, I was at the gym. A former student, with new boobs, wanted me to help her with a machine. I was advising her not to put so much weight on it. I said aloud, "You just won't listen." Then, a jacka** interupts and says, "Is she your daughter?" What, this girl is 19 freakin' years old. Does it look like she could be my daughter? That made me crazy. I walked away and went back to trying to get my 20 lbs. off.

Okay, fast forward to this morning. I'm on the side of the road with 3 kids in the car. Let me just mention that I have not had a ticket since I was 17. I have been stopped no less than 20 times, but I ALWAYS get out of them. Randy has had his share and has told me on several occassions that is not right that I get out of tickets because I'm a girl. I told him to be nice to the cops and maybe he could get out of one. I don't even get nervous when I get pulled over. It's almost like I assume I'm not going to get one. Once, I even begged a cop to not give my sis-in-law a ticket. (You're welcome Lindsey!) I don't do anything wrong to get out of trouble, but what's wrong with giggling and batting my eyelashes?

To make a long(er) story short, I got a ticket. 44 in a 30...Ouch! My kids were laughing and couldn't wait to call Ran. Jackson informed me that I shouldn't talk bad about the cop because it was my fault. When I asked him why he would take that cop's side over mine, he said, "Mom, I was born in the year of the horse and I'm cheerful. Riley was born in the year of the dog and he's smart." (He's been studying the Chinese New Year.)

This hurts. I got accused of being a mother and I got a speeding ticket in a matter of 2 days. Where's the wrinkle cream...

BTW-Just had my b'day and turned 32. I don't want to talk about it!

Last One Left

Well, I was the last one left. The last one in North America without a Facebook page. I thought I'd get with it and sign up. I was so stressed. I sat at my parents' house on their computer trying to crop a freakin' picture and hold a fussy baby. I had Jackson and Riley over my shoulder bugging me to get off so they could play their game. If you know me, you know that I can't do a project half-way. If I decide to paint a room, I have to paint and have the pictures back on the wall by the end of the day. I don't know what it is. I just can't rest without it being complete. I remember my friend Stephanie telling me that she was sick of her bathroom tiles and she just started pulling them up. What? How could she do that without having new ones to put in their place. I couldn't sleep that night. I thought about when she was going to fix the tiles. Just when I got over it, she pulled the wallpaper off of her kitchen walls!

Anyway--I went through the pictures on my camera. I'll confess that I haven't developed pictures since before last Christmas. That's the problem with digital cameras. I just keep adding pictures. So, I made a FB album of pictures from last summer to the snow we just got. My boys went from being tan to bundled up in snow gear.

It has been fun getting all of these "friend requests" from people that I haven't seen in years. Randy is keeping up with it too. He has friends from high school that have been added. I can't check FB at work. (not that I have the time) So, I keep getting emails of people fussing at me for not replying back quick enough. Randy has a laptop for work that he occasionally brings home. I usually have to go to my parents' house to check it and blog. I won't be able to become an addict to FB unless I get a home computer. I guess I'll be shopping for one this weekend! :)

Once in a blue...poop?

Yep- that's right. My baby's poop was blue. It has only happened a couple of times, but I didn't know if it was normal. He has been on all formula for a few weeks and his poop has gone from green to dark green to really dark green and then it was like he ate a Smurf. It was BLUE! I googled it (of course) and I was glad to see that other babies have had blue poop too. I called the doctor just to make sure and she confirmed that blue poop is normal. Who knew that on my third kid I would discover something totally new and unexpected. Apparently, it is the iron in the formula. I just had to put this out there for everyone to read. I guess poop happens--even if it's BLUE! If you're curious about poop, visit this website. Someone really came up with a poop decoder. http://www.thefixchicks.com/2006/08/13/introducing-the-baby-poop-decoder/

No business like SNOW business!

Hope that drool doesn't freeze!















Thumbs up for playing in the snow!

Snow Fun for Jackson and Riley

Randy and Knox

Knox is looking so sleepy in this picture. It was naptime!

This is me with all of my boys at my parent's house. We were getting cabin fever from all of the snow and had to get out for a while. We were all excited to see Nan!

Phoebe's Phlegm

Do you remember the episode of "Friends" when Phoebe could actually sing? To refresh your memory--Phoebe had a cold. She had Phlegm caught in her throat and it made her sing really well. That happened to me this morning. I was so excited. I can carry a tune (sometimes), but a real singer I am not. I was taking the baby to the sitter and Jason Aldean's new song, "The Truth," came on the radio. I started singing and realized-I sound good! It was about 6:30 this morning and I have a slight cold. I had an audience of 2. Jackson and Riley could have cared less, but I had to call Randy and tell him. I'm so jealous of Ran. He has a really good singing voice. I always tell him that if I could sing like him, I'd sing all of the time. I'd sing for everyone. I love to hear his voice. Anyway, I couldn't wait for the next song to show my skills. It was kind of hard to show my talents to a Black Eyed Peas song, so I kept flipping the stations. Finally, I found Michael Buble'. It was on. Then, all of a sudden, it was over. Like Phoebe, I cleared my throat and the dream died.


As you know, Phoebe sang songs about random things. Here are her songs from the "Phlegm" episode. ENJOY!!


Sticky Shoes (from Pheobe's phlegmy, sick version)
My sticky shoes,my sticky,
sticky shoes,
why you stick on me... baby.



Goats are Parading
Parading, goats are parading;
parading down the street.
Parading, goats are parading;
leaving little treats.


Paper Mache' Man
I'm, I'm still waiting for my papier-mache' man.

Weight Update

Just a quick update on my progress. In a week, I'm down 4.2 lbs! That's pretty good since I inhaled a piece of cheese pizza and a cupcake during our church's game night. Randy was so excited for me. I know he is proud that I worked so hard; I also know that I would have been hell to live with if I hadn't lost any weight! My friend Laurie is also losing weight. I can really tell that she is slimming up. She is a little over 5 feet tall. If she loses an ounce, you can see a difference. At 5'7'', I practically have to lose 15 lbs. before people say, "Did you cut your hair?" The hubby says he can tell, but I think I must have lost it in my cankles. See, I can't even enjoy the 4.2 stinkin' pounds. (Yes, I must count the .2!) It's working, so I guess I'm still sweating at the gym and drooling over the chips I can't have. Until next time...

God is great...and people are CRAZY!

As I have gotten older, I have noticed something. There are so many crazy people in this world. It is true that I have had my crazy moments in life, but I mean people are certifiable. For example, I was trying to catch a few minutes of American Idol last night. A guy comes on there howling. It was awful. The judges were immediately saying no. The "singer" was serious. He acted like they had crushed his dreams. Then, he went crazy. The security had to be called and they had to handcuff his silly self and drag him out of there. It was kind of scary. Does he really not have anyone in his life that could tell him to pursue something other than singing?

Watch the news and see if you can get through the 30 min. without hearing about somebody who just went nuts about something. Something happened in the workplace, on the interstate, in a church, at a school--it just goes on and on. Has there always been stuff like this happening and I am just now paying attention to it? Maybe it is just the times and they are a-changin'.

I think crazy comes in different levels. You know that one guy in your hometown that everyone knew was crazy-that's a medium level. You weren't really afraid, but you knew better than to get too close. (My hometown crazy rode a bike and he was covered in trash bags. He sprayed Future floor cleaner as he rode and claimed to have built spaceships for the government.) People that blow up things-that's off the charts. Today, I had an encounter with a mild form of crazy. I heard a 14 year old kid say, "She was s*** out of luck." I was in the position to get the kid in trouble, but I just wanted him to acknowledge his mistake. Maybe he could act a little embarrassed that an adult heard him cuss or just apologize. What did he say to me? "You probably cussed when you were 14!" That didn't sit well with me. It may seem like no big deal, but I find that to be a form of craziness-disrespect, but also crazy. I would never dream of talking to an adult like that. Am I old-fashioned?

I know many factors contribute to someone's odd behavior. Drugs, for instance have ruined many lives. Don't you have to be a little crazy to have the nerve to inject, smoke, or sniff something that was made in someone's dirty kitchen? Now, if it grows in nature... (Just kidding)

You used to be able to tell if someone was not in their right mind. The person would kind of have those crazy eyes. Now, you never know. It is getting more and more common. I know that it is not PC to call someone crazy, but if the shoe fits... I had an aunt that told me that once, but you know what? She is a little on the nutty side herself.

Phat is the new skinny!

I'm officially back on the bandwagon. Today is the day I started my "serious" diet. I dieted before Christmas and lost weight. I didn't try during the Christmas break--what's the use? Now, I am going at it full force. I think I'm blogging about it because if I put it out there and everyone knows about it-I can't fail. Can I?

I have plenty of motivation to get the weight off. I'll have more energy, better health, and ... be able to wear the closet full of clothes I haven't put on since last winter. (I found out I was preggars last January.)They are just staring at me. They've all been dry cleaned and look brand new. I hope they are still in style when I return to that size. Oh, THAT size. Why does size matter? I'm talking about in clothes! I should focus on what fits and not the size of it. The ones that tell you that size doesn't matter are all a size 2. It doesn't matter when you are a 2-everything looks good.

I weighed yesterday to get an idea of how much I need to lose. It was more than I expected. I was hoping the scale was wrong, but it was a pretty good scale. I am the weight of a small horse! Okay, let me try to find the positive in this and not dwell on the negative. I'm drawing a blank. I can't think of anything. Alright, I got one. I am not fat---I am Phat. You know, the slang word for being "first rate; cool; highly attractive." I'm not saying that I'm highly attractive, but I am first rate in a couple of areas. I'll just try to remember that when my gut is hanging over my jeans and my shirt won't button because of my boobs. (still nursing!) Until I get down to my normal size, I just have to settle for being PHAT!

Things to THANK about...

I know that Thanksgiving is long gone, but several things have happened lately that make me realize how thankful I am. I hear about some tragedy every day at school. Unless you work in the school system, you really have no idea what some of these kids go through in their personal lives. Many of these kids do without so much--money, love, guidance. Most recently, the news has been all about the people in Haiti. They have been struck with an earthquake that has devestated their country. Can you imagine trying to get through a castastrophe like that? I've been focused on losing weight and they are struggling to find clean water and food. The realm of misfortune and grief that many families face is something that I have had no experience with.

I thank God for all of the good things in my life. These are things that I should think about more often and not focus on the trivial. I really am blessed to have a great family. Many people live their lives with a lot less support and love than me. I have a great husband who loves me and his boys. His favorite thing to do is be with us. I have three healthy boys. They are compassionate and loving and funny. They have good little hearts and I can see that they are going to turn out to be awesome men one day. We could always use more money, but we have a house, clothes, food, and junk we could do without.

I can feel me getting sappy, but I just wanted to put things in perspective. Today, I will try to put my energy into being happy with my life the way it is, pray for those who are experiencing troubled times, and hope to continue this tomorrow. I'll do my best, but if I can't fit into my jeans, I may have to rant about that a little:)

Not a hippo for long!

This is how I see myself these days. I'm a hippo. My baby just turned 4 months old and I have been obsessed with getting this weight off. Whoever said that a pregnant woman should gain 25-30 lbs. is crazy and, obviously, a MAN! Okay, I know there are plenty of girls that gain a little weight with pregnancy. You know, the ones who look like they are carrying a basketball under their shirt. The minute they pop the baby out they are back in their skinny jeans. I'm not that girl. I've had three, big boys and struggled every time to get the weight off. Currently, I have to get off as much as I was "supposed"to gain. I'm working to get my waist back. It's hard.

Luckily, I have some friends that are on the bandwagon. We try to stay away from the school's snack (crack) cart that delivers snacks to the students. We've all been bringing our lunch to school. I think it is harder working in a high school environment. I see all of these young girls and their cute, little pre-baby bodies. Enjoy it while you can--one day you'll be dreaming of the days when you could shovel food down your throat and not gain an ounce.

My husband is nothing but supportive. He motivates me to go the gym and helps me find the time. Ran could care less that my body is no longer shaped like an hourglass but more like a grandfather clock. Bless his heart, he listens to me complain and cry about it every day and he still loves me. I'm even sick of hearing me!

This is just one of the ways I'm reminded that I'm not 18 anymore. That body is long gone. At 18, I was not worried about how much I weighed. I was too busy having fun and eating whatever I wanted. Awww, those were the days! I am sure this will be a topic for many blogs to come. I look forward to the day when I don't have to think about it. Until then--I'M IN THE FREAKING GYM!

You made me love you, I didn't want to do it...

It is ridiculous. It is obsurd. It is not to be watched by the faint at heart. It is THE JERSEY SHORE, baby! Oh, one more thing, it is addicting!! If you don't know about this show and you love drama, you are missing out. I didn't want to like it--it just happened. This bunch is made up of young, Italian-Americans. They are spending time on the Jersey shore and wreaking havoc on the boardwalk. There is a fight or two or three on every episode. I discovered it while I was on the elliptical at the gym. (I'll watch anything to get through my 30 min.) I came home telling my husband about it. Randy and I never have time to watch TV, but every once in a while we will sit down and catch part of an episode. We crack up every time. I recently found out that my friend, Laurie, has also been biten by the Shore bug. She discovered it the very same way I did. Don't get it twisted--I do not watch this in front of my kids. I don't want my boys growing up to be tanned beefcakes walking around in "wife-beaters" and talking with a Jersey accent. Alright, I feel better. I've confessed. Next time you're flipping through the channels and you see it on, stop for 5 minutes and see if you can resist the urge to watch 5 more.

By the way-Everyone on the show has a nickname. Ex. Sweetheart, Snooki, The Situation, etc. If you want to know your Jersey Shore nickname go to www.apps.facebook.com/jerseyshore.

Christmas, Christmas time is here...

These are my boys. This was our 2009 Christmas card picture. Riley loves his new brother. It is rare that I take his picture without him leaning his head on Knox. I told Jackson to think what Santa might bring him. Even though he is missing a front tooth, he gave me this gorgeous smile. Knox, on the other hand, was not in the mood to be merry. (Notice the drop of drool on his chin.)

This is a picture of all of my guys. Aren't they cute? I'm a lucky girl!

Baby Knox Walker

Look at this crew! My parents have 6 grandkids-5 boys and 1 sweet, little girl. Don't be deceived. She may be dainty, but she can hang with the boys.

(Riley, Trey, Jackson and Knox, Matthew, and Ella Kate)