Norissa - do you have to have a degree to be a teacher's aide? I think that may be something I would like to do in my next career.

Felicia - I wish you lived closer to me...I love, love, love the tutu idea. I'd bring my DD to you all the time for pictures! I'll bet you get a lot of business.

Joni - Huge Congrats on the 10K and then some! I was actually thinking yesterday that it has been 5 years since I did my last 5K. It was on the 4th of July. I'd like to get to the point where I can do that again. It's a great moral boost when you cross that finish line!

Angie - I thought about the notebook thing...actually, I was picturing some sort of scrapbook to put the pictures in. But at the rate I'm going - at about 3 pictures per week - I'll have more scrapbooks than I'd know what to do with...but maybe I can do that for the really special ones. The problem is that they're all really special to me right now.

Big (((hugs))) to Britt and Alannah...

Oh, and thanks again for all the well-wishes for DD.

I didn't get to tell you all that she kinda got beat up at preschool on Monday...can you imagine?! This month, they have some kids from a nearby school bussed in...the kids all have disabilities - both physicall and mentally challenged. Anyway, one of the boys apparantly took a liking to my DD and followed her around all morning. Everything was fine at first...but apparantly the boy doesn't understand good touching from bad touching (pinching, etc.) He grabbed my DD's face with both hands and scratched up her nose, cheeks and neck. My heart sunk when I picked her up. But the boy has now been separated from DD so it won't happen again.

here in MO you need to have 60 college credit hours - I have 60 + in early childhood education (just never finished my degree, "life" took over )

Hi all! Have to catch up on this thread, but wanted to check in this morning.

Made a really yummy low fat potato salad and cucumber salad yesterday and cooked a london broil on the grill. Was POP until we went to the mall and hit the popcorn place. Could have been worse, but the scale is down a little still so that's a victory anyway. I'll try and post the potato salad in the next few days.

OK... gotta get some work done. Be back in a bit.

Britt- So sorry to hear about your friend.

Angie- No worries, that 4 lbs will fall off in no time!

Alannah- Wow, poor Chancey. I hope that ex DH does report that. He should make them pay his vet bills!

Joni- Great job on the "Wog"! You are my shero! Have a productive work day, working over the weekend sucks!

Katy- Way to get to bed on time. I am jealous. We did not get home until after 11:00, did not get to bed until after midnight, and I had to be to work at 5:00 this morning. I am sitting here at my desk with bloodshot eyes wondering what the heck I was thinking.

Felicia- I am with you. Way too much salt, way too much wine and Mojitos, my fingers and ankles are all swollen up. Definitely hot lemon water for me today!

As for me, we had a busy 4th, very nice day. We went to the parade in our town, then had lunch with my folks and my grandma. Then we went home, took a 2 hour nap in the A/C (it was 98 here yesterday), then drove to my sister's house 30 miles away for a barbeque. My DBIL had a whole driveway fireworks show planned, complete with music. It was so great. We played basketball, ran through the sprinkler, drank too much, and just relaxed. After it got dark, we all drove way up on the hills near their house to watch the fireworks show. Just an all around nice day.

I have 2 questions:

1- Do any of you get migraines? I have had 4 of them in the last 3 days. No idea why, they started on Sunday. Any thoughts, tips, or anything?

2- We are looking at one of those big blue swimming pools that you buy at Wal Mart. It is getting close to 100 degrees here everyday, and we are dying. Have any of you ever bought one, and what was your experience with them?

Katie - I don't get migraines, but a friend of mine does. He recently started getting them more frequently, so in desperation he bought one of those magnetic necklaces. May be a coincidence, but that migraines have gone away.

Can't help you out with the pool, but there is a house down from mine that has had one in their yard for two summers now...so they must hold up fairly well.

Tina- Oh, that is terrible about your DD getting hurt. It happens, though. We have some kids here who are just prone to hurting others. I hope that experience doen't make her afraid to go to school.

Cassie- How did you do your cucumber salad?

Tina - I love taking pictures of kids! DH and I have had an event photography business (races, ballgames, Mardi Gras balls, etc.) for about a year. In April, I took some photos of DD and some of DS in May. Some of them are in my profile. Since then, I've been getting requests from friends (who've seen the pics) to set up photo sessions for their kids. This has led to DH and I starting a new division of our photography company. The tutu session will be my first major undertaking - with more than one subject.

I eventually want to do portrait parties where a hostess invites friends to come have portraits made. They only pay a $15 sitting fee, all the photos are posted online and they buy what they want online. They can even send the URL and password to relatives and friends who can then decide to buy as well. The hostess gets free photos determined by the sales from her party. The hostess will also choose the theme - Mommy and Me, Daddy and Me, Tea Party/Dress Up, Princesses, Snips and Snails (little boys), etc. All the hostess has to provide is light refreshments and a quiet corner or backyard for the photos. Sort of like a Tupperware party, but with a camera!

Felicia, what a fantastic idea. I can only imagine how much business you would get.

morning everyone. i had the day off yesterday and i today, so i'm going to clean the house up a bit and try out my new tae bo dvd.
for some odd reason the scale is up 2lbs. no clue. tom isn't that close and i've been POP, getting my water in..so no clue. anyways. i was going to go to COD today, but i don't feel like seeing a gain on their scale. especially when it's for nothing! so i'm going to go on saturday.

katie--about the blue pools from walmart, my former DH just bought one from target and he said the kids love it and it's one of the best things he's bought. he bought the one with the frame which is a bit more, but said it was worth it. hope that helps. sorry about the migraines.

Joni -- WTG on your wogging! I need to start doing that again. I used to walk religiously on my lunch, and my legs looked so great. I miss my sexy legs! CAn you remind me what kind of work you do? I'm so curious about anyone who works from home. I'd love to do that.

Felicia -- REmember hot lemon water is your friend after pork loins like that.

Tina -- Eek, I get so upset when DS gets hurt by another kid at daycare. It hasn't happened often, but it really shakes me up each time. With him it's always been bites from his friends though.

**Warning, Shameless Mommy Brag Follows**
Cameron just moved from his toddler class to his preschool class this week. This morning they gave me his final report for toddlers, and he's highly developed at about 75% of the skills listed, and developed at the other 25%. Yay, it's like mostly A's with a few B's ...lol. I know it's only about playing nicely and putting on his own shoes for now, but still, I'm so proud of him.

Katie -- You're right, I went to WI again this morning and I've lost 2.4 of the 4 lbs I gained...so I hope the other two will be gone by Saturday when I WI again. Your day yesterday sounds so perfect, nap, fireworks, BBQ, drinks and sprinklers, I love it! My DH gets migraines, but we can't figure out a pattern to avoid at all. When he does get them the best over the counter meds seems to be Advil Migraine for him. About the pool, I don't know about kind, but I can ask my DH if he knows much about them. In the summers that's what he does, he installs above ground pools, but I think they are mostly the aluminum/plastic kind.

Morning ladies..

I'm back at the office and dealing with wrapping up the fire from the PR standpoint.. It was a good trip.. Wish it had been more eventful from the fire/media standpoint, but if it ain't gonna burn, it ain't gonna burn...

Feeling the effects of being mostly off plan for the past couple of days.. Was up 6 lbs on the scale this morning, but I figure that can't be right.. Probably a result of salty foods and such.. Didn't stick to plan last night for 4th of July festivities either, but it's too soon for that to show up as real weight.. We'll see what happens over the next couple of days.. We're off to Roswell on Saturday for a belated 4th celebration with the in-laws, but we usually do pretty well when we visit down there..

Lots to catch up on, so I'll talk to y'all later!

Thanks! I am about to go in right now. I think I am down a half a pound over the 4th. DHs job would be in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. which is right outside of Eau Claire and about 1 1/2 hours east of Minneapolis, MN. it is also about 4 hours north of my parents. right now we live about 12 hours south of them.


yesterday was an emotional roller coaster. I was all set to spend the 4th without our closests friends and with my husband and two oldest kids out of town. My three younger kids and I went to the city pool to spend the day and then stay until the fireworks at night. as we parked and were getting our stuff out of the back of the car I could see a big pick up out of the corner of my eye, parking too close to my truck and I thought. "that jerk is not going to fit in there!" and then I turned my head and looked and it was MY HUSBAND AND DAUGHTER!!! they had driven 26 hours to get home to us! I wasn't expecting them home for another 4 or 5 days! it was great. so we all went to the pool together and once we were all burned good we decided we would rather go home and spend time together instead of wait for fireworks. but when we got home. My husband and my three younger kids went to the goat pen to feed the goat, but when they got there they found that my 10 year old and my 11 year old had left his collar on him when they put him away, he had jumped off his perch and caught it on something, and hung himself. and all the kids were right here finding it like that. they were screaming..... it was awful. he was such a nice goat. he was more like a pet dog. he followed my DH around when he worked in the yard, he played with the kids, and even let my son ride him, we will miss him so much.


on a happier note. I am now at one week drive thru free and feel pretty much cured. I have lost about 4 pounds this week of no drive thru. My DH just dangled a big carrot. He said when I hit 140 I get my tummy tuck AND a Mini Cooper with an iPhone!!! if that doesn't motivate me I don't know what will! (now how we could afford all that is another matter! but we can cross that bridge when we get to it)

ok, off to the COD.....!

(I am using my DHs laptop now that he is home. it is so nice to be able to get through what I need to with out seeing that dreaded blue screen!!)

Lettie--how exciting that your family surprised you!!! (so sorry about the goat--that sucks)

Sounds like everyone enjoyed their 4th--even if we were a little on the POOP side. I did all my daily *itching on the exercise thread so I won't do it again. Geez. I should've gone ahead and had the margarita!

More later--laundry calls

Katie - The cucumber salad was just cucumber sliced thin w/rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, scallions and chopped peanuts. I think I will make it without the sesame oil and peanuts next time, though, because I don't need it, but wanted to make the recipe I saw the way it was printed the first time. I think there was some kosher salt too, and maybe sugar? I'll bring the recipe w/me tomorrow and post it. But the peanuts (1 1/2T for the whole 4 servings, and 1 tsp for 4 servings, was really nothing, but added some good flavor.

As for the pool, we bought a blue pool last year. But we got the bigger one with the poles instead of the inflatable. It was $500 at Target. It's 18ft around and 4ft deep. We like it. And it's lasted all through the year. You just have to make sure that the area you put the pool in is level. I remember last summer Sherry (dolphin) bought a pool and kept having to go back to the store to buy sand to level it out.

Basically you take the diameter of the pool and add 6"-12" around it. Put a pole in what will be your center and tie a string to that is the same length as what will be the outside border. To the other end of the string tie a can of marking paint. Have one person hold the pole and the other sprays the area of the pool with the marking paint. Then you can dig out that area to make it level. Sounds like a lot of work, but it's not terribly bad and then you know the pool will last for a few years.

Also I was told that when you start filling it to add chlorine at the beginning. That way your levels should be good once the pool is filled and you won't have as much adjusting to do.