Layoffs suck!

Today seemed just like any other day. That is until I signed on Facebook only to see multiple posts from so many of my friends being laid off from my former employer. So many good people. It was so hard to watch it all unfold. It is so hard to wrap my brain around why. I understand that layoffs are a part of how things happen. I am no stranger to it as I managed to survive many. As I watched the people today I just did not get it this time. So many quality individuals and I was left feeling stunned and sad. All I can do is hope they all hold their heads high and land on their feet in a better position than they were before. *hugs* to you all

Time for a Challenge

For a very long time now I have been extremely frustrated with my weight and the way I look these days. A couple of times I have attempted to do something about it by either going on a diet or pretending to start an exercise program. It is hard and to be honest I was never really willing to put in the necessary effort. I have finally gotten to the point now where I am serious about this. If you are not truly motivated to do something you will never be successful. I have given this a lot of thought over the last week. I recognize my previous downfalls and wanted to make sure I was truly ready to give this another shot. It hurts my self esteem even more when I start something like this and fail at it. It makes getting started again that much more difficult. I get on a vicious cycle and finding the motivation seems almost impossible. I was not willing to start it this time unless I dug down deep and found that motivation to keep it going longer than a few days. I think I found it and I am willing to give it a shot. Tomorrow morning seemed like a good day to start. I will fire up my new 30 EA Active challenge. I have my meal plan set. Working now on purging the house of all the junk food. Going to hit the store tomorrow to bring home some healthy food options.

Anyone interested in partnering up with me? We could compare notes and try and keep each other on track. I will have weekly updates here and we will see how it all goes. Wish me luck!

Wordless Wednesday - Snow!

Cancer Sucks!

There really is no other way to put it. It is a devastating disease that has brought much pain and misery to so many people. Yesterday we lost a neighbor to liver cancer. She tried to fight it. She fought so hard to be a survivor. I know she is in a better place and her suffering is over now. Her family and friends are now struggling to move on. My heart goes out to them as they mourn their loss. They are all in my thoughts and prayers. She was always so friendly. She always greeted you with a smile no matter what was going on with her. I saw her one day when I was out and she asked me about my little one's first birthday. I was completely stunned that she would remember that when some of my own family had forgotten. She was a strong and remarkable person that will be missed tremendously. She is an angel now watching over her family.

Fisher Price Infant Toy Review

Thanks to the great people at MomSelect I have the opportunity to review two wonderful Fisher Price infant products. The first is the Laugh & Learn™ Fun With Friends™ Musical Table. The second is the Laugh & Learn™ Smart Bounce & Spin Pony™. When these toys arrived both of my girls were so excited. Both products were super easy to put together. I sat on the floor while both of my girls watched impatiently.

The Laugh & Learn™ Fun With Friends™ Musical Table was the first one ready. As soon as I snapped it all together my girls took it from me and played TOGETHER for such a long time. They had so much fun with it. My oldest is 3 and was actually taking an interest in it as well. I thought for sure she would be too old for it but she played with her younger sister like a champ. She was extremely interested in the Spanish setting and the ABCs and Counting. She kept relating it to what she was learning in preschool. She also liked helping her sister figure stuff out. There is definitely fun and learning. There is music, colors, counting, letters, english and spanish. It comes with a little telephone and pretend laptop. My little one is 18 months and loves the telephone. She keeps pretending to talk to everyone. There are songs they could sing along to and lights and music to dazzle them. It is so much fun to watch them play and I laugh at all the funny things they come up with. Both girls were fascinated with the music and singing along with the songs.

The Laugh & Learn™ Smart Bounce & Spin Pony™ is really quite awesome. My little one hopped on and immediately started bouncing away. She started spinning the little play wheel on the handle over and over. The music played and she giggled the whole time. All of this was before I had even gotten the chance to hook it up to the TV for the games. This toy comes with a box that hooks up to your TV. It includes interactive games for your kids to play. There are multiple levels depending on the age of your child. Both of my girls had a lot of fun with this. There is counting, ABCs, shapes, colors and so much more to entertain them while helping them learn. I was able to set this up and while the kids played and learned cool stuff I got some work done around the house. My 18 month old loved all the bouncing. She kept repeating everything she heard and she was calling out all the animals she saw.

If you are interested in any of these items you have an opportunity to download and print an in-store coupon that entitles you to $20 off a $100 purchase of Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn™ and/or Go Baby Go!™ Infant Toys. To download the coupon just head over to Fisher Price Coupon and register there. It is easy and simple. This offer will be ending soon so hurry so you do not miss out!

Brownies!

Seriously! Brownies rule the world. Have you ever met a brownie that you did not like. I have not. When you crave chocolate, brownies are always there to do the trick. They never let you down. They never disappoint. Sometimes they do leave you wanting more but most times they leave you completely satisfied. Right now as I write this I can smell them baking. I sit anticipating their yummy goodness. I cannot wait to get my hands on one and sink my teeth into all that chocolate. They are certain to be worth every minute I have to sit here smelling them and waiting for the timer to put me out of my misery.

Best Mood Ever

Yesterday I got some really great news and ever since I have been on cloud 9. I am not ready to share it yet but I will soon enough. I have not been this happy in a long time now and it feels really great. It is one of those things that makes you aware that things are changing for the best. I now feel that 2010 is going to be my year and things are only looking up.