We've Been Bitten

By the bug.

The Wii bug that is :)

With all the snow that we've received, it makes it quite impossible to get outside and train for my 39.3 mile Avon Walk for this coming May. So, instead of going to the gym, I just use my Wii Fit Plus right in the comforts of home to do my training. I try to do at least 20-30 minutes of activity everyday. I mainly just jog, but I try to switch it up and do boxing or hula hooping.

I love my Wii.

The Madore-ables have been participating in jogging alongside with me. When I announce that I'm going to "Wii" they go nuts and run around to find the necessary tools to complete their workouts:

Their Wii mat

Their "Wii remote" and the t.v remote so they can "switch" between Wii jogging and Super Why. (Because every Mommy who jogs with the Wii along with the t.v knows that the workout goes by so much quicker with something like Curious George or Super Why).

Samantha's turn...look at her burn those calories!

Go Sarah go!!!! You can do it!

I think it's great that my girls are so excited to have fun along with the Wii. I also think it's great that they're having fun and don't realize that they're still getting exercise.

You can follow my training progress on my "In it to end it" tab!

Five Things Friday

Five Things That Made Me Smile This Past Week

1. Jeremy had this past Monday off so we got to spend a lot of time together. We just relaxed around the house and did a whole lot of nothing as a family. Oh wait, that's not true. We actually left the house for awhile and did some errands. It was nice to just not have any schedules.


2. The local library started Monday and Tuesday story time followed by a small craft. The Madore-ables absolutely loved it. This week's theme was books about snow men. Afterwards the girls colored pre-cut out snow men and added accessories: shoe laces for a scarf and buttons for, well...snow men have buttons :) Either way, the girls had a BLAST and we can't wait for next week. Plus, we've been taking out books to borrow and returning them. The girls have a great time putting the books on the conveyor belt and waving "bye bye" when we return them.


3. Working out has been going extremely well this week. I'm going on day 5 of working out and that includes waking up 1 hour earlier than the girls so I can get my Wii jog in. I've been trying hard to reach for a piece of fruit every time I want to snack. It's only been 5 days, but I seriously feel so much better and I have so much more energy. Endorphins are pretty awesome! I feel like a different person.


4. Molly, one of my best friends came down to visit on Tuesday. We weren't able to see each other before Christmas, so Molly brought Christmas to us. Molly brought a "few" gifts for the girls, but one of them has provided more entertainment in the last few days than ANY of their toys. The Madore-ables have had so much fun with this castle that I'm sure it will definitely be part of the blog eventually : )


5. Samantha received a few games for Christmas...so starting this past week after dinner we've had "Family Game Night". We can tell Sam has been enjoying it because first thing in the morning, she asks me if we can have "Game time like last night". Then after lunch, Sam asks when Daddy will be home so he can play a game with her.

A Gold Star Kind Of Day

Today was an amazing day. The Madore-ables and I are going on week 2 of a great schedule. Mondays at 9:30 are for Sarah's playgroup and Tuesdays at 12:00 are reserved for Sarah's Occupational Therapy. The playgroup is literally just a mile away from our house, and the OT comes right to our house. We're certainly spoiled with this new schedule right now. The last two weeks I've woken up early to squeeze a Wii jog in before the girls wake up, and I've noticed such a difference in my energy level. To date, I've lost twenty five pounds since January of this year, and my new goal is to buy a new dress (a few sizes smaller, of course) for my friend Ann's wedding coming up in October.

Now that we're on a great schedule, it's easy to plan things like errands, or play dates or the occasional Free Cycle pickup. For instance, this morning I knew that our OT was coming to the house so I wanted to grab a few items from the grocery store before then. Seeing Samantha has been cooped up in the house for the last 2 days, (Boston has experienced a cold snap with side of some much needed rain). So I knew that she would love to go out. Sure enough, Samantha was quite giggly to find out not only were we going to the grocery store, BUT we were also going to the ATM at our bank which is in the same plaza.

So we get to the ATM and Samantha asked if she could help me. I handed her my bank card and she put it in the slot, and then I withdrew my cash. When the bank "spit" out the money, Samantha grabbed the money and handed it to me, and then the ATM "spit" my card out and Samantha took that. While I was putting the cash in my wallet and the card back in the correct wallet slot, Samantha says to me (very seriously mind you),

"Why isn't the ATM spitting any more money out?"

We had a great trip grocery shopping. You may think I'm very strange, but I absolutely LOVE to grocery shop. I just dislike hate putting the groceries away when I get home part. Once we get inside, and get the cart all situated and Sarah all buckled up in her seat, I pull out my list, hand it Samantha and the fun begins. I turn it into a scavenger hunt, so Samantha has to find all the items for me. So while Samantha is concentrating on the next item and scouring the shelves, Sarah is sitting in her seat waving hello and saying, "HI!" to everyone (and I mean everyone) who walks by. Sarah surprised me today while shopping. We walked down the isle where the hand soap is, and Sarah starts to pretend to wash her hands. Then we walk in the produce section, and Sarah says "Buh-buh-buh" (which is "Banana" in Sarah's language), and "Aahh-p" (which is "Apple"). Then we head home, and Samantha starts to put the items away for me.

It may be cold and rainy outside, but it's been a great day for us today. I love days like this...gold stars for my Madore-ables.

Our Finest Visit Haverhill's Finest

I went through half the day today thinking it was Sunday, and then realized mid-day that it was actually Monday. Being stay at home mom, I find that I forget what day it is. The days just seem to melt into one. I always look forward to the weekends when Jeremy is home. It was a nice treat to have Jere home on a Monday. Jeremy had the day off from work today, so he was able to stay home. We both had a "lazy" morning which is an understatement due to the fact that our version of "lazy" may be different from everyone else's. A lazy day to me is staying home all day, and getting things done around the house. Jeremy did some vinyl graphics work for his business and I organized the girls Summer clothing. Although, I didn't finish the clothing project, I did manage to sort out quite a bit. It's a good 2 to 3 day project, but I know I will accomplish it...and by then Autumn will be here and I'll have to do it all again, ha ha. It's a never ending battle.

While the girls napped, I did manage to squeeze in a jogging workout on my Wii. I also found out that I have lost 23 lbs since January 2010. I feel that I've been slacking on my workouts since my Avon Breast Cancer walk this past May, but in this Summer heat, I feel so lethargic. I've really been forcing myself to jog for 30 minutes, sometimes 2-3 times a day. My ultimate goal is to lose 40 lbs by Christmas time. It'll be a challenge, but I believe it's a reachable goal.

After the girls nap, Jeremy and I took the girls on a surprise soiree: we decided to go to Haverhill's fire station. Samantha was very nervous, and thought that she was going to be taking a ride inside the fire truck. Once we told her that only the firemen drive and ride in the firetruck, she seemed to calm down a little. "Pete" the fireman gave us a great tour. He showed us all the trucks and what their names were, and what the purpose of each truck was. Samantha loved all the equipment and the axes, and thought the "Tanker Truck" (the truck that carries the water) was very cool. We could tell that Samantha really enjoyed it because she was making great observations like, "Hey, the firetruck has a gas pedal and a brake pedal" or "Hey, if you ride inside the fire truck, it would be very bumpy". We had a great 15 minute tour before the practice alarm went off, and we needed to leave. Afterwards we took the girls to Winnikenni playground and had a great time there before the bugs came out. Then we came home and the girls watched an Elmo video, and received pedicures from Mommy.

A great big thank you to Pete and the Water Street firehouse in Haverhill, Massachusetts for all that you do...including giving tours of the firehouse :)

Here's some photos from our firehouse soiree:

The ladder on this ladder truck can reach about 102 feet in the air.

Just to give you some perspective, Sarah was a little bit taller than the half-way point of this tire.

Pete showing Samantha where the firemen sit in the back of the truck